Introducing Amber and her blog “This Nursing Journey”. I stumbled upon Amber and her awesome story-telling blog many months ago and I have been a dedicated reader since my first visit. Here’s a lil’ bit about amber from her blog site:
Amber’s blog is all about her adventures in nursing school. She puts a very intimate accent on her stories, which is what I truly enjoy. You can tell from her words how excited and nervous she is during her journey to becoming a nurse. Her passion is something I tell her she needs to keep and defend. We need more individuals like Amber entering our profession.
Here are some of her words in a recent blog post:
So we left the boy in the capable hands of the FOUR S1s that had ended up in the room somehow (lol!) and my partner and I went to our post-conference downstairs to talk to another instructor about what we liked, what we didn’t like, and if it was a good learning experience for us or not. We completed a questionnaire/survey, and then we were free to go! In all, we were there a little over 3.5 hours, but it went by SOOO fast. Insane! I can’t imagine what it’ll be like in a real ICU with more than 1 patient that I’m having to take care of…makes me excited to be in the ICU in upcoming semesters.
All in all I really enjoyed the experience, and I wish were had more of them in a semester! And I can’t wait until my S1 semester when I get to do that one over again, only as an S1!
Also…now it’s Saturday. You know what that means?? I only have one more pharm quiz, my HESI next week, and then FINALS the week after that and I’ll be DONE DONE DONE!!!
Often described as an art and a science, nursing is a profession that embraces dedicated people with varied interests, strengths and passions because of the many opportunities the profession offers. As nurses, we work in emergency rooms, school based clinics, and homeless shelters, to name a few. We have many roles – from staff nurse to educator to nurse practitioner and nurse researcher – and serve all of them with passion for the profession and with a strong commitment to patient safety.
Background National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
This comes directly from the American Nurses Association website. Be sure to thank a nurse and recognize them for their efforts and their profession.
This year’s them “Delivering Quality and Innovation in Patient Care”:
(From the ANA’s website as well)
Nurses are always developing innovations and improving the quality of care in various ways. Sometimes innovative thinking helps one patient overcome a troublesome symptom. Other times, initiatives aimed at quality improvement and clinical practice innovation can benefit millions of patients system-wide.
ANA is highlighting nurses’ quality and innovation contributions in health care for National Nurses Week 2013 (see this article in The American Nurse for more detail), and is offering a webinar on how innovations in processes, technologies and best practices lead to improved patient outcomes.
Enhancing Quality to Improve Patient Outcomes
The Nursing Quality Database: 1 Million RNs and Counting
ANA is improving patient safety and outcomes through the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators® (NDNQI®), a program of ANA’s National Center for Nursing Quality®. More than 1,900 hospitals employing 1 million nurses – one-third of all U.S. RNs – participate in the performance database. Hospitals compare their performance, then devise and implement more effective nursing care strategies to improve patient outcomes.
2012 NDNQI® research findings on the quality of care indicate:
Hospital units with low RN turnover where RNs also rate their work environments highly have fewer negative and costly outcomes, such as pressure ulcers.
RNs on units with more nursing care hours per patient and lower job turnover gave higher ratings to their unit’s quality of care.
Benefits of Nursing Services More Broadly Recognized
Other nursing advancements in quality care include:
Care coordination, a core component of nursing, helps patients understand their care plan, self-manage their condition, take medications properly, obtain equipment, and get referrals. Now care coordination is commanding more attention as a way to improve value, efficiency, and patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Up to 20 percent of Medicare patients are re-admitted to hospitals, often because of inadequate care coordination. But now Medicare is paying for certain care coordination services for the first time, recognizing that the quality of transitional care provided by RNs is crucial to reducing re-admissions.
Patient falls are preventable, but causes must be assessed to reduce incidence. Nurses are urging incorporation of nursing quality measures, such as the National Quality Forum’s endorsement of NDNQI® measures for patient falls, into national standards for health care performance.
Innovation: Researching New Ideas to Improve Patient Care
Nurses find better ways to care for patients and improve outcomes through research and evidence-based practices. Nurses serving as “innovation advisers” to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed these improvements:
A new role of “attending” nurse to promote continuity of care over a patient’s stay
A model predicting the likelihood of hospital re-admissions and interventions to address causes
Analyzing coping strategies for nurses who are victims of workplace bullying
Evaluating how loneliness affects the health of older adults with chronic illness
Nurses’ Innovative Solutions That Make a Difference
The Edge Runners – RNs recognized by the American Academy of Nursing for contributions to care strategies and health policy – are innovators. Their projects often lead to changes in the health care system and clinical practices and become permanent solutions to vexing problems.
For example, Edge Runners from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing developed these solutions to help older Americans remain healthier and more independent:
Living Independently for Elders has adapted a chronic care model to provide care to seniors in their own homes rather than a nursing home
Transitional Care Model, led by RNs, assists seniors with health risks during and after hospitalization, with the aim of reducing re-admissions
The Affordable Care Act is spurring creation of such performance-based models, and the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report calls for the full contribution of nurses’ skills and knowledge to transform health care.
APRNs are increasingly serving all populations through retail-based health clinics. These clinics treat minor illnesses and provide services such as screenings and diagnostics. Retail clinics have grown from 202 in 2006 to 1,355 in 2011, with projections to reach 2,854 by 2018.
Of course I especially like how they saved the best for last (yes, I have a biased opinion) when referring to Advanced Practice Nurses.
What cool activities do you have planned for this year’s Nurses Week?
It’s been an amazing journey. I’m still having a hard time absorbing the concept that graduate school is over and that I can now say I have a Master’s level education in Nursing.
The entire day yesterday was a wonderful experience. Both my parents and my in-laws were able to share this occasion with my wife and I. We all travelled the 70+ miles to attend the ceremonies. Due to the late time of the day, we all pre-arranged to stay overnight in town. So we could have the traditional post-ceremony dinner without the worry of traveling such a far distance.
It was a beautiful ending of a long and enduring adventure. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate it than with the very people who helped make this entire process possible.
Without their love, support, understanding and tolerance I would not have been able to walk across that stage last night. From the bottom of my heart and soul I hope they understand how much it all means to me.
Even with the hiccups of big-city traffic and the ridiculous parking-roullette that you just expect to play, our experience ‘down town’ was pleasant. I was thankful that no one got lost, there no vehicular accidents and we made all of our scheduled events on time.
I especially want to thank my family for suffering through the actual graduation ceremony. You would think after having done this ‘dance’ on 3 other occasions, that I would have caught on to the concept of how ‘LOOOOONG’ the graduation ceremony and procession really is. Even WITH guest speakers that are engaging, brief and to the point, the event is somewhat torturous. Sitting in one place for greater than two hours listening to people talk and watching person after person walk across the stage is not something anyone would call ‘enjoyable’.
Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have changed anything, and I don’t regret attending or asking my family to be with me. I just wish there was a better way to pull it off.
Whew..
To top things off, the waitress we had during our dinner was a breath of fresh air. She kindly delivered my dessert on this plate to congratulate me on my graduation:
It’s pretty tough to see it due to the bad lighting, but you can see the words congratulations & 2013 written on the plate as well as a picture of a cap with a tassel. All of which were drawn in chocolate!! Which I kindly ate.
I think I’ll take one more day to let it sink in, then it’s on to the next step. I have a house to sell, packing to complete, a move to make, successfully study and pass my boards, before finally starting my new job!!!
As I sit here on the eve of the big event, I can’t help but think how none of this would have been possible without help. A LOT of help. I can’t even begin to describe to you how many moments I wanted to give up, how many moments I had someone ‘carrying’ me through a tough time, and how many moments I wasn’t alone.
In the end I had to absorb the knowledge. I had to assimilate the concepts. I had to perform the skills. I had to pass the exams. But those were the few times where it was all about me. Over the past three years of my graduate school journey I’ve lost count as to how many people offered a helping hand. Some have stayed, others have come and gone, and some are still by my side as I type these words.
I’m overwhelmed with emotions. I’m saturated with appreciation. I’m beaming with pride.
My cup runeth over.
Thank you all for being a part of this journey. If you are reading these words, than you participated in this play. Thank you.
Normally I wouldn’t share this with the world, but I’m damn proud of this. I have maintained a 4.0 GPA for the past three semesters and my final cumulative GPA for my entire graduate school journey is a 3.811.
I’ll take it.
I busted my arse for that.
Rather ominous seeing that my graduation ceremonies are T-minus 29 hours and counting. I walk across that stage tomorrow afternoon!!!!
I decided to get jump back into the kitchen this past week after a long lay-off due to school and schedules. My attempts at new Paleo creations has restarted. This time around I’m of course following in the famous footsteps of a Paleoista of sorts, miss Juli Bauer, a.k.a PaleOMG.
Of course I have to dive into a dessert / treat / snack: NO BAKE BERRY BARS
INGREDIENTS:
Crust 12 medjool dates, pits removed 1 cup cashews 2 tablespoons almond butter 1 teaspoon cinnamon pinch of salt
Toppings 6-8 oz blackberries 6-8 oz blueberries 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup coconut butter sprinkle of cinnamon pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. First make your crust. Add all ingredients for the crust to a food processor. 2. Put crust ingredients in an bread pan, press down until evenly distributed. 3. Now heat up a small saucepan under medium heat. Add your blackberries and blueberries, along with your maple syrup. 4.Once blueberries and blackberries begin to break down and slightly explode so there is more juice in the pan, add your syrup. Be sure to continuously stir so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom or burn. 5. Once you have almost a runny jam, add your melted/softened coconut cream concentrate along with cinnamon and salt. 6. When all ingredients are incorporated, pour mixture on top of crust and press flat. Put in the fridge to harden for 30-45 minutes. 7.Cut into squares and serve!!
After the initial read and watching the video, I knew I could pull it off except for the coconut butter. I tried to find some at my local stores, but came up short. I made a vain attempt at a substitution by adding coconut oil. I don’t think it was an equivalent sub, but it worked out ok.
Here are my ingredients getting ready to start:
I have no experience with dates of any kind, so I was a lil nervous about chopping up these dates in my food processor… (thankfully they did fine)
The blueberries did not break down, nor did they burst to help turn the topping into a syrup-like glaze, so my bars had whole blue berries in them (not such a bad thing). I also added raspberries.
This was the coconut butter I had microwaved and melted down. Like I said, I didn’t know the first thing about coconut butter, so I sort of winged it. I come to find out later, I could have made my own coconut butter! (Lesson learned for the next batch I attempt)
The crust turned out good, although I think I may have added too many nuts. Here I’m pouring the glaze over the crust:
And the final product:
I actually let this sit for several hours before I even attempted cutting it up. The glaze didn’t really ‘form’ much, it was still soft and liquid-like when I went to cut it up. Nonetheless it was still tasty and the bars cut up nicely:
I’ll definitely tweak my preparation by adding the coconut butter next time, and I’ll wait out the blueberries cooking down to see how it should look. Either way, I’ll be making this one again real soon. It was quite tasty.
PROS:
SUPER EASY to make
fairly quick prep-time
minimal equipment: only needed a food processor and a sauce pan
tasty: super sweet
CONS:
does not ‘hold’ well once out of refrigerator (temperature dependent)
raspberry and blackberry seeds make the glaze a bit ‘grainy’ (sees in my teeth)
I’ll actually have to make my own coconut butter [;)]
