Posted by Sean on January 28, 2012
Sometimes it’s very hard to teach an old dog a new trick.
Today I was told by a physician that NPs are simply hired to do all the “scut-work” that physicians don’t want or like to do. In the physician’s words, “You guys do all the crap/garbage stuff we don’t like or have time for. Is that what you really want to do?”
Follow the link and read the whole post. What do you think?
Posted in health, opinion | Tagged: health care, nurse practitioner, nursing school | 4 Comments »
Posted by Sean on November 5, 2011
Is nursing school built to “break us down” rather than “build us up?”
This past week was my first week with our physician preceptors. As a nurse practitioner student we log many clinical hours with our physician preceptors. This week was learning about the ‘patient presentation’.
It may sound odd, but nurses are quite familiar with the concept. The patient presentation is when a provider ‘reports’ or ‘presents’ their patient to the physician. This could be for a consult, a new admission, or for the coverage hand-off between colleagues. While we nurses are familiar with this concept, it’s a whole different ball game when you are the one presenting.
It was another ‘pressure cooker’ situation. Something we are all too familiar with. We build up the scenario in our minds to be the end-all-to-be-all. We picture ourselves making every mistake in the book and of course we envision the physician as this mad-hatter like tyrant who will bark at your every word.
It of course was the complete opposite.
Throughout the entire process the physician was receptive, pleasant, and absolutely empathetic to our newness. She was an active listener and gave great feedback in such a positive manner. At no time during this experience did I feel ‘put-down’, inferior, or guilt-ridden. I could sense that our physician preceptor was making every attempt to level the playing field and teach us, not torture us.
My clinical preceptor brought up a very valid realization after this experience. He asked us if we noticed how much our physician preceptor tried to ‘build us up’, not ‘break us down’. He wanted to know if we have had similar experiences in our previous nursing education and training..
I honestly can say 90% of my nursing education and experience has been about ‘breaking us down’. Sad, but true. I can remember many times nursing preceptors ridiculing students for not performing well or making simple mistakes.
Our physician made it well known she expects us to make mistakes, and that the mistake made now will help save lives later. “It’s not about being wrong, it’s about not being prepared”. Being afraid to make a mistake is not the same as carelessness.
I think nursing education as a whole could learn a thing or two from physicians.
I find the professional relationship and their respective professional curriculum between nurses and physicians to be polar opposites, and I can’t understand why? Barring from the obvious difference between a nurse and a physician, how do two professions with the same goals arrive at their destination in two very different ways?
As a side note, to all my fellow nurses out there. Physicians are misinformed about our educational system and standards. I guess I automatically assumed physicians understood the requirements and curriculum progression of our profession. We took a great deal of time to explain how a nurse ‘becomes’ a nurse (RN, BSN, LPN, CNA), and how a nurse is trained for specific specialties (critical care, emergency, oncology, etc.)
I’m still amazed at how much I learn every day.
Another post from over at Scrubs.
Posted in health, opinion | Tagged: nurse, nursing school, scrubsmag | 6 Comments »
Posted by Sean on October 3, 2011
Crazy rituals
Maybe it’s just a nursing school / nursing student thing? Or maybe it’s just for us crazy people pursing Master’s degrees? Or maybe it’s just the school I’m attending? Who knows.
What I do know is that we love to torture ourselves.
Immediately after an exam, why do all of the students congregate and huddle into packs to dissect and discuss the questions on the exam? Yeah, the exam you literally just took.
Now, let me clarify something. In this particular program we take exams and then we always have a scheduled lecture after class (yeah – torture, I know.). Most of our classes meet once a week, so I’m just assuming that the thinking behind the lecture after an exam is just to monopolize and utilize the time allotted and scheduled. Most of my classes are scheduled and average of 2 – 4 hrs., so the exams last an hour-ish. We have a shortened lecture immediately after the exam.
So, here we are. Completely spent and drained from taking the exam. And somehow we always end up huddling to ruminate over what we just survived. We bounce our ideas and our thoughts on what the correct answer was on just about any and every question we were asked.
I think in a weird sort of way we seem to initiate these conversations to validate our performance. We think we did OK, or we try to create a pseudo-grade in our head. So we talk about the test to see if we in fact are right about our performance on the exam.
I don’t know if it’s just me. But half-way through these conversations I get panic-stricken and start losing a grip. All the answers that I thought were right, were not the answers that the majority of my classmates chose!
Oh-oh.
Maybe I failed the exam? Here I thought the whole time I did OK, heck even thought I did well, and now after the ‘huddle’ I’m paranoid I failed! What the heck! What gives here!
Ever since this ritual was discovered, I keep telling myself after every exam – “Nope. Not gonna do it this time around. I’m not gonna say a peep about the exam”.
And just like clock-work I end up with the paranoia I said I wasn’t going to participate in!
Grr.
Am I all alone here on this one?
Another post from over at Scrubs.
Posted in health, humor | Tagged: nursing school, student nurse | 4 Comments »
Posted by Sean on July 23, 2011
One of my posts on how I need to transition from simulations to the real, live, living patients!
Simulated care
As a nurse we ALL know about ‘Return Demonstrations’. It’s something we become extremely familiar with when practicing and performing ‘tasks’ and ‘hands-on’ skills. Everyone remembers or still utilizes a ‘skills lab’ don’t you? The majority of our ‘skills’ are things that involve patients. So when it comes time to ‘practice’ or perform the skill we often times have to simulate the task or skill. Some schools (I still think the majority) of schools and educational systems have to ‘pretend’ by creating a mock-up, while some school systems are blessed and lucky enough to possess simulation mannequins or some derivative of them.
We practice, practice, and practice. We go over the skill until it becomes almost ‘reflexive’, so that when it comes time to perform the skill in front of the evaluator we hopefully ‘pass’ and are considered competent at the skill.
That’s the kicker isn’t it? We become proficient with the mannequin (ergo: the dummy). But is the mannequin the same as the real thing?? I mean even the most state-of-the-art ‘sim-man’ or ‘sim-baby’ still can’t reproduce the experience you have with a real human being. We’re talking real, live people here!
It has to be one of the most tense moments when you take a skill you learned and became proficient with via the ‘dummy’ and apply it to your real patient. That split-second moment when you realize that the simulation equates to absolutely nothing in the real world!
Maybe it’s just me? But every ‘return demo’ I can remember in basic nursing school never actually followed along the ‘guidelines’ when I went to perform the task with my patients.
Yet, how else do we prepare for such tasks? I think the mannequins are a huge step, I really do. But in the end nothing compares to a real-live, blinking and breathing patient. There is no computer generated feed-back loop in existence that can accurately mimic what the human body can or really does. Sure, sure, sure it can come darn close, but I think I speak for many when you realize just how different the ‘real’ experience can be.
This rings home for me, because over the next couple months I will be transitioning from learning all I can as Nurse Practitioner student in the ‘simulation labs’ and ‘skills labs’ to applying my knowledge and learned skill with real-live, blinking and breathing patients!
And if this ‘real’ transition is anything like it was when I was first learning my basic nursing skills…. I’m in for quite the adventure!
I’m equally excited and ‘puke-my-guts-out’ nervous.
Is that even possible??
Posted in health, humor | Tagged: nurse, nursing school | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Sean on June 29, 2011
Another post from over at Scrubs Magazine. Any tips on keeping focus in the classroom??
I need help with concentrating in my nursing school courses. More specifically, I need to tackle the sleepiness factor. I am of course referring to physical (and mental) alertness during a class. How does one stay ‘awake’ and focused when all your eyelids wanna do is close?
It’s not that the material isn’t riveting and key to my education *cough *cough*. Nooooooo. Not. At. All. My mind is not wandering due to boredom or due to attention challenges.
No.
Nope.
Ever happen to you? Never happens to me.
….
So here’s my question.
How does one stay focused on the material being provided in class when your eyelids don’t wanna cooperate? I know that we’ve discussed the NOC shift and tricks of the trade for staying awake, but this is a different sort of animal.
I find a heavy sense of irony when you put a nurse in a classroom. Here you have a professional ‘doer’ — someone who is constantly moving (running most often), never stays in one place or area for a very long time and always has an overabundance of stimuli coming at them from every direction.
So where is the one place you should not place this creature?
That’s right, in a quiet environment where there is only one source of stimuli (the presenter/professor/instructor). While you’re at it have them sit in this environment for very long and extended periods of time (I’ve had classes that are 4 hrs. long).
Most 2nd degree nursing programs and those RN-BSN programs are all structured the same way. They are trying to meet the needs of the busy full-time RN (not a bad thing at all). They understand that they are working full-time, usually have a family and many other responsibilities outside their work and home. So they try to minimize the amount of ‘time’ commitment by offering classes that meet only once a week for a large chunk of time, as opposed to the traditional college coursework that involves meeting 2-3 times per week for 40-50 minutes per class. Same amount of ‘total’ time to get your degree, just a lot less ‘relative’ time spent on campus.
Any-hoo..
Back to my original question at hand.
How does one keep the laser-sharp focus and mental alertness in the classroom when all you wanna do is take a nap?
I myself seem to be chewing a lot of gum right now and sipping frantically on bottled water, but as you can guess from me asking the question, my methods aren’t very effective?
Any suggestions??
Posted in humor | Tagged: humor, nursing school, school | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Sean on June 3, 2011
I jest at the reality of carrying ‘everything’ with you to and from class.
Packing your bags
No. I didn’t get fired. Heh heh.
This is yet another student quandary for all the student readers out there. Well I guess this could be for anyone, since at one time or another we have all been students – more specifically your time as a nursing student.
My first ‘stint’ as a nursing student, I utilized a locker for many supplies. I also attended classes and had my clinical fairly close to home. So supplies were not much of an issue for me. What didn’t fit in my bag(s), or what I couldn’t fit into my locker I would ‘store’ in my car – since the parking lot was only a jot down one block. Basically everything I ever needed was in ‘reach’, or was accessible with very little effort.
This time around the nursing school ‘block’ is a tad different. Grad school seems to always present new and interesting challenges for me (I could tell you some stories). The scary part is, I’m just now getting through my first year. I still have another 4 semester to go!!!!
Anyhoo…
Here’s my dilemma.
How in the world do you pack everything you need for your day of classes and/or clinicals without carrying around half a dozen bags? I’m trying to prevent the “I’ve moved out of my house” look while I’m on campus. It’s as if I’m packing for a long trip that never happens.
Right now I’ve whittle it down to just 3 separate bags. I’m toting around my backpack that has all my note taking materials, folders, class supplies, netbook, etc. The core of my ‘school’ supplies are in my backpack.
Then I have another messenger bag. This is the potpourri bag. Anything I can’t fit in the backpack I’m shoving into this bag. Extra food, layered clothing (the weather where I live is extremely unpredictable), umbrella, clinical supplies (like my stethoscope and other needed materials), and anything else I can think of that I might want or need during my ‘stay’ on campus.
Lastly is my lunch tote. The insulated kind with multiple pockets and zippers to hold my pre-made meals, water, and other miscellaneous snacks.
Let me clarify some things first:
- I travel a great distance from home to school – in excess of an hour drive one way.
- I have the ‘marathon’ of classes kind of day – one day a week classes that are back-to-back. Thankfully they are all in the same building.
- The closest parking lot that I can consistently park my car in is approximately 4-5 blocks away up on the top of the hill of campus (not an easy hill to trek mind you).
- I am a growing boy! I eat often, and I’m always hungry. I tend to perpetually eat /snack. No joke. I always get the sarcasm from fellow students asking my how much food I bring (a lot).
- No, I refuse to purchase any food while on campus. I think you know why. (if not read some of my past health articles)
- I only bring what is absolutely necessary for class time and clinical time.
- As the semesters progress I’m going to have to bring a change of clothes due to proper dress attire when required.
- I could rent a locker – but it would be pointless since I wouldn’t’ leave any supplies there overnight.
So my question is, or maybe it’s not really a question but an inquiry. How does everyone else do it? What do you utilize when you have to lug so much around campus? Is there anyway to make this just a tad easier on myself? Anyone have a recommendation on a better backpack or other bag?
Inquiring minds REALLY want to know.
Posted in health, humor | Tagged: life, nursing school, student | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Sean on May 16, 2011
My latest post over at Scrubs is all about my warm fuzzy feelings I have at the beginning of every semester.
The spring semester has come and gone. I survived – barely. In the interim the wife and I took a mini-vacation get away (that was so rightfully deserved).
Summer semester has begun and the wave of anxiety and fear is ruling my mind and my world. Why is it that the beginning of every semester starts out the same:
Read class outline
- Panic!
Read class syllabus
- Panic even more!!
View required reading material
- Choke back the tears and try not to regress to an infantile state~!!
View exam schedule
- Barely save yourself from passing out after you have hyperventilated enough to fill a hot-air balloon!!!!!!!
*RINSE – AND- REPEAT the following experience for each individual class you are taking*
The start of the semester includes trying to figure out how you can extend the amount of hours in one day because 24 hours is just simply not enough time to complete all that is required.
Also, you begin to bargain with your subconscious and your body as to how much sleep you REALLY need.
The rationing of food and water is optional since all you really need is your favorite choice of caffeine (and in my case that would be coffee).
Oh, did I mention I just purchased a new coffee maker?
Yes, the summer semester has started like a drag race. No easing into it – let’s just leap forward at Mach 1 and see if we can hang on for dear life.
I for one think the summer semester is the TOUGHEST of them all because you have to figure out a way not to be influenced by the oh-so beautiful weather.
Am I the only one (nursing student) that thinks this way? I have been accused of being quite the odd bird.
Posted in health, humor | Tagged: nurse, nursing school, scrubsmag, student | 2 Comments »
Posted by Sean on October 7, 2010
I’ve been told it’s hard to get into nursing school these days. There are waiting lists just to ‘hope’ you qualify for an interview. And then the interview doesn’t guarantee your acceptance. I’ve heard these waiting lists are years long.
The process from start to finish can be challenging to say the least.
I remember my interview (way back then). The interview began with answering a question given to you on a piece of paper. The question asked, “Who do you look up to? / Who was/is your hero?” (Sorry I don’t remember the exact wording).
I had a rush of so many thoughts. What the heck kind of interview is this? I thought this was about nursing??
I calmly answered with what I felt was my motivation.
Michael Jordan.
I can’t say I know the true story (who does). But we all know the tale about how the ‘greatest’ player ever to walk on to the basketball court was cut from his high school basketball team. Yes. He was told he wasn’t good enough to be a part of the team.
A heavy blow to many-a-teenage ego. The story goes that he went home, locked himself into his room and cried.
Of course that isn’t the end of the story (otherwise we’d have no idea who Michael Jordan is??). After the ‘cut’ and the crying. He began a journey that we all still talk about to this day. He is still the measuring tool of how ‘good’ someone plays basketball.
So. I chose Mr. Jordan because he never quit. He failed, but he never quit.
That is the key to success. That is the key to getting what you want (out of life) and for your career. While you may very well fail, that does not mean you are a failure. It simply means you have to regroup, re-evaluate, and try harder.
If you want to be a nurse, then make the commitment. If you don’t get into the school of your choice, try again. Try other schools. Try distance education. Talk to local nurses and find out what you have to do. What ever you do, keep trying. Don’t quit.
As a nurse, I’ll take one dedicated, hard working, passionate individual over a thousand spoon-fed lackey’s any day.
You will fail along your journey. I guarantee it. The only difference between those current nursing students and you – is they didn’t let failure stop them.
Posted in health, words of wisdom | Tagged: nursing, nursing career, nursing school | 4 Comments »
Posted by Sean on August 31, 2009
Wholly Carp!(Yes Megen I stole your saying) This has been quite the past few days. First I get to reveal my official bloginess over at Scrubs. And now I find out one of my posts made it on RNCentral. I’m featured at #2 on there post titled : 100 Blog Posts You Should Read Before Going to Nursing School ! it was my post about the benefits of online learning .
I must thank Keith over at Digital Doorway and congratulate him for not only making me aware of the list, but for also being a part of it! Keith is under the sub-section of ‘Getting Through School’ with his post titled : Surviving Nursing School.
*UPDATE*
It seems I missed another fellow blogger who made the list. Please be sure to also read Reality Rounds contribution under the sub-section of Nursing Challenges titled : Sinking.
After discovering the shady workings, I have removed the original hyperlink to the article. I did leave the link-love for my fellow bloggers, but they link to their original blog posts, not to the RNCentral post. Sorry folks.
Strong Work for Reality Rounds!
Way to go Keith!
And way to go me!
Be sure to take a gander at this must see list.
Posted in health | Tagged: health, nursing school | 15 Comments »
