June 2011

101 REASONS WHY BECOME A NURSE

by Anna Katharina on June 26, 2011

in Nurse Quad,School

“To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; that is to be a nurse.”

– Rawsi Williams, BSN, RN

  1. You will learn to care for yourself
  2. You will learn to care for others
  3. You will be able to affix RN after your name
  4. Your name will appear in major newspapers and the internet when you pass the NLE
  5. You will have a license bearing your name. (serves as a permanent/valid I.D)
  6. You will be in the company of doctors
  7. You will be able to mingle with other health care professionals like dentist, med techs, therapist etc.
  8. You will have the chance to live abroad either work or study
  9. You will learn about the life of Florence  Nightingale.
  10. You will be able learn about the life of famous nurses and their contribution to the nursing profession
  11. You  will be an educator and an advocate of health
  12. You can be a healer
  13. You get the chance to wear white clothes most of the time
  14. You  will have the opportunity to earn foreign currencies
  15. You will be  knowledgeable in doing community work
  16. You will be able  take your mom’s and dad’s blood pressure
  17. People will come to you  to know their vital signs
  18. Nurses are an authority on health and wellness.
  19. You can witness and participate in surgeries inside the operating room
  20. You will learn more about the functions of the human body
  21. You will be able to realize how perfect the human body  is.
  22. You can mingle with other people of different age groups in the course of your practice
  23. You will be able to use the stethoscope
  24. You will be able to handle other medical gadgets needed for patient care
  25. You will learn more than 50 nursing skills
  26. You will  be able to involve yourself in research
  27. You will be “computer savvy”, you will be exposed to information technology
  28. Being a nurse is a starting point to join the military
  29. You can relate and discuss  health issues better
  30. You can be a teacher to young kids
  31. You can be a teacher to special children
  32. You can be one of the nursing leaders someday
  33. You can be a manager
  34. You will be able to deliver a baby and  give him his first care
  35. You will be able to assess person with disease
  36. Being a nurse increases your chance for employment abroad
  37. You can make an impact in the life of your patient
  38. You will be able to save the lives of many people
  39. You can  fulfill your childhood dream of wearing a nursing cap
  40. You  go with the trend because most of your relatives  are nurses
  41. Nursing is a respectable and distinguished profession
  42. 42.  You can assist physicians, surgeons in their work and learn in return
  43. You can bring cheer and comfort to those who are in pain
  44. You will be able to learn the value of  life, that every life is a gift
  45. You can practice multi-tasking and being resourceful at the same time.
  46. Your “lips are sealed” as clients confide their  sensitive situations
  47. You can be independent in decision making
  48. You can analyze laboratory and diagnostic procedure results
  49. You can be a shoulder to cry on or a sounding board to problematic patients
  50. You are an authority in hygiene and infection control
  51. So that you can become a better person
  52. A nurse is trained on how to be moral and ethical
  53. Nurses knows and follow the laws of the land
  54. Nursing can open many doors for you
  55. Nursing is a an appropriate  pre-med course if you want to get into medicine
  56. Nursing will prepare you to practice proper bedside manners  before you get into medicine
  57. Nursing will teach you several skills necessary  in becoming a doctor
  58. There are lots of travel opportunities if one is a nurse
  59. The health profession will always need  manpower  resources, nurses are a big part of it
  60. Nursing will prepare you  to  provide the best nursing care for your family
  61. You always want to help others
  62. There is a Great demand for nurses abroad
  63. A nurse can work in different kinds of establishment e.g clinic, hospitals, home care, schools, government agencies
  64. A nurse can work in flexible schedules, either in the morning or evening
  65. You can be considered a “guardian angel” by some of your clients
  66. You can choose your specialties, i.e. work with children mentally challenged, students
  67. You might not need any gadget to work , you are trained to do skills which are universal
  68. You get the chance to meet  interesting, unique people and even famous personalities
  69. Being a nurse gives you a chance to serve sick people
  70. You help patients take away the pain and suffering of their illness
  71. You will be able to recognize health problems
  72. You learn how to deal with psychiatric patients  across the lifespan
  73. Nurses are exposed to different kinds of drugs and have a general knowledge on its effects.
  74. Nurses know when to take and  not to take a drug.
  75. Helping people is a rewarding job
  76. You will have free consultations and services from doctors
  77. You will better understand and decipher doctor’s handwriting
  78. You will get satisfaction when you see people get well
  79. You will learn how to be well organized
  80. You can deal with blood and the needle ( conquer your fear)
  81. You have fewer education requirements than doctors
  82. You have less liability than doctors
  83. You spend less time in the hospital than doctors
  84. You will not go on duty for 24 hours, unlike doctors
  85. You won’t have to be “on call”  like doctors
  86. You don’t have to own a practice such as a clinic or stay in one place
  87. You will have more time for your family since it’s an 8- hour job
  88. As a nurse you treat patients as a whole
  89. You spend more time with your patients than doctors
  90. You will learn how to be courageous
  91. You will develop physical endurance
  92. Your parents will be proud of  you
  93. You will be able to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
  94. You can be a volunteer to the Red Cross
  95. You will have knowledge on disaster management
  96. You will be able to be familiar with high tech gadgets in hospitals
  97. You can be a speaker in health related seminars such as mother’s class
  98. You will know how to take care of your baby when you become a mother
  99. You will be able to understand the personalities of your future children because of  your  knowledge in growth and development
  100. You can teach and guide doctors in doing some hospital and  medical skills
  101. Our country needs nurses to care for an aging society specially in the barrios

 

Nursing Health History for Nursing Students

by Anna Katharina on June 17, 2011

in Community,Nurse Quad,School

It is the aim of the new nursing curiculum  (CHED CMO # 14 s 2009) to develop competencies utilizing the nursing process in varying health situations.

The first step in the nursing process is assessment and four closely related activities are collection of data, organizing data, validating data and documenting data. Two types of data have to be collected, subjective, and objective data. Part of the subjective data is the nursing health history.

The nursing health history components are

A. Personal  or Biographic Data

Ex: Charan Sagar, 34 y/o male, married, accountant, Christian, Indian National, living at Project 7 Quezon City, was admitted for the first time at Century General Hospital.

B. Chief Complaint

  • “What’s troubling you?” or What brought you to the hospital or clinic?, it should be recorded in the client’s own words
  • Ex: ” masakit ang tiyan ko ” or ” epigastric pain”

C. History of the present Illness

  • Clear, chronological narrative account of the problems for which the client is seeking care.
  • It should include the onset of the problem, the setting in which it developed, its manifestations, treatments, its impact upon the patients life, and its meaning to the patient .
  • The principal symptoms should be describe in  terms of their location , quality, quantity or severity, timing, onset of duration and frequency, setting, factors that have aggravated or relieved these symptoms, associated manifestations.

Example:

The client states that he has been experiencing on and off epigastric pain one month prior to confinement. He claimed that the epigastric pain was accompanied by nausea and heartburn. When these symptoms are present, they wake him up at nigh..It is cramping , and radiates to the umbilical area. Antacids usually alleviate the symptoms

D. Past Health History

  • Childhood illnesses
  • Immunizations
  • Adult illnesses/ Injuries
  • Psychiatric illness
  • Previous Operations Hospitalizations
  • Current medications( frequency and dose)
  • Allergies to (both food and medication

D. Family History of Illness

  • The age and health or age and cause of death of each immediate family member
  • The occurrence within the family of any of the following conditions ( diabetes, TB. Heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, kidney disease, cancer arthritis’ Anemia, mental patient

E. Lifestyle

  • Personal habits, diet, sleep/rest pattern, activities of daily living, recreation/ hobbies

F. Social Data

  • Quality of family relationships/friendships
  • Ethnic affiliation
  • Health customs and beliefs, cultural practices that may affect health care
  • Educational background
  • Occupational history
  • Economic status
  • information how the client is paying for medical care and hospitalization, whether the clients illness presents financial concerns
  • Home and neighborhood conditions
  • home safety measures, and adjustments in physical facilities
  • activity intolerance and activities of daily living
  • availability of neighborhood and community services

G.  Psychological Data

  • These are major stressors experienced by the client and their perception of them
  • how they cope up with these stressors
  • communication to relay appropriate emotion

H.  Patterns of Health Care

  • Includes all the health care resources that the client is currently using and has used in the past.

The nursing health history will provide a baseline data of your client, be sure you know how to phrase the right questions and in a language your client is comfortable with. Use your knowledge of communication techniques and know how to establish client rapport.

Be cordial and respect your client. Use the proper terms or words that your client can understand. When subjective data are incomplete these will create gaps in client’s data, thereby affecting your nursing diagnosis selection.

Be patient, you will learn doing your NCP the right way. Keep reading this blog to guide you in making your NCP the easy and proper way.

Rizal @ 150 and Me

by Anna Katharina on June 3, 2011

in Events,Journal

Jose Rizal the great Filipino Hero, our National Hero , on his 150th birth anniversary. Stories about him filled my primary years in school. His novels Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo were the only novels I have read in Filipino and English. I have kept my college book (circa 1980) of El Filibusterismo.

I have a CD copy (1998) of the movie Rizal, starring Ceasar Montano. As a family,we have visited Rizal’s house in Calamba and the Rizal’s shrine at Fort Santiago. I see his statue in Monumento  Caloocan everyday and in the school where I work. And lastly, I have pictures taken at Rizal Monument in Luneta Park.

 

 

 

Jose Rizal, after 150 years, you are relevant .You will ever be my hero!