NurseJimAZ

Many years ago I worked with a Gastroenterologist from the Middle East--Dr. Butt. It gets better-his first initial was "N", middle name was Tariq. Yep, he was N. Tariq Butt ('Enteric' for short...)

I rotate these around my various work spaces. 'The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle' (US Navy Seals) 'You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it' -Rabbi Tarfon “An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.” - Friedrich Engels "Never believe what a patient tells you his doctor said." - Sir William Jenner “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”- Albert Einstein “I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.” Xenocrates Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.” Benjamin Franklin “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” -Robert Heinlein 'The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action.' -Herbert Spencer

Hardest part was that the job functions were not well aligned with the knowledge imparted. I wanted to do all those wonderful things we were taught, but there was no time with 6+ patients on nights. Assessment skills only grew better...Diagnosing became better as I learned what what was important (Focus on real problems first, what you can fix or prevent, before working on all those other items...Psychosocial is almost always lower priority to physiologic. Nursing Diagnosis is a wonderful way to train the mind, but it is usually not dynamic enough for care delivery and to keep up with all the things patients are actually going through in 'real-time'.

You are being educated, not just trained. Education involves more than just the knowledge of your chosen field, but the ability to communicate and interact with the community at large and see your role and the roles of those we serve. That said, having attained academic degrees in different fields, and training in other fields, I have yet to be able to completely correlate what I was taught didactically to what I had to do to perform competently in the endeavor. That was in ALL of them, not just nursing. I think the OP has a point of our professional training being off-the-mark, and I am participating where I can to change that. Most nursing programs are in constant flux regarding curriculum content, far more so than almost any other discipline. I agree that nursing theory can seem to be a whole bunch of time-wasting hokum when you are up to your elbows in patient secretions but, as others have noted, there is more to what we do than just the technical. And as much as you may be correct that history is probably not going to help you get that IV started, many of our current practices arose out of responses to wars, pestilence, technical upheavals and widespread disasters--i.e. historical events. To the charge of colleges just wanting to extract the contents of your pocket, I have to disagree. Colleges must meet standards set by NLN and other accrediting bodies. In some cases, the accrediting bodies actually demand LESS time in the program and fewer ancillary classes (halting a process known as 'credit creep'.) But usually, they are enforcing a standard that demands particular academic competencies. Colleges either comply or lose accreditation. Colleges pretty much do as they are told as best they can. Is it perfect? No. And I have had to resolve it never will be, because we are constantly trying to hit a moving target. Can we do better? Hell, yes. But it isn't just the academics who have to change...

Won the "most likely to marry a doc"--over 30 years ago! (and did it before graduation...) Best thing that ever happened to me...Some of us GUYS have all the luck. Suggestions: Coolest Tools/Most tools Cleanest Shoes Biggest Bookbag Most Poetic Most Empathetic Most Community Involvement Most Likely to Appear on Hospital Recruiting Brochure Most Likely to Run the Facility Most Inspiring to fellow classmates Best Presenter Most Likely to Save a 3rd World Citizen Most Innovative Class Mom (or Parent)

Yes, you are correct: 'nothing is impossible if you get other people to do it!' But can we at least have a LITTLE of the credit?

Just keep plugging!

I was adjunct teaching (9+ credit hours a semester) and working in the hospital (full-time) for 14 years. After thinking I was having a heart attack one morning, and staring at the ER ceiling (maybe it was the morphine??) I did some rethinking of how my life was going. Focus: If I survived the next few days, what did I really l like to do? I thought it over and found I received the greatest satisfaction out of watching students "discover" patient care. Good news--no MI! I did not have the credentials to be a full-time instructor, so changed jobs (to a rotating shifts-house supervisor position), cut back my teaching hours and went back to school. Two years later, almost graduated, I was approached by the college to initiate the simulation lab--as a full time position. started with a SimMan (still in the box), an empty classroom and no fear. Been here ever since. It allows me to teach, do clinical, and watch all those little light-bulbs go off over student's heads--all day! I always know what the clinical situation will be--I know the patient's, the meds, the problems, the families--because I control it all. I have the world's best department chair, a wonderful and caring group of faculty, a good amount of freedom to teach what I want. I have some very sophisticated equipment (SimMan, SimBaby, VirtualIV, Computer Simulations) but it comes down to the instruction--the toys are secondary. I get to work my butt off keeping patients I will never see safe and effectively cared for. Hours are good--but you work a lot more than you get paid for--but you do it because it does make a difference. I still haven't seen those 3 months off in the summer because we have over 500 students and staggered program starts. I have students coming back and telling me how the time in the Sim lab set them up to be proactive and effective when similar situations arose clinically. That makes the difference for me.

Update us! What did you decide to do?

When the doc asks "what color was the ....(expelled bodily fluid), so you hike up your pants to show him your socks and shoes. (true story!)

I love being told we are "competitive". Having been a manager for a number of years, it is managment-speak for "You are just another chunk of overhead, and we think that is costing us too much, but we want to keep you here and not walk down the street. We therefor collude with other employers to keep wages down by doing annual salary surveys and trying not to step too far out of line so there is little incentive for you to walk." In global economic terms, this is called a cartel. On the other hand, as nurses we are horrible at negotiation for ourselves (we are pretty good, usually, for patients) and somehow feel guilty about demanding more money, benefits, etc. We also tend to look at the hourly number as all there is--retirement plans, medical plans, vacation, child care, and other benefits count, too. And more than anything, the environment where you spend 75% of your waking hours is worth a lot, but does not directly translate into $$$. Sadly, I attended the Masters level graduation ceremony of a local university this year. The MSN graduates were outnumbered 4 to 1 by the Health Services Administration graduates. We are ruled by bean-counters, and they are breeding.

many clinical sites restrict the number of students per unit, forcing the instuctor to be in multiple locations. i have had students in up to 6 different locations in the hospital. unfortunately, you end up spending more time with the "bad" ones (because they are not trustworthy) and less time developing the stars. the good news is the "stars" are usually bright enough to self-train.

hello, i am a clinical simulation specialist (i work with dummies...) at a community college. i have been teaching 12 years as an adjunct faculty while working full time, decided it was time to commit.:) 25 years of nursing in all areas except ob and special procedures units. developing simulation exercises for all levels of adn nursing students, building the lab into a virtual clinical site and having a ball doing it!

clinical simulation specialist. nursing faculty (last 25 years) or, surgical stepdown, telemetry, telemetry charge nurse, med-surg, acute stroke unit, house supervisor, adjunct faculty--continuing ed.