PC Health Education E Magazine by PC Health Education Plus

PC Health Education

August 1, 2018 | Issue 1

E-Magazine | August'18

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E-MAGAZINE August 2018

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From GED to Masters Degree Featured Article Why did it take so long and how you can shorten your success just by reading her story.

The Right Track Do you know the way to your degree?

10 Side Hustles for Nurses Start a business with little start-up funding

Real Sisterhood Tips on how to support the sister community that has nothing to do with race.

EDUCATION IS KEY Learn more about free education

Contents Volume 1 Issue 1 Terri J Evans Founder & Creator of Position CPR LLC and PC Health Education Plus.

Editor: Lesha Brewer All content should be considered original thoughts and photos unless content, pictures and information has been referred to according to the copyright laws and reserved rights of the "original".

Do you want to advertise HERE? Contact pchealthed@gmail.com Do you want to submit an article or thought? Contact pchealthed@gmail.com IN THIS ISSUE August 1, 2018

THE RIGHT TRACK Do you know your way to your degree?

10 SIDE HUSTLES FOR NURSES Start a business with little start-up funding

EDUCATION IS KEY

REAL SISTERHOOD

Learn More about free education

Tips on how to support the sister community that has nothing to do with race

Featured Article

From GED to Masters Degree

AFFILIATE STATUS DISCLOSURE: You should assume that the owner of this website/magazine is an affiliate for any provider of goods and services mentioned on this website/magazine and may be compensated

Position CPR LLC and PC Health Education Plus LLC are not medical doctors. The information given on this website is for education and advertising on the subject of health & wellness. It is only intended to help the reader learn more about health and wellness, small business start-up, nurse education and mentorship. We do not diagnose, recommend treatment, or prescribe remedies for the treatment of conditions or diseases. By viewing this website, the reader assumes total responsibility and liability for your own actions.

DO YOU NEED CPR?

CONTACT POSITION CPR

Owner & Operate Terri Evans

www.positioncpr.com

CPR training will teach each student the dire need for responding to a cardiac arrest patient as quickly as possible. When a victim receives CPR the blood flow continues to pump through their heart and you help to keep the body oxygenated. What this means is the victim is less likely to suffer from brain damage or death. Statistics show that 88% of cardiac arrests occur in the home which is another reason for the importance of CPR training. Â A person has ten minutes or under until death will occur without the administration of CPR.

We are able to teach a wide variety of healthcare providers and community groups, including but not limited to: Â Healthcare providers Allied health professionals Human resources Airline personnel Security staff Students and teachers Health and fitness club personnel Emergency response teams Community groups Parents/Foster parents Caregivers of families

ADVERTISEMENT Position CPR P.O. Box 94545 North Little Rock, AR. 72190 (501)485-4778 Click here to Register

The Right Track

DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO YOUR DEGREE? Going to college or entering a graduate program is a big decision. You must be in the right frame of mind to succeed at getting a credential or finishing your degree. There are countless reasons adults return to school. Some are planning a career change or wanting a new skill or just to move up in their career. All things must be considered on a personal level. Spouse, children, employment, and finances are carefully measured for support. A non-traditional student often has delayed enrollment in college for various reasons. These students usually attend school part time, work full time, are financially independent, and often have children or other families that rely on them. Let’s talk about nursing education. Becoming a nurse is certainly not for the weak at heart or stomach. If this is the pathway that you decide to take, you would need to contact the college of your choice and be advised by the admission counselor. Start by deciding if you want to obtain an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree. This will determine what your advisor will have you do next. Nursing school tends to be more difficult than most programs. It requires lots of patience and a great deal of compassion. Investigate colleges that offer your program of choice (I.e. Associates, Bachelors, or Master’s in nursing). You should also compare at least 3 schools for pre-courses, start dates, admissions criteria, and tuition cost.

PRE-NURSING

1. Make a commitment: Nursing school may start out rocky. You will need the support of family and friends. Nursing schools are notorious for dismissing students for anything less than perfection. I assume this happens to make sure that you are dedicated and not easily offended by the quick changes that happens in the curriculum rules. If you can not deal with unexpected changes in school assignments, you will have a hard time dealing with the unexpected changes in healthcare. 2. Sacrifice: Start pre-warning your friends and family that you will not be available to them. You will have to sacrifice your social life. This is imperative since nursing school requires excessive hours of study time. If your family and friends want to see you be successful, they will understand. 3. Give Up! Give up on working full time & use every scholarship and financial aid available to you. Request appropriate time off to allow the opportunity to study. If you have a full-time job, request a part-time position or investigate working online from home. You may want to ask your supervisor, if there are other options, like working on a per diem basis. 4. Strengthen your stomach muscles: If you have trouble looking at “blood & guts”, you will easily be "grossed out" in nursing school. First, you must pass Anatomy and Physiology by dissecting whatever animal your instructor had the opportunity to receive for the lab portion of the class. My class specifically had cats and rats. If you have a “weak” stomach, you may not want to consider nursing as a career.

NURSES If you are already a nurse and you are looking to gain your BSN or MSN, then steps 1-3 are the same in this instance. However, there are additional steps to receive your advanced degree. You will choose the school, contact the admission advisor and set up a time to discuss your goal. The enrollment counselor will provide you with a list of pre-courses for the degree you are considering. Don’t forget to ask about accreditation and assistance with work-studentlife balance. Your inquisitive participation plays a huge role in your success. If you are working full time, an online program may be the best fit for you. Research the programs and reach out to admissions by phone or email. Ask as many questions as you can think of including questions about hidden fees. Ask about clinical expectations and the admission consideration for years of experience. Some programs won’t consider your admission unless you have been a nurse for at least 18 months. Let your nurse manager or supervisor know that you are expected to perform mandated clinical hours as well as placing a request for changes to your work schedule.

NURSES CONTINUED

There are so many schools in the U.S and too many to list the pre-courses for each Nursing program. I suggest that you consider your time, efforts and cost when taking the pre-courses. Ratemyprofessor.com could assist you to pick your precourse classes by giving you the reviews from real students who took the courses. Reaching out to nurses who have already graduated with their BSN/MSN or have worked in the field for several years is a great resource. These nurses can usually review a program and provide guidance. If you have your BSN and you are trying to figure out if the MSN/APRN/DNP is worth the student loans, then you should take some time and map out your current nurse career goals. The move to an advanced degree is not always the best option. It may be worth it according to what YOU want for your success, family, and nursing career.

10 SIDE HUSTLES FOR NURSES START A BUSINESS WITH LITTLE START-UP FUNDING

Before we get into the side hustles, let me make a disclaimer. I LOVE Nursing! Nursing is what I was born to do. But, over 25 years of holding my bladder, not eating properly, bad ergonomics has taken a toll on my workplace environment and my physical health. I realized that I was not working bedside as much and decided to create a supplemental income that was not as physical as pushing, pulling and lifting. I created my own independent CPR business to which I booked 17 clients the first week. I am working toward perfecting my CPR business with more clients and creating other businesses including my online E-magazine, which I hope you are enjoying so far. Let's start the list: 1. Public Speaker: We talk all day and everyday about what we know. Turn your knowledge into paid speaking engagements. If you have a knack for speaking, this can be easy to do and it’s a side hustle that you can start for free. You can start by branding yourself and marketing your availability to healthcare platforms. If I were you I would start by removing any conflicting post from my social media. Your social media will be the first place a potential client will look.$0 Start up) 2. Resume writing: You can write resumes for other medical personnel. Most healthcare providers are brilliant but some of them are too busy to put a letter/resume/cover letter together. Offer the service and you would be amazed at how many people need your services. You can do this for free but don’t forget to charge your client. ($0 Start up) 3. Tutor: Tutoring Nursing students to pass nursing courses or the Nclex is more popular than you know. This can be done with little to no money at all. You would need a plan, tutorial layout and the ability to know what you are teaching about thoroughly. My strategy is to ONLY teach what I know. ($0 Start up) 4. Online Store: This can be done by using Shopify or BigCommerce platforms. You can start an online scrub store or clothing store with NO money upfront. Both platforms have customer service representatives that will help you with your questions and website needs. You can always look at YouTube videos to help you step by step with the setup. ($0 Start up)

SIDE HUSTLE CONTINUED...

5. Author: You can become an Author and write about what you have learned as a nurse or the nursing process. This can be done by using platforms that help you create physical books for free or online books. This list can be extensive and will require an explanation outside of this article. My suggestion would be to start with google. (Ex: How can I create an online book for free?) ($0 Startup) 6. Health Related Blog: Create daily information for your audience and community about health and Wellness. This is FREE to start. You can use a website platform such as wordpress.com, weebly.com or yola.com This list is also extensive, and it is completely your choice. How do you make money? You make money by ad affiliations. There are businesses that will compensate you for ad space on your site. ($0 Startup) 7. Social Media Manager: Are you always on Facebook? Are you always on Instagram? Someone is looking for you to help them with their business post and you can start and advertise this business for FREE. Make certain that you know what you are doing. Promising someone your time can be tricky; especially if you are already overbooked. 8. Podcast: I started a podcast just to see what the big fuss was about, and I love it! You can create a podcast show for free and start gaining corporate sponsors and paid ads. Just like the blog but with your voice instead. Just a thought. ($0 Startup) I use the "Podbean app" 9. Substitute Nurse: Substitute nurses for the school district can be very rewarding if you just need a little extra funds here and there. Most local districts have one nurse for every 2-3 schools depending on the radius of the schools. Its probably not as lucrative as you might want but it is another option. Substitute nurses go on field trips with children who have special needs and are called in so that the school nurse can take a vacation. ($0 Startup) 10. Teach Fitness Class: There are few professions that demand 12-hour shifts. Nursing is one of them. Teaching a fitness class should be “easy – peasy". Pick a spot. Get some clients and Go for it. I will let you figure out the where and who. The expansion in this type of business is well worth the consideration. ($0 Startup)

EDUCATION IS KEY We’ve been told that education is the key to success, but everyone seems to omit the part that its very expensive. I listed a few websites that I found to be valuable. The list of tools below will provide you with just enough education to function in your professional role with a certification or advance into a better job. Have you heard of Coursera? Coursera is a platform that lists classes and courses from all over the world from Major University such as Harvard, Stanford and the like. The courses are selected as well as the language in which you want to access them. *Some courses will allow you to sign up for a 7-day free trial and others will allow you to sign up for a course audit which will give you complete access to the material and the instruction of the course. (You can purchase the course after you have taken it if you want to receive credit and a certificate. This is an option and is not mandatory) Have you heard of U of People? “UoPeople” provides students the opportunity to receive an online degree program completely tuition-free. It is our goal to make higher education accessible to all, anytime, anywhere. We do not charge our students for courses, course materials, or annual enrollment, making degree programs affordable and accessible. Our unique online model of higher education allows us to bring the classroom to you– cutting the cost for our students overall.” -Uopeople Go to their FB page and see the reviews. This may not be something for you but pass it along. Too many of us have drowned in student loan debt. I wish I had known about this before I watched my friends and family go to school after school creating student loan debt that only led them to jobs that they didn’t need a degree for. Have you heard of Khan Academy? "Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more.”-Khan Academy Khan Academy is world renown and most all public schools used their instructional videos to teach the most difficult subjects to children and adults. I happen to LOVE this platform and use it to homeschool my son.

EDUCATION IS KEY CONTINUES... Have you heard of EDx? “Founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, edX is an online learning provider, offering high-quality courses from the world’s best universities and institutions to learners everywhere”- https://www.edx.org/ “With more than 130 global partners, we are proud to count the world’s leading universities, nonprofits, and institutions as our members. EdX university members top the QS World University Rankings® with our founders receiving the top honors, and edX partner institutions ranking highly on the full list.” https://www.edx.org/ Here you will be able to receive course information without payment. You may want to receive the certificate of completion for as little as $79. But there is NO obligation to buy the certificate or participate to completion Sometimes we get stuck in wanting to learn because we think enrollment, orientation, physical classroom presence is mandatory to learn. I hope has encouraged you to become a lifetime learner. Get unstuck and take one course at a time.

T I P S O N H O W T O S U P P OR T S I S T E R S T H A T H A S N OT H I N G T O D O WI T H R A C E .

The truth about sisterhood is the conditions of our hearts. Our hearts can withstand a lot. Hurt. love, disappointment and grief can cause our heart connections to break causing us to become "cold hearted". Getting to know people and what they are going through as well as what they stand for is already a challenge. We must be conscious of our purposes and our processes. We should be able to show compassion for each other and become the support we wish we had or needed in our time of need. Black, Brown, Red and White women alike have had past traumas, abuse, post traumatic incidents and accidents. Alot of our issues are apart of the process to make us better. Better for ourselves and each other. We need those heart connected true friendships. We need to be able to talk to someone and know that they understand how we really feel.

Real Sisterhood continued... We are so busy being defensive and preoccupied while working to be accepted. Instead of talking to each other, we have the insane need to gossip and backbite. If we want to feel accepted, acknowledged and celebrated, we have to show acceptance and acknowledgement and celebrate others. Support doesn’t always mean buy me this. Do this for me, Do that for me. Go out of your way for me. Some support can come subtle with little to no effort. Here are 5 tips to gaining true sisterhood that has nothing to do with race.Use them and I can almost guarantee that you will start to feel better about who you are as a "sister." 1. Don’t Gossip (If you are not praying, you shouldnt be talking) 2. Clarify any questionable remarks that offended you and forgive them (Hug it out) 3. Honestly pray for someone when you say “Praying for you” 4. Help someone by actually “Offering” to do so, you never know when you will need help later. 5. Thank them! Thank them for sharing, liking, smiling, caring, praying, and supporting you in whichever way you notice. This will create a heart connection and make true meaningful relationships.

Featuring Terri Evans MSN-NE, RN, BSN

FROM GED TO MASTERS DEGREE The story told by Terri Evans, Owner & Editor What are you doing?” asked my 11th-grade History teacher. To which I applied, “I’m leaving!” “Where are you going?” He asked. I responded with all my might, “I quit. School is not for me!” I immediately left the classroom and departed Little Rock Central High as if I accomplished something wonderful that day. I was seventeen and pregnant for the second time. I was already a mother to a 3year-old and on my way to what I thought was my best life ever! A few days after hiding from my mom, I confessed to my mom that I was pregnant again, dropped out of school and needed permission to marry. I can literally write a book about what happened next, but I digress. It only took me about 30 days to be filled with the regret of dropping out. As soon as I recognized that this was a big mistake, I immediately found out how to sign up to take the GED test to complete my high school equivalent in 1989. Now I will give you a brief overview of what happened the next 15 years after I received my GED and how you may be able to receive your degree in a shorter time. First, a GED is considered the equivalent of a High School Diploma as far as colleges are concerned. Depending on the college, the student may have to take more general courses than a student with an actual High School GPA. I am not attempting to get anyone’s child to drop out of school and take the GED. I am trying to tell you that if someone does, it’s NOT the end of the world. The GED is still as effective as a High School Diploma. There is nothing to be ashamed of. I personally know doctors and advanced practitioners who are GED recipients and continued their education goals as planned.

By the time I received my GED, I was the mother of 2 and married at 18 years old. I immediately begin to research my next move. I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. It was never about the money for me since I had no clue what nurses made or could make in salary. I applied for and was accepted into a local LPN program to which I decline because of fear. (Advice: Fear is good. Big moves always come with a little bit of fear. Recognize it as a “good feeling” instead of a bad one. Keep moving to complete your goal.) Apparently, the feelings of fear to return to school lasted nine long years and it was paralyzing, to say the least. (Advice: Reach out to someone who has “been there and done that”. Most likely they can ease your fears and walk you through the process.) In 1998, I decided that I was going to complete my goal with or without fear. I was divorced by now with 2 children with an urgency to become a nurse so that I could take care of us. I applied again to the Baptist Health School of Nursing LPN program as well as Henderson State University and received admission into both. I spent one-semester taking courses at both colleges while working and taking care of my children. Unfortunately, my GPA didn’t make it and the heartbreak and disappointment set in. (Advice: It will take you longer if you try to rush the process. Concentrate on one step and one school at a time. Especially if you lack support. It’s ok to take 2 classes instead of 4 classes.) In 2000, I regained my strength and remembered my goal. I applied and was admitted to the Pulaski Technical LPN program. I enjoyed the courses and was excited to finally learn to nurse. I graduated in 2001 with a Practical Nursing Certification. I passed the board of Nursing NCLEX-LPN and received the first job offer as a nurse at Baptist Health. (Advice: Delayed does not mean denied. Keep your goal in front of you so you don’t forget to make it happen. Keep trying. Keep going.) After the completion of my LPN license, I tasted the success of education and wanted as much of it as I could stand. I began working on my pre-courses for the Associate's degree RN program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. These pre-courses for the RN program took about 4 years to complete. (Advice: Please make a list, check it twice and figure out the best route for you and your situation. The pre-courses should have taken me a few semesters at the least or 2 years at the most.) In 2005, I applied and was admitted into the RN program at UALR. My LPN to RN transition went as smooth as to be expected for any nursing program. Graduating in 2006, I accepted my first RN position at CHI St. Vincent in Little Rock. (Advice: It is important to work in a facility that cultivates continued learning for the employees)

FROM GED TO MASTERS DEGREE CONTINUED...

I enjoyed working as clinical staff nurse. I felt like I made a difference in the lives of my patients. I also gain a sense of accomplishment and a small degree of pride. I quickly learned that the rumor of having more education would make me more valuable as a nurse. There were emails, and notices posted that CHI was a huge supporter of anyone who returned for a higher degree. They offered scholarships and encouraged managers to work with the nurses’ schedule. (Advice: Watch your company announcements. They may be your biggest supporters in continued education. Ask for the human resources department and seek information regarding reimbursements, scholarships and partnered schools) I gathered information and started taking pre-courses for my BSN. This took me about 4 years. I applied and was admitted to UALR BSN program in 2010. I graduated in 2012 with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I couldn’t have been happier. This story is probably boring you right now. Its boring me to write it. But the point is to show you my journey by which my GED was never a factor. (Advice: Try to gather information regarding your education faster than 4 whole years. Its not hard to find) One year after receiving my BSN, I heard about the BSN_ DNP program at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. I applied and was admitted into the BSN-DNP program for Spring 2014. If someone is wondering what DNP means, it is a terminal degree in nursing and is a Doctoral degree in Nursing with a specialty and my specialty was Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. (Advice: Pick a school whose primary focus is your primary focus. Please do not go to a college simply because it’s the largest college in your state. Stand up to your friends and family regarding your right to choose your own education goals) I transferred to the University of Arkansas in 2016 and was accepted into AdultGerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program. After completing one semester, I realized that I was attempting to complete the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track because others were doing it. My co-working was doing it. Almost every nurse I knew was going to NP school. I felt like I “had to”. After many nights of stressing, I decided to do what made me happy. (Advice: Write YOUR goals down and follow YOUR dreams. Its YOUR life. Its YOUR student loans too) In January 2017, I filled out an online inquiry at Western Governors University. I quickly received a call form Zak. Zak was the enrollment counselor assigned to me. Zak and I discussed my goals and I decided to apply for admission to WGU. I applied and was admitted to the Master of Science in Nursing for the Nurse Education track. In December 2017, I finished my degree and I finished with my college education. (Advice: Talk to individuals about options regarding your degree. There is always someone willing to help you get to your next level) Wrapping up. Every now and then success takes time. Becoming laser focused on your own personal future and financial goals is imperative. Everyone’s journey is different. It is up to you to control your success and your journey. I am grateful that I had the courage to keep going until the fear left. The whole point of this feature story is to show anyone who is interested in college after a GED, that it is possible.

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REFERENCE https://www.edx.org/ https://www.khanacademy.org/ https://www.coursera.org/ https://www.uopeople.edu

PC Health Education E Magazine

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From GED to Masters Degree