As I begin to write my last blog, thousands of emotions and feelings are rushing through my head such as excitement, sadness, happiness, nerves etc. As I look back on my three years I cannot believe the relationships I have established not only with my fellow classmates and soon to be colleagues, but also the professors who have influenced me to be the best nurse I can be. We have come extremely far these past three years and I am ecstatic to see where each and every one of us will go and how we will each blossom in our careers.

In regards to critical care, at the beginning of the semester I was extremely excited about it because I thought I could see myself working in an ICU, however as it is ending I now have realized that I really don’t want anything to do with the ICU haha. I think this feeling ultimately comes from inexperience because I think I would enjoy it more if I had a more stable foundation in nursing. Experience comes with time…. One thing that I really enjoyed during this semester was the ER. If I could be an ER nurse right out of school, I would take it and run. The teamwork aspect of the ER is what I think draws me to it the most and of course the fast pace and the ability to see a variety of different patients from babies to elderly. When I was working in the ER, I didn’t want to leave clinical. I love being able to utilize all my skills in the ER with the support of the other nurses and doctors. Overall I loved the ER and hope that one day I can have the opportunity to work there.

As of now I will be interviewing for a labor and delivery position at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital actually this Wednesday (maternal and child health is also one of my passions) and we will see what happens there. I am nervous, but deep in my heart I know there is a plan and if it does not work out then I know it wasn’t meant to be. I can’t wait to hear all of the stories that my classmates will share about their first day on the floor… it is exciting and I know deep down that everyone of you is a nurse I would want caring for one of my family members and with that cheers to the class of 2015, WE FREAKING DID IT!!!!!

XOXO Stephanie

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End of life care is something that I think all people feel uncomfortable talking about, but when in reality we shouldn’t because ultimately we were born to die. Although I have never talked to my family about what I want, sometimes I will leave little hints, as I think most of us do to avoid that uncomfortable discussion. First off what do I want? When thinking about this question, I always think about how I would rather have my family let me go, then sit and wait for a miracle that most likely will never occur. To me, someone who is on a ventilator, not responding, with minimal brain activity has already left this earth… Their soul has already gone and the family is just left with a body that is being controlled by machines so the physical part may remain alive. The family member is not there. If I am ever that person in the bed I would want my family to take me off all of the machines so they and myself could be set free. I would never want my family’s life to be like that, not only is it not fair to them, but it is not fair to me.

My family is very respectful in regards to family members wishes. I think we learned a lot about death and dying when my dad was in and out of UCLA waiting for a liver transplant due to him being diagnosed with unknown liver disease. At the end of his life he too was in the ICU fighting for his life until his pancreas failed and eventually died peacefully off of all machines… The best person in my family to make this decision I believe is my sister, Emily. She too is becoming a nurse and is one of the toughest people I know. I feel confident that she would make the right decision for me if I were to ever end up in a vegetative state. I wouldn’t give this job to my mom or brother because I wouldn’t want to place that decision on them. I am not saying they are wimps or softies; I just feel like my sister would carry out my wishes/ remind them of what exactly I wanted and make sure that everything necessary was done. In addition she will also have the medical knowledge behind her.

When finally sitting down with my family we discussed all end of life issues. The majority of them expressed similar ideas to mine, being that they too would want to be taken off the machines. My mom and step dad said that they would not want to burden us with sick parents. My mom said none of her kids should ever be put through that kind of reality or life. She said when it is time, let me go. I know in my heart that no matter what whenever it is my families time to go they will be watching over me. I have had experiences where I feel and know my biological dad is with me… I can’t explain it, but it is just a feeling of being protected and loved. I am confident that I can carry out my family’s wishes if ever something terrible happens to them. And I am confident that they too could respect my wishes in event that I ever end up in a vegetative state. Death is something that we should not fear, but a reminder that we must enjoy our life here because we never know when that time might come. I am glad that I have thought about this end of life topic and I will most likely print this post and give it to my family member and best friend, Cheyenne.

XOXO Stephanie

Who Knows about Drugs (Rx’s)?

After completing an informal survey of some of my family members and friends, I have come to the shocking reality of how little information people know about common medications such as Advil, aspirin, and Tylenol. I chose these three drugs because they seem to be the most common drug people use over the counter. Although some people were very educated in regards to the drugs, some people were extremely ill-informed regarding these meds. Some thought ibuprofen and Advil were completely different drugs. I think that most people just know the name of the drugs they take whether generic or trade, but do not know the common doses and side effects, which is quite surprising because of how important this information is. Another person knew both the trade and generic names for Advil and Tylenol, but had trouble indicating a correct dose, for example she said “I don’t know, like two pills every six hours.” She was however well educated in regards to the adverse effects of these three different drugs naming GI bleeding for Advil and liver damage for Tylenol. Other people interviewed however, had trouble distinguishing the difference between Advil, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Acetaminophen, and Aspirin. As I mentioned above one person thought they were all completely different drugs and did not know there was a difference between a trade and generic name. After giving some information in regards to these medications to the interviewees, they now have a better understanding of the common drugs they take for simple everyday aches and pains. Out of the six people I interviewed one talked about colloidal silver and how she takes it when she feels she is getting a cold and swears by it. This is a homeopathic medication that I do not really understand how it works or the side effects, but I will continue to research to possibly find out this information. Other than that I was shocked in regards to the lack of information people contain about medication that they may possibly put into their bodies everyday. As nurses we need to make sure to take five minutes out of our day and give that education to our patients so they can not only be educated themselves, but to become more knowledgeable and safe when taking or administering these medication to friends or loved ones.

After navigating my way through the web I found an interesting website that illustrated some of the most recent technological advances in the medical world. Although this site has multiple devices for all different kinds of medicine, I am going to focus on the new devices I saw that are related to cardiovascular health. The first item are the wellness wristbands that everyone seems to be purchasing to monitor things such as heart rate and the amount of steps taken during the day. However, this new wellness band not only can just monitor heart rate, distance, etc, but it can actually now determine the individual’s body fat percentage and track the amount of fat lost and gained. Even though it sounds like a great product that could be utilized by people to become more heart healthy when trying to exercise and lose weight, I am curious is to how accurate the device is. Some serious clinical trials and studies will have to be completed before I would recommend this device to patients.

The second device is wearable medical sensor. Basically, this sensor allows for continuous monitor of the individuals pulse and oxygen saturation levels. Not only is the new piece of technology far lese bulky than other pulse oximeters, but is flexible (almost like a Band-Aid) therefore allowing it to be utilized wherever, whenever, and for however long. I think this would give the ability for patients with cardiovascular disease to see how activities affect oxygen demand and if they have heart failure how they can monitor for oxygen insufficiency.

The last device I would like to talk about is called “A Cardiologist in Your Pocket.” I thought this was the neatest piece of technology because it allows doctors and patients to have a stethoscope that will record the individual’s heartbeat and pulse. These sounds and pulses will then be transmitted through Bluetooth into the individual’s mobile phone where then the doctor and individual can listen to them and determine if there is a problem or concern. I like this idea because I think this would be a great application for people who may live in rural communities where medical help is not easily accessible. They can also then send PCP vital information that can be tracked not only giving them the ability to catch problems earlier, but also to watch for certain trends such as declining health etc.

In conclusion, all of these products will continue to advance medicine, but the only concern is how accurate are these new forms of technology? Even though the three devices mentioned above would be beneficial for cardiac patients, they first must all be tested and studied to determine if they are accurate and effective. If you would like to learn more about these devices go check out…

http://latestmedicaltechnology.net/

After attending the first day of class and learning about the technology that will be utilized in Nursing 420, I feel bitter sweet about the new changes and new path that we will experience throughout the semester. Yes, I am excited that we will be advancing our knowledge in technology, but there is also a part of me that is nervous about this new change. First, the things that I like about the course thus far is how interactive and neat this website blog is. I feel like knowing how to utilize these tools will not only be beneficial to us in the long run for example, giving future employees this address to browse and learn more about us, but also make this semester more fun and interactive. Although I am nervous about this change and worried that it may possibly produce more work and confusion for our class this semester, I haven’t really found anything I dislike yet… So far everything has been pretty straight forward and user friendly. The discomfort and the worried feeling is something we must all face when change occurs and in my eyes this is just another great way to learn how to defeat and move pass it successfully. Other than that I am very excited to learn the ropes of critical care and am looking forward to finishing our last semester of nursing school with you all.

xoxo

Stephanie

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