Nurse Monologue

Current literature continues to reiterate the indicators of a major shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. The total RN population has been increasing since 1980, which means that we have more RNs in this country than ever before (Nursing Shortage). Even though the RN population is increasing, it is growing at a much slower rate then when compared to the rate of growth of the U.S. population (Nursing Shortage). We are seeing less skilled nurses “at a time of an increasingly aging population with complex care

Burkhardt, M. & Nathaniel, A. (2008). Ethics & issues: In contemporary nursing, (3rd ed.) Clifton Park, NJ: Delmar

As of 2008, there were about 753,600 Licensed Practical Nurses and 2,618,700 Registered Nurses in the United States (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010-11). In the year 2018, the LPN employment percentage is expected to rise 21% while the RN rate should be approximately 22% (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010-11). This may not seem that high, but it is, when one considers that the expected employment rate for a Dentist is only expected to be 16% (U.S Department of Labor, 2010-11). Nursing is a highly respected and sought after career because every person that enters this profession is able to make a difference and is needed by the general population for his/her skills and contributions to the medical field. When a person is contemplating entering

My practicum setting will be an associate degree nursing program, Joliet Junior College (JJC), one of the oldest community colleges in Illinois. The mission of the school is focused on offering students an affordable, accessible valued education for a lifelong profession in nursing, and to serve the community (Joliet Junior College [JJC], n. d.). Accordingly, the school’s philosophy is based on preparing students to be exceptional providers in the growing healthcare system, providing safe and high quality care (JJC, n. d.). The foundation of the JJC nursing program is based on four major principles: client, environment, health and nursing (JJC, n.d), while their conceptual framework is grounded in the fundamental structure of three major theories which forms the basis of the concepts, skills, and principles of the nursing practice (JJC, n. d.). The three major theories are: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Levels of Prevention and the Nursing Process (JJC, n.d.). Joliet Junior College nursing school offers a competitive program and combines the traditional classroom experiences, in-class high-fidelity simulations labs, online augmentation theory lectures, and clinical experiences in health facilities throughout the community (Joliet Junior College [JJC], 2016).

Nursing is all I’ve wanted to do since i was 8-years old. I was the little girl who would pretend to be the nurse with a white sheet like it was my coat, and wearing my mother’s stethoscope checking heartbeats. My mother bought me a medical kit and everyday i’d check everyone’s heartbeat, blood pressure, and vitals. But at that age all I knew was i had to hold their wrist for a while not knowing what i’m feeling for, writing random numbers in a notebook, and putting my ear against their chest waiting for the “thump-thump” sound. They’d go along with me and I’d think to make the pain go away is to give it a kiss and a band-aid. Until my mom said “ Chanel stop using all the band-aids”. Then, I had to cut down on my practices.

The nursing shortage most likely does not mean a great deal to people until they are in the care of a nurse. The United States is in a severe nursing shortage with no relief in sight due to many factors compounding the problem and resulting in compromised patient care and nurse burnout. Nursing shortages have been experienced in the past by the United States and have been overcome with team effort. However, the current shortage is proving to be the most complex and great strides are being made to defeat the crisis before it becomes too difficult to change. Researchers anticipate that by 2010, the United States will need almost one million more registered nurses than will be available (Cherry & Jacob, 2005, p. 30).

Lee Gutkind provides us with true narrative and diversity in how nurses respond to their daily work. In the essay “I Wasn’t Like This When Started Out,” nurses explain how hard their job gets, and what helps them get through their shifts. Nurses discussed about their first dead, first sticks, first birth, and first overseas job. They also described their first day of orientation and how different it felt from nursing school. I enjoyed reading the essays in the book; I would recommend I Wasn’t Like This When Started Out to nurses on the job, doctors, students and also family members. My primary focus would be on students. It will help student be more prepared for what to expect in the clinical setting, the essays will help them understand some of the difficulties nurses face, like nurse burnout, dealing with difficult providers, and also different ways we can take care of family members at the bedside. I wish I had this book handy when I was in nursing school, because I would have been more informed about the clinical setting before starting my career. Some of the stories would have prepared me on what to expect, like how to deal with my first death, first shot, and my first day on the unit.

"That's okay there's no problem you need sleep, I'll go," the nurse said, surprised by the woman's sheer rude bluntness. As she packed up all her medical equipment and leaflets, the nurse quickly reminded the new mother about

81 year old Hispanic male, from Lovington NM. Patient is unemployed, worked in the oil field for 30 plus years. Patient had to quit working due to a back injury that happened at work. He is married and lives with his wife and disabled daughter. Patient also has 3 other children but they don’t live with him. Wife is the primary care giver for the patient and disabled daughter. Patient’s primary language is Spanish.

It was a little scary how fast you adjusted to Ben being in the infirmary full time, and how comfortable you were there. You had come to find the usual bustle of the nurses and patients didn’t really bother you anymore. It was almost like adjusting to a new home, where each creak in the floorboards underfoot feels wrong and foreign, but after a few weeks you don’t even notice it anymore. Even Madam Kalonia began to warm up to you, and it sure was nice to see her harsh frown lines become soft.

The standards of practice describe a competent level of nursing care as exhibited by the critical thinking model known as the nursing process. This practice includes the areas of assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation. The nursing process includes significant actions taken by registered nurses (RN) and forms the foundation of the nurse’s decision-making (“American Nurses Association,” 2010).

-As an RN I used to believe that nursing is not only one of the earliest professions, but also the greatest. Nursing teaches you how to combine very distinguished triats. It makes you courageous, fearless, strong and independednt, but also kind, compassionate and thoughtful.

In this paper I would like to discuss important interactions I had with different nursing staffs and how these nurses showed esthetics knowing and personal knowing in the treatment of my grandmother and how these two patterns of knowing are intertwined. This hospital experience and the nursing I witnessed has definitely impacted me and has guided me to where I am today in the nursing program.

As a central feature of national research and development strategies, clinical effectiveness emphasizes the importance of rigorous experimental research in nursing (Gillibrand et al, 2002). Research in its broadest sense is an attempt to gain solutions to problems (Clark, 1987). More precisely, it is a collection of data in a rigorously controlled situation for the purpose of prediction or exploration. Nurses must be able to understand the accumulating quantities of research literature in order to apply the results to health promotion and care (Martin & Thompson, 2000).

My clinical rotation was at St. Francis Hospital on the orthopedic/medical-surgical floor, 5-1. I was assigned JB for a patient 10/7 and 10/8. He was one day post-op from an elective bilateral knee arthroplasty.