It’s hard to believe that in just a few days, we will officially have our BSN degrees! It’s always a happy moment when you finish a semester and realize that you are that much closer to finishing nursing school. Officially completing nursing school this semester, is a mix of emotions as we are closing the book on this chapter in our lives and starting a whole new one. This is our last semester of nursing and after 3 long years of hard work and dedication, it is hard to believe that it is coming to an end. We have all worked so hard to get where we are and now, all of our hard work is paying off. We will soon be working as nurses and beginning our careers as BSN’s.

This critical care course has truly transformed and prepared me for the real world. Before this class, in previous classes, we focused on specific aspects of the nursing profession and worked to perfect it. We have had classes dedicated to fundamentals, pharmacology, medical-surgical nursing, pediatric nursing, mother baby nursing, psychiatric nurse, and the list goes on. Each course has provided invaluable learning opportunities. It is this critical care course that has allowed me to put all of the pieces together and incorporate each aspect into my nursing practice. Rather than focusing on individual aspects of nursing care, I can see patients and their situations in a holistic way. I can effectively incorporate the nursing process into my nursing practice to competently provide the best care possible to my patients. More specifically, this course has provided us the opportunity to care for the sickest people in the hospital. This gave us the opportunity to fine tune our assessment skills and properly prioritize our care to promote well-being and prevent complications thereby improving patient overall outcomes. I have learned so much in this course and throughout nursing school. I am looking forward to beginning my career as a nurse and utilizing my knowledge and skills to improve the lives of patients.

Just this past Saturday (April 25, 2015), the country of Nepal has experienced what has been deemed the worst natural disaster in Nepal’s history for more than 80 years. The Nepal earthquake was a 7.8 magnitude quake that has, so far, resulted in 5,000 deaths and over 9,000 injuries. Eight million have been affected by this disaster, so its effects are dramatic and far reaching. The earthquake has resulted in several offshoot disasters, including aftershocks, landslides and the well-publicized Mt. Everest avalanche. As tragedy strikes, 16 nations have hurried in to come to Nepal’s aid, including India, China, and Israel. The United States has sent several disaster relief teams as well as provided $10 million in assistance.

Despite these international efforts, barriers remain to providing relief to Nepal and surrounding areas devastated by the earthquake. Barriers include unreliable means of communication, the terrain, badly damaged roads, weather (heavy rains), lack of supplies (food, drinking water, electricity, gas, etc.), unsanitary conditions and a continually rising number of injured. Hospitals in Nepal are overflowing with patients and healthcare professionals are running low on medications and surgical supplies. The relief efforts are ongoing for the country of Nepal at this time. They continue to require international assistance as they continue searching for survivors and cleaning up the rubble. The country of Nepal is dependent on income from tourism so this disaster will greatly affect their economic status.

I can’t even begin to fathom what it would be like to be a healthcare provider during this crisis. The overwhelming number of those affected and the destruction of homes and buildings is difficult to imagine. I have yet to participate in a disaster effort, let alone one of this magnitude, but it is essential that we learn from this disaster to better prepare for future disasters. Previous earthquakes and other international disasters have better equipped the world for more efficient and effective response to save lives and minimize devastation. With each new disaster, new obstacles are encountered and hopefully overcame and/or provided a learning experience that will improve the world’s preparedness for the next disaster.

References

Watson, I., Mullen, J., and Smith-Spark, L. (2015). Nepal earthquake: Death toll passes 4,800 as rescuers face challenges. Cable News Network. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/28/asia/nepal-earthquake/

Shapiro, E. (2015). Nepal earthquake resucue teams en route in wake of devastation. Good Morning America. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/International/nepal-earthquake-rescue-teams-en-route-wake-devastation/story?id=30609810

Mai-Duc C. (2015). Nepal earthquake: 8 million affected, 4 Americans dead; how to help. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-asia-nepal-earthquake-what-you-need-to-know-20150427-htmlstory.html

Pesta, J. and Bhattacharya, S (2015). Rescuers struggle to reach outlying villages hit by Nepal earthquake. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/nepal-rescuers-struggle-to-reach-quake-victims-1430113791

For a class assignment, I took an informal survey of my family members and friends to assess their knowledge about the medications they take. To assess their knowledge, I asked a series of five questions about each medication they take.

1. What is the name of the medication?
2. Why are you taking that medication?
3. How much of the medication do you take?
4. When do you take the medication?
5. What effects do you look for regarding this medication?

In asking these questions, I was hoping to discover whether or not they know the Trade name of their medication or the generic name; if they knew why they were prescribed each medication; if they know the dose they are supposed to take; if they know what time of day they are supposed to take their medication; and both the desired effects and the adverse effects of the medication.

I also asked them about some common over-the-counter (OTC) medications like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Midol), acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin (Bayer, Excedrin), and naproxen (Aleve). About half of those I surveyed were very knowledgeable about the medications they take and could correctly answer most of the questions. The other half of the people I surveyed were not as knowledgably and didn’t know that ibuprofen is the same as Advil which is the same as Motrin and that acetaminophen is the same as Tylenol.

When it comes to prescription drugs, whether they knew the trade or generic name of their medication depended on whether or not their prescription medication was generic or brand name. Everyone I surveyed was able to tell me at least one (generic or trade) of the names of their medications and they could tell me what they take it for. The next few questions became increasingly difficult for them to answer. Everyone could tell me how many pills they take and when they are supposed to take it but only a few could tell me the exact dose in milligrams they were prescribed. For those that knew the milligrams prescribed, I further asked them if they knew the safe dose of that medication and nobody was able to answer that. Lastly, I asked my friends and family what effects they look for when taking their medication. I asked them what the desired effect is and what some adverse effects are. Everyone could tell me the desired effect, the reason the medication was prescribed. When it came to adverse effects, most knew the typical nausea and stomach upset but most people struggled with this question.

Overall, I learned that there is a need to improve the knowledge of the community regarding prescription and OTC medications they take. As a nurse, I am going to play a key role in patient education and my goal is to make sure that all of my patients are adequately informed on the medications they are taking as well as the resources available to them if they have any follow-up questions or concerns.

In the current age of technology, there are new procedures and treatments are being developed every day to improve patient outcomes in the medical field.  Heart disease affects many people in the United States which demonstrates a need for improved cardiovascular therapies.  Carotid artery disease (CAD) occurs when the carotid arteries, which supply blood to the brain, become narrowed as a result of plaque build up along the artery wall.  Treatment for CAD involves an angioplasty and stent insertion to restore adequate blood flow to the brain.

Traditionally, stent and angioplasty procedures have been preformed by  going through the femoral artery to access the carotid artery to improve blood flow to the brain.  With these procedures, there is a risk of stroke resulting from plaque debris (cholesterol) loosened during the procedure.  This year, a new system has been cleared by the FDA to reduce this stroke risk.  The ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System (ENROUTE TNS) is the first system designed to access the carotid artery directly through the neck.  Once there, the system reverses blood flow from the artery, sending the blood through a filter to gather the loosened debris, and then back into blood stream.  Once implemented, this new cardiovascular procedure can improve patient outcomes.

FDA clears system to reduce stroke risk during stent and angioplasty procedures: Minimally-invasive system is first to access carotid arteries through the neck rather than the groin. (2015, February 9). Retrieved February 15, 2015, from http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm433482.htm