primary care nurses, nursing care beyond the ... - School of Nursing

STUDENT leaderserin zellem, kristen shubertRight Time, Right Place,Right SkillsErin Zellem’s friendNancy Altsman had routineabdominal surgery. Then theunthink able occurred.“My family and I were glad Erin was able totake time from her busy class schedule to visitwith us,” Nancy says. “Erin had been throughErin Zellem (right) with her friend Nancy Altsmanthe same surgery in 2007, so she was able toanswer all my last-minute questions and calm my nerves.”The surgery went well and Erin joined Nancy in her room. While Nancy’sfamily left briefly, Erin stayed to talk. “Being a nursing student I took fulladvantage of the opportunity to ask the nurses and doctors lots of questions,” shesays. “Thankfully, they were all very helpful and willing to explain to ‘the student’what everything was for and why they were doing what they were doing.” Oneof Erin’s first questions was why Nancy wasn’t on a monitor and why she didn’thave a pulse oximeter on? The nurse said they had not been ordered and Erindidn’t ask anything more about it.Nancy kept pressing the little “magic button” (as she called it) on hermorphine pump to control her pain and drifted in and out of sleep. After awhile Erin noticed Nancy’s chest was not raising and lowering very much so shechecked her respiratory rate and discovered it was only seven breaths per minute.“During clinicals the instructors told us to call a code if a patient’s respiratoryrate was under 12 breaths a minute, so that’s what I did,” Erin says. “I knew Ididn’t look much like a credible professional dressed in a hoodie and sweats, andI wasn’t sure the codes were the same as in the hospital where I was performingmy clinicals, but I ran out of Nancy’s room calling, ‘Condition C!’”Erin’s training kicked in, enabling her to remain calm as she answeredquestions for the doctors and nurses who responded to the code. By then,Nancy’s respiratory rate had dropped to a three, and one of the residents calledfor Narcan ® . “We had just learned about this medication, so I knew it indicatedthere was too much morphine in Nancy’s system,” Erin says. Nancy became alertvery quickly after the Narcan was administered. “While I hated to see my friendback in pain, I was relieved to see she was breathing normally again!”Nancy didn’t comprehend how serious the situation was at the time, butlooking back she realizes, “Erin’s observation skills, intuitiveness, and persistenceplayed a large part in my well-being,” she says. “Her training, her passion forothers, and her attention to detail will make Erin an extremely gifted nurse.”Erin doesn’t feel like she did anything out of the ordinary. “Anyone in thePitt nursing program would have been able to do the same,” she says. “I’m justglad I was able to help my friend—that God had me in the right place at the righttime, with training that prepared me to feel confident enough to speak up.”It may not seem like much to Erin but it does to Nancy. “I’m so grateful Erinwas there when I needed her,” she says. “I honestly believe she saved my life!”Student Nursingin CambodiaKristen Shubert (MSN ’08) went to Cambodiawith Health Volunteers Overseas and worked asa student nurse anesthetist at Angkor Hospitalfor Children. Her role there was to help assessthe teaching and evaluation abilities of thenurse anesthetists there.“I worked one on one with the nurseanesthetists in the operating room and minorprocedure rooms and learned their anesthetictechniques,” she says. “The nurse anesthetistsat Angkor Hospital for Children have anexcellent knowledge of anatomy and techniquesto control pain in specific areas of the body.”As a student, Shubert gave the anesthetists theopportunity to practice their teaching skillsand strategies for educating anesthetists inCambodia. They then received feedback ontheir teaching from Richard Henker, PhD,(MSN ’02), RN, associate professor and vicechair in the Department of Acute and TertiaryCare, Shubert’s instructor who was also onthe trip.“I enjoyed this experience very much,” shesays. “I was exposed to excellent information inanesthetic management for pediatric patientsand learned new techniques and approachesthat are not seen in the United States.”On the practical side, Shubert notes, “Theliving conditions were very good. The hotelwas clean, close to the hospital, affordable, andthe staff was very nice and helpful.” Shubertappreciated the abundance of good restaurantswithin walking distance, plenty of opportunitiesfor sightseeing and shopping, and easilyaccessible transportation.“As much as I enjoyed my time in thehospital working with the staff and patients,I think my visit to the temples at Angkor Watwill be the most memorable part of the trip.”20 university of Pittsburgh