Right now I'm studying for my Patho final for Tuesday. The final will cover everything from fluids and electrolytes to the endocrine system which we just finished.
Am I stressed? Kinda. But if I were to sit take it right now I think I'd get at least a 70 (I need a 50 in order to pass the class with at least a 75 average). So I'm not that worried... getting an A like I told myself in the beginning is now completely gone but I can still get a B and I will take it graciously!
I downloaded "Get Real" because I've heard it's an awesome movie even though it came out in 1998. I stopped around the 40 minutes mark. Yeah, I should have gone on and finished it but what good is that? I really like the main character and the story is getting good and I don't want it to be over. Isn't it sad to finally finish a book and realize it's over? Sometimes I like stories or movies that have no ending and leave it all for the reader or viewer to make their own ending. It gives people something to dream about while sitting in the bus on the way home in the evening.
Anyway, I have to go back studying. Man, just 72 more hours.
I used to have a secret wish to go to Afghanistan. It's part of the reason that I decided to go to nursing school in the first place, actually. I wanted to do relief work in the middle east. When I was in college, I thought working for an organization like Doctors Without Borders would be something I'd enjoy, but alas, they didn't sponsor theatre majors, and the next easiest thing was to get my PhD in clinical psychology so I could go over there and counsel the genocide victims. I always thought medicine would have been my first choice, but there was no way in he** I was going to med school.
Now I'm in health care, but my ideas have changed. Maybe because I'm older (ha!) and more mature (ok, scratch that) but as I listened to the update on the on right now, for the first time I actually thought "I do NOT want to be there." I know my mom and husband are thrilled at this idea, but it's really quite sad, because for a long time, I was willing to take the risk. I won't, anymore.
Instead, I'm more interested in our own country. I wish our government felt the same way, and that's probably a lot of what's driving this new thought process. School has made it very easy to sign up to do relief work nation-wide. They'll even pay for your airfare to get you there, assuming you can get the time off work. This is what I'm really interested in, these days. However, I want to be on the medical side. That's what I'll be trained to do, it's what I've always wanted to do, and that's where I'll be best utilized. So that may be in my future at some point.
I think this whole situation is more sad than altruistic. Sad that this war has changed me, made me less giving of myself.
Modern nursing was inspired by Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War. Since then, the job has grown beyond all recognition in terms of popularity, depth and scope in terms of serving people.
To become a you need a degree or diploma in nursing. During the course of study will be exposed to a significant element of practical work. If you decide to become a nurse, you should understand that this job demands late nights and weekend work. Most importantly, you need to be comfortable with the knowledge that you will be responsible for the welfare of real people.
Several different of jobs in nursing are available today. These include full-time nursing, part- nursing, hospital nursing, contract nursing, permanent nursing, office nursing, private duty nursing, health or industrial nursing, nurse practitioner, public health nursing, psychiatric nursing, travel nursing, registered nursing, licensed vocational nursing / licensed practical nursing.
Registered (RN):- These nurses are generally found in the mainstream of hospital medical provision. This is the most common and often most preferred type of nursing, given that it offers a stable lifestyle and a structured career path. Registered Nurses may also have the opportunity to work in a community setting that requires home visits to patients.
A career in nursing also offers the opportunity to train and develop in numerous specialist of medicine such as the following:
Critical Care Nurse (CC RN / ICU RN) - these nurses are required to attend patients who are in the ICU (intensive care unit) or CCU (critical care unit). , they have to deal with people who have serious life-threatening diseases or conditions.
Oncology Nurse - these nurses deal with patients who suffer from cancer.
Cardiology Nurse - these nurses help patients who suffer from heart-related problems.
Gastroenterology Nurse - these nurses take care of patients who have problems with the digestive tract.
Psychiatric Nurse - a psychiatric nurse deals with patients have psychiatric problems.
Pediatric Nurse - these nurses take care of children who suffer from diverse diseases and conditions.
Geriatric Nurse - these nurses take care of elderley patients.
Operation Room Nurse - these nurses assist surgeons when perform surgery.
Emergency Room Nurse - these nurses assist doctors in emergency rooms where serious and emergency cases are admitted.
Clearly jobs in nursing incredibly varied and offer a worthwhile challenge to anyone interested in pursuing a career in the medical profession.
I started working at my present job about three years ago. The only work I could get at the time was casual, there were no positions available. Those were hard times for myself and my son, trying to make my little paycheque stretch. I couldn't be done, in reality, but I'm making up for it now. Most of the people I knew could not understand how I could not find a full time job in nursing. There were a number of factors...
I came to this small town out of necessity and for personal reasons I'll not get into. I came with experience in psychiatry, not acute care. I never worked a day as a graduated nurse in acute care. There seemed to be so many other options - psychiatry, community health, etc - and such a so-called "RN shortage" I felt certain I would find full time work. It didn't seem logical to pay my dues in acute care. Maybe it was arrogant of me, but truthfully, I didn't see the point. Acute care was not the direction I wanted to take in my nursing career. It's easy now to say maybe I should have done acute care then at least I would not have struggled with finding work when I arrived here. There were valuable lessons learned in the struggling. I would not trade those lessons for anything.
I worked at whatever I could. I started in Extended Care. Anyone who works casual knows the fat times come and go. When a lean time came and I was not getting any calls to work, I took a job teaching the practicum portion of a residential care aide program. This was temporary as well. Eventually I got on casual in the Long Term Care facility where I presently work. This led to a full-time position, which I nabbed at the first opportunity. It was something I'd always wanted.
Fast forward, I worked that full time position for about a year, eight hour shifts, days and nights. I began to feel so beaten, so unhealthy, it wasn't funny. My quality of life suffered seriously, as did that of my kids'. There was simply nothing left to give after giving at work. Maybe most RNs manage full time okay, but it wasn't working very well for us.
A part time position became available, albeit temporarily, at the beginning of June of this year. I jumped on the chance. It meant a decrease in hours (mostly less night shifts) which meant a decrease on the ol' paycheque. I am blessed (yes! really!) with 10 days off in each rotation. I feel so much better. My family life is so much better. So taking this part time position has been a lesson in self-compassion. The compassion we serve to others is less meaningful when we are unable to serve the same to ourselves. I can give more to all aspects of my life now because I put my priorities into perspective. My ducks are lined up in a row.
Over half of nurses do not believe or do not know whether the NHS can deliver an electronic patient record in the foreseeable future, according to a new survey released by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). The RCN survey found two-thirds of nurses (66%) welcome the introduction of an electronic patient record, although there continues to be a high degree of uncertainty about the impact the record will have on patient care, safety and confidentiality. [click link for full article]
The University of Warwick and The Royal College of Nursing are delighted to announce that they have formed a new strategic research partnership. The RCN Research Institute will now be based in the University of Warwick's School of Health and Social Studies. [click link for full article]
Pennsylvania has taken a large step towards improving health care options for women with the passage of prescriptive authority for certified nurse-midwives (CNMs). Pennsylvania is the last state to grant prescriptive authority to CNMs. The American College of Nurse-Midwives applauds Governor Edward G. Rendell and the Pennsylvania legislature for following suit with the rest of the nation by approving prescriptive authority for CNMs. [click link for full article]
