My thoughts on Technology in Nursing and Education- Blog #10

When reminiscing about my experience in the nursing program for this past semester and thinking specifically about the impact of technology, it helps me see that nursing education has evolved into cirricula that almost require technology nowadays. A majority of my research is found on the internet, my papers are conveniently typed on my laptop and I keep up with the array of assignments we have due because of Discovery's convenient calendar. I can imagine a more simple, basic time when technology was not incorporated into everyday life, but frankly I am relieved I do not live in that time. I consider technology to significantly enhance my education. Technology allows a broad spectrum of information to be shared and made accesible almost immediately. As far as nursing goes, I can see how technology has made everything more convenient and accurate in the realm of nursing care. The computer acts as a doublecheck for medication administration and errors will appear if any of the five rights are not correct via the system. Technology allows faster communication between the diagnostic labs and nurses, so that nurses can be updated when necessary on their patient's lab values to see if any of them are low or critical. In this way, nursing interventions (i.e- calling a doctor and informing them of a critical potassium level, allowing the doctor to order a Kcl IV solution) are sped up. Technology's role in nursing has become very broad; everything from continuosly monitoring a patient's O2 sat with a pulse oximeter, to adusting the patient's position on their electronic hospital bed, to calling/emailing the doctor with an inquiry to charting and printing up essential discharge forms. I feel like technology has allowed an accuracy check in most tasks nurses complete in the day, and in a lot of ways saves time so that more tasks can be completed.
Nursing is a profession which seems to always be developing in its practices and technology is one area which seems to evolving as well, so to incorporate technology into nursing care seems like it can only enhance the care we give.

Clinicals at Evergreen In Retrospect-Blog#8

While the experience at Evergreen helped me practice some of the skills I've learned this past semester and utilize the knowledge I've gained from classes, I am finishing up this semester feeling only slightly more confident. Being on the Med-Surg floor opened my eyes to how much I have yet to learn. I can't believe that in three short semesters I will be an RN. My last day at Clinical I had a patient who was a young woman who was in for a rectal and uterogenital prolapse. Unlike most of my other patients who have mostly been elderly and "chatty" this woman was cooperative but gave nonverbal communication to me that she did not want me in her room longer than I needed to be. As far as completing Gordon's Functional Health Assessment, I found this to be a challenging struggle. I felt self-conscious about asking personal questions to a patient who did not seem like she wanted to be disturbed. This patient was discharged at 11.00 am that day, and I had never even reached the third page of Gordon's with her. All of the personal questions regarding her spirituality, self-concept and sexuality I left blank. When discussing this issue of self-consciousness with Professor Haldeman, she gave good insight in reiterating the importance of giving holistic care for the patient, and giving the patient an opportunity to share with you, at least giving them the choice to. This made me realize while it may not be convenient or always within my comfort/confidence zone, I need to gain confidence by understanding that my scope of understanding will grow, and that the patient's care is what counts.

Supernurse Blog#7

A total of two of my clinical days were spent following a nurse from Uzbekistan named Frida. This time gave me a clear impression of a nurse I admire and will try to emulate. Frida shared with Chanda and I her almost unreal story of how she had been nursing in her country for a children's hospital. Not for the money, but for the principle of helping the sick. She was forced to immigrate to America for safety's sake. Uzbekistan was a war-ravaged country in the late eighties, and Frida was a part of all of it. When she was in the hospital ready to give birth to her son, her mother wisely suggested they should move up to the top floor of the hospital, where it would be less likely that the Russian soldiers would find and harm them. Frida had her son and lived to tell the tale. Now she works as a nurse on the Med-Surg unit at Evergreen and is someone who just by spending a couple of hours with, I have come to admire and desire to be like. Frida was able to handle all of her patients with care and with calm authority. She was able to answer all of her call lights almost immediately and showed utmost conscientiousness with all of the tasks that she completed throughout the day. I respect Frida for her demeanor, her confidence and her care. I think of her as "supernurse". One of her four patients was an older lady with a very rough attitude, who spoke to Frida in a very rude demeaning way. Frida, instead of complaining about this patient as she left the room, as I've seen a lot of the other nurses do, shook her head and said - "She's had a rough morning. I'd be upset too if I were having to go through what she is right now". Frida seemed to incorporate the "golden rule" with most of her patients and treated them with respect, honest and empathy. At one point in time, she was hanging up an IV bag of blood to be transfused into the patient. Minutes later, we found out the blood was leaking from the bag and spilling onto the floor instead of flowing fully through the line. Frida fixed the situation, cleaned up the floor and kept her calm throughout it. I was grateful to Frida for her kindness to me as well. She really went out of her way to be the "teacher" and made a point to highlight things she thought we would find useful and necessary later. The experience of following Frida showed me a lot about the kind of nurse I would like to be someday. Amidst her history, Frida was able get hired as an RN at Evergreen and daily care for patients with a gentle, confident ability. I will remember Frida as a good example of the kind of nurse I'd like to be someday.

Black Jeans and Boots at Med-Surg-Blog#6

Our first day at Evergreen started early in the chapel. Meeting in the dimly lit, serene chapel calmed some of my nerves. We were to report in the staff meeting at 7.00 am to meet the nurses we would be shadowing for our first orientation day. The nurse that I was assigned to was not there. She came in frazzled and late at 7.15. She wore black jeans and leather boots, had tattoos on the side of her head, and chewed gum ferociously all day. T* was not your stereotypical nurse. My first day at Evergreen was a whirlwind of events, observing T* go from room to room, while personally trying to sift through all of the information we had learned in class about correct nursing techniques and watching T* do almost the opposite in just about everything. "Hey Hun! Did you poop, pee or did your heiny make music today?"T* asked the patient loudly as she went about the room. The patient's face mirrored my puzzled face. As the day progressed, I found that this was a typical interaction between T* and her patients. As she flew around the room referring to the patients as "sweetiepie" and roughly adjusted their IV lines, more than once the patients would look at me, with worried or confused looks. More than once, as she left the room they would comment to me "I think that lady has had enough coffee for the day," or "she seems a little crazy, you might want to be trained by someone less nuts." Shadowing T* for that first day was a wild experience. Before nursing school, I would have been completely ignorant to correct practice, but watching T* allowed me to scrutinize her communication and actions and realize that I could learn from this experience. It allowed me to sharpen my understanding of good technique, since I could contrast it against her actions. During medication administration, I noticed the lack of caution and conscientiousness in the preparation of the drugs. By the end of the day, I realized this experience with T* gave me a solid understanding that someday I would be working alongside nurses with all kinds of different backgrounds, philosophies and styles. By the end of the day, I was grateful to T* for allowing me to follow her around all day. This experience gave me a clearer understanding of the nurse I would like to become, and the importance of sensitivity and conscientiousness. At the beginning of the day, T* seemed frustrated with my presence, but throughout the day I was able to have conversations with her and this seemed to lessen her hesitation towards me. It was a great experience to build a relationship with someone like T*, who describes most of her life as "rough". This first day was the opposite of what I was expecting, it will be a memorable first day, it allowed me to construct a clearer vision of the nurse I'd like to become. It was also useful experience to show me how my focus shouldn't merely be reaching out to patients, but it will be so important to reach out to my co-workers as well, and build strong relationships with them despite opposing work ethic.

Some thoughts on long term care-Blog#5

Being able to be involved with some of the residents’ lives at Cascade Vista has proven to be very rewarding and eye -opening for me. While some are just in transit, and will move back home once they heal, others live there permanently. I always wondered how my upbringing in Asia might affect the kind of nurse I am, and already I see how it has influenced my perspective concerning long- term care. In Asia, homes are multigenerational. In a typical household, usually three or even four generations are represented. It is not usually an option to split apart. This perception of a family unit being larger than an immediate family has stuck with me. Also, a large part of the Vietnamese culture is about giving reverence and respect to the elderly. In Vietnam, the aging process is greeted openly by most since it has its advantages. An elderly person usually has the say whenever a discussion or argument presents itself, merely because their belief is that with age, comes wisdom. Their roles increase as they age not necessarily with work status, but in family and friend circles. Their advice is considered valuable and is usually implemented. I have witnessed “ageism” upon returning to the United States, and personally do not know what to make of it. This elderly generation is certainly the “lost generation” or “forgotten” one. I have not seen a number of visitors come through at Cascade Vista in the days that we have been there, and it saddens me. I also have found it ironic that most of the staff there are of Asian descent. I would like to utilize this reverence that my childhood instilled in me for the elderly in this career. I think about how I would want my Grandmother to be treated, if she had dementia and was in a home. With the uttermost respect and dignity, as this is what she deserves. Asking the residents about their past also works to instill a sense of automatic respect in me, since most of them led fascinating lives through war, political changes, the feminist movement, etc. It is good to remember that most of these clients had a rich, full past and to remember to try to make their present life as rich and full as possible by providing excellent care and a listening ear.

The halls of Cascade Vista- Blog#4

Waking up while it is still dark outside seems unnatural at first. Driving along the empty streets of Kirkland at five-thirty in the morning is a surreal experience. We are just starting our third week of clinicals. What an experience so far! This has been the best part of nursing school . Arriving at Cascade Vista, I was feeling a little unsure of what to expect, and nervous about the duties I had once assigned to a patient. Cascade Vista seems like a pleasant establishment, compared to other long term care facilities I have seen. I met my client at lunch, and not much talking was done since hear head was slumped into her nap and she was fast asleep. The nurse there kept coming by to try to wake her, but she kept saying “I’m tired!”. So I let her sleep, even though her food was getting cold. Throughout the first day we were able to get acclimated to the facility by exploring it, meeting some of the residents and attending the morning exercise class. This was the perfect icebreaker, it was wonderful to see how some of the residents responded to having young people around and seeing them enjoying kicking a big purple ball around! We also were able to observe a stage four wound being cleaned by one of the nurses. This experience thus far has really shown me how much of nursing will be learned on the floor through observation, as opposed to concepts in the classroom. The second day of clinicals it was such an experience to go into my client’s room and gently wake up her and be greeted with a broad smile! And this is why I am going to love my job! My client is as sweet as can be, I try to think about what she was like before the onset of dementia, but it doesn’t matter because she’s still got so much personality to her. I love being able to practice my skills with her, and have a human response which adds a completely different element when compared to the skills lab. This clincal experience has only just begun and already it has been so rewarding. It has been significant in boosting my confidence in my abilities to be a good nurse, it has allowed me to witness and participate in different forms of wound care, med. administration, a dental visit, physical rehab and so much more. Numerous people I have talked with that have been through a nursing program told me that they dislike long term care clinical the most, but so far I think it’s been wonderful! It makes me think it only gets better….

South of the Border...Mexico City through the eyes of the Seniors- Blog#3

Today we heard from some of the senior students about their trip they took with Professor Morgenroth this past summer. It was so inspiring! They shared photos and stories of their amazing trip. It seemed like God really blessed their journey as they were able to get all of the funds they needed for the trip, and get into the country with most of their medical supplies successfully! Hearing about their work with the local church and their outreach in the community was so wonderful. I appreciated all of their honest insight into how flexible they had to be, even with cutting hair at one point! It seemed like all of them were able to have experiences that would not occur in the United States, simply because of all of the red tape. Some of them stitched up patient’s heads, some rode in an ambulance to trauma scenes. I’m sure it was so valuable for them to see how health care systems in a third world country like Mexico operated. All of them mentioned how they came back with a greater appreciation for the system in the US, including its resources. Hearing about their pioneer trip was such a great reminder of why I am doing this. They visited our class about a month into I was beginning to feel slightly stressed with the amount of reading we had, and all of the expectations that are put on us, but hearing from the seniors reminded me why I am doing this- in order to work in places like Mexico, and provide medical care. Thank you to the “pioneers” of the senior class! You guys are incredible!