Nursing

Work smarter, not harder by using your brain

9:00 PM

  If you're in the nursing profession, you're most likely one of those people who carry around 4 different colored pens, a bag of highlighters, and a bunch of post-it notes. I remember back in college when I first started my clinical rotations, the best thing that my first preceptor gave me was her brain sheet. It was the most colorful sheet of paper that I had ever seen. So neatly written and every color had meaning.

  There are just too many things to remember about all 5 of your patients. Sometimes we get caught up in a patient room that we forget we have to pass an important medication because we didn't write it down. Maybe after the doctor rounds on your patients, they put in 10 orders that you need to acknowledge, and it just adds to your chaos. When you're not organized at work, you may feel overwhelmed with the amount of orders you have to fulfill to provide optimum patient care and prevent yourself from having any errors.

  That's why I am posting my personal nursing "brain sheet".  I normally place the sticker of patient's on my sheet because it has a lot of their information like their full name, their age, their birthday, and their patient number. This helps me out when I'm passing medications so I always have access to their information to make sure I'm doing my tasks with the right person. I have a small section dedicated to all of my labs and diagnostic imaging orders. There are small boxes where I can just "check off" what that patient can do, such as activities and diet. I have a fairly small box for "orders" because most of my orders have their own box already.

  I have a small section dedicated to PRN medications and fluids because most of the patients I take care of come with these standard orders. On the right side of the page, I have a place for notes from my assessment. I write down what stands out to me so that I remember to pass it on to the next nurse. Then below that, there is a small space for other things to include in report. This is where I would put if my patients needed dressing changes, case management, or if they had surgery or flight notes that needed to be completed.
  I also have a list of personal abbreviations that are not to be used in your actual documentation because they are probably not approved by JCO, so please use carefully.



  There are times when you come back for your third or unlucky fourth shift and you have some of the same patients. When I know my patients pretty well, I use an hourly brain sheet instead to keep track of my tasks. I usually just write in when they have medications due, when they need to go to appointments, or if they have anything else that is time sensitive. This helps me keep track of my hourly rounds. I also use this sheet when I'm working with an LPN because I can keep track of what they're doing for their patients, and it's my way of double checking if they're keeping up with their orders. Very simple to use!
  Hopefully this was helpful! Let me know what you do to keep track of your patients on your busy days. Do you use different colored pens and highlighters? Or do you load up your workstation with sticky notes for reminders? I'm curious!

Happy nursing! Xo,
Lynn

Life

Armed Forces Day: How I Beelined it to Joining the Military

9:59 PM

To think how far I've come since this photo was taken. I'm grateful for all of the opportunities.
Photo: Jennifer McIntyre | MUA: Linda Phan
  It's been one year, three weeks, and four days since I commissioned into the United States Army as an Army Nurse. It took almost 3 years after high school before I decided that I wanted to make the commitment. Prior to attending nursing school, I attended culinary arts school. This was my one attempt of trying to break ties with the military lifestyle that my parents had raised me in. It's not that I found anything wrong with being a member of the military community, but I had always wondered what it would be like to be a "civilian". And I can tell you first hand that I knew the civilian lifestyle was not made for a person like me. I was working three jobs while I was attending culinary school: a barista, a nanny, and a hostess for Norwegian Cruise Lines. Juggling three jobs to make ends meet was not what I had pictured myself doing at age 18.

  It wasn't only the jobs that made being a civilian difficult, it was the people I found myself hanging around. I knew that Seattle was known for being a more eccentric city, and I knew that I would meet unique people along the way, but my initial group of friends went from "lets hang out every day" to "I don't want to take out my trash until I know that everyone is gone" type of friendship. It wasn't that I was scared, but I had been introduced to a lifestyle that I wanted nothing to do with. Growing up, I only knew a handful of kids my age that got into smoking or drinking, and I thought that was going to be the extent of what I would see when it came to drugs. Until I moved to Seattle, where my cool group of friends turned into people who were doing much harder things than cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. I secluded myself very quickly. There were many nights where I'd be in my room crying because I didn't know what to do. All of the friends that I made shunned me because I didn't want to partake in the "festivities" they had. Luckily, my parents moved to Washington shortly after this all took place, so I decided to move back in with them. I ended my contract early, and though it was expensive, I was much happier and felt much safer at home.

Maybe one day in the future, I'll find a reason to break out my Chef uniform again
  I commuted to Seattle every day I had class. I would wake up at 0430 in the morning, so my dad could drive me to the park and ride at 0530. I'd schedule my classes so I'd get the most out of my time in Seattle. One quarter, I found myself enjoying my biology class a lot more than I did my cooking classes. I missed having to think about scientific things. It wasn't until I dissected a frog that I started thinking differently about my life. (I know, it's silly how I went from culinary to nursing over a frog!) I found myself making my way to Barnes & Noble to buy an anatomy coloring book, and that's when it started. Later that day, I looked up applications to Colleges of Nursing in Washington.

  I didn't know how I was going to pay for college because my mom had already helped me through culinary school (thanks ma.) The best thing I did for myself was walk into Army ROTC at Washington State University. I thought it was a long shot because many of those scholarships are given to high school seniors, and that was something I wasn't. I applied anyway because the worst they could do was say no. But I remember August 2, 2012, Army ROTC called me and told me that I was granted the 3 year scholarship.

  I know you're probably wondering, "how is this post even related to Armed Forces Day, besides the fact that you decided to switch majors?" I know, I know... But all of those factors and challenges that I faced prior to signing my ROTC contract, those are what drove me to join. The military offers a lifestyle that greatly differs from being a civilian. My safety net, my comfort zone, is being a part of a military community. Even if being a Service Member has separated me from my family to fulfill a mission, it's still the best opportunity I've been given so far. The military has taken care of everyone in my family, and they've given me and my siblings an opportunity to see the world - for free! Growing up while moving around can have different effects on people, but it's all about perspective. I chose to see moving from country to country a blessing. I made the most out of my time by exploring what the world has to offer, and I still take advantage of that to this day.

Her biggest moment, the moment she reached the top of her food chain pinning CW5.
  Growing up as a military brat has made it easy for me to make new friends, and even though parting ways is still very difficult, learning to cope has just gotten easier. I know that there will be another time that we'll all run into each other, and I know that friends are only a plane ride away. I know that I don't need to call one place home, because I've made memories all over the world. I know that serving in the hospital I work at now makes a difference for Service Members and their families. We take care of one another. We do our damned best to make sure all of our guys get home safely. I joined the military because I wanted to serve those who serve the United States, and it still is the best decision I've ever made.

For other amazing stories of Military Women, here is a link [click] to Jennifer McIntyre's Military Women Project. She does amazing work by highlighting the hard work of our Sister-in-Arms. My mom and I have been lucky enough to work with her in the past year, and I admire her work greatly. The first photo of me was done by her last summer.

 Click [here] for the link to my feature on Jennifer McIntyre's site.
Click [here] for my mom's feature on Jennifer McIntyre's site.
Click [here] for a link to Linda Phan's Facebook - MUA for the first photo.

Nursing

The Healthy Nurse: Mind, Body, and Spirit

1:12 PM


This week was Nurses Appreciation Week! A week dedicated to the hard worker bees of the hospital. I love the theme this year. As nurses, we tend to forget to take care of ourselves. Many times we go 12-14 hours without eating, drinking, or using the restroom. Some days are easier than others, and you're lucky to eat lunch and drink an entire bottle of water. We educate our patients on the importance of restful sleep and nutritious meals that promote healing, but we go to the break room and chug 24 ounces of caffeine and eat a handful of candy!

It's important to make sure that you as a nurse are at your optimum level in order to provide the best care possible. So here are some tricks that I've come up with to make sure I get at least the minimum on tiring work days!

  1. Waking up early for first breakfast: I set my alarm clock for 0510, my husband calls me at 0520, and I get up at 0530. This gives me almost an hour to get ready, have my coffee, and make something to eat. I know that there are people out there who roll out of bed in the morning, get ready, and go. Then they say that they'll eat later that morning when they get to work. Some days that's feasible, but most days it isn't. So I make sure that I eat something like eggs and toast before I leave my house. If you really don't like waking up early, then prepare something the night before so you can just heat it up in the morning and eat while you're getting ready. The art of multitasking is something every nurse is familiar with.
  2. Packing small, healthy snacks for the day: I usually don't eat a big lunch while I'm at work. I usually step away for five minutes to scarf down something small. I always bring my "second breakfast", which is usually yogurt, chia seeds, granola, and banana slices. It's something that's filling and I can get it down in a few bites. This is usually my "post-assessment" snack after I've seen all of my patients. And in case I don't get my lunch in, then I bring snacks like a nut mix, fruit, and/or granola bars. But I strongly encourage that you take your lunch break and have someone cover down for you. I've had days where I've gone home feeling really sick from not being able to eat something all day. Plus - when you bring healthy snacks from home, you're less likely to give into buying something from the vending machines or fast food. 
  3. Hydration nation: We are always encouraging patients to stay hydrated. On average, I probably walk 4-5 miles every day during work, and I have definitely broken a sweat while being suited up in contact rooms. Staying hydrated will help keep your mind focused, and it's just overall good for your body. When you start feeling excessively tired and dizzy at work, take a moment to sit down and drink water. I usually try to get at least 4 refills of my small blender bottle in during my shift.
  4. Exercise: On days that I work, I wake up and do some stretches to help get my blood moving. I'm always so sore when I wake up in the morning, so this helps loosen me up. I try to do some physical activity, even just a short duration, during my work days. I walk at a very fast pace (people know when I'm coming down the hall because the sound of my fast little footsteps). I do push-ups and sit-ups at home, and I'll try to get out to run if it's still nice.
  5. Mindfulness: Every day I have to just give myself a moment of silence and peace. I try not to think of the things that gave me a hard time. I try not to think of work. I try not to think of how much I miss my husband. I sit there and I think of all the things I'm thankful for, and think of all my interactions with people that made me smile. This helps me overcome any emotional fatigue I may feel when I end my shift. I have a yoga app on my phone that I find myself using pretty frequently just to find my center again.
Once you've found a system that works for you and helps prevent you from feeling like you're drowning every time you go to work, I suggest you stick with it! Happy Nurses Week to a group of hardworking individuals. May your coffee be strong, and your patients alert and oriented.

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