The Nurse's Cap

I've been doing quite a bit of research on the nurse's cap. It's not part of the uniform for the actual job, but it still holds a symbol to many nursing students and graduates. Something interesting I found out was that, since some of the first nurses were actually nuns, the nurse's cap actually first served as sort of a habit for them. One thing's for certain, though, you almost can't find a story book, or Halloween costume, or even nurse doll that doesn't don the nurse's cap. I don't know why I care so much about it, but it is a part of the history of nursing, which I will be very much a part of soon, so I guess it will be a part of my life. I was looking at pictures from the pinning ceremony in 2010 and saw that only the older generation were wearing the caps. I guess I may have to make a splash and keep it alive! Besides, they really don't look half bad! ;)

BTW, anyone have any thoughts on the capes? They would be AWESOME to wear in the workplace!

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey

Application Process

I got my papers in order for the application process and thought I would walk through what goes into it, at least for my school. I'm applying for the Associates RN, so it's a 2 year program that only starts in the fall. On October 1st they start accepting the packets, which include your high school transcripts, your ACT/SAT scores, any other college transcripts, and scores from the entrance exam for the college if needed. From what I've heard from other people, the program is more of a first come first served rather than GPA based, although that's used if it comes down to one person or another. All we need to do is fill out the application, which has nothing more that your name, address, phone number, email, and what program you are applying for, then send that with your transcript packet to the main campus...and wait. I'll be sending mine out tomorrow, so I've got my fingers crossed. They said I should know by about the end of December, early January.

To anyone else out there sending in their applications, GOOD LUCK! See you in nursing school! ;)

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey

Top 5 Ipad apps for Nursing Students!

 So I received my brand new Ipad 2 the other day! Totally excited to see all I can do with this baby through nursing school! I already have utilized it a ton in Anatomy! I grabbed a couple of really cool apps that I think EVERYONE should have through nursing school and the science pre-reqs.

1. Cell and Cell Structure. This app may not be useful for too long, but for $3, it's great for students who may not have had any life science before going into Anatomy and Physiology. It has a couple games you can play to help you reinforce the information as well as amazing videos that give you a realistic inside look of a Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic cell.

2. Drawing Book. This one is almost indispensable. For $2 you now have the ability to draw and save pictures on your Ipad. So far, I have utilized this one for Anatomy by making flash cards by drawing the molecular formulas for the different sugars and proteins for my up coming test. It would be great in class, if you're allowed, to make diagrams or quick notes on it.

3. Netter's Anatomy Atlas for Ipad. This app has the steepest price tag of them all, but anyone going into a medical field will find that this app's usefulness with essentially pay for itself and then some. It's price tag is a whopping $89.99, but it comes with 531 main anatomy plates, 40 bonus plates (If you register the app) and if you find the hidden skulls in the main plates, you unlock 10 more plates. You can also spend an additional $8.99 (why not, right! ;) ) and get 30 more extremely useful plates which include basics like body planes, terms of movement, body cavities, and more. This is the greatest anatomy app I have ever seen, on computer or book or any medium, really. This would be my top priority if I could only get one app.

4. NCLEX-RN Question Bank. Yes, I know. I still have another 3 years before I will be taking the NCLEX, but even before you start to study for that test, why not use it in your nursing courses? This app as a group of categories that you can choose from, like Management and Leadership, Critical Care, Pharmocology, Adult Health, and more. These exams will give you a wonderful chance to apply the skills you just learned to realistic situations you will be thrown into later in your career, or in questions once you DO take the NCLEX.

5. Lab Values Pro. Another $3 app, but it houses quite a bit of information that will come in handy later on in nursing school. It has medical abbreviations and medical prefix/suffix dictionaries, but the one that will come in handy the most is the lab reference values. A great (and cheap) reference for all medical students!

I'm sure there are a ton more useful apps out there, and I'm sure there are more I'll find and use later once I'm in nursing school, but for now, these are the best I've found. If you've found some good ones, let me know! Hoping to get a ton of use out of my Ipad!

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey

What is a nurse?

I had to take my son to the urgent care center a little while ago for a throat infection and something we encountered there really made me stop and think. Everyone on the staff there was very warm and welcoming except for one woman, the nurse that checked us in and out. Procedure wise she did nothing wrong, she asked all the questions she was suppose to and gathered all the information the doctor  needed. The thing that struck me was her almost robotic attitude. I remember she asked me if my son had ever had an ear infection. I told her no, then said something like "yet" and kind of laughed it off. This woman didn't so much as glance in my direction, she just kept right on moving.

Now, had it been a very busy day, I would understand. Nurses unfortunately don't always have the time for any social protocol, especially in either the ER and the Urgent Care. We were the only ones there. When we left, we were still the only ones there, no one else had signed in. It almost made me cry for that woman. I was reminded of those instructors in grade school who were awful to students. It was either because they hated their job, in which case they should've thought twice about their decision to enter the education sector, or they had forgotten the drive or purpose of being a teacher. This woman was going through one of those two pathways. Given how old she looked, I'd guess she'd been a nurse for awhile and has forgotten the purpose of a nurse.

A nurse's job consists of many things: Dispensing medication, writing up care plans, delivering messages to and from the doctors, and more. Everything a nurse does can be taught in school or on the floor, except the most important point: How to CARE for a patient. You can fill them with meds, start their IV, even bring them a glass of water, but you will still be considered a poor nurse without any kind of emotional treatment.

How many times have you heard about a patient who has gone into the hospital with the doctors telling the family that they only have a few months to live, only to pull through and be here still years later? What is it that kept him going, while someone else might go in and not make it? I would be willing to bet there is either a strong supportive family behind him, or an excellent nurse, or both! When I say an excellent nurse, I don't mean one that dutifully made sure he had all of his meds at exactly the time he needed them, or had all of his procedures go smoothly, I mean on that fought with him. The human will can be an amazing thing, but when we're under serious strain or stress from an illness of some sort, we sometimes need a little reminder to kick it in gear. We need a cheering section. Our priority to the patient should be to be that cheering section. Even if they have a wonderful family, we should still be there to fight along side them. This alone, could be the difference between life or death for the patient.

What does this matter with my son, though? Sure, whether or not the nurses were supportive and caring there wouldn't have made a difference in whether or not my son lived. He got his antibiotics and feels much better now. It still makes all the difference in the world. I had no clue what was happening to my son and I was scared to death. It turned out to be nothing, but I wanted so bad to have a nurse that was happy and upbeat, one who would lift me out of my "I don't know what's going to happen" stage. If she had just offered me a bit of that, I would've handled my son's ear piercing screams that much better. Our patient's condition doesn't just affect them, it also affects their friends and family. Sometimes they need someone to laugh with, or cry with, or just someone to remind them that today is just one more day they have.

"Being a nurse isn't about grades, it's about being who we are. No book can teach you how to cry with a patient. No class can teach you how to tell their family that their parents have died, or are dying. No professor can teach how to find dignity in giving someone a bed bath. A nurse is not about the pills or charting. It's about being able to love people when they're at their weakest moments."

-Miss Katrina Rose

Being a nurse is love above all else. Don't forget this important lesson and carry it with you through the years. Always be an excellent nurse, never a poor nurse!

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey