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nursing

The rise of Delta: not the airlines.

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Due to a high number of unvaccinated individuals and anti maskers, hospitals are now hit with a second covid-19 surge. I, as well as many other nurses, have experienced the nightmares of covid returning as beds are full, patients are sick, and staffing is strained.

The Delta variant is now the major strain in the US. It is about 2x more contagious and transmissible than the original covid-19, meaning that one infected person can infect upwards to 5 other people. Those who are unvaccinated including children are most at risk for infection and hospitalization.

Loss of taste and smell are less common with this variant and typical signs are symptoms resemble that of the flu including headache, sore throat, runny nose, and congestion.

Even with the variant, vaccination prevents 88% of people from having symptoms and 96% of people from ending up in the hospital.

Take home points:

Get vaccinated!

Wear a mask in public places.

Prevent the spread and help the strain on the hospital system.

Until next shift,

Shania

Time, Talent, Treasure

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From a young age, I always valued the concepts of time, talent, and treasure. These three qualities make or break a person’s life and I evaluated them within my own life in order to be successful and to be in a continuous state of growth.

  1. Time is such a valuable resource in the sense that you cannot get it back; it only keeps moving forward. Where you invest your time determines your future. I stated before in previous posts that my biggest fear is wasting my time on things that are unnecessary. Therefore, I make an effort to use my time for productive things, whether that is learning, growing my business, calling my grandmother, going to the gym, cooking a meal, or even watching a show I enjoy.. anything in moderation. I often make a to do list for every day and this helps me stay productive and make sure that I am making the most out of the time I have during the day. Atul Gawande wrote a great book on this topic, The Checklist Manifesto. I highly recommend!
  2. Talent. Talent is tricky because this is where your life purpose or passions come in. It is amazing to me how many people just settle because they don’t want to go out of their comfort zones, experience new things, and find why they are actually here on Earth. A talent isn’t just some child prodigy who wins America’s Got Talent. Talents are the unique qualities and interests that each person has. I enjoy people and helping people live healthier lives, therefore, I became a nurse. The stress and anxiety that comes with working in the hospital allows me to realize that I am not meant to stay in the hospital forever, at least not as my sole income. I also know that I have always loved acting and I am at a point in my life where I can actually pursue it professionally, alongside my nursing job. Talent is what keeps me motivated and reaching for me. As Ronnie Doss says, the comfort zone is the danger zone. It is dangerous to remain stagnant in life and never reaching for more.
  3. Treasure. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be. Look at your bank statements. Other than bills and living expenses, where do you spend the majority of your money? This reveals what your priorities are. Many times this money goes to food, alcohol, coffee, or toys. What about if much of it was invested, donated, given to others? It is important to be conscious where the excess is going and to monitor the outflow. Money is not inherently bad. So many great things can be done with proper funding. It is how money is used that can lead to trouble.

Where are you investing your time, talent, and treasure?

Until next shift,

Shania

RN Residency

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What did nursing school actually teach you? Are you ready to start caring for patients right out of school? Did the NCLEX really prepare you to be a bedside nurse? Probably not. Most nurses right out of school feel like they did not learn anything and have no idea what true nursing actually is. It is always so surprising that such a rigorous 2-4 year nursing program is so textbook-focused with such a small percentage of time actually at the bedside. Other careers actually prepare students to begin working right out of school- Doctors have a residency and fellowship for years, physical therapists have months of clinical experience before graduation, etc. Many nursing programs only have one clinical per week with the rest in nursing labs or lectures in the classroom. I definitely did not feel prepared after graduation to actually be a nurse. I had such a great knowledge base, but struggled to put all that knowledge into practice at the bedside.

One of the most important factors into considering what to look for in a first job is a residency program. Residency programs involve all of the new graduate nurses and equip those nurses to be confident and competent at the bedside. The program I completed 4 years ago was recently re-accredited by the ANA and I was so thankful for it. I will detail the aspects that was presented within my residency program:

  • one year in total; 1 session/month
  • Skills day- the first session was all about learning and relearning the specific nursing skills required for the job in your unit utilizing the specific hospital’s policy and supplies
  • Disease processes- relearning the different core measures and refreshing on different patient diagnosis
  • Mentorships- Experienced nurses have the opportunity to mentor the new grads
  • Evidence based practice- complete an EBP project on a topic of our choosing and present it at a hospital-wide EBP fair

These are just the highlights of my residency program, but it is so worth the extra time and effort to know how to be a great nurse.

Until next shift,

Shania

(W)holistic Care: One day at a time.

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When patients arrive to the ER, they present with a “chief complaint”, or the reason that they came to the hospital. We, of course, identify the problem and treat the diagnosis based on evidence based practice. But, we don’t just stop at the diagnosis, nurses identify other needs and even warning signs. We ask about a safe home environment, access to medications, assess health literacy, and even screen for suicidal ideation. This is called holistic care, or treating the whole person rather than just their chief complaint.

Holistic care involves ensuring each patient has the capability to understand their medical history and have access to the resources they need to stay healthy. It is easy to document that the patient refused or is noncompliant, but often their reasoning is quite innocent. Asking questions, and more importantly listening to our patients provides so much more useful information that helps to tie up their story. Doctors are often in and out of a patient room within 15 minutes (if that). I have seen doctors simply ask the nurse how the patient is doing without even laying eyes on them theirselves. Nurses have the opportunity to thoroughly identify each patient need and educational level.

Holistic care can be overwhelming if the patient requires many resources or additional time for teaching. I often remind my patients to take it one step and one day at a time. It is too much to think about everything that needs to be fixed or mended. Start with day one and one change then gradually add in additional disciplines. It all starts somewhere.

Until next shift,

Shania

A Glass Half Full

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“For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.” 
― C.S. Lewis

I sit here alone with my two dogs on a snowy afternoon. My alone time often brings on my anxiety as my mind is able to wander. I am stuck inside with a frozen tundra outside. My breakfast plans have been canceled. My husband was picked up to work at the hospital and will be remaining there for 1-2 days. So, I sit. The dogs start barking because they hear kids screaming outside. That is when I think of perspective.

When I was younger, snow days were the best. We got to get off school, enjoy the one time a year we could sled and build a snowman, while my parents were upset because the roads were icy. At that time, we were young and didn’t care because we got to play all day. As an adult, I observe the snow from afar and sit in my cozy home with my anxiety creeping in as I know I’ll be sleeping alone and forcing myself to keep busy. But that is all perspective. Why am I anxious that it is snowing as an adult when before it brought so much joy? How selfish it is of me to be experiencing these feelings when I am resting in a warm home on my day off. I can drink as much coffee as I want to. I can cuddle with my pups and watch as much Netflix as I want. Why does my mind immediately go to anxiety-provoking thoughts? It is all about perspective.

I choose to find the joy in everything. Those kids’ screams are so happy as they get to sled down the parking lot. I get to blast worship music and sing as loud as I want to (and not well) because my husband is not home. I can choose a chick-flick if I want to. I choose to enjoy the beauty of the white blanket of snow (and ice) that is out my window because I have no responsibilities today. I choose to see an unfortunate situation from a positive perspective. I choose to always see the glass half-full.

Until next shift,

Shania

A Passionate Purpose

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“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.” —Bishop T.D. Jakes

Wasted time is my biggest fear. Time only moves forward and you cannot get it back. So many people simply settle for the ordinary, go the safe or easy route, and fail to really question what they want to accomplish in their lives.

Begin by exploring what you love to do, then figure out how to make that a career. Anything done with true passion, will make you so much more successful. Even if you have to study extra hard or work longer hours, pursuing your passion will lead you to your purpose and all of that time is time well spent.

The biggest breakthrough I had as a nurse was that the bedside is not where I saw myself forever. I often would have feelings of anxiety, fatigue, and just not looking forward to going into work. Living a life with that constant rotation “just gotta get through these 3 shifts, then it’s the weekend” is not a healthy way to live. We spend a majority of our lives working, why should it be something that is only done to live for the weekend? Why not pursue a career that does not even feel like we are working? That is a life I want to live. Sure, a job is a job and must make ends meet, but it does not have to be stressful or anxiety-provoking 100% of the time.

Recognizing my thoughts and feelings led me to pursue a job change and my voice acting career. I love nursing, but the bedside was burning me out. I was offered a night charge position and really enjoy it so far. The change of pace and daily routine have improved my anxiety and does allow more time for acting auditions!

My ultimate career goals in life are to allow voice acting to be my main source of income and work PRN at the bedside. Nursing is a career I enjoy, but acting is my passion and I will live to pursue it.

Until next shift,

Shania

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615-856-8181
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