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How I Became an RN with NO STUDENT DEBT: My Journey into Nursing

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On average, a baccalaureate degree student accumulates $30,000 in debt and student debt is the second highest source of American debt, following mortgages (educationdata.org). The fear of debt, coupled with lack of motivation and other life endeavors makes it so difficult to obtain higher levels of education and more rewarding careers. Once one makes it into school, they are likely forced to quit their current job or severely restrict working hours to make time for the necessary studies, further accruing more financial strain.

I was very fortunate to have great advisors as I was finishing High School. I had a 4.0 GPA and was able to apply for and obtain many state grants. I was in the second round of students to receive the Tennessee Promise, which pays for 2 years of community college after receiving state funding. After receiving this information, I knew about a 2 year RN program at the local community college. It was a very intense 4-5 day program that allowed students to earn an Associates Degree in Nursing and become a Registered Nurse. With such a rigorous program, students could not work many hours. I was lucky to be able to continue to live with my parents and I did not have a family at the time, so this route was perfect for me.

I was accepted into the program shortly after graduating High School. Fast forward to February 2018 and I was a licensed RN working on a Medical-Surgical Unit.

The hospital also has a tuition reimbursement program with a 2 year post contract that I used to support my online 1 year Bachelor’s degree program. Within 3 years, I was a BSN- RN with no debt and happily working on a Med-Surg unit, while my High School friends were just then graduating and finding professional jobs.

It is worth the time and effort to research scholarships, find affordable and practical schools, and investigate the resources your workplace has available to you.

Until next shift,

Shania

Funny Tidbits of Nursing Knowledge/ Nursing Advice

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  • Be careful not to nurse the computer
  • Not everyone showers regularly
  • Everyone’s anatomy is different
  • It is not exactly like the case studies
  • I have never inspected so many butts
  • No, you cannot bring your monkeys to the hospital
  • If you smell smoke, one of your patients is probably smoking in their room
  • If you are a patient and walk across the street to taco bell, you will be forced to leave AMA
  • Allowing a patient to leave AMA will probably make your shift so much better- don’t take it personally!
  • It is a good morning when you only have one fingerstick.
  • Ensure quality > quantity
  • Sometimes the best position to place a foley is side-lying or doggy style
  • Just because a patient is in the hospital, does not mean that they can treat you like trash
  • You do not work for the doctors, you work for the hospital.- Stick up for yourself!
  • Family members are often worse than the patients, however if you listen, they can turn out to provide valuable information
  • Stay humble!- You will not know everything and there is always a resource to learn more
  • Be involved within your unit- building personal relationships with coworkers will make going into work so much better
  • The best nurses are those that start from the ground-up- Remember to appreciate and help EVS, NTs, etc.
  • Offer things the patients are allowed, rather than focusing on things they cannot have or cannot do

My anxiety got the best of me. Moments at the bedside.

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According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 18.1% of the US population suffers from anxiety, however only 36.9% of those people with anxiety seek treatment.

One of the many benefits of being a nurse is time spent at the bedside. The patients I remember most are those that I have found a connection with through talking to them. Along with educating them on their diagnosis or treatment, one of the most beneficial things we can do as nurses is to build a relationship… I know, I know easier said than done. We often feel like we don’t have enough time to connect with people, but it is in those moments that we can discover things. We may find out the reasons for their noncompliance, that it is their 50th wedding anniversary, that today is the anniversary of their daughter’s death, or even that they have no running water at home. Simply speaking to the person in the bed, making eye contact, and truly engaging in conversation, alone, can help relieve any fears that they may have and can also make for an easier shift.

Discovering like interests and creating conversation away from their hospital stay lightens up the room for both the patient and family. In a stressful situation, talking about things other than their current state can help divert their attention away from their pain and illness. We can make an impact by just being present with them in the moment and stepping away from our computers. Rapport is also a way to bring the humaneness of nursing back amidst the plethora of hospital protocols and technology scanners. Just like “skin is the nursing domain”, so is communication. Being transparent with patient and families is what they want and need. Keeping them up to date, while also connecting on a personal level can help alleviate any unnecessary worry in a less ideal environment.

Until next shift,

Shania

Addiction: A Disease Mentality

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“History of IV drug use, positive for heroin and meth. HIV and Hep C positive. Constantly requests pain medication.”

What are your immediate thoughts when getting information like this in report? Most likely, it’s thoughts of judgement, disregard, lack of care and trust for the patient. Although these are valid thoughts, what about taking a step back and thinking about the reasons behind their IV drug use. What happened in their life that needs to be numbed by such harsh drugs?

Addiction is defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine as ” a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences. People with addiction, use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences.”

Everyone wants to be happy; no one chooses to do things because they know it will make them unhappy. Often times, the perfect combination of an addictive gene plus a poor life circumstance and environment leads someone to choose a substance as a coping mechanism. Society encourages people with a bad day to “go have a drink” after a rough day. So many scenarios can become the ultimate formula that leads someone to a substance and the individual then is a slippery slope into a life of addiction.

Do they choose the drug to feel good? They keep searching for that next high, but develop an increasing tolerance so they need more and more until an accidental overdose. Do they choose the drug to numb a hurt? It’s easier to drink a beer “socially” than it is to do yoga, meditate, go on a walk. It’s justifiable and becomes rationalized.

Some realize the problem, others do not admit that they have a problem. Those that want to change, now must detox safely in a facility. What started as a way to cope from a tragic event led to a life of pain and hurt from a drug that only fuels the fire.

A majority of addictions are not illegal, but trigger the same brain chemistry. Think about your own addictions and how hard it may be to break those and then compare it to a pill or form of liquid death that it’s sole purpose is to disrupt a certain brain-body signal. Addictions to sugar, caffeine, nicotine, technology…

Until next shift,

Shania

Geriatrics can Squat, too

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Geriatric syndrome is a term that encompasses several clinical manifestations in the elderly that are not otherwise classified under a particular or singular disease or condition. These include falls, delirium, incontinence, and frailty.

The degree of muscular strength and endurance is a strong determinant of long-term overall health. It is common and unfortunate that the public often disregards these ailments and simply contribute them to old age or accept the fact that this is the way it is because one is getting older.

Did you know that 1 in 3 older adults fall at least once in a year? These falls are most often contributed to a decrease in walking speed or gait, impaired balance, or dizziness. Observe how your parents or grandparents are walking. Do they walk slowly? Is that because they are having trouble balancing themselves or are they just being cautious? How long does it take them to walk from room to room in their home? An older adult who walks slowly and has poor gait quality (hunched over, swaying to maintain balance, shuffling feet, etc) has a lower life expectancy than another older adult who walks more swiftly, upright, and who picks up their feet.

The World Report on Health and Aging has developed a tool that assesses the degree of skeletal muscle mass, which is especially important for a functional older adult. The tool assess hand-grip strength, walking speed, time up and go (how fast one can stand up and begin walking), and a short physical performance battery score (combined results of said tests).

The act of movement is critical for any body- whether it be walking, running, Yoga, cleaning, shopping, etc. Movement lowers BP, cholesterol, anxiety/depression, pain, and so much more! Add resistance training such as squatting, leg lifts, glute bridges, etc to the mix and older adults can have such a higher quality of life. The problem with Western Medicine is that our culture values the Youth, claims that a pill can cure all, and has such a large focus on tertiary medicine- treating, rather than preventing disease. With higher life expectancies, thanks to medical advances, we also need to maintain/increase the quality of life for older adults. Educating and demonstrating the 70-80 year olds to squat may just be one solution.

Until next shift,

Shania

Articles:

Click to access v10i3_2-amh-2019-07-016.pdf

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/5/2723/htm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2409147/

Patient prayers

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Every morning during huddle, the off going shift provides updates to the oncoming shift and then we say a prayer to start off the day right. Nowadays, there is less news and more avid prayers.

We pray for peace and healing to ourselves and patients as everyone is emotionally drained.

We pray for unity and strength for both ourselves and patients to fight the unrelenting covid virus.

We pray because it’s all we have right now.

Last Sunday night was such an emotional day. Several patients coded, one died that family was not ready for, 3 patients were placed in restraints.

Nurses spend their entire shifts watching oxygen monitors and running into rooms when numbers drop.

We expand critical care to 3 different floors, place two patients in one room, compromise oxygen supplies because we don’t have enough supply, and we pray that machines become available as patients need them.

Confused patients pull off their masks and some die because of it.

Adults in their 30s and 40s are intubated and will never leave the hospital.

The average patient stay is roughly 10 days inpatient.

Patients ask if they are going to die. Some come in with their family members and are discharged alone.

Right now is not a fun time to be a nurse, so we pray.

Until next shift,

Shania

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615-856-8181
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