Jun 17

Why do Your Clinicals at a Community Hospital?

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Every accredited nursing program includes a hands-on learning component known as clinicals. Usually included in the second half of your education, clinicals are a series of shifts you spend at the hospital, learning various types of nursing and working with patients under the direction of a clinical supervisor.

Different nursing schools are affiliated with different hospitals, which means that where you get your education will define where you do your clinical. Larger nursing schools, for example, are often associated with teaching hospitals, which tend to be big, well-funded, and full of complex cases that can’t be treated elsewhere. City hospitals (especially the ones in urban centers) don’t have the same level of sophistication, but you’ll see a faster pace, a lot more emergency cases, and even be involved in more decision-making. Read the rest of this entry »

May 08

What is a Nursing Director?

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If you have goals beyond nursing school and a typical four-year degree, you may want to visit the possibility of a career as a nursing director. Although it can take quite a bit of extra education and experience to become qualified for this position, the pay and benefits can be well worth it.

What Does a Nursing Director Do?

A nursing director is the supervisor in charge of the nursing staff in a large hospital setting. This can mean anything from overseeing staffing and patient care issues in a city hospital or coordinating clinicals and staffing issues in a teaching hospital. Because the focus is more on being in charge of other nurses (as opposed to working the floor), you can expect a lot more paperwork, administration, and bureaucracy than you would find in a lower-level nursing job.

Although every position and employer is a little different, you can expect to:

Read the rest of this entry »

Apr 15

Rap Video Created by Emergency Room Nursing Staff

This emergency room rap was put together by nurses and staff members from UAB for a National Nurses’ Week contest. Not only is it a lot of fun, it shows the commitment this group of nurses have for their careers.

 

Apr 15

Nursing Environment Video

How important is a good nursing environment?

Watch and listen as Angie Ballenger, B.S.N. discusses her own personal experiences as a heart transplant ICU nurse and why her working environment is so critical at UAB Hospital.

 

Apr 11

A Day in the Life of a Critical Care Nurse Video

If you are thinking of entering the field of nursing, watch Michelle Swinney talk about the what she deals with every day as a critical care nurse. She talks about why she decided to go to nursing school, what it is like to live with life and death on a daily basis.

Apr 11

Nursing Student Interview with Christine Hernandez

When did you know you wanted to be a nurse?nurse_hernandez

Four of five years ago.  I was working in a place were I was always around doctors and nurses.  I loved hearing the stories they would tell and I always had more questions for them.  I loved learning about the medical field and decided that was the road I wanted to be on.

Were there any individuals who were an influence?

Yes! I was a nanny for two wonderful doctors who were always willing to answer questions and share stories with me.  They were a big influence in getting me started in the medical field and encouraging me to go for my RN degree. Read the rest of this entry »

Apr 11

Nurse Interview with Johanne Aage

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Nurse Johanne lives in central Texas and currently works at research hospital where she says she is “seeing things that most neuroscience nurses only read about.”

She received a two-year ADN (assoiate’s degree) from a local community college and told us, “Texas has a vibrant and high-quality community college system for RN qualification, so much so that bachelor’s degrees often concentrate more on nursing administration rather than bedside care. That leaves the ADN programs for those who want to work bedside, which I did.” Read the rest of this entry »

Apr 11

Nursing Interview with Joanna Casey

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When did you know you wanted to be a nurse?

I always knew that I wanted to go in to health care. The problem for me growing up was that one day I wanted to be a Physical Therapist, the next a Dermatologist, and the next a Pediatrician. I decided to apply to Nursing school because I had heard that there was a lot of room to move around to different specialties and because there was direct patient care on a daily basis. Read the rest of this entry »

Apr 11

Interview with two CJW Medical Center Nurses

Hear what Carol Fox, RN and Director of the CJW Medical Center Arrhythmia Care Unit & Progressive Care Unit and Jim McCann, RN & Clicnical Coordinator of the same unit have to say about nursing.

 

Apr 11

Nursing Interview with Nurse Terry McManus

i_nurse_male2Registered Nurse Terry is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. he received her degree cum laude in nursing and is now employed in a Pennsylvania hospital focusing on trauma. he is considering her graduate school plans and hopes someday to work in pediatrics.

Terry credits her education in urban Pittsburgh, PA, with 7 local hospitals, as extremely beneficial to her advancement in the nursing profession. This diverse atmosphere helped her find her passion in pediatrics and her interest in graduate programs.

Terry graduated school in May 2010 and passed her boards in July 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

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