Happy Nurse's Week!!!

Posting from my mobile this week. We shall see how this works out .... excuse my typos in advance!

Happy Nurse's Week!!! I hope all of you are getting the appreciation you deserve.

For those of you taking acing finals: way to go!!! You did it :) I knew you could!!!

Registered Nurses: don't forget to check out Cinnabon this week for your FREE cinnamon bun!! Thanks to Cinnabon for appreciating nurses!!!!

Here are my nurses week nails! Hope you enjoy your week everyone! !!

Sunday = Fun-Day

Happy Sunday Fun-Day Everyone!! 

I hope you all have had a great weekend! 

I bet you all have been studying your bootays off! 

While studying IS important, it is also very important to cut out some "me time" and enjoy life every now and then.  My grandmother used to call it "stopping to smell the roses" :) 

What did you do recently that was tons-of-fun? 

This weekend was my husband's birthday.  We had a little get together and I made some treats for him.  

BEWARE: IT'S PICTURE TIME!!!! 

These are the "sushi" appetizers I made for our cook out this evening- They were a hit!

This is his Swedish Fish flavored cake.  Swedish Fish are his FAVE!! He was so excited! :) 

In my free time I love to unwind by doing some of my favorite things: baking/cooking, crocheting, and reading.... OH! And of course doing this blog ;) 

Here are some samples of my most recent projects:

I made this mommy owl cake for my cousin's work function.  She is a preschool teacher for an "owl" themed class 

I made these cake pops for my Gram 6 days before she passed away.  I wanted to make her birthday as special as possible and I knew she would get a kick out of cake lollipops! 

CROCHET:

Here is my most recent crochet project.  I made this cupcake hat for my husband's sisters 1st birthday!  Everyone though it was a boob, so I guess it wasn't THAT great! I was proud regardless.
(They are obviously weird to let their kid wear a boob hat- tehehe)

I made this bear hat for my cousin's photography business (Virginia Moon Photography) to use during her newborn photo sessions. It made some adorable pictures!

AND of course my NAILS are always something I like to do... and THIS is what you get when you are extremely bored.  YES- That IS sperm rushing towards an egg painted on my nails!  Not my greatest work of art- but they are still pretty fun!!

LAST ONE THERE'S A ROTTEN.... SPERM!

I hope you all have some hobbies that you like to keep busy with! While, most of the time, I like to relate my hobbies (like reading) to nursing- sometimes you just need to step back and enjoy living your life! 

What do you do to enjoy yourself? It is very important to your HEALTH to make time for yourselves. I know I don't have to tell you that- you're NURSES! 

The FINAL Final

The count down has begun folks!

I'm certain that each of you all have been counting down for your final exams of nursing school WELL before today... but since I've taken it already, I am not as on-top-of-my-game (hopefully) as you are. 

I remember my FINAL final was a thing dreams were made of- and I felt SO CLOSE to the finish line I could taste it! I am hoping to share some tips that I used to tackle this beast! 

First and most obviously- STUDY! I made a study schedule (YES, I'm that kind of OCD) for my last week of school to make sure that I covered each topic equally and I made time on the second to last day before the final so that I could review things I was still "if-y" on (or things I needed more time to memorize- like lab values, math, etc.) 

Second, I didn't listen to ANYONE about what they THOUGHT would be on the test.  Some how in nursing school rumors fly about what teachers may have mentioned this or that... blah blah blah... 90% of it, I GUARANTEE, is not true.  As my mom always used to tell me... "if it isn't from the horses mouth it probably isn't true." Talk to your horses- Ahem- I mean professors and get a feel for what they think is important.  

Third. I use acronyms like nobodies business to remember certain things- like All People Eat Taco Meat... know what that stands for? Your in sad shape if you don't! Yep! You guessed it (I knew you would!) It is an acronym for heart sound landmarks (Aortic, pulmonic, Erbs, Tricuspid, Mitral).

FINALLY- the day before the exam I did not study AT ALL! Cramming never worked for me and this gave me time to clear my thoughts and practice things from my memory. In fact, the day before my final exam I went to the spa to get my nails done- and today I did my own just to send you all good vibes! Ladies, treat yourself to something fancy.  Gentleman, play call of duty (or whatever it is boys do!) 

The night before make SURE that you get enough sleep... no one likes a grumpy test taker! 

The morning of, wake up earlier to make sure you have enough time to gobble down something delicioso for breakfast and still get there on time! The sound of bellies rumbling is not ideal for testing ambiance! 

All I can do is pass along these simple tips and hope that you do amazing! 

Make sure you let me know how it goes!!!! Good LUCK to all!!! 

Graduation!!!

It's almost that time....

Graduation time, of course! With graduation comes a surge of emotions for nurses across the board.  When I graduated I felt this amazing sense of accomplishment and pride.  All was well.

After graduation was a WHOLE other story. 

At first, I felt a bit of disbelief knowing that my former professors would now be considered my colleagues in the nursing field- I felt all grown up!!! 

The next thing I remembered I was in a panic wondering if I had learned everything that I wanted to learn or NEEDED to learn to do my future job effectively.  I felt as if there was a whole world of nursing out there that I had NO idea about.  After a while I found some resources that really helped me feel as though I could assimilate into my new profession well.  

One of the greatest resources I have found is The Nurse's Guide to Hospitals.  Here you can read about the best places to work as they have been reviewed by the current employees- Nurses like you! Scrubs Magazine has made this hospital resource guide as well as  The Nurse’s Guide to Nursing Schools for those who decide they want to continue their education! Very informative resources.  

In addition to these online resources, I have recently read a book called "From Learning to Earning" by Dan Finnigan and Marc Karasu.  Not only did this book contain DOZENS of helpful resources for the job search process, it also helps you to understand the interview process.  The best part is that it was written by REAL people who have experienced all of the jitters and emotions that a new grads feel when spreading their wings.  I felt as if they were speaking directly to me- like they already knew how I felt and they made me feel COMPLETELY NORMAL and gave some perspective to the hiring process that I had never even thought of!  I wish this had been required reading for nursing school- rather than a teacher pointing to a smart board showing us all how to write a resume in that same ol' monotoned voice that we've all come to know and hate love ;) I really recommend this one ya'll! 

Finally, for those of you shy guys and gals who need help with their communication skills I would like to recommend a book called "Communication for Nurses: Talking with Patients" by Lisa Kennedy Sheldon.  This book really helps you understand patient perspectives and communication techniques for difficult situations.  As I always do, I MUST critique nursing programs and say that there ought to be an ENTIRE class on nursing communication- After all it is our MAIN job to communicated with patients, families, doctors, educational groups, and our nursing peers.  This book really has it all! 

I know, I know- now you're thinking "I am already about to graduate- I've already learned everything I needed to learn"..... REALITY CHECK: Nursing is a never ending learning and adapting process.  I hope this wasn't the first time you've heard that ;) Good luck to everyone on their FINALS!!!!! 

Patience is a Virtue... I Have Yet to Master...

So I know you all have heard the saying "Patience is a virtue"- This is something I have yet to wrap my head around.  

Especially this past month I am EXTREMELY anxious and nervous.  If you saw me in public I would be dancing around like there were ants in my pants- and while its proven effective in the burning of calories, as a way of life, waiting ain't my thang.  

I have started applying for nursing jobs in the past few weeks and I have been HOPING and PRAYING that a certain one will pull through because I would be incredibly good at this particular job.  (I think a job that your heart is really invested in is super important to your job satisfaction!) 

While waiting to apply for these jobs I have been poking and prodding at my resume and have written exquisite cover letters that are quite impressive, if I do say so myself!

So for now-I'll be sitting here, researching for the job I HOPE comes through for me! 

Any tips on resume or cover letter writing? I think new graduates will find it helpful! Especially since the class that you learn all of that stuff in is a SNOOZE! ;)

Death in Nursing

Death: it is the subject of conversation that makes new grads and nursing students quite uncomfortable.  I have thought up several theories to why this is – why would such a natural part of life make us inexperienced nurses squirm?

First, because we are new to the nursing game we already feel inadequate starting from scratch and being surrounded by seasoned nurses- some feel that when a patient dies it is a failure on the part of the nurse and we are all afraid of failure!

The rationale I use to make more sense of things pertaining to this is EVERYONE started as a new nurse- although some nurses don’t remember and think they were born with a steth in their ears, well, they WERE NOT. Don’t feel inadequate- I know that is hard to swallow, but you are in a learning process that will never end.  Death is not failure, death is a part of the life cycle, it is natural, it is inevitable.  As long as you help your patient and their family to the best of your ability- you have succeeded!

Second, we don’t want someone to die because of us! We don’t want that blood on our hands- that is our jobs worst-case scenario!

Again death is a part of life.  Obviously a person will not die from actions your have made as long as you are doing safety checks and when in doubt ASK SOMEONE!!! Make sure that you are well versed on your hospitals rules and policies and you will not be held accountable as long as you act within your guidelines.

Third, it is hard to help a family in mourning.  Everyone grieves differently and it can be intimidating from time to time.  In nursing school they never really tell you (at least in mine) to what point you are supposed to proceed with the patients requests to pray with them and do certain rituals. 

I am a strong believer that the family of a patient that is dying or has passed are also my patients.  They need help, they need education, they need teaching, they need support- everything a nurse can provide! I will always participate and help a family when I can or when it is asked of me. You don’t have to believe in the same things or have the same religion to be present in their lives or even just be helpful.  Always ask if there is anything you can do to help and use your therapeutic communication!

Finally, death is sad.  When you have a patient for several shifts you start to really connect and build a strong rapport, the memories that they leave you with can last in your mind for a long time, causing you to grieve as well. 

If you have grown fond of your patient that has passed away, it is common that you will go through the grief process as the family does.  It is important to put the family first.  You are aloud to cry with them and you are aloud to attend the funeral if you are aware of where it will be.  It is also very important that you receive the help you need- since nursing is a very stressful job, most nurses benefit greatly from therapy.  It can also be helpful to discuss your sadness with other (keeping HIPAA in mind, of course!)

I remember the first death I experienced during clinical.  It was a four year old little boy who shared a room with the patient that I took care of for over a month- my friend in school took care of him.  I felt so bad for her when she arrived at clinical one day to see that his bed was empty and all I could do was be there for her.  This first experience of death will always be in my memory, but after a short time I made my peace with it, knowing that he is in a better place now.

I hope that this has brought you to a less intimidating view of death as you start your nursing career. 

Has anyone in your family passed away? Can you remember the nursing care that person received? Did the nurse care for you and your family as well?

Support Systems

Support Systems

In nursing school, it is truly important to forgo your journey with a solid support system.  Since you may will encounter hard times, whether it is failing a test, a patient dying, trouble with lab, or even trouble with your own health, it is very important that you know someone has your back.

Though out my nursing school adventure I had many supporters. I could always envision them on the sidelines cheering me on- wearing our school colors, waving pom poms, jumping up and down chanting “Go Casey!”  At our pinning ceremony, there they were- literally cheering me on.  It was so rewarding.

My biggest supporters were my mom, my husband, my grandmother (who passed away my senior year), my close family and a few select professors (especially one named Mrs. Fluellen- she is the type of nurse I want to be like most!)

I was very blessed to have this many supporters!  Some people had family hundreds of miles away and rarely saw them- it made me feel like I should encourage them more, be their supporter. 

While you are in nursing school, I feel like it is so important to reassure and boost the confidence of your classmates.  They are just as scared and stressed out as you are- so why not spread the love rather than spreading negative vibes?

Joining together to help each other will help each person ‘grow into their own scrubs’ as well as make your class stronger and closer as a whole!

So, the next time you are in class/lab/clinical make sure that you pass on nice words or inspiration to your peers! You could just make someone’s day- and isn’t that our goal as nurses?