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DiversityNursing Blog

The Culture of Nursing

Posted by Sarah West APRN, FNP-BC

Wed, May 17, 2023 @ 12:32 PM

GettyImages-1403307063A positive workplace culture is essential for Nurses to provide excellent patient care. In addition, a positive workplace culture on Nursing units can positively impact job satisfaction, staff retention, and patient outcomes.

Unfortunately, in some Nursing units, bullying is tolerated, silently condoned, or completely ignored. This leads to a toxic culture and an unhealthy workplace. There is an age-old phenomenon among some Nurses called “Nurses eating their young.” This form of bullying has been viewed as a rite of passage for new Nurses, but in the end, it has resulted in devastating effects on unit morale. It can have a long-lasting impact on the self-confidence of new Nurses.

The good news is most Nursing units offer a culture of support and positivity. And thankfully, the culture of “eating your young” is slowly dissolving. Nurses see coworkers more often than family due to working long hours, overnights, or holidays, so having support and camaraderie with your colleagues is very important.

Here are some ways you can help support Nurses on your unit to increase morale and create a positive Nursing culture.

Make Friends with Your Co-Workers

Nursing can be stressful, and Nurses often experience intense situations at work. Bonding with coworkers and developing friendships can reduce stress and create a more positive work environment. After all, only Nurses can understand what other Nurses go through. Why not make friends with your Nursing colleagues so you have someone to share all the joys and struggles of the job?

Be a Role Model

The best way to encourage a positive work culture in your unit is to model positive, encouraging behavior. For example, always lend a hand to a fellow Nurse with a heavier patient load or praise a co-worker for a job well done – it’s a great way to spread positivity.

Small acts of kindness are also great ways to role model good behavior on your Nursing units. Acts of service can be as simple as answering a call bell for a fellow Nurse or offering to cover your coworker's patients so they can take their lunch break. When Nurses choose to be positive, show compassion, and respect for their fellow Nurses, we can experience a happier work environment and improve the culture of our units. 

Acknowledge Strengths

Recognizing positive behavior and a job well done is the best way to motivate your colleagues and spread positivity. Feeling valued at work encourages staff members to perform their best and go the extra mile. Empowering Nurses by appreciating everything they do goes a long way. Say thank you to your co-workers when they help you out or compliment them when a job is done well.

Have Fun!

Nurses often deal with life and death circumstances, so saying ‘have fun’ can seem a little insensitive. However, having fun at work is excellent for your mental health and can help reduce stress both on and off the job. Finding humor and laughing with co-workers can lighten the stress Nurses carry on their shoulders throughout the day. Other ideas to try on your unit could be to plan a day to match scrubs, a theme day to celebrate a holiday, or plan a potluck so everyone can enjoy a snack on their lunch break. 

Nurses are kind and compassionate with their patients. They should act the same way to their coworkers. You have the power to create an encouraging, positive culture. So go out there and spread positivity because happy Nurses provide the best care to their patients.

Topics: nursing program, nursing, nursing career, nursing staff, nursing experience, nursing profession, nursing practice

Providing Care On The Ground And In The Air

Posted by Erica Bettencourt

Fri, Feb 17, 2023 @ 09:47 AM

GettyImages-800402446Emergencies can happen anywhere and patients need to be transported to facilities via ambulance or flight. This is when Critical Care Transport Nurses (CCTNs) are needed.  

These Nurses travel with patients on the ground or in the air, providing dire medical care until they reach their destination. It is fast paced work often in smaller, more confined areas with limited equipment and tools.

“Critical care transport encompasses any type of critical care patient who needs to be moved from one facility to another to a higher level of care,” says Wanda Keaton, MHA, BSN, RN, CCRN, CFRN, Nurse Manager of Critical Care Transport at Cleveland Clinic. “We can transport these patients by ground in a mobile ICU, in a helicopter or in an airplane.”

The motto of the Cleveland Clinic critical care transport teams is “no patient too sick, no patient too far.”

CCTNs can work in a variety of settings such as:

  • Government agencies
  • Hospitals
  • Independent transport companies 
  • International medical organizations
  • Long-term care facilities


The majority of their time is spent in:

  • Ambulances
  • Airplanes 
  • Helicopters
  • Ships specially outfitted for critical care transport


"Is it stressful and scary? Yes! Do I love every minute of it? Absolutely!" --
Alice Benjamin, APRN, MSN, ACNS-BC, FNP

Successful CCTNs should posses a range of skills such as:

  • Advanced Nursing knowledge
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Ability to deal with stress and keep calm
  • Confidence in your knowledge, training, and abilities
  • Physical endurance
  • Ability to adapt to changing circumstances

How to become a Critical Care Transport Nurse:

  • Earn an Associate degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree

  • Pass the NCLEX exam to receive RN licensure

  • Earn your advanced life support certification

  • Gain experience in Emergency, Med-Surg, or Critical Care Nursing

  • Consider becoming certified 


Nursing Certifications to consider:

  • BLS – Basic Life Support
  • ACLS – Advanced Cardiac Life Support
  • CFRN – Certified Flight Registered Nurse
  • TPATC – Transport Professional Advanced Trauma Course

The average Critical Care Transport Nurse salary in the United States is $91,700, according to Salary.com

“All of our Nurses feel like they learn something new every day,” says Keaton. “There’s never a dull day for a Critical Care Transport Nurse.”

To learn more about this field, visit Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association

 

Topics: nursing program, nursing, nursing career, nursing skills, nursing opportunities, nursing field, Critical Care Transport Nurses, CCTN

Switching Careers To Nursing

Posted by Erica Bettencourt

Thu, Jan 05, 2023 @ 04:07 PM

GettyImages-1287395441Thinking about changing careers? At any stage in life, Nursing is a great choice because Nurses are always in demand. It's a challenging, but rewarding field and previous education can help you become a Nurse faster.

"I'm a second career Nurse. What's wonderful about Nursing, is that it's very accessible after you've already been to school or college for another type of degree," Telemetry Nurse, Victoria told Johnson and Johnson

If you already have a Bachelor’s degree in any field, an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program is the quickest route. It usually takes less than 2 years. If you don't have a prior Bachelor’s degree, you can become a Registered Nurse (RN) with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) or you can enter the workforce even quicker by becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN). 

After you earn your Nursing degree, you’ll be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), which is administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).

There are two of the NCLEX exam: The NCLEX-RN is a computerized exam required by all state boards of Nursing to qualify for an RN license. T
he NCLEX-PN is required to practice as an LPN.

After you pass the NCLEX, you must apply to your state board of Nursing for a license to practice.

If you're asking yourself, "Am I too old to become a Nurse?" The answer is no, it's never too late to join  the Nursing workforce. According to the NCSBN, the median age of working Registered Nurses is 52 years old. 

It's also important to remember this point by Indeed, your career length doesn't reduce the impact you may bring to the unit once you work as a Nurse. Your contribution makes a huge difference regardless of how long you can be active in the field.

"If you are a baby boomer or Gen X, there’s a place in Nursing for you. Your past work experience, dedication and passion are all needed resources within the healthcare arena. As Uncle Sam once said, “We Want You!," wrote Judy McDaniel, RN, MSN in a Nurse.com article.

According to The Department of Labor, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that more than 275,000 additional Nurses are needed from 2020 to 2030, and that employment opportunities for Nurses will grow at 9%, faster than all other occupations from 2016 through 2026.

This high demand is due to a variety of factors such as an increase in chronic conditions, an aging population and a stronger emphasis on preventative care.

If you have anxiety about being a new Nurse, consider one of the most important concepts taught in Nursing school, the “5 C’s” of caring: 

Commitment, Conscience, Competence, Compassion, and Confidence

Learning and adapting these concepts will allow you to provide better care and will improve the relationships you have with your patients as well as co-workers.

If you're interested in learning more about different Nursing Specialties, Click Here! 

Topics: nursing schools, nursing school, nursing program, nursing programs, nursing career, nursing jobs, nursing opportunities, nursing practice, changing careers, nursing field

Nursing program readies high school students

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Wed, Feb 06, 2013 @ 11:08 AM

BY CHILTON TIPPIN

With a baby on the way, Desharia Uribe, then 17, put her hopes in the Nurses Aid Program atdescribe the image Whiting High.

“I wanted to be a nurse,” she said. “And I knew this program would get my foot in the door.”

She enrolled in the program at the start of her senior year in 2005. Upon graduation in 2006, she was ready to take the Certified Nursing Assistant Test, administered by The Wyoming State Board of Nursing. She worked for about a year, saving money to take the test, and passed it in 2007. The Spring Wind Assisted Living and Memory Care Community hired her for her first job as a CNA shortly thereafter. She was 19, and her career was just beginning.

“Had I been a typical student, without a baby to care for, I could have taken my boards even sooner,” Uribe said.

Lorraine Saulino-Klein, a registered nurse and instructor of the course, which is also offered for Laramie High students, said about 40 juniors and seniors go through the program each year. They graduate with the knowledge and skill set to work in one of the fastest growing industries in the community: health care.

“This Nurses Aid program fills a tremendous niche,” Saulino-Klein said. “I have students in every medical institution or organization in this town.”

Since the program began eight years ago, about 98 percent of Saulino-Klein’s students have passed the course and the CNA exam, she said.

Ursula Harrision, principal at Whiting, revived the program after it had been defunct for nearly a decade. She was looking for an instructor to teach it, and Saulino-Klein filled that void.

“It’s a vocational program,” Harrison said. “And I particularly looked for programs that people could use to get jobs in this town.”

The course certifies students with the American Heart Association in CPR, AED and basic first aid. In the first nine-week period, students work with Saulino-Klein in the classroom, learning about the theories and tools used for the care of patients.

The second nine-week period is geared toward clinical experience. Students spend 40 hours at Ivinson Memorial Hospital and Laramie Care Center, working with patients and filling in journals, which they review periodically with Saulino-Klein. At the end of the semester-long course, students graduate with three college credits, awarded by Laramie County Community College.

Once they pass the CNA test, “they can go right out and get a job,” Saulino-Klein said.

“And these are decent paying jobs, too.”

Her students have spread into dozens of niches within the field of health care, from medics in the military to nurses in hospice or the surgical unit at the Laramie Premier Bone & Joint Center. Two of her students from the flagship class went on to become doctors.

Jamie Rhodine, a senior in this year’s program, said she decided to enroll because CNA certification is a prerequisite for pre-medical school.

“My plan is to hopefully get a CNA job this summer in Laramie,” she said.

This fall, Rhodine plans to enroll at the University of Wyoming to pursue a registered-nursing degree. After working for a few years as a nurse, she wants to go back to school for her doctorate.

“(The program) made me excited to see how large the field is and how many opportunities I have,” Rhodine said.

Brenna Westhoff, also a senior in the program, is going into pre-medical school at the University of Kansas on scholarship in the fall.

She plans to go on to medical school and specialize in pediatric oncology and hematology. For her, the program’s benefits stem not only from the experience, but from getting to see the medical practice from a nurse’s point of view.

“I’m excited to have the clinical time under Ms. Saulino-Klein,” she said. “It gives me experience on the opposite end of what I want to do, so I’m kind of getting the full spectrum of the medical field.”

Uribe said she gained everything from Saulino-Klein’s course. After landing her first CNA job with Spring Wind, she worked for four years in a home health agency. During those years, she cared for her first and second child and put herself through nursing school at Laramie County Community College.

This May, she graduates from LCCC with a registered-nursing degree.

The Nurses Aid program “gave me a responsible job to care for my child that I have,” she said. “The whole school at Whiting was supportive over everything. They really do find ways to set you up to be successful for life after high school.”

Uribe said Saulino-Klein will be the first person she invites to her graduation.

Topics: nursing program, high school students, nurses aid, Wyoming, Whiting High

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