Student Nurse Teacher

As the school year draws to an end, many college students look forward to graduation. Finally, classes are over, no more projects, no more clinicals, no more tests--well, unless you are a nursing major. In that case graduation is only one step on the path to being a nurse. The final step still looms: the NCLEX. One of my nursing friends demonstrating the proper way to study The day I graduated from college was an exciting day, but I didn't feel the sense of finality because I knew that dreaded NCLEX was still ahead. I had turned in my application and all the needed paperwork to my state. My school would send my final transcript to the nursing board, the board would send me my att (authorization to test), and I could finally schedule the NCLEX. So I went off to my summer job at a camp and waited for that att. And I waited, and waited. I continued to study through the Kaplan material and take practice tests, but I wanted to spread it out and leave the long practice tes...

Senator Walsh: I'm sure your email and voicemail have blown up over the past few days with responses to your comments regarding nurses, mandatory breaks, shift limits, and playing cards. I would like to add my voice to the cacophony you are experiencing. You see, I am a nurse. And I am proud to be a member of this community. As a nurse, I have spent hours at the bedside of patient who had been improving and suddenly became confused and combative due to an infection. I have stood at the bedside of a dying patient, pushing medication through his IV and listened to his family talk about they had taken care of him at home for as long as they could, but now they were realizing that there was nothing more to do. I have woken the doctor in the middle of the night because my patients blood pressure was plummeting and I needed to get him transferred to the ICU so he could get the stronger medication he needed. I have watched my patient wake up from a surgery and realize that his heart wa...

Do your nursing classes make you feel like you're trying to drink from a fire hose? Do you leave class wondering if and how you will remember everything you heard? One of the secrets to long-term retention is taking quality notes while in class. Here are my top 5 tips for doing just that. 1. Get the PowerPoint ahead of time if possible. If your teacher uses PowerPoint, see if you can get a copy of the presentation before class and print it out. I usually print mine out with two slides per page and room for notes. This allows you to focus on what the teacher is teaching, rather than copying down every word from the slide. You can also simply work from the PowerPoint on your computer and take notes directly in PowerPoint. 2. Don't write down every word the teacher says. Listen for key ideas and summarize in your mind as you take notes. This helps you to process the information rather than simply recording it. Pay attention for phrases like "in summary, most...

You've made it through all your prerequisites and have finally been officially accepted into clinicals. Congratulations! Nursing school provides a unique opportunity to see first hand the day-to-day responsibilities of a nurse. Whether you are placed in the ER, a clinic, or a med-surg floor, your clinical experience is an invaluable part of your nursing training. So, how can you take full advantage of your time in clinicals? 1. Be prepared Several days before your clinical rotation, take time to read through any paperwork your teacher has given you. Some sites will have different requirements for what to bring, what time to arrive, etc. Make sure you know ahead of time what you need. For suggestions of what to bring for clinicals, check out my post  here ! Lay out your clothes the night before. Don't forget your badge! Wake up early--set several alarms if necessary. Eat a good breakfast with some protein and take a deep breath. You are ready to enter the hospital as a stu...

Earlier I shared what I take to work in my nursing bag . Today's post is for all my nursing student friends. Hopefully, your school has given you some suggestions on what to take to clinicals. But if not (or even if they have), consider this some added encouragement from me to you. I was in your shoes...not too long ago! So without further ado, here is my nursing bag: student nurse edition. Chap Stick That dry hospital tho. I love eos coconut lip balm Clipboard with room for papers This one is super helpful for storing clinical paperwork. Makes it easy to remain professional and not have papers spilling everywhere, while still having everything you need close by! Always take an extra piece of paper or a small notepad for jotting down vital signs, meds, or questions you have. Pens, highlighter, pencil Get you a couple of each and be the nursing student who is prepared!! Drug reference book Your school probably has a required drug reference book for your classes. But, if...

In the Nursing Specialties series, we have met  Telemetry ,  Family Practice ,  Labor and Delivery , and  Pediatric ICU  nurses. In this post, you will be introduced to Marilyn, a Public Health Nurse working in the Middle East!  What type of nursing do you do?  I'm a public health nurse working and teaching at a public university in Northern Iraq. I just arrived in September and prior to that had a career at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as a Public Health Nurse Adviser. It was an amazing job that took me to the immigrant and refugee communities all over the state of Massachusetts. I really loved it, but I love being back living and working in the Middle East.  Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and why you chose that specialty?  I began loving public health when I first worked for a grant-funded cancer prevention program in Massachusetts many years ago. I had grown up overseas and had been exposed to publi...

For every shift I have a few essentials. You know, things like scrubs, my stethoscope, comfortable shoes, my cell phone charger, water and coffee, a positive attitude, my brain etc. 😉 I also always take my nursing bag and I thought it would be fun to show you what I pack in it! So here is my nursing bag: RN edition. The Bag. I love Vera Bradley bags . This one has several pockets for pens and small items. The shoulder strap is comfortable and it is just the right size to be manageable but hold what you need with ease! 😊 For Reference. For the first several months on a new floor I like to keep my basic orientation information with me to review. My floor provided me with information on common procedures and medications, EKG rhythms, and more. It was super helpful to be able to review details and brush up on things when I had some extra time in the middle of the night. After I was more comfortable on my floor I compiled a lot of this information onto little cheat sheets that I ...