Christina Nagel
10 Kendall Street
Rochester, NH 03867
(603)781-8726
Objective:
Seeking a challenging position to enhance my nursing skills and broadening my knowledge base, while providing quality, nursing care.
Education:
University of New Hampshire- Nursing Major, cumulative GPA of 3.10, anticipated date of Graduation- May 2009
Clinical Experience:
1/07-5/07: Portsmouth Regional Hospital: Medical-Surgical Unit
8/07-12/07: Southern New Hampshire Medical Center: Medical-Surgical Unit
1/08-5/08: Lawrence General Hospital: Pediatrics, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center: Labor and Delivery
Skills and Certifications:
- Direct patient care
- Care in long term and acute settings
- Charting and documentation
- Catheter and IV care
- Extensive medical terminology
- Medication administration
- Patient education and discharge planning
- American Heart Association CPR
- LNA license in the state of New Hampshire (031798-24)
Relevant Experiences:
Nursing Care Technician- Frisbie Memorial Hospital, Rochester, NH: 7/08- Present
- Direct patient care
- Assistance with ADL’s
- Working collaboratively with all health care team members to provide quality patient care
- Documentation of I&O’s, weights, blood sugars and vital signs
- Performing 12 lead EKG’s
LNA- Sunbridge Care and Rehabilitation for Rochester, Rochester, NH: 2/07-7/08
- Performed direct patient care in a long term, Geriatric patient setting
- Bathing and personal care of residents
- Charting and documenting ADL’s and activities of residents
- Working collaboratively with all health care team members to provide quality patient care
References:
Catherine Britton: (603)332-9668
Sharon Lewis: (603)332-1310
Christy Plourde: (603)335-3955
Patricia Puccilli: (603)862-1265
Catherine Flores: (603)862-1959
Senja Olivio: (603)332-5211 ext. 8462
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Nursing 720: Objectives for Senior Practicum
Four objectives that I would like to achieve during my clinical experience include:
1. Enriching my own nursing judgment along with my critical thinking skills.
2. Maturing from the stages of being a student nurse to the stages of becoming a new RN.
3. Create a method in which I can draw connections between the patient’s current health status or issue, and all that could be incorporated around it.
4. Advancing my comprehension on the association, collaboration and effect that diseases and medications have in relation to each other.
1. Enriching my own nursing judgment along with my critical thinking skills.
2. Maturing from the stages of being a student nurse to the stages of becoming a new RN.
3. Create a method in which I can draw connections between the patient’s current health status or issue, and all that could be incorporated around it.
4. Advancing my comprehension on the association, collaboration and effect that diseases and medications have in relation to each other.
Nursing Philosophy
I view nursing as a combination of the many aspects of health care, all intertwined to form an honorable profession. Nursing is not just caring for a client who is ill, nursing is also about providing the support that clients and families may need during a health crisis. Nursing not only enables one to care for the client, but also to care for the client's family in any way possible. A nurse should provide both the family and patient with comfort and a sense of belonging and importance. A nurse would typically care for families by offering emotional support and being as informative to the family about the given situation, as possible. In addition, a nurse is one who provides a more holistic form of health care. I believe that nurses should strive to tend to the mind and spirit, rather than placing focus on the body alone. Not only is nursing considered a profession for an individual and his or her family, nursing encompasses providing care to both communities and groups alike. Nurses do not work only in hospital settings. Nurses may also work outside of hospital walls to promote health and well-being among community members and societies.
When I think of a nurse, I think of somebody who is kind, caring, responsible and knowledgable. Nurses recognize that people are individuals, but also treat them with respect, honor and equality. The nurse is someone whom advocates for the patient in an attempt to ensure that he or she receives the best care. It is a nurse's duty to never act in a way that could harm the client. Nurses should be there to provide the care and time necessary to maintain maximum health potential, while the other team members may not have the time to spare. It is up to a nurse to realize that the life of a client or clients is in his or her hands and they need to be committed to providing the best care they can because it is the description of their profession to do so. A nurse should always feel confident about the care being given and if at all in doubt, always ask questions and ask for help from colleagues.
While this profession gives the opportunity for autonomy, a nurse is always part of a larger team that works together to help clients obtain optimal health. A nurse should always provide clients with privacy, comfort, and confidentiality, none of which will ever be taken away to break the trust between clients and nurse. It is important for clients and nurses to form a meaningful relationship in which they can communicate effectively, trust each other, and help one another.
Nurses must always actively research. Research is an important part in providing the best care possible to clients and may also provide clients with alternatives, whether they be treatments, medications, diets or specialty doctors. It is through research that we as nurses can advance our profession. In addition to researching, nurses must also stay current with health care by taking educational courses that will not only refresh what has been learned in the past, but also teach new methods or necessary information to provide optimal care to clients.
I believe that health is a state of being where one’s mind, body, and spirit are all in harmony and is experiencing no pain or discomfort and this is what all clients should experience once they have received care. I also believe that a part of health is having a healthy environment. The environment that we live in greatly effects our health, and it is important to try our best to maintain a healthy environment that way people can also maintain a healthy life.
When I think of a nurse, I think of somebody who is kind, caring, responsible and knowledgable. Nurses recognize that people are individuals, but also treat them with respect, honor and equality. The nurse is someone whom advocates for the patient in an attempt to ensure that he or she receives the best care. It is a nurse's duty to never act in a way that could harm the client. Nurses should be there to provide the care and time necessary to maintain maximum health potential, while the other team members may not have the time to spare. It is up to a nurse to realize that the life of a client or clients is in his or her hands and they need to be committed to providing the best care they can because it is the description of their profession to do so. A nurse should always feel confident about the care being given and if at all in doubt, always ask questions and ask for help from colleagues.
While this profession gives the opportunity for autonomy, a nurse is always part of a larger team that works together to help clients obtain optimal health. A nurse should always provide clients with privacy, comfort, and confidentiality, none of which will ever be taken away to break the trust between clients and nurse. It is important for clients and nurses to form a meaningful relationship in which they can communicate effectively, trust each other, and help one another.
Nurses must always actively research. Research is an important part in providing the best care possible to clients and may also provide clients with alternatives, whether they be treatments, medications, diets or specialty doctors. It is through research that we as nurses can advance our profession. In addition to researching, nurses must also stay current with health care by taking educational courses that will not only refresh what has been learned in the past, but also teach new methods or necessary information to provide optimal care to clients.
I believe that health is a state of being where one’s mind, body, and spirit are all in harmony and is experiencing no pain or discomfort and this is what all clients should experience once they have received care. I also believe that a part of health is having a healthy environment. The environment that we live in greatly effects our health, and it is important to try our best to maintain a healthy environment that way people can also maintain a healthy life.
Career Goals
After I have finished my undergraduate schooling, I would like to attend graduate school to become a Nurse Practitioner. Once I have obtained my master's degree and have become a Nurse Practitioner, I hope to begin my career in a hospital setting. I believe that working within a hospital will give me the broadest amount of experience. Further into my years as a Nurse Practitioner, and when I have started my own family, I think that I would like to work in an office setting. If I am to start my career in the hospital and then move on to a doctor's office, I believe I will be much better off because I will be well prepared for the many things I could encounter. I also will have a much more extensive knowledge base than if I had gone straight into working in the office setting. Also, in working within an office, I will have a more consistent patient base. With this more consistent patient base, I will be able to form more thorough relationships with my patients and get to know them on a more personal level.
Perhaps even further into my career as a nurse, I will teach. The reason for this is that I feel it is important to share the wealth of information that I have gained through both my education and experience in the clinical setting. I hope to use my own knowledge and experience to influence future nurses.
Perhaps even further into my career as a nurse, I will teach. The reason for this is that I feel it is important to share the wealth of information that I have gained through both my education and experience in the clinical setting. I hope to use my own knowledge and experience to influence future nurses.
Nursing 695: Independent Nursing Research Study
Introduction:
It is widely known that pain is often under-treated and under-documented in the clinical setting. It has been shown numerous times how a lack of education can influence how a nurse treats pain. Although one area that is lacking research is how factors such as religion, age, past experience with pain, degrees and educational background, units worked on and years as a nurse influence how the nurse treats pain. In a study done by Ooi Seow Yin, it was found that there is a significant association between educational level and a level of helplessness. Those with a degree were less likely to feel helpless compared to those with a diploma or advanced diploma (Yin 2007). Within the research, many articles looked into the influence of the patient’s culture and the nurse’s culture on the perception and expression of pain. It is mostly the articles on the cultural environment of the unit, and the nurses’s culture, where the gap in knowledge occurs. To better enhance the understanding of how nurses treat pain, the goal of our study is to examine a nurse’s culture based on what is lacking in the research.
Objectives:
- To determine how cultural factors such as religion, age, past experience with pain, degrees and educational background, units worked on, and years as a nurse influence how a nurse treats pain.
- To understand how a nurse’s past experience with pain can influence how she treats a patient’s pain.
- To utilize our research to educate nurses on how cultural and personal issues may influence how they treat pain in order to enhance patient satisfaction with pain management.
Setting:
A seacoast area hospice service and a medical-surgical unit with a focus on the care of oncology and end-stage disease management.
Source of Subjects: 20 RNs by convenience sampling (10 Medical -Surgical nurses and 10 Hospice nurses)
Investigator Experience:
Julianne St. Onge and Christina Nagel, both senior nursing students with 2 years of experience in the clinical setting along with prior experience working in nursing homes. Dr. Flores is a UNH faculty member with experience in qualitative research and hospice care (see attached letter).
Protocols:
After obtaining informed consent, the investigators will conduct focused interviews with participating nurses who provide end-of-life and end-stage-disease management care in the hospice and acute care settings. All responses will be kept anonymous while all names and identifiers will be removed. All interviews will be conducted in a private area such as a conference room or break room with only the interviewer and informant present. Interviews will be audio taped to ensure the accuracy of data transcription and analysis. Study participants will sign a form consenting to the recording, transcription, analysis and reporting of the data he or she provides. Study participants may request to have access to the recordings of their individual interviews. Analyzed data will be presented in an aggregated form on tables and figures that eliminates all identifiers of individual participants. All tapes and transcripts will be stored in a locked filing cabinet in Hewitt Hall. Researchers will honor requests to edit a subject from a presentation.
Consent:
Consent will be obtained using the written full form which will state that the interviewees are agreeing to take part in an audio taped interview. Both interviewer and interviewees will receive signed copies of the consent form (see attached consent form).
Data:
All subject identifiers will be removed from the interview transcripts prior to analysis. Data will be analyzed through qualitative methods such as coding, theme identification, and describing the varieties of categories within each theme using data management software. Our findings will be used to describe social and cultural factors that may influence the nurse-management of pain in end-of-life and/or end-stage-disease care. Data will be aggregated and reported in charts, graphs and anecdotal paragraphs, quotes or stories. Data will be stored in a locked filing cabinet in Hewitt Hall. Only researchers will have the ability to access the audio tapes. At the end of the study, all audio tapes will be destroyed.
Risks:
There is minimal risk to the subjects involved in this study. Researchers are taking all possible measures to ensure confidentiality of subjects.
Benefits:
Benefits include raising the subject’s awareness of how cultural and personal issues influence the management of pain at the end of life.
References
Camp, L.D., O’Sullivan, P.S. (1987). Comparison of medical, surgical and oncology patients’ descriptions of pain and nurses’ documentation of pain assessments. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 12, 593-598. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from the MEDLINE (through EBSCOhost) database.
Dalton, J.A., Carlson, J., Mann, J.D., Blau, W., Bernard, S., Youngblood, R. (1998). An examination of nursing attitudes and pain management practices. Cancer Practice, 6, 115-124. Retrieved June 25, 2008, from the CINAHL database.
Fothergill-Bourbonnais, F., Wilson-Barnett, J. (1992). A comparitive study of intensive therapy unit and hospice nurses’ knowledge of pain management. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 17, 362-372. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from the CINAHL database.
Wilson, B., McSherry, W. (2006). A study of nurses’ inferences of patients’ physical pain. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 15, 459-468. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from the MEDLINE (through EBSCOhost) database.
Wilson, B. (2007). Nurses’ knowledge of pain. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 16, 1012-1020. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from the MEDLINE (through EBSCOhost) database.
Yin, O.S., Xia, Z., Chia, D.T.C. (2007). Nurses’ perceptions towards caring for dying patients in oncology ward and general surgical ward. Singapore Nursing Journal, 34, 16-21. Retrieved on June 25, 2008, from the CINAHL database.
Young, J.L., Horton, F.M., Davidhizar, R. (2006). Nursing attitudes and beliefs in pain assessment and management. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53, 412-421. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from the CINAHL database.
It is widely known that pain is often under-treated and under-documented in the clinical setting. It has been shown numerous times how a lack of education can influence how a nurse treats pain. Although one area that is lacking research is how factors such as religion, age, past experience with pain, degrees and educational background, units worked on and years as a nurse influence how the nurse treats pain. In a study done by Ooi Seow Yin, it was found that there is a significant association between educational level and a level of helplessness. Those with a degree were less likely to feel helpless compared to those with a diploma or advanced diploma (Yin 2007). Within the research, many articles looked into the influence of the patient’s culture and the nurse’s culture on the perception and expression of pain. It is mostly the articles on the cultural environment of the unit, and the nurses’s culture, where the gap in knowledge occurs. To better enhance the understanding of how nurses treat pain, the goal of our study is to examine a nurse’s culture based on what is lacking in the research.
Objectives:
- To determine how cultural factors such as religion, age, past experience with pain, degrees and educational background, units worked on, and years as a nurse influence how a nurse treats pain.
- To understand how a nurse’s past experience with pain can influence how she treats a patient’s pain.
- To utilize our research to educate nurses on how cultural and personal issues may influence how they treat pain in order to enhance patient satisfaction with pain management.
Setting:
A seacoast area hospice service and a medical-surgical unit with a focus on the care of oncology and end-stage disease management.
Source of Subjects: 20 RNs by convenience sampling (10 Medical -Surgical nurses and 10 Hospice nurses)
Investigator Experience:
Julianne St. Onge and Christina Nagel, both senior nursing students with 2 years of experience in the clinical setting along with prior experience working in nursing homes. Dr. Flores is a UNH faculty member with experience in qualitative research and hospice care (see attached letter).
Protocols:
After obtaining informed consent, the investigators will conduct focused interviews with participating nurses who provide end-of-life and end-stage-disease management care in the hospice and acute care settings. All responses will be kept anonymous while all names and identifiers will be removed. All interviews will be conducted in a private area such as a conference room or break room with only the interviewer and informant present. Interviews will be audio taped to ensure the accuracy of data transcription and analysis. Study participants will sign a form consenting to the recording, transcription, analysis and reporting of the data he or she provides. Study participants may request to have access to the recordings of their individual interviews. Analyzed data will be presented in an aggregated form on tables and figures that eliminates all identifiers of individual participants. All tapes and transcripts will be stored in a locked filing cabinet in Hewitt Hall. Researchers will honor requests to edit a subject from a presentation.
Consent:
Consent will be obtained using the written full form which will state that the interviewees are agreeing to take part in an audio taped interview. Both interviewer and interviewees will receive signed copies of the consent form (see attached consent form).
Data:
All subject identifiers will be removed from the interview transcripts prior to analysis. Data will be analyzed through qualitative methods such as coding, theme identification, and describing the varieties of categories within each theme using data management software. Our findings will be used to describe social and cultural factors that may influence the nurse-management of pain in end-of-life and/or end-stage-disease care. Data will be aggregated and reported in charts, graphs and anecdotal paragraphs, quotes or stories. Data will be stored in a locked filing cabinet in Hewitt Hall. Only researchers will have the ability to access the audio tapes. At the end of the study, all audio tapes will be destroyed.
Risks:
There is minimal risk to the subjects involved in this study. Researchers are taking all possible measures to ensure confidentiality of subjects.
Benefits:
Benefits include raising the subject’s awareness of how cultural and personal issues influence the management of pain at the end of life.
References
Camp, L.D., O’Sullivan, P.S. (1987). Comparison of medical, surgical and oncology patients’ descriptions of pain and nurses’ documentation of pain assessments. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 12, 593-598. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from the MEDLINE (through EBSCOhost) database.
Dalton, J.A., Carlson, J., Mann, J.D., Blau, W., Bernard, S., Youngblood, R. (1998). An examination of nursing attitudes and pain management practices. Cancer Practice, 6, 115-124. Retrieved June 25, 2008, from the CINAHL database.
Fothergill-Bourbonnais, F., Wilson-Barnett, J. (1992). A comparitive study of intensive therapy unit and hospice nurses’ knowledge of pain management. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 17, 362-372. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from the CINAHL database.
Wilson, B., McSherry, W. (2006). A study of nurses’ inferences of patients’ physical pain. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 15, 459-468. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from the MEDLINE (through EBSCOhost) database.
Wilson, B. (2007). Nurses’ knowledge of pain. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 16, 1012-1020. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from the MEDLINE (through EBSCOhost) database.
Yin, O.S., Xia, Z., Chia, D.T.C. (2007). Nurses’ perceptions towards caring for dying patients in oncology ward and general surgical ward. Singapore Nursing Journal, 34, 16-21. Retrieved on June 25, 2008, from the CINAHL database.
Young, J.L., Horton, F.M., Davidhizar, R. (2006). Nursing attitudes and beliefs in pain assessment and management. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53, 412-421. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from the CINAHL database.
Nursing 622: Evidence Based Practice Paper
M.B. is an 11 year old girl who has come to the doctor’s office with her mother complaining of a sore throat, difficulty swallowing, and a fever. M.B.’s mother states that although M.B. has been complaining of difficulty swallowing, she has been trying to keep the child hydrated. This is the fourth time this year, that M.B. has made a visit to the doctor’s office for this complaint, but she has no medical history otherwise. Upon assessment, the nurse finds that M.B. has a temperature of 99.8 degrees Fahrenheit, and her throat appears red and inflamed. M.B.’s primary physician did a throat culture and a rapid strep screening to determine the source of infection and to choose the most beneficial treatment. The rapid strep screening showed that there was in fact a strep infection present. The doctor then scheduled M.B. for a tonsillectomy a week from the day she was seen. M.B. appears to be nervous about the sound of needing surgery, and looks unsure of what the procedure will involve. M.B.’s mother also appears somewhat anxious and worried. When confronted about her worried look, M.B.’s mother explained that when she was younger, she too had her tonsils removed, but she had a very bad experience both before and after the surgery.
The setting for nursing care in this case is within a doctor’s office. The nurse will play the role of both an educator and a form of support for both M.B. and her mother. While in the doctor’s office, the nurse can provide her patient and the patient’s mother with information that will hopefully decrease any anxiety and lessen the fear that may arise with experiencing a surgical procedure.
Some nursing diagnoses that can be developed by M.B.’s diagnosis of tonsilitis are: risk for deficient fluid volume related to decreased intake due to throat pain during swallowing, acute pain related to surgical excision of tonsils, and risk for injury: bleeding related to surgical incision into a highly vascular site (Potts 712). Other nursing diagnoses that can be developed from the case of M.B. based on her need for a tonsillectomy include: mild anxiety related to the need for a surgical procedure, deficient knowledge related to the routines involved in surgery, and fear related to unfamiliarity with surgery.
Based on the location and role of the nurse at the current time, the primary nursing diagnosis would be, deficient knowledge related to the surgical procedure and the routines involved. The secondary nursing diagnosis would be, mild anxiety related to the need for a surgical procedure, and third would be fear related to unfamiliarity with surgery. I would place the nursing diagnosis, risk for deficient fluid volume related to decreased intake due to throat pain during swallowing, as fourth. Although it is an issue, the mother is currently addressing the issue by keeping M.B. hydrated by enforcing her to drink plenty of fluids. The other diagnoses, acute pain related to surgical excision of tonsils, and risk for injury: bleeding related to surgical incision into a highly vascular site, are diagnoses that the PACU nurse would tend to. These nursing diagnoses are ones that cannot be dealt with in the doctor’s office, because they only become an issue once surgery has been completed.
The top three nursing diagnoses were placed as they were to give some logic to the order in which they are addressed, and how the nurse will intervene. Deficient knowledge was placed as the primary nursing diagnosis because if information is given regarding the surgical procedure and all the routines involved, then perhaps the second and third diagnoses of anxiety and fear can be lessened. If a patient has a more clear understanding on the surgery and what to expect, then it is very likely that the patient will experience less anxiety and fear towards the surgical procedure.
The one single nursing issue that will be addressed is, how to tend to a patient’s deficient knowledge regarding a surgical procedure, in order to decrease that patient’s levels of anxiety and fear. It is through this issue, that literature will be reviewed to find the best possible ways to educate adolescents on surgical procedures in hopes of decreasing anxiety and fear. The aim of the nurse is to provide enough appropriate and useful information or sources, to make the child feel more comfortable with the procedure, and at the same time, ensure that parent’s become more at ease with the procedure also.
There are many forms of information that could be found to address a patient’s knowledge deficit in order to lessen anxiety and fear. Some information that may be useful includes: how to provide education to an adolescent, a clear understanding of which developmental stage the child is at, ways in which to lessen a child’s anxiety and fear, what methods of education are most effective in teaching young adolescents, and the best method for communicating with an adolescent. Also, a nurse may want to consider what information should and should not be told to a child of a specific age group. Depending on which developmental stage the child is in, it may be appropriate to leave out certain details of a surgical procedure. The nurse will also want to find an evaluation method to determine the effectiveness of his or her interventions.
In an attempt to find information and articles regarding the issue at hand, I chose to use the MEDLINE data base through EBSCOhost and the Academic Search Premier. I am most familiar with these data bases and find them both to be very resourceful. Some key words that I used to search for my information were: tonsillectomy, child, surgery, comfort, pediatric, preparation, education and anxiety and fear. Through using these terms, I was able to come across many useful articles that addressed the exact issue that I was aiming to treat. In looking through the many articles, I chose the ones in which I was supplied with different forms of providing information to enhance comfort in young children who are about to undergo a surgical procedure. I also chose to review articles in which actual interventions were implemented to decrease pre-operative anxiety, rather than articles that reviewed other research literature. I chose to do this because I found it to be more useful in approaching my issue. In reading such articles, I am more able to conclude which forms and methods would be best in educating my patient while aiming to reduce anxiety levels of both the patient and her mother.
In an article done by Susan O’Conner-Von, titled, Preparation of adolescents for outpatient surgery: Using an internet program, researchers found that with the use of an internet program, compared to a standard hospital preparation program, levels of anxiety for both children and parents were much lower. The study compared the effectiveness of both types of preoperative, educational interventions. In looking at the end results for these interventions, researchers examined a child’s anxiety level, knowledge acquirement, pain intensity, and satisfaction with the provided method of preoperative preparation (O’Conner-Von 2008).
The internet program which offered much more satisfaction, was titled, Tonsils! who needs ‘em? Through this program, children were prepared for an upcoming tonsillectomy. Adolescents were educated on the surgical procedure in a conversational format, where another adolescent was teaching the program. The program was developmentally appropriate and provided children with both procedural and sensory information with descriptions of the normal routines that occur during surgery. Photographs were presented, as well as explanations for medical equipment and the duties of personnel present in the operating room. Once the program ended, children were given the ability to print forms on the information they learned, and in addition, advice for home care after surgery. These forms could be overlooked by the children, and given to their parents. This additional information would provide parents with crucial education on diet, pain assessment and management post-operatively, along with referral phone numbers and other useful resources (O’Conner-Von 2008).
In this study, researchers found that a standard hospital preparation program also had positive outcomes for children and parents. Although outcomes were positive, they were not quite as high as those found with the use of the internet program. A typical hospital preparation program is held once a week, in the evening and focuses on many of the same things as in the internet program. Perhaps it is through this sort of presentation that patients and parents are less satisfied because there is a greater need for more interactive type educational programs rather than lectures (O’Conner-Von 2008).
Information is presented to adolescents and their parents in a developmentally appropriate manner. Both sensory and procedural information is given, along with the routines carried about during the surgery. Photos were shown of the medical equipment used, explanations were given as to how equipment worked and what it did, as was an explanation on the duty of operating room personnel. A tour of the operating room and surgical floor was offered to patient’s and their parents in hopes of making them more familiar with the environment. Other information is also shared with parents about home care after the procedure (O’Conner-Von 2008).
Overall, it was found that any sort of preoperative education program is beneficial to both adolescent patients and their parents. Such pre-operative preparations benefit children by preventing and reducing any negative responses to surgery. It was determined that in addressing an adolescents needs pre-operatively, health care workers need to also pay particular attention to the child’s coping styles, cognitive and developmental level, and past experience with health care. As health care workers, we need to be sensitive towards the needs of an adolescent because, "with their developmental awareness, ability to process information, focus on body image, and desire for privacy and self-control, adolescent patients have unique pre-surgical preparation needs" (O’Conner-Von 2008).
In a study titled, Pre-operative intervention for the reduction of anxiety in pediatric surgery patients, researchers worked with three groups of children to determine which interventions would produce the lowest level of anxiety in children. Within two groups, children were shown either a slide show presentation or given the opportunity to role play. In the third group, children were able to experience both a slide show presentation and participate in role play (Demarest 1984).
Researchers found that the use of role play and child involvement decreased a child’s anxiety much less that children who had been given a presentation. In role play, the children were allowed to dress up in clothing appropriate for the surgery and given the opportunity to play with items such as blood pressure cuffs and stethoscopes, along with riding on a bed to the surgical floor, and wearing a mask. The children who were given a presentation in regards to surgery had no hands on experience. Overall, researchers found that children who were given the presentation and the ability to participate in role playing, had much less anxiety than those who received only the presentation, but showed similar levels of anxiety compared to the group who participated in role play only (Demarest 1984).
In another article called, Paediatric pre-operative teaching: Effects at induction and post-operatively, researchers looked at two groups of children. In one group, children were given pre-operative teaching, while the second group received an interactive teaching book. The pre-operative teaching that was provided to children and their families consisted of tours of the operating room, puppet shows, books and video tapes. While the interactive book showed some of the same things demonstrated in the pre-operative teaching, it also included images of the scrubs worn, a mask that could be removed to expose the doctor’s face, the scents used in the mask for anesthesia induction, and many other interactive methods of teaching children about their upcoming surgery. Parents too were given a book and instructed to take the book home, read it themselves, and with their children in the days prior to surgery (Margolis 1998).
Upon assessment, researchers found that children who were given the interactive teaching book had higher levels of anxiety than those who were provided with pre-operative teaching. Parents of children who received pre-operative teaching said that it had helped both themselves and their children to understand what would be occurring before, during and after the surgery. While children who received pre-operative teaching were less anxious before surgery, they tended to have an elevated stress response to the operation (Margolis 1998).
In the study done my Margolis (1998), validity of the study is at a fair level, while the study done my Demarest (1984) is poor and the study by O’Conner-Von (2008) is good. They were rated in such a way due to the date in which the study was done. With the older studies, it is much more difficult to determine if the information was valid because the interventions and surgical procedure were done so long ago. Within all three of these studies, there were similar benefits and harms. The benefits were that new ways of intervening to decrease anxiety pre-operatively were found along with the ability to lessen a child’s fear of surgery. The only harm found in all of these studies was that some children were not being benefitted by the interventions provided. Instead, these children still experienced high levels of anxiety pre-operatively and did not benefit from the studies at all. Although some of these articles may be fairly old, all three are applicable in this clinical situation. Many methods of decreasing pre-operative anxiety were provided which allows for healthcare workers to see that there are many options aside from either a pamphlet or a discussion.
In conclusion, it appears as though the nurse has many options in providing education to both M.B. and her mother to decrease their levels of anxiety regarding surgery. Through evaluation of each article, it appears as though both verbal and written information are necessary in reducing anxiety, along with interactive methods of delivering education. It appears as though, for the most part, written and verbal information is more effective for parents rather than the children. From this conclusion, it is determined that pamphlets, along with verbal instructions will be given to M.B. and her mother while M.B. will be able to take a tour of the operating room, along with the PACU, and watch a video.
The methods of preparation being given to M.B. are more hands on and allow for her to be more involved with her surgery. It is in preparing M.B. for surgery in these ways that the nurse can hope to lessen her level of anxiety and fear which will in turn also ease her mother’s anxiety. The nurse should take time to give explanations and allow time for M.B. and her mother to ask questions.
The nurse should begin by providing M.B. with the options available. Perhaps what the nurse thinks will be the most beneficial method in educating M.B., is not the best way in which M.B. retains or understands information. Aside from the nurse his or herself, the patient, patient’s parents, doctor and all other health care providers involved in the case, should take part in the attempts to decrease M.B.’s pre-operative anxiety. With interventions being implemented by the entire healthcare team, it is more likely that M.B.’s level of anxiety will be greatly reduced due to the understanding of her case by the whole team.
In evaluating the effectiveness of the interventions provided to M.B., the nurse will begin by assessing M.B. and her mother’s levels of anxiety on the day when teaching first begins. The nurse should continue to monitor M.B. up until the day of her surgery to ensure that she is making use of the resources on hand and to also assess M.B. and her mother’s levels of anxiety. Perhaps the nurse could question M.B. on some of the information provided to ensure that she is in fact becoming more knowledgeable on the subject. On the day of surgery, anxiety levels should be assessed for a final time. The nurse should expect to see a reduction in the level of anxiety and fear for both M.B. and her mother, and an increase in knowledge of the surgery.
As a nurse, it is one’s job to also be an educator. In educating patients, one is able to provide information that can be useful in making the patient aware of his or her own health and health care, while giving the patient an insight as to what exactly is going on around him or her. Especially in working with children, the nurse plays a crucial role in providing sufficient amounts of appropriate, useful information or resources, that will make the child feel more at ease before and during a procedure. At the same time, the nurse wants to ensure that a patient’s parents are also comfortable with the procedure because this in turn will enhance a child’s comfort level. No matter what role or setting the nurse is in, education plays a huge part in being a nurse. Nurses must always be knowledgeable of ways to educate patients and which methods are most useful, to ensure that the best possible interventions are being implemented to treat a diagnosis of knowledge deficit.
Resources
Demarest, D., Hooke, J., Erikson, M. (1984). Preoperative intervention for the reduction of anxiety in pediatric surgery patients. Children’s Health Care, 12, 179-183. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from the Academic Search Premier.
Margolis, J., Ginsberg, B., Dear, G., Ross, A., Goral, J., Bailey, A. (1998). Paediatric preoperative teaching: Effects at induction and postoperatively. Paediatric Anaesthesia, 8, 17-23. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from the Academic Search Premier.
O’Conner-Von, Susan. (2008). Preparation of adolescents for outpatient surgery: Using an internet program. AORN Journal, 87, 374-398. Retrieved March 19, 2008, from the MEDLINE (through EBSCOhost) database.
Potts, N., Mandleco, B. (2007). Pediatric nursing: Caring for children and their families. United States: Thomson Delmar Learning.
The setting for nursing care in this case is within a doctor’s office. The nurse will play the role of both an educator and a form of support for both M.B. and her mother. While in the doctor’s office, the nurse can provide her patient and the patient’s mother with information that will hopefully decrease any anxiety and lessen the fear that may arise with experiencing a surgical procedure.
Some nursing diagnoses that can be developed by M.B.’s diagnosis of tonsilitis are: risk for deficient fluid volume related to decreased intake due to throat pain during swallowing, acute pain related to surgical excision of tonsils, and risk for injury: bleeding related to surgical incision into a highly vascular site (Potts 712). Other nursing diagnoses that can be developed from the case of M.B. based on her need for a tonsillectomy include: mild anxiety related to the need for a surgical procedure, deficient knowledge related to the routines involved in surgery, and fear related to unfamiliarity with surgery.
Based on the location and role of the nurse at the current time, the primary nursing diagnosis would be, deficient knowledge related to the surgical procedure and the routines involved. The secondary nursing diagnosis would be, mild anxiety related to the need for a surgical procedure, and third would be fear related to unfamiliarity with surgery. I would place the nursing diagnosis, risk for deficient fluid volume related to decreased intake due to throat pain during swallowing, as fourth. Although it is an issue, the mother is currently addressing the issue by keeping M.B. hydrated by enforcing her to drink plenty of fluids. The other diagnoses, acute pain related to surgical excision of tonsils, and risk for injury: bleeding related to surgical incision into a highly vascular site, are diagnoses that the PACU nurse would tend to. These nursing diagnoses are ones that cannot be dealt with in the doctor’s office, because they only become an issue once surgery has been completed.
The top three nursing diagnoses were placed as they were to give some logic to the order in which they are addressed, and how the nurse will intervene. Deficient knowledge was placed as the primary nursing diagnosis because if information is given regarding the surgical procedure and all the routines involved, then perhaps the second and third diagnoses of anxiety and fear can be lessened. If a patient has a more clear understanding on the surgery and what to expect, then it is very likely that the patient will experience less anxiety and fear towards the surgical procedure.
The one single nursing issue that will be addressed is, how to tend to a patient’s deficient knowledge regarding a surgical procedure, in order to decrease that patient’s levels of anxiety and fear. It is through this issue, that literature will be reviewed to find the best possible ways to educate adolescents on surgical procedures in hopes of decreasing anxiety and fear. The aim of the nurse is to provide enough appropriate and useful information or sources, to make the child feel more comfortable with the procedure, and at the same time, ensure that parent’s become more at ease with the procedure also.
There are many forms of information that could be found to address a patient’s knowledge deficit in order to lessen anxiety and fear. Some information that may be useful includes: how to provide education to an adolescent, a clear understanding of which developmental stage the child is at, ways in which to lessen a child’s anxiety and fear, what methods of education are most effective in teaching young adolescents, and the best method for communicating with an adolescent. Also, a nurse may want to consider what information should and should not be told to a child of a specific age group. Depending on which developmental stage the child is in, it may be appropriate to leave out certain details of a surgical procedure. The nurse will also want to find an evaluation method to determine the effectiveness of his or her interventions.
In an attempt to find information and articles regarding the issue at hand, I chose to use the MEDLINE data base through EBSCOhost and the Academic Search Premier. I am most familiar with these data bases and find them both to be very resourceful. Some key words that I used to search for my information were: tonsillectomy, child, surgery, comfort, pediatric, preparation, education and anxiety and fear. Through using these terms, I was able to come across many useful articles that addressed the exact issue that I was aiming to treat. In looking through the many articles, I chose the ones in which I was supplied with different forms of providing information to enhance comfort in young children who are about to undergo a surgical procedure. I also chose to review articles in which actual interventions were implemented to decrease pre-operative anxiety, rather than articles that reviewed other research literature. I chose to do this because I found it to be more useful in approaching my issue. In reading such articles, I am more able to conclude which forms and methods would be best in educating my patient while aiming to reduce anxiety levels of both the patient and her mother.
In an article done by Susan O’Conner-Von, titled, Preparation of adolescents for outpatient surgery: Using an internet program, researchers found that with the use of an internet program, compared to a standard hospital preparation program, levels of anxiety for both children and parents were much lower. The study compared the effectiveness of both types of preoperative, educational interventions. In looking at the end results for these interventions, researchers examined a child’s anxiety level, knowledge acquirement, pain intensity, and satisfaction with the provided method of preoperative preparation (O’Conner-Von 2008).
The internet program which offered much more satisfaction, was titled, Tonsils! who needs ‘em? Through this program, children were prepared for an upcoming tonsillectomy. Adolescents were educated on the surgical procedure in a conversational format, where another adolescent was teaching the program. The program was developmentally appropriate and provided children with both procedural and sensory information with descriptions of the normal routines that occur during surgery. Photographs were presented, as well as explanations for medical equipment and the duties of personnel present in the operating room. Once the program ended, children were given the ability to print forms on the information they learned, and in addition, advice for home care after surgery. These forms could be overlooked by the children, and given to their parents. This additional information would provide parents with crucial education on diet, pain assessment and management post-operatively, along with referral phone numbers and other useful resources (O’Conner-Von 2008).
In this study, researchers found that a standard hospital preparation program also had positive outcomes for children and parents. Although outcomes were positive, they were not quite as high as those found with the use of the internet program. A typical hospital preparation program is held once a week, in the evening and focuses on many of the same things as in the internet program. Perhaps it is through this sort of presentation that patients and parents are less satisfied because there is a greater need for more interactive type educational programs rather than lectures (O’Conner-Von 2008).
Information is presented to adolescents and their parents in a developmentally appropriate manner. Both sensory and procedural information is given, along with the routines carried about during the surgery. Photos were shown of the medical equipment used, explanations were given as to how equipment worked and what it did, as was an explanation on the duty of operating room personnel. A tour of the operating room and surgical floor was offered to patient’s and their parents in hopes of making them more familiar with the environment. Other information is also shared with parents about home care after the procedure (O’Conner-Von 2008).
Overall, it was found that any sort of preoperative education program is beneficial to both adolescent patients and their parents. Such pre-operative preparations benefit children by preventing and reducing any negative responses to surgery. It was determined that in addressing an adolescents needs pre-operatively, health care workers need to also pay particular attention to the child’s coping styles, cognitive and developmental level, and past experience with health care. As health care workers, we need to be sensitive towards the needs of an adolescent because, "with their developmental awareness, ability to process information, focus on body image, and desire for privacy and self-control, adolescent patients have unique pre-surgical preparation needs" (O’Conner-Von 2008).
In a study titled, Pre-operative intervention for the reduction of anxiety in pediatric surgery patients, researchers worked with three groups of children to determine which interventions would produce the lowest level of anxiety in children. Within two groups, children were shown either a slide show presentation or given the opportunity to role play. In the third group, children were able to experience both a slide show presentation and participate in role play (Demarest 1984).
Researchers found that the use of role play and child involvement decreased a child’s anxiety much less that children who had been given a presentation. In role play, the children were allowed to dress up in clothing appropriate for the surgery and given the opportunity to play with items such as blood pressure cuffs and stethoscopes, along with riding on a bed to the surgical floor, and wearing a mask. The children who were given a presentation in regards to surgery had no hands on experience. Overall, researchers found that children who were given the presentation and the ability to participate in role playing, had much less anxiety than those who received only the presentation, but showed similar levels of anxiety compared to the group who participated in role play only (Demarest 1984).
In another article called, Paediatric pre-operative teaching: Effects at induction and post-operatively, researchers looked at two groups of children. In one group, children were given pre-operative teaching, while the second group received an interactive teaching book. The pre-operative teaching that was provided to children and their families consisted of tours of the operating room, puppet shows, books and video tapes. While the interactive book showed some of the same things demonstrated in the pre-operative teaching, it also included images of the scrubs worn, a mask that could be removed to expose the doctor’s face, the scents used in the mask for anesthesia induction, and many other interactive methods of teaching children about their upcoming surgery. Parents too were given a book and instructed to take the book home, read it themselves, and with their children in the days prior to surgery (Margolis 1998).
Upon assessment, researchers found that children who were given the interactive teaching book had higher levels of anxiety than those who were provided with pre-operative teaching. Parents of children who received pre-operative teaching said that it had helped both themselves and their children to understand what would be occurring before, during and after the surgery. While children who received pre-operative teaching were less anxious before surgery, they tended to have an elevated stress response to the operation (Margolis 1998).
In the study done my Margolis (1998), validity of the study is at a fair level, while the study done my Demarest (1984) is poor and the study by O’Conner-Von (2008) is good. They were rated in such a way due to the date in which the study was done. With the older studies, it is much more difficult to determine if the information was valid because the interventions and surgical procedure were done so long ago. Within all three of these studies, there were similar benefits and harms. The benefits were that new ways of intervening to decrease anxiety pre-operatively were found along with the ability to lessen a child’s fear of surgery. The only harm found in all of these studies was that some children were not being benefitted by the interventions provided. Instead, these children still experienced high levels of anxiety pre-operatively and did not benefit from the studies at all. Although some of these articles may be fairly old, all three are applicable in this clinical situation. Many methods of decreasing pre-operative anxiety were provided which allows for healthcare workers to see that there are many options aside from either a pamphlet or a discussion.
In conclusion, it appears as though the nurse has many options in providing education to both M.B. and her mother to decrease their levels of anxiety regarding surgery. Through evaluation of each article, it appears as though both verbal and written information are necessary in reducing anxiety, along with interactive methods of delivering education. It appears as though, for the most part, written and verbal information is more effective for parents rather than the children. From this conclusion, it is determined that pamphlets, along with verbal instructions will be given to M.B. and her mother while M.B. will be able to take a tour of the operating room, along with the PACU, and watch a video.
The methods of preparation being given to M.B. are more hands on and allow for her to be more involved with her surgery. It is in preparing M.B. for surgery in these ways that the nurse can hope to lessen her level of anxiety and fear which will in turn also ease her mother’s anxiety. The nurse should take time to give explanations and allow time for M.B. and her mother to ask questions.
The nurse should begin by providing M.B. with the options available. Perhaps what the nurse thinks will be the most beneficial method in educating M.B., is not the best way in which M.B. retains or understands information. Aside from the nurse his or herself, the patient, patient’s parents, doctor and all other health care providers involved in the case, should take part in the attempts to decrease M.B.’s pre-operative anxiety. With interventions being implemented by the entire healthcare team, it is more likely that M.B.’s level of anxiety will be greatly reduced due to the understanding of her case by the whole team.
In evaluating the effectiveness of the interventions provided to M.B., the nurse will begin by assessing M.B. and her mother’s levels of anxiety on the day when teaching first begins. The nurse should continue to monitor M.B. up until the day of her surgery to ensure that she is making use of the resources on hand and to also assess M.B. and her mother’s levels of anxiety. Perhaps the nurse could question M.B. on some of the information provided to ensure that she is in fact becoming more knowledgeable on the subject. On the day of surgery, anxiety levels should be assessed for a final time. The nurse should expect to see a reduction in the level of anxiety and fear for both M.B. and her mother, and an increase in knowledge of the surgery.
As a nurse, it is one’s job to also be an educator. In educating patients, one is able to provide information that can be useful in making the patient aware of his or her own health and health care, while giving the patient an insight as to what exactly is going on around him or her. Especially in working with children, the nurse plays a crucial role in providing sufficient amounts of appropriate, useful information or resources, that will make the child feel more at ease before and during a procedure. At the same time, the nurse wants to ensure that a patient’s parents are also comfortable with the procedure because this in turn will enhance a child’s comfort level. No matter what role or setting the nurse is in, education plays a huge part in being a nurse. Nurses must always be knowledgeable of ways to educate patients and which methods are most useful, to ensure that the best possible interventions are being implemented to treat a diagnosis of knowledge deficit.
Resources
Demarest, D., Hooke, J., Erikson, M. (1984). Preoperative intervention for the reduction of anxiety in pediatric surgery patients. Children’s Health Care, 12, 179-183. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from the Academic Search Premier.
Margolis, J., Ginsberg, B., Dear, G., Ross, A., Goral, J., Bailey, A. (1998). Paediatric preoperative teaching: Effects at induction and postoperatively. Paediatric Anaesthesia, 8, 17-23. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from the Academic Search Premier.
O’Conner-Von, Susan. (2008). Preparation of adolescents for outpatient surgery: Using an internet program. AORN Journal, 87, 374-398. Retrieved March 19, 2008, from the MEDLINE (through EBSCOhost) database.
Potts, N., Mandleco, B. (2007). Pediatric nursing: Caring for children and their families. United States: Thomson Delmar Learning.
Nursing 501: Journal Learning
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF NURSING
Everything from taking a patient’s history to administering medications could be considered an art of nursing, but I see the art of nursing as more of the role that nurses play. Nurses are in the hospital for a majority of procedures and visits that patients may go through which gives nurses the opportunity to learn more about a patient and who they are. Nurses are compassionate and caring people who put all of their heart and soul into their work because they are not there for themselves, but for the patients. I see a nurse as one of the only people in the health care field who can touch a patient’s life. A nurse could easily do so by being there for patients in their time of need and making a difference by showing that they truly do care.
I see the art of nursing as something that is brought into the field by the nurse him or herself. It is not something that could be taught to one in a classroom to prepare for the hospital setting, but it is something that builds their personality and comes naturally; the want to care for somebody who is in need, show compassion, and touch someone’s life in a way that they will remember forever. On the other hand, I believe that the science of nursing is more of the use of technology. The science of nursing is the things that can be learned in the classroom and over time with experience. Not all people can learn to become a caring and compassionate person, but anyone could learn how to take a temperature or check a patient’s pulse.
The two shows that I chose to view were Pearl Harbor and Scrubs. Pearl Harbor was about the attack the Japanese made on the Americans at Pearl Harbor. Within the story of the beginning of World War two, is a love story between a dedicated nurse (Kate Beckinsale) and lieutenant (Ben Affleck) who is sent to England for war. This dedicated nurse and her colleagues are in Pearl Harbor when the attack occurs and are forced to work under intense pressure to save lives. Scrubs on the other hand was more of a comedy about the life of nurses working in the hospital. The episode I watched was called "My Overkill" from season two, and was about nurses working in the hospital who had a hard time dealing with the head doctor who often times was rude and a hard person to cooperate with. The nurses in this show find issues from their personal lives affecting their work life, such as sleeping with the head doctor’s ex-wife, and the head doctor liking one of the nurses.
In Pearl Harbor, I saw many examples of how the nurses showed the art of nursing. Mostly, I believe that the art of nursing was shown when the nurse (Kate Beckinsale) needed to stand outside the hospital and mark the forehead of patients, deciding whether or not they needed morphine, were in fatal condition, or if they needed critical care. In some ways it was up to her who was to live and who was to die. It takes a strong person to hold that type of position and although the nursing profession does call for caring and compassion, it also calls for composure and being able to think under the most intense pressure. Not just anyone can remain calm under stress and have a clear mind about what to do in certain situations.
I found no examples of art in the show Scrubs because it is more of a comedy. In the episode that I watched, the nurses barely even paid attention to the patients. Rather than making a diagnosis like they should have been doing, they were involved in their own worries. The nurses turned their workplace into more of a social, filled with gossip and rumors about either their co-workers or their own lives. The nurses and the doctors in Scrubs were very unprofessional about their jobs and did not seem to care about what did or did not get done. It definitely made the work atmosphere appear to be more stressful. Both of the shows that I chose to watch are completely opposite. While Pearl Harbor shows us exactly what it means to be a nurse, Scrubs shows us that there is no work involved and it’s all play.
I feel that science was demonstrated in both Scrubs and Pearl Harbor. In Scrubs, nurses were asked to make a diagnosis about a patient. The patient had already gone through several tests which all turned up negative, and it was the nurse’s job to find out exactly what was wrong with the patient. In Pearl Harbor, it was the nurse’s job to do such things as give Morphine, give eye exams, take blood, and give shots and stitches. Both shows showed the technicality of being a nurse and the physical labor involved. Scrubs showed a more in depth perception of the science of art while Pearl Harbor showed the typical things done by a nurse in the health care profession.
Pearl Harbor reinforced my visions of what it is like to be a nurse. The nurses helped to keep the doctors in check and help them out whenever needed. I feel that this is a nurse’s main job. In one scene, the doctor seemed unsure of himself and what was going on around him until the nurse helped him back to reality and pointed out that there was an emergency that needed to be tended to. While there may be doctors around to help in certain situations, it is always the nurses job to provide the best care possible, no matter what the case. Pearl Harbor definitely made it clear that the job of a nurse can be a hectic and overwhelming, but at the same time can have benefits. The nurse (Kate Beckinsale) actually saved the life of a lieutenant by applying pressure to his carotid artery which had been bleeding very heavily at the time. Due to the nurse’s actions of deciding to care for him rather than saying there was nothing they could do, the lieutenant was able to live another day and showed great thanks for it.
Scrubs did not match my perspective of what nursing is like at all. What I gathered from Scrubs was that more gossip is done in the hospital than actual work and caring for patients, which I know to be absolutely false. When working in a hospital, just being a nurse, it is one’s job to put one’s one life to the side while at work, and to put the patient’s needs first. It is my belief that shows like Scrubs, while they may be a huge hit, are what makes the nursing profession look like a joke. Not one person can interpret the job of a nurse until they have actually been in the position. A nurse is the one who does most of the work in the hospital while the doctors run around from patient to patient ordering tests to be done. I find it true that many nurses take their job seriously unlike the nurses in this show. Scrubs does no favors for the nursing profession except make it look like it’s completely irrelevant for running a smooth health care system.
Whether we are looking at the science or art of nursing, we are looking at nursing as a whole. They both tie in as one to form the large picture of nursing that builds a hospital into not just a place where patients receive medications and have surgeries done, but also a place of companionship and comfort. It builds a place where patients can feel safe and well cared for because they are the first priority. Neither art nor science is more important than the other. Nurses need to be well rounded with both areas by having good People skills such as good communication, being compassionate, caring, being a good listener and technical skills such as working with their hands and using different types of machines found in the hospitals.
I think it is the art of nursing that is overlooked. Although nurses are thought of as compassionate, caring, respectable people, it seems as though they are seen more as assistants to the doctors. Nurses are there to do the small work that doctors do not have time for, but that is not true. I believe that nurses are there for comfort and to make patients feel like they do matter, they will be cared for in the best possible manner, and that when they enter the hospital, they should have no worries because they are in the hands of professionals. Nurses play such a large role in the hospital setting by building a warm, serene atmosphere. With all of the chances and benefits to engage yourself both scientifically and artistically, who would not want to become a nurse, the caring hands and heart of the hospital world?
Everything from taking a patient’s history to administering medications could be considered an art of nursing, but I see the art of nursing as more of the role that nurses play. Nurses are in the hospital for a majority of procedures and visits that patients may go through which gives nurses the opportunity to learn more about a patient and who they are. Nurses are compassionate and caring people who put all of their heart and soul into their work because they are not there for themselves, but for the patients. I see a nurse as one of the only people in the health care field who can touch a patient’s life. A nurse could easily do so by being there for patients in their time of need and making a difference by showing that they truly do care.
I see the art of nursing as something that is brought into the field by the nurse him or herself. It is not something that could be taught to one in a classroom to prepare for the hospital setting, but it is something that builds their personality and comes naturally; the want to care for somebody who is in need, show compassion, and touch someone’s life in a way that they will remember forever. On the other hand, I believe that the science of nursing is more of the use of technology. The science of nursing is the things that can be learned in the classroom and over time with experience. Not all people can learn to become a caring and compassionate person, but anyone could learn how to take a temperature or check a patient’s pulse.
The two shows that I chose to view were Pearl Harbor and Scrubs. Pearl Harbor was about the attack the Japanese made on the Americans at Pearl Harbor. Within the story of the beginning of World War two, is a love story between a dedicated nurse (Kate Beckinsale) and lieutenant (Ben Affleck) who is sent to England for war. This dedicated nurse and her colleagues are in Pearl Harbor when the attack occurs and are forced to work under intense pressure to save lives. Scrubs on the other hand was more of a comedy about the life of nurses working in the hospital. The episode I watched was called "My Overkill" from season two, and was about nurses working in the hospital who had a hard time dealing with the head doctor who often times was rude and a hard person to cooperate with. The nurses in this show find issues from their personal lives affecting their work life, such as sleeping with the head doctor’s ex-wife, and the head doctor liking one of the nurses.
In Pearl Harbor, I saw many examples of how the nurses showed the art of nursing. Mostly, I believe that the art of nursing was shown when the nurse (Kate Beckinsale) needed to stand outside the hospital and mark the forehead of patients, deciding whether or not they needed morphine, were in fatal condition, or if they needed critical care. In some ways it was up to her who was to live and who was to die. It takes a strong person to hold that type of position and although the nursing profession does call for caring and compassion, it also calls for composure and being able to think under the most intense pressure. Not just anyone can remain calm under stress and have a clear mind about what to do in certain situations.
I found no examples of art in the show Scrubs because it is more of a comedy. In the episode that I watched, the nurses barely even paid attention to the patients. Rather than making a diagnosis like they should have been doing, they were involved in their own worries. The nurses turned their workplace into more of a social, filled with gossip and rumors about either their co-workers or their own lives. The nurses and the doctors in Scrubs were very unprofessional about their jobs and did not seem to care about what did or did not get done. It definitely made the work atmosphere appear to be more stressful. Both of the shows that I chose to watch are completely opposite. While Pearl Harbor shows us exactly what it means to be a nurse, Scrubs shows us that there is no work involved and it’s all play.
I feel that science was demonstrated in both Scrubs and Pearl Harbor. In Scrubs, nurses were asked to make a diagnosis about a patient. The patient had already gone through several tests which all turned up negative, and it was the nurse’s job to find out exactly what was wrong with the patient. In Pearl Harbor, it was the nurse’s job to do such things as give Morphine, give eye exams, take blood, and give shots and stitches. Both shows showed the technicality of being a nurse and the physical labor involved. Scrubs showed a more in depth perception of the science of art while Pearl Harbor showed the typical things done by a nurse in the health care profession.
Pearl Harbor reinforced my visions of what it is like to be a nurse. The nurses helped to keep the doctors in check and help them out whenever needed. I feel that this is a nurse’s main job. In one scene, the doctor seemed unsure of himself and what was going on around him until the nurse helped him back to reality and pointed out that there was an emergency that needed to be tended to. While there may be doctors around to help in certain situations, it is always the nurses job to provide the best care possible, no matter what the case. Pearl Harbor definitely made it clear that the job of a nurse can be a hectic and overwhelming, but at the same time can have benefits. The nurse (Kate Beckinsale) actually saved the life of a lieutenant by applying pressure to his carotid artery which had been bleeding very heavily at the time. Due to the nurse’s actions of deciding to care for him rather than saying there was nothing they could do, the lieutenant was able to live another day and showed great thanks for it.
Scrubs did not match my perspective of what nursing is like at all. What I gathered from Scrubs was that more gossip is done in the hospital than actual work and caring for patients, which I know to be absolutely false. When working in a hospital, just being a nurse, it is one’s job to put one’s one life to the side while at work, and to put the patient’s needs first. It is my belief that shows like Scrubs, while they may be a huge hit, are what makes the nursing profession look like a joke. Not one person can interpret the job of a nurse until they have actually been in the position. A nurse is the one who does most of the work in the hospital while the doctors run around from patient to patient ordering tests to be done. I find it true that many nurses take their job seriously unlike the nurses in this show. Scrubs does no favors for the nursing profession except make it look like it’s completely irrelevant for running a smooth health care system.
Whether we are looking at the science or art of nursing, we are looking at nursing as a whole. They both tie in as one to form the large picture of nursing that builds a hospital into not just a place where patients receive medications and have surgeries done, but also a place of companionship and comfort. It builds a place where patients can feel safe and well cared for because they are the first priority. Neither art nor science is more important than the other. Nurses need to be well rounded with both areas by having good People skills such as good communication, being compassionate, caring, being a good listener and technical skills such as working with their hands and using different types of machines found in the hospitals.
I think it is the art of nursing that is overlooked. Although nurses are thought of as compassionate, caring, respectable people, it seems as though they are seen more as assistants to the doctors. Nurses are there to do the small work that doctors do not have time for, but that is not true. I believe that nurses are there for comfort and to make patients feel like they do matter, they will be cared for in the best possible manner, and that when they enter the hospital, they should have no worries because they are in the hands of professionals. Nurses play such a large role in the hospital setting by building a warm, serene atmosphere. With all of the chances and benefits to engage yourself both scientifically and artistically, who would not want to become a nurse, the caring hands and heart of the hospital world?
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