WE FINALLY MADE IT!! Cohort 2016

First and fore most I would like to thank Dr. Jensen, Jaime, and all of our nursing faculty that has taught us all that we know and have created a group of amazing patient advocates.  Because of them we are going into the healthcare field and making a great difference and impact in many patients lives.  Below is a link to a blog post from John Hopkins that perfectly describes the importance of the work we do after graduation.  It sums up all that we hope to be and desire to be, and I am so excited to fulfill that goal.

https://international.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org/2012/10/15/why-i-cant-say-enough-about-the-importance-of-nursing/

I have learned so much throughout this amazingly crazy journey.  I have found a passion that I am lucky to call my career.  Looking back at all the struggles we have all went through during the program, I cant help but see them as the stepping stones that have pushed us to become the well prepared nurses we will become after graduation.  Nursing school also solidified my love for caring for children which I am very excited to move forward with.  I plan to work my way up into the neonatal intensive care unit and eventually go back to school to receive my NP with an emphasis in neonatology.

End of life care is an essential part of our roles as health care professionals especially when working in any acute care setting where the patient population is of high acuity.  I have learned a lot about my own beliefs in end of life situations throughout my clinical experience.  The hospital is a very intimidating and scary place to be in for both the patient and the family members.  Personally, I have come to realize I would not want to be in a situation where I spend the end of my life in a hospital bed hooked up to tubes and confined to four walls. My family and I have discussed topics such as end of life before and for the most part agree with wanting to live a happy life rather than the length in which it is lived.  Both my grandparents and my parents have a will and legal documents in case of medical emergencies.  I have yet to fill out any paperwork for myself but I plan to in the near future.  I believe it is never to early to discuss the topic and work on those legal documents regardless of what they may be individually and with family members.

Palliative care is such a powerful aspect of healthcare that I feel gets neglected at times due to the stigma individuals correlate it with.  I love that palliative care takes a holistic approach to patient care that is so vital in being a patient advocate.  Patient advocate is the key word in that last sentence.  whether it is for medication regimens, dressing changes, dietary, or end of life care; it is our job as nurses to advocate for exactly what the patients wishes are even if we disagree. It is also our jobs to educate our patients and our family members about any questions they may have about end of life care and connecting them with proper resources.

So the assignment is to discuss medications with our family and friends, to see exactly how well they know their medications.  My mom is very aware of her medications and supplements that she takes. She takes a number of daily vitamins such as vitamin D, vitamin C, ferrous sulfate and vitamin B12 in addition to cranberry supplements for her urinary tract. She educates herself on how it’s affecting and benefiting her body, when to take it during the day, and the safe amount she should be taking. She is a person who always takes the consult from the pharmacologists every time she has a prescription and will call me to discuss it with me.  She was recently on Nitrofurantoin or macrobid.  She was very on top of the reportable symptoms and really paid attention to the side effects.  She is anemic, so she was aware that she may feel more fatigued than the normal person due to her anemia and a drug that induces fatigue itself as well as worsening anemia.  She asked her physician and I about what SJS was.  My mom is a patient that wants to understand what is happening to her body and the medications she takes which in return causes better outcomes.

Assignment:

Interview friends, family members, or coworkers. Ask them to tell you what does “Cardiopulmonary Arrest” mean to them. Ask them if they know what “MI” means? Ask them what they perceive happens during “CPR”. Reflect on your findings and post your thoughts about this to your blog. Feel free to add additional questions if you would like, or educate those you interview if they have any misconceptions.

So I interviewed my mom about what she thought cardiopulmonary arrest meant as well as MI.  Her response was “doesn’t that mean your heart stops and you can’t breath”.  When I used the terminology “heart attack” instead of MI or myocardial infarction, my mom knew what I was talking about.  Furthermore, I asked her what she thought treatment was for cardiopulmonary arrest was.  Her response was CPR and a shock.  My mom has taken a CPR class before so she was knowledgable about that; however, it was interesting when I asked what the defibrillator does for the heart.  She stated, it restarts the heart, kind of like jumper cables.  I feel like that is definitely a major misconception; I educated her on what the defibrillation of the heart really does and how CPR is what brings the heart back into a normal rhythm.

Thursday: February 4, 2016

• (1) apple and peanut butter (w/chia seeds and flax seeds)
• (1) banana
• (1) Brown rice cake
• 16oz. soy chai with a shot of espresso
• Brown rice, broccoli, and grilled chicken – lightly salted
• (1) cup of olive oil popcorn – lightly salted
• Salami, triscitts, and Havarti cheese
• Protein shake with PB2 powder
• Arugula salad with balsamic vinaigrette, parmesan, grilled chicken – lightly salted with a 1/2 cup of red quinoa mixed into the salad
• Chocolate fudge Greek yogurt bar
• ALOT of H2O!

I find that I eat fairly healthy on a regular basis, I do add salt to most meals but in very little portions.  The hardest part for me is to stay away from the sweets and the complex carbohydrates.  However, when I have the time to make a meal I make it as healthy as I can and prep for a couple days so I stay consistent.