Tag Archive for 'school of nursing'

A Taste of Nursing in High School

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on July 31, 2010
in Nursing Education
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i_student_3As soon as I made the decision to enter nursing school as a high school junior, I started brainstorming ways to prepare for nursing school. In addition to researching nursing schools, and preparing applications, transcripts and letters of reference, I wanted a little taste of a career in health care.

I wanted some sort of preview of what it might be like being a nurse. So, I signed up to be a hospital volunteer (“candy striper” in the days of old) during the two summers before my high school graduation.

Working as a hospital volunteer exposed me to the field of nursing and allowed me a valuable glimpse into a “day in the life” of a nurse. It also gave me the chance to help in many other hospital departments, see their role in patient care, find out how they interact with nursing and get the “big picture” view of my future profession.

More and more high schools are seeing the value of spotlighting a career in nursing for their students, in hopes of drawing them into the field, especially in light of the mounting shortage of nurses. Lamar University in Texas, for instance, has created a program for high school students called the “Nightingale Experience” where students are introduced to the field of nursing, are engaged in conversations with nursing faculty, shown the different job opportunities available and encouraged to consider nursing as a career goal.

The university program takes it a step further, allowing students a hands-on learning experience in a simulated hospital setting. Whether your groundwork for nursing school includes a program such as the one at Lamar University, or if you choose to work as a hospital volunteer, it is helpful to include some kind of “real life” component to your preparations. Nurses will be in higher and higher demand in coming years, so the earlier you start developing an interest in this career, the better.

Nursing Role Extends Beyond Bedside

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on September 22, 2009
in Nursing Career
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i_nurse_geriatricsThe most important role of the nurse will always be at the bedside. That is, as long as people continue getting sick and needing hands on, direct, skilled, compassionate care.

Since I do not see illness and injury becoming extinct anytime soon, I think it is safe to say that the principles of patient care passed on for generations by the original “lady with the lamp” Florence Nightingale, will continue to remain at the core of nursing education.

The face of health care, however, is changing as the field and everyone in it attempts to accommodate the expanding needs of hospital systems, communities, patient populations such as baby boomers and politicians seeking a solution to allow all their constituents access to care.

Nurses, often seen as central, unifying figures in health care, have more flexibility in their role than ever before.  In addition to their bedside roles, nurses can now seek out opportunities in public health, wellness and preventative medicine, and continuing education among many other areas of health care. As nurses strike out in new and exciting directions, many of their conventional roles are being taken over by LPN’s, certified nurse’s aides and other patient care assistants.

Due to the growing shortage of physicians, nurses may also want to seriously consider furthering their education and becoming nurse practitioners. Physician assistants and nurse practitioners are doing their part to assist with the shortage of doctors. Both PA’s and NP’s can perform nearly all of the primary patient care functions (including prescribing medications) that traditionally required a physician.

To succeed in the rapidly evolving fields of nursing and health care overall, new nurses need to be as educated, multi-faceted and flexible as humanly possible. This is especially true when looking at a national patient population that runs the full spectrum of health care needs.

Some patients place alternative medicine and wellness at the top of their list of health care priorities, while others are adamant about receiving the latest treatments, most high tech diagnostics and best pharmaceuticals that their insurance can buy. Even Florence Nightingale may have found it challenging to keep up with the diverse needs of a diverse patient population.

Nursing School Grads Need To Be Job Search Savvy

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on July 7, 2009
in Nursing Career
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Even with Nursing Shortage, New Grads Should be Job Search Savvy

i_nurse_female_2You may recall that one of the big “pre-swine flu” news stories (remember those days of recent past?) was about the nursing shortage in the U.S.  What many of the media outlets covering this story failed to clarify is that the nursing shortage is technically more of an impending one, with over one million nurses needed by 2010.  This is the year when the number of aging baby boomers requiring skilled nursing care is expected to peak.  There are of course other elderly patients and patients across all demographics that will also require more nursing care as chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke and cancer gain prevalence.

The fact remains that it will be much easier for new nursing school graduates to take their pick of dream jobs in a few years.  This is perfect for those starting nursing school now.  But what about all the new grads out there who were told about a nursing job market with infinite possibilities by graduation day? Relax, all you newly licensed nurses.  There are many reasons to be optimistic along with smart job search strategies that you can employ to get employed now.

Reasons to be Optimistic:

Recession-Proof Career: Even during an actual recession, those with the letters “RN” after their name should not be nearly as fearful as job seekers in other industries.  There will never be a time in the world when a career in nursing is phased out.  Never.  But, just like anything else that is affected by fluctuations in the economy, there will be ups and downs.  We’re in a “down” cycle right now, but even that doesn’t mean rampant unemployment of nurses.  Not even close.

Think Nationally: While you’re at it think globally.  No matter how many great hospitals and clinical settings that exist in your locale, there are hundreds of thousands of facilities just like them across the country.  Yes, relocation is not anyone’s favorite word, especially if you have a spouse and a family.  I’m just saying to keep your mind open to the possibility of more opportunities, higher pay and better perks if you look outside of your geographic comfort zone.

Revolving Door: The recent phenomenon of once retired nurses returning to the workforce for purely economic reasons can easily be seen as a revolving door. Once the economy settles down again, many of them will return to single income household life again and their jobs will become available.

In the meantime, my advice is to hold onto the idea of your dream career, whether it’s in the ER, Obstetrics, ICU or other specialty area. You may have to accept whatever you are offered as your first nursing job.  In some cases, depending on where you live you may have to work your way into a nursing position by getting your foot in the door as a CNA or LVN.  This is not a bad thing and there are many unemployed Americans who would switch places with you in a heartbeat.

In the meantime, make yourself the most valuable job candidate possibly by taking continuing education and specialty courses in your chosen area.  Above all, stay optimistic.  Nursing is one of the best possible careers to enter right now.

Whether you believe me or not – you have made a great decision.

Online BSN Degree For Nurses

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on June 28, 2009
in Nursing Education
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Online BSN Training Excellent Option for Working Nurses

i_nursing_studentYou’re an RN with an Associate Degree working several 12 hour shifts per week plus overtime because of sporadic staffing shortages (even though BSN schools are matriculating and graduating nurses as quickly as humanly possible).  Your goal is to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, for higher pay and more job opportunities with additional responsibilities in different clinical settings outside of the hospital such as home health.

But how is such a goal even realistic with your work schedule and family responsibilities?  Going back to school the traditional way, in the classroom at a local college or university for a full 15 week semester, makes for an almost impossible schedule to juggle. Thank goodness innovative nursing programs across the country are starting to understand this and offering a flexible alternative.

Many community colleges and universities are now offering online versions of BSN refresher and BSN transition programs to help existing or former nurses meet their continuing education goals. Online courses incorporate the same academic coursework typically taught in the classroom setting on a more rigid schedule.  The courses also include practical work in clinical settings that emphasize more advanced clinical skills required by the RN BSN along with an emphasis on leadership and management training.

I recently participated in an online RN, BSN refresher course. This was my first time “back to school” along with my first time taking any kind of online training course. Live classroom discussions among students and teachers are replaced by online message board discussions that resemble regular message board threads on popular social websites.

The discussions are extremely academic with strict guidelines revolving around specific weekly assignment questions that reflect the reading. However, students are encouraged to share their opinions, clinical experiences, observations and research findings. Honestly I found these discussions to be much more thorough and informative than the ones I recall from traditional nursing school.

This may be due to the combination of experienced nurses as students along with the online aspect removing any fears of raising one’s hand and speaking up. Quizzes and exams are also taken online; experiences that feel partly like taking an online trivia exam and partly like an online IQ test.

Overall the experience was extremely positive, very convenient and I’m glad that nursing programs are recognizing online BSN training as a viable solution for nurses to meet their goals.

Career Opportunities in School Nursing

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on June 14, 2009
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Becoming A School Nurse

School nurses are responsible for a heck of a lot more today than they were in the days of scoliosis screenings, eye tests, tummy aches and the occasional episode of pediatric projectile vomiting. Kids today are entering school with more serious chronic conditions and developmental disabilities such as autism, psychiatric disorders and multiple medical problems.

School nurses act as primary caregivers for these children during school hours while also administering scheduled medications, managing immunization programs, wellness and prevention programs, emergency and disaster preparedness, and acting as an overall advocate in a leadership role on behalf of the students and school staff.

It’s no wonder that public school systems and county officials in cities across the country are growing anxious about the shortage of school nurses. Although most of the media coverage about the nursing shortage focuses on hospitals, nurses are needed just as much in the public school setting.

The national average is one school nurse per 1,100 students with an agreed upon goal ratio by some administrators of one per 750 students. In Oregon, the ratio has ballooned to one nurse per 3,100 students. School officials in Michigan are also concerned, with their ratio of one school nurse for every 4,000 students.

In Calhoun County Michigan, where this ratio was reported, public health officials are proposing an innovative solution to their school nurse shortage. Their unique initiative would place local nursing students in the county’s public schools as school nurses, freeing up the RNs currently employed in those roles for a strictly educational and leadership role.

This program is a strong possibility, since each county and state in the country sets their own standards of educational requirements for school nursing. The spectrum of county educational requirements ranges from nurses with an LVN (licensed vocational nurse) license all the way to nurses with a BSN (Bachelor of Science degree in nursing held by RNs).