nursingstudent317

I am a student nurse due to get my BSN next May. Although this isn't something I would undertake immediately, I've been pondering whether my own experience with Aspergers could play a role in consulting parents or teens with the condition. I'm not interested in DD in general (I don't see Aspergers as a disorder, but rather a difference that can cause great challenges and also great rewards). It seems, from looking at forums where parents of AS parents talk about their concerns, that they have never met an adult with Aspergers. They also seem to have little context for the mind set of these kids, only looking at behaviors. Any thoughts on that?

I know that holistic nursing isn't just about complimentary medicine. In fact, while our program is defined as being holistic in focus we learn nearly nothing about complimentary medicine. But it seems to me that the general population hears the term and mistakenly thinks a holistic approach is a "new age" thing. While I'd guess that most "new age" folks are interested in holistic health care, I know that holistic nursing isn't (in general) "new age." Perhaps it is foolish of me to say that I am concerned about this to holistic health nurses. Perhaps a better question is how do you feel you are seen by employers and patients/clients for having this credential? Do you believe it helps with some and hurts with others? Am I misunderstanding how the general public (not just progressive types) might perceive me? If I am I'd like to know. Thanks for responding.

My BSN program makes me eligible to be certified as a PHN when we graduate. I have this fantasy of becoming a maternal-child PHN and doing postpartum visits, as well as other duties which are heavy in teaching, advocating, referrals. I also think it would be wonderful to do home health nursing with similar clients (how is this different? I haven't taken the community portion of our curriculum yet). But how would I prepare for this? I have a feeling that a year of med-surge might not be the prescription...

My BSN program has a very holistic theory/practice base. When we graduate we are eligible to get certified as a holistic nurse. I feel passionately about complementary medicine and what it has to offer but it will probably not be my primary focus as an RN. I wonder if getting the certification would look good/be good, or if it would cause people to discredit me. Any thoughts?

I felt that this was pseudoscience and insulting to the nursing profession for a long time. When I learned Reiki, I had to let go of my entire paradigm. I still feel funny talking about it, because it sounds so crazy unless you have actually experienced energy healing for yourself. But now I can actually feel, in a person's energy field, where there is a problem. I have used Reiki (but not discussed) many times in the hospital. The results have sometimes been jaw dropping.

This is what comes to mind when I think of a holistic approach: When you ask your patient how she's doing today and she replies that her abdominal incision isn't hurting as much as yesterday, you repeat the question ("great, how are YOU doing today?") Knowing that beneath that gown may look like all the others but is unique and plays many roles, perhaps a sister, a mother, a teacher, a daughter, a spiritual being, a member of the community, a member of a culture, a member of a socio-economic group, oh... and a person that just had abdominal surgery.

I would agree that there are many personalities that seem to make very good nurses. The things about my personality that I have found to be most valuable in nursing are: 1) the maturity/humility to be very honest about the scope of my knowledge base- you must always have the strength to admit that you need help or have questions 2) intense curiosity, a love of learning about subjects that you will never fully master because there is always more to learn 3) the ability to maintain a balance between true empathy and detached professionalism (go too far in either direction and it is a disservice to your patients) 4) being able to prioritize and manage your time 5) the ability to stay calm (or at least appear calm) in the face of anything 6) patience 7) knowing that you cannot do everything that you might wish you could do and being able to let go of that 8) a non-judgemental attitude (even if a patient is a drug abuser, homeless, etc. you can still feel a human connection) 9) being strong enough to feel stupid for a while- nursing school is extremely tough, MUCH more so than most bachelor's degrees, even after you graduate you will feel like a beginner for at least three years (so I've heard) 10) A sense of justice and interest in advocacy

Yeah, I'm most likely going to be starting at a hospital in a different area entirely. The hospital I did this clinical is in the "big city" (a joke, it has 30,000 people, but it is the major city for over a hundred miles around) in very rural county. There are some very poor areas (and a few well to do areas) around and this is the largest/main hospital. While there were only perhaps 4-8 women/couplets at a time, never a clinical day went by that one wasn't meth positive. There would also be women that were THC positive but that was not considered a big deal at all. The nurses were pretty casual about the meth moms because it was so common that they had to become callous. Child Protective Services would only take the child away if the mom was positive for meth and she was homeless or if she had a history of her other children being taken away (permanently) for abuse. These moms I actually felt compassion for because I could empathize without feeling I was taking part in something that is morally wrong. I was really surprised that I didn't see any other posts about this since this probably the top reason nurses in other fields have for not going into OB. I mean I could handle it sometimes, it comes with the territory, but I'd rather not EVERY day. What type of facilities would you think have the least/most of this. You mentioned big city hospitals as one... (I'd imagine specialized birth centers would be entirely free of this issue, but I don't think they take newbies.) Thanks for your response. Obviously this is something big in my mind and I appreciate you taking the time.

This is a subject that makes me nervous about becoming an RN next year and getting my first job. I hear that the only ones available are night shifts. I have a sleep disorder and I fear that if I must do such shifts, especially in the beginning, I will ruin my reputation as a nurse by not being able to adjust/get enough sleep possibly causing me to call in sick often or make an error in judgment. I'm not being dramatic, I really do have serious sleep issues. I thought there was such a nursing shortage that I would be able to get a day shift, no problem. What's the truth?

Hi, this is my first post here. I have just finished my senior year of nursing school and am trying to find my niche. I found my OB rotation exhilerating. I especially enjoyed the postpartum teaching and the smaller patient ratios. I one major problem while I was on this rotation, however. The hospital I was in is in a low socioeconomic climate and one in 4 babies were born with drugs in their system (no exaggeration). Mostly methamphetamines. I found this difficult to stomach. I felt such disdain for the mothers who would do such a thing to their child. When I would see some breast feed (which is adding neurotoxins into the newborn's system) I felt that I was witnessing unchecked child abuse. Normally I am a person of great empathy. But I just couldn't find a line of logic to guide me through being nonjudgmental in this situation. I hate to admit this but when I looked at the babies all I could think of was the misery that lay ahead for them being raised by a drug addict and how they would likely be back in 15 years repeating this cycle. How do you guys deal with this phenomenon psychologically? How do you administer care that you feel is appropriate without getting burnt out? How much do most birth centers deal with this- on a daily basis? A weekly basis? I really want to be an OB nurse but this is something I need to work out first. Please let me know your thoughts and advice.