Vital Signs September Issue - School of Nursing - SDSU

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PAGE 8 IMAGE OF NURSING At the Council of Chapter Representatives Meeting June 20th 2009 hosted by Samuel Merritt University, Trina Jayne’s Ad Hoc Chair spoke about the importance of upholding a positive image in nursing. The idea is that no matter what you are doing you always present yourself and the nursing profession in a positive light. This includes following the dress code, using professional language, maintaining appropriate self-conduct and having an overall professional appearance. As nursing students, it all starts at SDSU. If you establish a good nursing image for yourself it will carry on throughout the rest of your career. Also, when you present yourself with a positive image, it will no doubt rub off on your fellow students and peers. The responsibility does not fall only on us as students; when doing simple tasks like emailing with professors, make sure to maintain professional MAKE MAKE YOUR YOUR OWN OWN ASSESMENT ASSESMENT conduct and appropriate language, because it all makes a difference. If we cannot maintain a positive image of nursing with our fellow nursing students and our teachers, then how do we expect the public to do so as well? At the meeting we watched a film about this issue titled “Image of Nursing: I’m Just a Nurse.” It was interesting to hear some of the responses from the public when asked what nurses do. Some people said nurses are “the ones who bring the food” or “doctor’s aides” or even “the helpers around the hospital.” The public has accepted stereotypes of nurses and it is our responsibility to do everything we can to promote our profession in a positive manner and not just accept the stereotypes. Nurses are highly educated and qualified and we must promote that image. No matter what we are doing we must take our job seriously so that others do as well. We are not just nurses, we are nurses. Kimberly Vaughan Co-BTN Director Professor Julie Jurf and her Spring ‘09 class looking sharp Due to budget constraints, none of us were able to select our clinical professors this semester. How many of you are nervous due to the reviews of your soon-to-be instructor on such sites as Rate- MyProfessor.com, Whototake.com, or Reviewum.com? From personal experience, I have found that some of the most harshly rated professors can turn out to be the best you have ever had. It is easy to vent and write negative comments anonymously. These views might hold clout if we were also able to know the student’s effort during the course. Ultimately learning is the student’s responsibility and you are in control. You will only get out of clinical what you put in. Our school is rated among the best in the country, and our instructors are a major reason for that. Yes, your teacher may not be perfect, but chances are good that your patients won’t be either. Each experience with a new professor broadens your capacity for understanding, communicating, and cooperating with people of varying personality traits, thereby enabling you to grow and become a stronger nurse, delivering quality patient care. It would serve you well to dismiss whatever negative comments you may have read and go into this semester with a fresh, positive attitude. Kelly Bowker Vital Signs Editor
Medication Error I am tired. It is my third, twelve-hour shift in a row and I am feeling the ache in my feet, my back, my eyes and my soul. It is Father’s Day. I attempt to call my dad; no answer, so I send my brother a text message to pass on my well-wishes. My preceptor has left me to my own devices and has not moved from his chair. The patient load is light, but the odd timing of their cumulative medications is throwing off my time management; not just 9, 1, and 5, but 11, 11:30, 12, and PRN pain management. The cumulative medication administration timing is keeping me from reading their charts, looking at the big picture. A 0900 medication is missing; the inhaler is not in the Omnicell (medication pyxis), not in the refrigerator, not in the lock-box in the room. I enter a missing med. When it becomes due again at 1700, I am exhausted, dragging, and feeling the weight of being a student and a full-time employee simultaneously. The medication is available in the Omnicell. A single, lonely inhaler in a cell by itself, I take it out and add it to the pile. Entering the patient room, I marvel at his ability to maintain sleep. The six tablets of methadone have finally worked; his bed is at a 45° angle due to his breathing problems (pneumonia and COPD), he is slumped to one side, drooling, twitching occasionally, the pain of his skin cancer temporarily forgotten. I check his respirations; they are slow and even and within normal limits at fourteen. I scan his wristband into the Bar Code Medication Administration Program (BCMA), thankful that I did not wake him. I scan his IVPB and prepare it for infusion; I scan his oral meds and check that I have enough applesauce to administer them with his difficulty swallowing. The inhaler will not scan. The cursed missing med, finally available, will not scan. I walk over to the satellite pharmacist to explain the problem. She comes back to the patient room to attempt troubleshooting. My ever-absent preceptor comes over and also attempts to troubleshoot. Nothing works. The pharmacist goes back to her office and prints a new barcode. Finally, the medication is scanned in. I wake my patient and start his IVPB, I give him his oral meds, I hand him his inhaler to use. He recognizes it as a new medication and asks me what it is – I tell him the generic name I see on the screen and the hard-copy due list. He looks skeptical and asks what he is allergic to… I check his allergies, and the brand name of this medication is listed among them. continued on page10 PAGE 9
Page 1 and 2: WELCOME BACK! Dear Nursing Students
Page 3 and 4: With With Five Five Simple Simple S
Page 5 and 6: By Sarah Duchoud Swiss Student EXCH
Page 7: Dr. Todero’s Welcome Letter conti
Page 11 and 12: As the new CNSA Healthcare Coordina
Page 13 and 14: SDSU SCHOOL OF NURSING WILL BE OBSE

Vital Signs September Issue - School of Nursing - SDSU

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