Archive for May, 2010
Happy Birthday Flo!
Posted by Sean on May 12, 2010
Or Happy Nurses week…
Or Happy International Nurse day…
There is also the National women’s health week, national nursing home week, and national hospital and healthcare week.. whew. A whole lot of celebrating going on!
I wanted to make sure and wish this important lady a great birthday. Without her knowledge, skill and sheer determination I and many others would out of job! LOL
She crossed barriers, knocked down walls and moved worlds. Way to go Flo! Thanks for pavin’ the way.
Florence Nightingale – encyclopedia article about Florence Nightingale.
Posted in health | Tagged: Florence Nightingale | 1 Comment »
Working the OT = MI
Posted by Sean on May 12, 2010
Image Source: The Stem Cell Blog
So it’s official now. There was even a study done. Working longer hours at once or picking up extra hours of overtime is bad for your heart. I came across this study over at MedPage Today :Working Overtime May Hurt the Heart from MedPage Today and then also stumbled upon it over on Yahoo Health : 11 hour days are bad for the heart.
Some very interesting findings:
those working 11 to 12 hours per day had a 56 percent greater risk of coronary death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or angina than those who worked normal hours
OK. So try not to work a 12 hour day. Got it.
individuals who worked three to four hours of overtime per day had a 1.6-fold increased risk of having an event compared with those who did not work overtime.
OK. So try not to pick up too much overtime. Got it.
….
….
Waaaaait a minute.
Who works 12 hour shifts and picks up overtime….?
We nurses are doomed.
Posted in health, humor | Tagged: health, work | 1 Comment »
Nursing by the numbers
Posted by Sean on May 11, 2010
I think we all can appreciate the argument. Nurses feel overwhelmed when the nurse-to-patient ratio is extended beyond our means. Not only beyond our means, but also when it borders on compromising patient safety.
That has always been the source of our angst and distress. Having one nurse care for additional patients in a single assignment becomes cumbersome and borders on unsafe. We nurses have always felt that when the ratio increases sooner or late something can or will be missed.
There is of course many details that are involved with nurse-to-patient ratio assignments. The most important of them all is the ‘gold standard’ acuity level of the patient. How ill (sick) are they. We some how have transformed a patients’ illness into a classification system? You of course have your general medical floor patients (med-surg), then your telemetry (monitored) patients and then the critically ill (intensive care) patients. And with each of those classifications you are further delineate into how ‘severe’ each is. I won’t tie up this post with all the measures I’ve come across that evaluate and ‘classify’ how sick a patient is according to whomever has created the classification. It seems these classifications differ by state, by facility, by administration, etc, etc. It’s quite exhausting.
… finish reading my original post over at Scrubs Magazine
Posted in health | Tagged: nursing career | 1 Comment »
My New Countdown!
Posted by Sean on May 8, 2010
We go on vacation exactly 1 month after I graduate. Woo Hoo!
Posted in random | 5 Comments »
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? – Nurse?
Posted by Sean on May 7, 2010
This is for any nurse out there who hasn’t found there pot-o-gold. I’m sure all my fellow nurses out there are just ‘rollin’ in the ‘dough’ right? You have so much money that you just don’t know what to do with it right? Your house and your car are paid off. You don’t have any outstanding school loans. No credit card debt. Right?
Right?
No? Well then listen up!
Treat Your Money Like You Treat Your Patients…And You’ll Be a Millionaire
This is a quote from Dr. Dean Burke, a wonderful gentleman I ‘bumped’ into while surfing the social media circles of the internet (Twitter, Facebook, etc). Dr. Dean is all about helping nurses achieve financial freedom. He’s quite the nurse advocate I must say. And I don’t know about you – but money management is usually a source of stress and worry for me just about everyday of the week. We’re not drowning in any way, but it would be nice to have some ‘freedom’.
Dr. Dean has a website The Millionaire Nurse as well as a partnered blog. He seems to have a firm grip on what financial challenges we nurses face and puts a ‘real’ spin on what is possible, probable and achievable.
He’s running a survey (cough cough) … err I mean a contest right not trying to figure out what it is we nurses need when it comes to finances- Nursing Survey/Contest!!! | The Millionaire Nurse Blog. It seems there is quite the incentive to participate in a simple survey:
- GRAND PRIZE: $150 Amazon Gift card
- 5 Second Prizes-autographed copy of The Millionaire Nurse
- 10 Third Prizes-a $10 gift card to SUBWAY!
What do you think? Take a gander? Take the survey?
What do you got to lose?
Posted in health | Tagged: dr. dean | 1 Comment »
Wearing Your Emotions On Your Sleeve – Literally
Posted by Sean on May 7, 2010
"Emotional eating may be one reason why people don’t do as well in behavioral weight loss groups, because these groups don’t address emotional eating or any of its contributing factors." Emotions Can Sabotage Weight Loss Progress
It’s not a secret. The moments of weakness are what destroy your ‘healthy eating’ or your (cough cough) diet (I still hate that word).
There isn’t a ‘program’ out there that can’t be ‘sabotaged’ by our emotions and the emotional eating we all suffer from in one way shape or form.
That IS the key to a successful transition to a healthier you – conquering your emotions. If you’re in the drivers seat instead of those flurry of uncontrollable urges –you win the immediate and long-term battle.
Posted in fitness | Tagged: weight loss | 1 Comment »
I DID IT!
Posted by Sean on May 6, 2010
In just 7 short days I will be walking across the stage to accept my Baccalaureate degree in Nursing from the Pennsylvania State University.
Whew…
What a ride. I must tell ya. It got a lil’ ‘hairy’ there at the end with the amount of work I had to complete in such a short period of time. I had projects piling up left and right, due dates overlapping and assignments that would take 2-3 days to complete – on top of the ‘semester projects’ that were due. It was a tad crazy for a while there. I thought I was going blind from all the darn reading, writing and researching I was doing!
But I did it. I got through it. I can now put the auspicious BSN after my name now. I can’t tell you how awesome it feels to be done, to say I did it. To think I posted this a year ago: (I’m taking the BSN plunge)
There is no turning back now. It’s official. I’m a student (again). I’m a student for the 4th time. Luckily I will only need a total of 3 semesters. 3 semesters later I will attain my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing.
Wow. I still feel like it’s not real.
Maybe I’m making this more than it really is, but this degree was an important one for me. I learned a lot about me and my future as a nurse. I learned more about the nurse I am, the nurse I can be, and the nurse I want to be.
- I learned that my future as a nurse is full of possibilities.
- I learned that a job is not the same as a career.
- I learned that I truly do enjoy taking care of patients and their families.
- I learned I’m good at taking care of those patients at the bedside.
- I learned that I am at ‘home’ in the world of critical care – nowhere else.
Most of all, I learned that my high aspirations of wanting to be a Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) were based on false pretenses and misguided following. Being a CRNA is something that takes a great deal of education, training and skill. Most individuals in the critical care world ‘transition’ or follow along the ‘anesthesia’ path. It is not for me. Sure, the money would be GREAT – but I’ve learned the hard way that taking a job for the money is the quickest way to an unhappy life. Being miserable with a pocket full of money is not a way to lead ones life in my opinion.
My interests lie elsewhere, and I’m currently taking steps to get there. I’m nervous and excited at the same time! I’m anxious and full of energy at what my future as a nurse holds for me.
Posted in health | Tagged: BSN, career | 13 Comments »
Happy National Nurses Day!
Posted by Sean on May 6, 2010
5 yrs ago this very day.
I can’t believe it. 5 years ago on this date I graduated from nursing school. Whew… it’s been one heck of a ride so far. It’s rather scary to think about me as a green-behind-the-ears nurse starting my first job in a local ICU.
I know, I know – it really wasn’t THAT long ago. I was, however, a very different nurse. I have grown so much. What I have experienced and learned is immeasurable. I’ve been blessed with having such diverse experiences as a young 5 year nurse. I’ve traveled, I’ve worked in critical care, oncology, surgery, recovery and telemetry just to name a few. I’ve met some pretty awesome people and have had the pleasure of working with some top notch professionals.
And I’ve only just begun!
Posted in health | 1 Comment »
The Barbed Condom Women Wear to Injure Rapists–Good Idea or Gruesome?
Posted by Sean on May 5, 2010
The statistics are sobering: In South Africa, women are raped every 26 seconds, which means in the time it takes you to read this post, 3-5 women have been raped and possibly infected with HIV in the process. How to stop the horrible cycle of violence? One doctor believes she has a solution. It’s called Rape-aXe and, warning, it’s a little graphic …
Dr. Sonette Ehlers, inventor of the female-worn Rape-aXe condom, plans to pass out 30,000 condoms in South Africa before the World Cup. The idea: to protect women against would-be rapists. She designed the product after hearing from an actual rape victim who told her, “if only I had teeth down there.”
Here’s how Rape-aXe works: You insert the device in the vagina using an applicator (like a tampon). It’s said to be comfortable and safe to wear (in other words, you won’t stab yourself). But, when a rapist forces himself upon a Rape-aXe wearer, small hooks latch into the skin of the penis, causing significant pain.
Critics have serious concerns, namely: a.) since the device draws blood, there’s a chance that the rapist could infect the woman with HIV or other STIs. And, b.) it also could anger the rapist, causing more violence. (More on the debate, here, from Jezebel.)
I don’t know that I can, personally, get behind a product like this for both of these reasons. But I admire Dr. Ehlers mission to do something.
What do you think of this product?
Photo Credit: Rape-aXe
MORE FROM GLAMOUR:
via shine.yahoo.com
Whew… this is a strong move. Scary, but strong move.
I too applaud the Doctor’s efforts – but the concerns are rightfully disturbing.
Posted in random | 5 Comments »
