Posts Tagged ‘ nursing student ’

Clinical Paperwork.

So, any nursing student can understand how frustrating going through clinical paperwork and creating care plans, nursing diagnoses, and “related too” and “as evidence by” are. Basically, I’d like to set my NANDA list on fire, but none the less I cannot because it is quite important in school.

There is relief though! Well actually not really. I don’t have any magical care plan powers, and to be completely honest I find them frustrating and I am not amazing at them (maybe B level, but not A’s). Anyways, I have found that if you have all the information from the day compiled neatly and organized, then its usually easier to compile the data and turn it into appropriate Nursing Diagnoses.

Now, I’ve seen tons of my peers clipboards and notebooks after a long day on the unit (even though we only get one or two patients, nursing students are a rare breed that can make notes on the tiniest things) and what I’ve seen is a confusing whirlwind of information. So I have devised a sheet that I use during clinicals that help me compile my information. Now, this is what my school really focuses on, so therefore it is not going to be tailored to any one program. I’ve created it using just a simple word document.

You can view and download it by clicking here: Clinical Paperwork

So, one thing I cannot do is include what I would normally write underneath the “Significant Labs” section, which for me would be to draw a fishbone lab diagram like this one pictured below, to help illustrate the lab values.

So, what I’ve created is just an easy way to compile your information from a long day at clincals and to help process and formulate nursing diagnoses through your assessments. Hope if anyone decides to download and use it that it helps!

2011
07/08
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Why I am becoming a nurse.

Being a male, the first inclination in most peoples minds is not to become a nurse, but rather maybe a firefighter/doctor/etc (although these are gender stereotyped anyways). Trust me, my first idea when I was a child was not to become a nurse, but rather a doctor. Coming from a middle class family and expected to pay for college by myself, I knew going to school to be a doctor would definitely be an outstretch for me. I practically stumbled upon nursing, and have had many instances where when asked what I am going to school for, I would answer: “oh well I am currently in nursing school, but its just a start to a goal of being a PA or doctor”. It took me a long time to be comfortable with saying that I am becoming a nurse; although now that I have gone through that phase, I am quite proud of my career choice.

 

 

Finally through all that rambling I came to the real conclusion of why I wanted to be a nurse. Nurses are helpful people; they thrive on helping others, whether it be emotionally, physically, or mentally. It is a holistically healing career, focused on helping patients not only on one part of their care, but all parts. Throughout my childhood (not discovered by me until further in life and stepping back and realizing) I had been trying to help others. I always thought that the first instinct to someone getting sick is to do all the work for them while they laid in bed sleeping (and I am sure that I was taken advantage by my family for that). Aside from this, the first experience that made me truly invested in nursing is when a close family friend became ill with cancer. This family friend was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer and stage 3 cancer of the vulva. Being interested in the medical field, she shared her diagnoses and treatments with me, explaining how without the helpful staff of the local hospitals and cancer centers, she did not know where she would be mentally after dealing with her medical fate. The doctors gave her 6 months to live, and today, 4 years later, she is still strong and living; although not completely free of cancer. My family friend gave me the push, the exact push I needed to realize that my true love and passion would be in Oncology Nursing.

 

My second experience with discovering my love for oncology nursing was actually right before beginning nursing school. I was fascinated with cancer (strange interest I understand) so I went out and bought all these books on oncology, and browsed website after website reading about cancer and oncology nursing. As I prepared to enter the beginning of nursing school my (at the time girlfriend now turned fiance) was diagnosed with Leukemia at the young age of 18 (Acute Myeloid Leukemia to be exact). Rounds of Gleevac and a new experimental pill form of Interferon began, and I became swarmed with the need to take care of her. Now, nurses can come to understand, that throughout nursing school the one thing that can really break you down and cause you to fall behind in school is family problems; and a fiance with cancer is not exactly the easiest thing to overcome; but eventually we became accustomed to the idea that its just cancer, and through it all the main ideal is to keep fighting and not let it overcome your life. Thankfully she is currently in remission (yay!), although the experience of taking care of someone so close to you with cancer will always follow me when I am working as a nurse.

 

I am committed now to becoming an Oncology Nurse, and am actually looking forward to graduating in May so that I can begin to work my way to becoming Oncology Nurse Certified (OCN). Throughout school so far I have learned that much gratification comes from changing the lives of others. It does not matter on what scale you help/change peoples lives; being able to be a part of a career that is built on the satisfaction of helping others is exactly what I need. Reflecting on ones personal and emotional connection to the helping of others can really help gear someone for a successful career in nursing.

 

So here is the big question for nursing students and those interested in becoming a nurse: what makes you want to become a nurse?

2011
07/04
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Being a Nurse/Nursing Student.

So I figured my first post should be about how it is to actually be a nurse (and in my current status, a nursing student).

Although I have yet to get the full responsibilities of being a nurse, being a student nurse can be just as important.

The patients that I help everyday count on me, as if I am their actual nurse.

Now, since I am a male, it does come to much of a surprise to some people when I come in the room and introduce myself.

Although this is slowly changing due to the surge of men/women bursting out of “traditional” occupations.

The one thing that I have noticed with nursing so far; is that there are a lot of nurses who just seem tired out and rude, all the time. Now, this is a caring profession, not one where you can act the way you’d like. Your patients already have enough going on, and do not need someone rude to be taking care of them. Now, for those nurses who think its appropriate to treat your patients in a negative manner (even if it is just complaining in front of them), either change your attitude; or change your profession. Maybe, you should go back and read some uplifting stories of how nurses have helped people, and remember why you got into this profession in the first place.

Besides this, nursing so far (and will continue to be) a rewarding experience. I am always excited to go to work (as a Nurses Assistant) and always excited to go to clinical rotations. This is why I got into the profession to start; the want/satisfaction of being able to help someone in their times of  need.

2011
06/24
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