Burnout and Avoiding It

Hey everyone!
The last couple presentations that were presented in our Development of Self course were about burnout in nursing students and nurses. Common symptoms include feeling stressed, overwhelmed and exhausted. I for one am for sure feeling these symptoms and I am sure a lot of others out there are too. The one article that my group had presented on was written by a nurse who experienced the effects of burnout. Nurses feel burnout for many reasons, such as taking on more work and not having healthy relationships. Among her six lessons, one of them was the importance of taking time out of the day for yourself by resting/relaxing or doing something that you enjoy such as exercising or reading. The upcoming week is going to be another stressful one because of exams. I strongly advise everyone out there to try and take some time for youself to relax this week.

Reference:
Beech, P. (2007). The nurse is not for burning. Nursing Standard, 21(20), 62-64

Technology: Helping Health Care Professionals

The use of technology is vastly growing every day. Technology is used for many different things in health care such as in surgical procedures and communicating patient information and treatment plans. After writing my paper on technology in health care, I firmly believe that technology helps health care professionals overcome communication barriers. Telehealth is just one example of a type of technology used in health care that eliminates communication barriers. It allows health care professionals to communicate with other health care professionals/patients who may be located in a remote area. Electronic health records allow health care professionals to enter clear and concise notes about the patient, eliminating possible confusion and illegible handwriting which may cause further confusion.

We Need More Nurses!

We Need More Nurses!

As nursing students, we are all aware of the current nursing shortage in Ontario and across the country. The Montreal Children’s hospital has recently closed down half of its post-op beds because of a chronic nursing shortage. What does this nursing shortage mean? For one, post op patients are being transferred to other units within the hospital increasing the work load of other nurses. Secondly, a major concern is that it means surgery wait lists will grow and get even longer. Further, this means that children who are waiting for surgeries will have to wait to be treatment, causing them to suffer even longer. I thought I would share what I read in this article because I thought it may increase our motivation to become nurses so we can prevent any future nursing shortages and ensure that all children and other patients receive the health care they need. See this link if you want to read the article: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/11/13/mtl-childrenshospital1113.html

Why Nursing is Right for Me

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to work in health care. I considered several options such as a Radiology technologist, a doctor specializing in sports medicine, physiotherapy and even nutrition. However, as I learned more and more about these professions, I quickly learned that they were not right for me. My family, friends and even my chiropractor always encouraged me to look into nursing because of how caring and compassionate I am. A family friend of ours works as a Neonatal nurse and my uncle worked as a mental health nurse for many years, so I talked to them about their experiences and looked more into the nursing profession and what I could do as a nurse. Soon enough, a feeling of excitement and inspiration came over me and I knew that nursing was right for me. Some of my personal experiences also inspired me to become a nurse as well. The main reason is that I want to be able to leave my place of work and have the feeling that I have made a difference in someone’s life and know that I have done something good. I am excited to pursue a profession that has many opportunities and opens so many doors.

Nearing the End of Semester 1 already!?

Hey everyone! We are nearing the end of our first semester of nursing school and boy has it gone by fast! For me, it’s both exciting and nerve-racking. Exciting because I’ve learned so many new things, met many new and awesome people and I am even more excited to become a nurse. However I am a little nervous to start clinical next semester. It is overwhelming to think that already we will be working in a health care setting after only being in school for just about 4 months! I have enjoyed all my courses this semester and appreciate all support and knowledge my professors have shared with me. Without them, we would be nowhere near how prepared we are for our clinical placements. At this point in the semester, I am feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. With all the assignments I have left to submit, AND exams just around the corner, I am very much looking forward to the Christmas break for some rest and relaxation. We have all learned a lot of new information and have worked very hard (except for only a little procrastination here and there) we all deserve a good break. Hang in there everyone; we are in the home stretch!

My First Post

Hi Everyone!
My name is Lauren and I am a first year nursing student at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT). So far, I am enjoying the program and look forward to the next four years. Sure, the work load is heavy but I am adjusting to it. The transition from high school to university has been a fairly large one but I am finally settling into a routine. Creating a blog and blogging is something that I have never done before. I have heard of people having their own blogs for different reasons but have never had my own. I look into sharing my ideas, opinions and feelings and encourage any viewers to post their feedback!