Nurses I want to become....

I think that this may become an ongoing post, so it may become "stickied" at the top of my blog every once in a while.

In my time working and during clinical, I have met a few nurses who I have decided are worthy of the title: "Nurses who I want to become". They may not be superheroes, but they are role models who I think that it is important for me to remember. Remember how they are with staff, and how they are with patients in their profession.

1. A nurse I met while working on orthopedics this summer, her name was Megan. She only graduated a few years ago, but she was one of the first who I gave the title of "Nurse who I want to become". She is one of the kindest and friendliest nurses I have met. She is rarely in a bad mood. Even when she is having a busy day, she still has time to give a back rub to her patient, or to sit and talk to them. No matter how busy she was, she never made it seem that she was busy--she has an essence of calm around her. This was something that made her different from other nurses who ran around frantically when they were busy. Unlike many of the other RN's on the floor, she always made an effort to include me if she was doing something cool, and let me do my first female in-and-out catheterization. I remember going to do vitals for one of her patients (a non-orthopedic patient), and she was sitting with a patient in his room talking with him about some problems he was having (he had chronic migraines, which were so bad he had contemplated suicide in the past). Many nurses I know would not have made the time to sit and talk with him. I think that it was this day that I knew that I wanted to be like her.

2. My instructor during my last full clinical in fourth year, Kelly. Another nurse who hasn't been around for too too long. From our estimations, we guessed that she was around my age (late 20's). She was definitely one of the best clinical instructors I have had. She knows so much, and can teach it well. She is not easily frazzled, and even with 6 students going in different directions she seems calm. She can get an IV started as easily as breathing (except when she is sick and can't hit the broad side of a barn). She is wonderful with patients, and with the staff. She was supportive, and gently yet firmly pushed us into becoming nurses. Many of my successes in clinical this last term were influenced by her.

Random moment downtown.

A random moment of the day...

While coming out of a little grocery store downtown today, an older woman stopped me. Apparently someone (a friend) had put a pin on her jacket and she wanted it taken off. She couldn't do it herself, and asked for my help. Now this pin, was one of those homemade pins. Made out of those triangular beads (that I only seem to see on Christmas ornaments) and a bit of lace. She said that it reminded her of "one of those things you put on your leg when you get married"--a garter! Looking at the pin a little more closely, it did look a bit like a garter. Even though she did not like the pin, this women kept it so that it will remind her of that person (friend?) who gave it to her.

Myself, I got a good chuckle out of it. :)

The study shows what we already know

This article has become big news in the Canadian press the last couple days.

http://www.statscan.ca/Daily/English/061211/d061211b.htm

A few quotes from the article (for those who don't feel like following the link).

"Many nurses regularly work overtime and many have more than one job. A ground-breaking new study indicates that psychosocial and interpersonal factors (including work stress, low autonomy and lack of respect) are more strongly associated with health problems among Canada's 314,900 nurses."

"Nurses were also asked about "adverse events," such as how often in the previous year a patient had received the wrong medication or dose. Nearly one in five (18%) reported that such incidents had occurred occasionally or frequently. Just over one-third reported that patients occasionally or frequently experienced "nosocomial infections". Close to one-third said that on an occasional or frequent basis, a patient in their care had been injured in a fall during the previous year. As for nurses themselves, 1 in 10 reported occasional or frequent injury on the job in the year before the survey. Nearly half (48%) of nurses who were caring directly for patients reported that, at some point in their career, they had been injured by a needlestick or other sharp object that had been contaminated by use on a patient. About 11% reported having had such an injury in the past year. Almost 3 in 10 nurses (29%) who provide direct care said they had been physically assaulted by a patient in the previous year. Over 4 in 10 reported emotional abuse from a patient."

"About 37% of nurses reported they had experienced pain serious enough to prevent them from carrying out their normal daily activities in the 12 months covered by the survey. Three-quarters of the nurses with activity-limiting pain in the previous year blamed work-related factors."

Honestly, these findings do not surprise me. In the 12 weeks that I worked at the hospital this summer, I think I saw most of these events at one point or another. A nurse who almost had her earrings ripped out of her ears by a confused patient, and it took 3 people to get the patient off of her. An experienced senior nurse so frustrated and overwhelmed by the lack of support that she was going to transfer to another unit. Nurses that regularly worked at least an hour overtime after their shifts in order to get everything done.

I don't think that these findings are a surprise to any nurse I know. It seems to follow some of the events in a few of the nursing blogs that I read. However, it is a bit of a surprise to those outside of the profession. After reading the articles, my family was thinking that I am nuts for going into nursing. I am interested in how the general public will react to these findings. Or will they just flip to the next page of the newspaper.

Maybe this will be the kick that the directors of the hospitals, and the politicians need to make some changes. Maybe not. It is common knowledge that there is a shortage of nurses, and it is just going to get worse with the babyboomers retiring. Changes need to be made, sooner rather than later.

The nurses on the floor can only do so much... As much as we try, nurses are not superheros.

Stephen Lewis is superman

Me and Stephen Lewis
Originally uploaded by Amazon Ali.

This doesn't really have much to do with nursing directly, but oh well, this is my blog! :)

At the end of this month, Stephen Lewis’s tenure as UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa will come to an end. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see him speak and then to meet him last winter. He is such an amazing speaker... I don't think that anyone I know who has heard him speak was not moved. Just hearing him makes you want to go to Africa and make a difference.

This is a picture of me with him after I had a copy of his book signed when he spoke at UNB last year. I am disapointed to say that I have not finished reading the book yet, but it will be on my list of things to do as soon as exams are over. There is a special about him on The Nature Of Things on CBC on Wednesday evening, and he will be on The Hour tonite (Monday) at 11pm. They will be time watching tv very well spent.

If you ever have the chance to see him speak, jump at it. Check out his website to find out how we can help.

http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org

"And by god, when December 31st rolls around... they haven't seen the end of me!"

--Stephen Lewis

Fall term is almost over. One day of classes left and one exam before Christmas holidays begin. Then 8 weeks of chaos in January before preceptorship. So the end is in sight, but still an obstacle course to run in order to get there.

I had my final meeting with my clinical instructor last week. She really is great. I don't know her exact age, but I believe that she is around my age (late 20's) and she blows a lot of older more experienced nurses out of the water. She knows a ton and can explain it in a way that her students can understand. She is so patient. In all of our weeks at clinical, and some were quite chaotic, I never saw her feathers ruffled. She is on the code team, is doing her masters, teaching us, helping assist with classes at the university, and has a husband and small daughter at home. She really is superwoman! :) She is another nurse who I have added to my "nurses I want to be like" list (which I'll have to write about on here someday when I have time).

Anyways, back to that final meeting. It went great. My instructor had lots of positive things to say, intermingled with areas to work to improve on. The perfect constructive feedback. :) She just words it in a way that you want to do it. So I asked her if she would be a reference for me if I need one someday, and she said sure.

A thought that has come into my head after many of my meetings with this instructor... she is so good at pointing out your strengths, and often things that you can't even see. She has told me that I am organized and do great caring for my patients during my shifts, but I still feel completely chaotic and like I still know very little. I guess we really are much harder on ourselves.