Author: Erik

The Characteristics of a Good Nurse

Nurses are respected and highly valued professionals for their services and what they offer to their patients. However, they are not all the same. They are just like us with different characteristics, skills and attitudes. Nursing is really a much greater spiritual calling than basically an occupation. It requires dedication and love for serving people. An excellent nurse lives these values and clearly views themselves as professionals who perform duties for people’s health and welfare.

An excellent nurse is compassionate which means they have good sympathy for other people. They have to keep in mind that their patients are not in the hospital because they like it. They’re fearful and vulnerable to losing their own health, possibly their lives, and at the same time, the patient’s family and friends are fearful in losing precious family members. This requires nurses to have a great understanding of whatever situation.

An excellent nurse understands. They must have the readiness to talk about the feelings of others and be open to suggestions and ideas.  The more a nurse understands the patient, the more he or she can provide the right services, treatment and medication to the patient.

Lastly, an excellent nurse is non selfish. They must be willing to offer to the patients the services needed even if it takes much of their time and beyond their limitations. Nurses are often placed into situations where they must work graveyard shifts, on holidays, on emergency situations etc. They ensure that whenever a patient needs their services, they are ready and available.

Nurses are among the most decent profession. They are able to provide quality services while being compensated. More than the earnings, they are satisfied with what they are able to do and provide to the people.

The Importance of Humanities in Nursing

When we talk about humanities, we think about it as a branch of science that deals with human nature, but does it have something to do with nursing? This subject is a part of the curriculum of a nursing course as a minor subject or as an elective. It aims to expose the students to a different part of human beings. It gives an idea how people think, react and take action in certain situations they are involved.

 

The geniuses of ancient Greece first used the liberal arts to educate their people. They used poetry, paintings, debates etc to make people enhance their understanding, gain new insights and do critical thinking. Through the study of the humanities, we are able to think creatively, think before acting and apprehend situations.

As a nurse, it is important to gain some knowledge about people. They must be able to have a concrete understanding on how the patients feel about themselves and their condition. The more a nurse understands his or her patient, the more he or she can improve the services, use the proper treatment and approach.

Using the human experience, it will provide us with the knowledge about human nature. The works of the humanities scholars in the past have given us understanding of different cultures, how people develop fear, happiness or loneliness, and the proper approaches. Nursing students must learn this to use humanities in their daily shift. The more a nurse understands the patient, the more efficient they become.

By studying popular literature, nurses are able to know and appreciate life experiences. It will help them in attaining awareness and sensitivity towards the many physical and psychological aspects of an individual’s responses to health, illness and hospitalization. Humanities advertise affection from the hurt and discomfort of the disease. It is recognized as a highly effective teaching tool in a comprehensive program for college students of nursing.

 

The Nursing Baccalaureate Program

Nursing is one of the most in demand profession in the country today, and is expected to rise more in the coming years. This makes the profession more appealing; the higher the demand, the better chances of employment. The baccalaureate program offers courses that prepare the student to become a professional nurse.

The program is composed of classes and trainings that best prepare the students to handle medical care, treatment and support to patients. The students will learn the basic nursing care, fundamentals, theories, medicines, terms etc. At some point of the curriculum, the nursing student will be exposed in an actual situation. Wherein they will learn how it the real scenario looks like; this is done to better prepare the student before they graduate. Once the student satisfies the requirements, they will be qualified to take the examination for licensure to practice as a registered nurse.

The objective of the BSN program is to prepare graduates to work as professional nurses in a number of scenarios. Graduates are envisioned as having acquired fundamentals for ongoing professional development. Nurses are expected to be fully equipped once they graduate; there’s no more time to practice once the nurse is on duty. The patient’s recovery and safety depends on how the nurse handles the treatments and medications.

The curriculum is developed to assist the student to develop skills, stimulate intellectual curiosity and also to develop the capability to work with other health workers. The professional nurse is dedicated to the function of maintaining health insurance and ensuring the quality of health care services. The nursing school plays an important role in preparing the nurse to become well-equipped with skills and knowledge needed for efficiency.

The NLN Pre-admission Examination

Students who wish to enter the nursing field must go through the NLN PAX before they can enter a nursing school. The National League for Nursing Pre-Admission Examination (NLN PAX) is a standard entrance exam for possible nursing students who are looking for admission into nursing schools across the country. Once they pass the examination, they are qualified to become a nursing student.

The NLN PAX RN and PN consist of three main areas: verbal skills, mathematics and science. In the verbal skill section, the student’s word knowledge and reading comprehension skills will be measured. The mathematics area includes basic calculations, algebra, geometry, basic conversions, graphs, applied mathematics and word problems. While in the science field, the student’s basic knowledge in general biology, physics, chemistry and earth science will be measured. A section on health and first aid is also included.

The examination is intended to measure the readiness of the student in taking the nursing course. It will determine what areas the student is good at and what areas need more improvement. Each area contains all multiple-choice questions and consists of experimental items for the purpose of future test development. Answers to these questions are not counted in the scoring.

If you are planning to register for the examination, you may register online on http://www.nlnonlinetesting.org.  There are specific instructions that you need to follow for the registration. Once you pay the Pre-Admission NLN for RN Examination, you will need to create your own login and password. You must not forget your login and password that you made on the NLN website, as you will need this information on your examination date.

 

Advantages of CLEP

CLEP is a good way to earn a college credit saving you time and money.  Having a good score on the CLEP test enables you to earn college credit for any course without really needing to spend some time and cash to sign-up and finish it. It offers a superior opportunity to receive credit for things you already know, stuff you learned through on-the-job training, internships, or perhaps personal study.

One of the advantages of CLEP is that students don’t have to spend money on subjects that they don’t need. It helps you to save money by not having to pay the schooling and also the miscellaneous for the subjects that were credited by the CLEP. Students that earn college credit through CLEP exams can graduate in 3 years rather than four, or finish a whole semester early than students who take the traditional classes. That’s an additional year or semester, which gives you more opportunity to earn more courses.

You may also jump straight ahead to higher-level courses if you are able to pass through the required CLEP exams to satisfy your lower-level needs. By doing this, you will not have to spend your time re-learning material when you may be investing that very same time learning something new. You don’t have to spend an hour attending a class you already know. Using CLEP exams to obtain credit for opening courses provides you with a good amount of time to enroll in the courses you really wish to take. This advantage of CLEP exams can make your time and effort in college more meaningful.

 

Deciding on an Online BSN Degree

Deciding on where to study for your BSN degree is a significant decision. It will require some research to properly choose the right one for you. If you have an associate’s degree in nursing you may prefer an online BSN course to continue your education, especially when you are busy with your career and family obligations. Continuing your education will give you more opportunities and career options.

An online BSN course will give you more time to study on your vacant time and more options. It is much cheaper and convenient as well, given that you no longer need to travel and pay for miscellaneous fees at a university.

Most of online BSN program will allow you to complete your degree on your own terms and time. It will reduce your stress to your already-busy schedule in balancing work and family commitments. Most offer competitive and affordable tuition. This makes your degree within reach.

Before choosing an online program, you must do your assignment by conducting a research about the accreditation of the school. This is to ensure that you are not wasting your time and money.

An ideal nursing program has online resources readily accessible for their students. Good online programs use online tools that enhance courses to make them both engaging to students and effective. Because many RN to BSN students are balancing work and their education, it is important that any degree program you pursue is convenient for your busy life—this is what makes online programs a smart choice for many nursing students.

Before choosing an online program, make sure that there is financial aid in their program. Continuing your nursing education will cost you money, but it doesn’t have to bury you in debt. The program must have an affordable tuition, and students can apply for financial aid before they are accepted into their desired program.

Nursing Challenges: Stress

Nurses face different challenges daily, not just in the hospital but in their personal life as well. Nursing is actually a career with lots of challenges. Nurses are confronted with emotional and professional demands that lots of people can’t even imagine. Taking responsibility for the wellness of people’s lives is a big challenge for individuals employed in healthcare. There have been numerous enhancements to controlling most of the physical perils of the nursing care. Good examples include universal safeguards and safety practices. However, there are concerning hazards to some nurse’s mental and emotional health.

Stress is associated with people working in the hospital. It may be the emotional and physical reaction experienced when a person is put in a situation he or she is not capable of handling. Nurses face different types of patients with different kinds of health conditions. These put so much stress on them while doing their own routine.

Signs and symptoms of stress include fatigue, disrupted sleep programs, high blood pressure and pulse, appetite loss or overeating, muscle tension, decreased libido, utilization of alcohol or drugs, irritability, eagerness, sadness, poor concentration, anxiety, worry, ambivalence, memory lapses, and lack of spontaneity. Physical results of stress may include cardiovascular disease, stroke, immune disorders, putting on weight, weight reduction, intestinal problems, diabetes, discomfort, headaches, fertility issues, allergic reactions, skin conditions, hair thinning, periodontal disease, and much more.

Stress could be handled in a number of ways in which can result in enhanced overall health and wellness for people employed in healthcare. Though the career has so many challenges, it’s still a satisfying profession which has a profound and positive impact on many people’s lives.

Improvements in Healthcare

A 16 year old girl was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. The emergency room felt like home for her. The physician explained her condition where her immune system is acting abnormally. He added that antibodies are savagely killing her platelets. Death from over bleeding may occur. At an early age, Kelly had undergone several major surgeries and countless hospitalizations.

Autoimmune disease is one of the leading causes of death among women from all age groups. It is categorized as a chronic illness that can either be debilitating or life-threatening. Kelly and millions of Americans live with such medical nightmare. A few years ago, medical advancement modified dramatically. Unfortunately, most doctors are not aware of these changes. For instance, if laparoscopic surgery (a procedure that could reduce several surgeries into one) was known by Kelly’s doctor, she would have saved time and money. Not to mention the discovery of new pipeline treatments, that soon could lead to a whole new type of drugs. This new drug could have exempted her from surgery.

Technology is very obvious, but total application in medicinal sense is not fully widespread. We will now discuss some of the new improvements in healthcare that are readily available to use.

3D Printing
Three dimensional printed models help doctors prepare for transplants and conduct surgery smoothly. In addition, it makes the procedures a lot more accurate. CT scan images are helpful, but 3D models enable the doctor to hold and see the “real thing”, giving them confidence over their procedures.

Medical Robots
Robotic technology is utilized for certain functions like food service, medication distribution, infection control, surgery and diagnostics. Proponents contend that robots can bring many advantages since artificial intelligence can cut labor cost, increase precision, create clinical outcomes and substitute humans from unsafe situations.

Scanadu (real-life Tricorder)
A Scanadu makes the diagnostic process of basic medical stats convenient (like pulse rate, temperature, and blood oxygenation). With the use of this new machine, you can be diagnosed at the comfort of your home. It analyzes data, diagnose the problem, and send the information to a physician that can possibly provide treatment remotely.

Advanced technology has presented physicians countless of better medical options that could save, if not millions, thousands of thousands of lives every day. It is readily available, just waiting for us to discover them making healthcare a lot better.

 

Things to Know in a Nursing Home Care

There are many nursing home facilities in the country today. If you are considering a nursing home for yourself or for a family member, there are a few things you need to consider. Before admittance, you need to inquire with the management to determine the services they offer and the facilities available. There are different services a nursing home provides. It depends on the location or focus of the facility. The usual services include room and board, medication and monitoring, and emergency care as well as social and recreational activities. Personal care is also included like bathing, dressing, and toileting assistance.

Choosing the best nursing home needs time to work. You may begin the quest for an appropriate nursing home well prior to seeking admittance to the facility. Preparing in advance may lead you to a more suited nursing home for you. Ask your family for their opinion as well as the care providers on what services you’ll need. Make time to consider what services you need before calling different nursing homes. You may also consider the daily assistance you need like bathing, eating, dressing etc.

Before arranging a stay to a nursing home, ask about openings, admission requirements, level of care provided and participation in government-funded health insurance options. It is also necessary that the nursing home  has the right facilities in case of emergency. To know whether the nursing home suits your needs, you must see it for yourself. Ask the management about their services and look around. You can l interview some patients to know about the quality of the services they received from the nursing home facility.