Nurses day 2016

NURSES DAY

Tulsa World Supplement, Sunday, May 1, 2016

Nurses Day Celebrating these committed, caring professionals who touch our lives every day

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Nurses who have touched our lives I always knew I was going to be a nurse. I have always wanted to help others, and being a nurse has allowed me to do that.

Being a nurse means I get to make a difference in other people’s lives. I get to be there when they need someone the most.

While working at another facility, I remember taking care of a 90-year-old who liked to joke around. I walked into his room, and he told me he had a bug in his ear. Being the patient he was, I thought he was joking. I asked how the bug got into his ear, and he said it climbed up his arm and into his ear. He insisted that he had a bug in his ear and wanted me to look.

When I looked, I saw the biggest waterbug halfway in his ear. I started jumping up and down and screaming, “Oh my God! You have a bug in your ear!” He looked at me and said, “That is what I have been trying to tell you!”

Nursing is one of the best careers there is. There are so many options for nurses. From bedside to administration, there is something for everyone.

Anita Cancer Treatment Centers of America When I was serving overseas in Iraq, I would take wounded Marines to our MASH or surgical units. I saw a bunch of guys there working on the wounded who I assumed were doctors, only to find out they weren’t doctors — they were nurses. It wasn’t until then that I realized men could also be nurses. So, when I discharged from the military, I went back to being a high school biology teacher and then applied to nursing school at The University of Tulsa.

While I was in school, the Trauma Emergency Center (TEC) at Saint Francis Hospital offered me a job as a tech and I have been there ever since. I like to work in the fast-paced environment. Being there to help those in their time of need in the TEC is where I want to be. I appreciate having the opportunity to interact with family members and patients, as well as being a part of the total care and healing process.

As a nurse, you will always have a job — a job with great flexibility that enables you to still spend time with your family.

Ryan Saint Francis Hospital Nursing is a calling. It is a job in which you care for patients and families at a very vulnerable time in their lives.

Special times are when a family member or a patient thanks me for the care I have given them or a loved one. I also have fond memories of mentoring many new nurses who have thanked me for what I have been able to share.

I have encouraged many to become nurses, including my son, as well as a niece and a nephew. Nursing offers a variety of opportunities in many specialized areas so it is an appealing career choice. It also offers variety of days and hours so it is a wonderful career to consider.

Brenda Hillcrest Hospital Claremore I’ve known I wanted to be a nurse since I was 3 years old. I always loved caring for others and playing nurse as a child, so when it was time to choose my career path, my choice was easy.

I believe nursing is the selfless act of showing kindness and compassion to others while caring for and meeting their needs.

You know that every day you have the opportunity to touch someone’s life, and they might just touch yours.

Rachel St. John Broken Arrow My pursuit of a nursing career began after witnessing firsthand how caring for others when they are most vulnerable can dramatically impact lives. As a young, frightened patient, the kindness, compassion and care I received from nurses at the bedside inspired me to seek a career in nursing. My journey as a healthcare professional began over 20 years ago, and I still find it just as exciting and gratifying now (if not more) as I did in the beginning. Nurses possess the ability to shape the health-care experience in ways that can change a person’s life forever. I would encourage others to consider a career in nursing because while it is a challenging, yet rewarding profession, nursing affords endless possibilities for individuals seeking both professional and personal growth. Each day, nurses are presented with unique opportunities to enrich, empower and inspire the lives of others through the gifts and talents they share.

DaChaunda OSU Medical Center

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I have been an OB nurse since 1988 and I absolutely, completely love what I do. I am a coach and an educator, a leader and teammate. I am an advocate and protector, a healer and a comforter. I try to make a positive difference to each person entrusted to my care. I never tire of hearing, “she’s my favorite nurse; she made my delivery special,” and the miracle of birth never gets old. As cliche as it sounds, nursing certainly is a calling, and it is my calling.

Nursing is a wonderful profession, with literally hundreds of opportunities within its realm. We work in every corner of the world, caring for patients from before birth to life’s end. It’s very encouraging to see how the career field has expanded with the rise of advanced nurse practitioners. I’m excited and proud to say that my oldest son will be graduating this year from OU-Tulsa with his BSN. Sherry Hillcrest Hospital Cushing We often ask ourselves: “What is the reason I do what I do?”

When I answer that question for myself, I realize that nursing isn’t what I do, it is who I am.

Becoming a nurse has allowed me to be who I am on a grand scale. Caring for the people in my personal and professional life and impacting their lives in a positive way means everything to me. Assisting a patient with a bath or giving a medication to correct a life threatening condition are tasks that are of equal value to me if it means helping someone with a need that they have. Assessing the needs of my coworkers and assisting them in providing care to others is satisfying to me as well. Meeting the needs of my friends and family and providing for them comes from my nursing nature.

Being a part of an amazing team is something that I have been blessed with in my nursing. Interacting with patients and their families and caring for their needs is another blessing that nursing has given me. These are just two reasons of many that I would encourage someone with a caring and compassionate heart to choose nursing as a profession. The rewards are endless.

Amanda OSU Medical Center Of all the jobs I’ve encountered, nursing is the only one where I have ever felt fulfilled and pleased with the work I did that day. Being able to help care for someone in their weakest moment is an honor many will never understand or be able to experience. I’ve never been so mentally and physically exhausted, yet so satisfied at the end of a day as I have been after becoming a registered nurse.

I would encourage others to become a nurse because there is always someone in need of help. People are always in need of medical care, encouragement, prayer and smiles.

Nursing is a great way to spread God’s love.

Jessica Jane Phillips Medical Center My grandmother, whom I never met, died at the age of 52 from lupus. My mother took care of her during her senior year of high school because nursing was limited back then and her father had to work to provide for their family of nine. Hearing my mother’s stories of how hard it was to care for her mother without trained nurses made me realize their importance.

The passion to care for the sick developed from that point, leading me to nursing.

There is no other profession that I could be happier in because this is where I’m supposed to be. Even on the longest, hardest days, I’m grateful. Whether I’m providing care in the happiest of moments to those having a baby or in the darkest moments of those losing a child, my heart fills with thankfulness to be able to help and provide care in such delicate life events.

I would encourage others to become a nurse because the opportunities are endless, and nursing care is in such high demand. Whether your heart is for geriatrics, adults, pediatrics or neonates, the need for nurses is there. This field has been the biggest blessing in my life. It has not only blessed my family with financial stability, but it’s allowed me to be home with my children four days a week. I work with some of the greatest people around with the biggest hearts who have become like family to me.

Desiree St. John Medical Center I made a choice to become a nurse later in life because I wanted to help people.

I love being a nurse. I get to make a difference in my patients lives, and they in mine. I always say I get so much more than I give. I can’t see myself doing anything else.

I remember taking care of a very distinguished gentleman for his outpatient treatments.

He was kind of gruff to start with, but we were able to break through his exterior and I had him laughing. He was always surprised by our antics to get him to smile. He looked forward to his treatments, and I looked forward to seeing him come through the door.

When he passed away, I was honored to attend his funeral.

He had become not just my patient but a real friend.

There are so many options in nursing today, and there is a growing need. It’s not easy work, but it is rewarding. In 25 years, I have never once wanted to do anything else.

Cynthia Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Being a nurse is the most rewarding thing I could have done for myself. At times it can be bittersweet. Nursing becomes your way of life and your coworkers become your second family. I get to meet so many different people and hopefully impact their lives in a positive manner.

It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite memory, but there is one case that comes to mind. We had been taking care of a young man that had been in a horrible car wreck that left him paralyzed and fighting for his life for weeks. As the weeks went by he started to wake up and get stronger and was eventually moved to a step down unit. Several weeks went by and many of us wondered about his condition. I walked into the hallway and there was a couple pushing a wheelchair toward me. I heard the mother say my name and that I was one of the nurses that took care of him. Immediately the young man held out his arms and hugged me, all the while thanking me for saving his life. Of course, tears instantly ran down my face. It was such an amazing feeling, knowing that I was part of a team that helped this family reunite.

Carrie Hillcrest Hospital Henryetta I have wanted to be a nurse my whole life. When I was 5, my mother made me nursing caps out of my dad’s handkerchiefs. I would put them on and watch “General Hospital.” In my early teen years, I was a candy striper volunteer and then worked as a nurse aid during high school and college. I’ve always felt it was my purpose and destiny.

It means the world to me.

Through my work, I have made lifelong friends, learned that human beings are very resilient, watched the drama of life unfold and have been made very humble in the face of the astounding courage of my patients and their families.

As a new graduate in 1983, I went to work on a new oncology floor at a hospital in Arkansas. The oncology floor was at the top of the hospital, and I was working the 3 to 11 p.m. shift. One evening, there was the biggest moon I have ever seen — huge, glowing and very beautiful. The nursing staff decided to have a moon-rise party. We gathered the patients into the glass-lined day room, sang songs and then sat in silence watching the moon climb into the sky.

If your heart is called, there isn’t a better profession. It will mold you into a human being with increased compassion, intellect, critical thinking and dedication.

Sandra Cancer Treatment Centers of America Being a nurse was not something I always thought I would do. When I was young I wanted to be a veterinarian like my dad.

As years went by, I fell in love with basketball and thought I would be a coach. Through an interesting chain of events, my dad encouraged me to check out a career in nursing. After lots of prayer, I trusted his wisdom and went to nursing school.

During that journey I began to develop a love and a passion for helping and serving people. I now see God instilled this love and passion in me years ago, and nursing provided opportunities for these qualities to grow.

Nursing provides daily opportunities to serve, love, and care for your patients and families and to the coworkers who surround you shift after shift. I advise anyone interested in nursing to shadow a few nurses in different areas inside and outside of the hospital to make sure this is a career they could do for the rest of their lives. Nursing school is tough, and it breaks my heart when I see fellow nurses survive it and then get into the field and realize it isn’t what they expected.

Brittany St. John Medical Center Nursing, to me, is being there and caring for others in their greatest time of need. Nursing also means being part of a team that delivers the best care possible to patients and their families.

I would encourage others to become a nurse to be that hero in the night for a mother and father who are welcoming their firstborn into the world, to be a smile for a child on a gloomy day, to be a therapeutic touch to a patient as they are nearing their end of life, to be a nurse who is seen as a great mentor and peer and to be the calm in the storm to a patient who is fighting one of the hardest battles of their lives.

Mallie Utica Park Clinic I became a nurse because I wanted to help people when they needed help the most.

A health crisis is a time when a person can be most vulnerable and emotional. It is that moment nursing can make the biggest impact whether you are saving that person’s life or supporting them during the dying process.

For me nursing means stepping up and advocating for the needs of your patient and/or their family at a time when they cannot themselves. Nursing is respect, compassion, a true desire to serve and care for all individuals regardless of what paths their lives have taken. Nursing is one of the most rewarding careers you could choose.

Holly Hillcrest Hospital South

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I’ve always been driven to help people, which is why I served in the military for four years and why I chose to become a nurse in 2013.

As I provide care for patients at their worst and most desperate times in the emergency room and intensive care, I’ve had many moments when I know God has answered my prayers and put me where I need to be. For instance, a patient was admitted for chest pains and after it was determined she was having a heart attack, she simply resisted further treatment. It was near shift change, but I could not go home without trying to help change her mind. So, I pulled up a chair, held her hand and began talking to and praying with her — one human being to another. Before long, she agreed and asked me to take her to the CATH lab where she would receive lifesaving treatment. Only then, I knew I could go home. I believe the following scripture helps express why nurses feel compelled to do what they do: “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” Romans 15:1 Clint Saint Francis Hospital Nursing, I had no idea what the word encompassed. How could I? I was 17 years old. My exposure to nurses came from going to work with my mother at a local hospital where I grew up.

I looked up to the nurses as if they were heroes. I remember thinking how special a nurse is.

They are there for the worst and of best times in people’s lives. I knew exactly where I belonged.

I wanted to make a difference somehow, somewhere.

I graduated from a private Baptist college in Oklahoma and sat for my boards in 199. I have no regrets 25 years later. I have worked across the spectrum of nursing — from pediatrics to trauma nursing. I have held hands, hugged and cried with family as their loved one took their last breath. I have rejoiced with parents has they welcomed their child into the world. I have no favorite story to share. What I have is an unbounding pride and enthusiasm for the profession that chose me — nursing.

In nursing, the opportunities are abundant to grow, have peace of mind and dive into opportunities to travel the world and touch lives along the way.

Lorri OSU Medical Center I have wanted to be a nurse since I was kid reading about Clara Barton. Also, several of my aunts are nurses, and they have inspired my career.

Being a nurse means putting others’ needs before yourself. It means providing comfort, care and hope to people in their darkest hour.

Memories are made every day.

The special moments you share with people are little treasures you take with you. It’s holding someone’s hand and praying with them before surgery. It’s being present with them while they shed tears. It’s rejoicing with them in their victories. It’s making the most of a situation and celebrating birthdays and holidays in the hospital room.

Everyone you come into contact with makes an impact on your life. It is an opportunity to be there for others in their time of need.

Katherine Cancer Treatment Centers of America I have always had a deep compassion for the value of human life. This compassion grew even stronger when my brother lost a kidney at a very early age. In fact, this experience touched my life and eventually led me down the path to becoming a nurse in Renal Services/Medical Telemetry at Saint Francis Hospital. And, it is a path for which I will always be grateful.

My life has been blessed many times over by the patients and families I’ve had the opportunity to serve. My career as a nurse has provided many wonderful opportunities, and has also enabled me to grow spiritually, educationally and professionally.

Being a nurse is a career in which one can make a difference — a difference that is evident at the end of each day.

Janice Saint Francis Hospital I spent most of my young life building a foundation that supported my career goal of becoming a doctor. I had the GPA, the drive and, after enlisting in the Army, the financial backing to pay for the education. After some unexpected life events that blessedly yet prematurely brought me into motherhood, I reevaluated my professional pursuits. This reevaluation led me to nursing, the path I should have been traveling all along.

I was so consumed with the idea of becoming a physician that I somehow failed to recognize the true value of nursing.

As a nurse, I see and feel the changes in my patients. I have been at the bedside when a patient successfully communicated their thoughts for the first time after a major stroke.

I have seen the satisfaction of getting to taste cold water after progressing off of tube feedings. I have held hands of people in their last moments of life. To some, I have provided the most essential interventions. Whether it was a hug when times got tough or humor during vulnerable experiences, I have made a genuine difference.

Every day I find satisfaction in my choice to become a nurse. I may not have ended up where I envisioned myself, but I know nursing is where I belong.

Shelby St. John Heyman Stroke Center

I became a nurse, as cliche as it may seem, to help people. It is a simple answer, but it means a whole lot more than those three words. It is also an all-encompassing profession that requires mental, physical, emotional and spiritual strength. I take great pride in lifting people when they are, oftentimes, at a vulnerable point in their life. I fully understand when people are being treated at a hospital that it is not somewhere they want to be. With that being said, it is rewarding to provide care and make them feel as comfortable as possible. There are many long, stressful days, but the opportunity to help and give people a positive experience during a tough time is as rewarding as it gets.

Tyler OSU Medical Center I became a nurse because of the excellent care I received as a patient. During a particularly vulnerable time in my life, the nurses gave me comfort and encouragement, and this sparked a passion within me to provide the same level of care to others.

Being a nurse is an outlet for me to share my compassion with others. From my patients to co-workers, I find great satisfaction when I have made someone’s day a little easier and brighter.

I am truly humbled and honored when previous patients have taken the time to write a card or acknowledge the care I gave them. This truly validates my efforts and lets me know that I’m on the right path.

In addition to the intrinsically rewarding aspects of being a nurse, it is also an in-demand career field with numerous job opportunities. From the military to hospital care, and doctor’s offices to nursing education, there are many wellpaying nursing jobs available across the U.S. Megan Cancer Treatment Centers of America I became a nurse because, I feel, it’s what God called me to do. Nurses are very special people. We hold newborn babies, hold the hands of those suffering and hug the families who have lost a member of their family. We are there in the good times and the not-so-good times. We love being there for our patients and their families no matter the situation. It’s what we were called to do and we serve with honor. For those that want to become a nurse I advise you to pray about it, and if it’s the right path for you then go for it. The possibilities for nurses are so numerous. My advice is to experience as many of those areas as you can so you can find what is right for you. I love being a nurse. I love my patients and their families. I love working at OSU Medical Center.

Lisa OSU Medical Center There are a million stories and memories in nursing, but it is usually the simple stories that stick with you and drive your passion and focus.

I work on a kidney transplant unit at St. John Medical Center.

It is one of the happiest places in the hospital. One of my first transplant patients was crying when I entered the room. Flustered, I immediately went into nursing mode, asking, “Are you in pain? Where do you hurt? Does your incision hurt? Are you bleeding? Are you nauseated?” I learned that the patient was crying because his new kidney enabled him to urinate for the first time in 10 years, a daily function that most take for granted.

Each day, I am humbled by our patients. When you are a nurse, you can be certain that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours.

Lora Beth St. John Medical Center I have always aspired of a career where I could make a difference in people’s lives. And for that very reason, I embarked on the journey of nursing.

Although treating my patients with the utmost respect and care is something that I have always done and been trained to do, it is always special when a patient goes out of their way to remind me that I made a difference in their life. One patient, in particular, once gave me a handmade card with a heartfelt sentiment on it. They talked about how much they appreciated being under my care and reminded me of all the little things I did and how much that added to improving their comfort while they were going through a hard time in their lives.

Valsa Hillcrest Medical Center When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, I lived 500 miles away. She had a nurse who was so kind to me and always calmed my fears. I said during that time that I wanted to be that nurse.

I love being able to help people.

I have so many special memories and lessons, but one that I try to remember daily is the young man who taught me to “live your life to the fullest.”

Nursing is such a fulfilling career, both personally and professionally.

Renee Cancer Treatment Centers of America

I have wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember. I have always held a deep compassion for those who are hurting or going through something difficult in their life. Becoming a labor and delivery nurse was second nature to me; it just fit. It gave me the ability to be exactly what those mommies needed in those vulnerable moments: a friend, a confidant, a cheerleader, a healer, a protector and a voice.

I would encourage others to purse nursing because it is, in my eyes, the most rewarding career. It will teach you respect, responsibility, humility, compassion, empathy and accountability. I believe being a nurse has taught me life lessons that I will never forget. I love being a nurse. It is my heart and my passion, and it is what makes me who I am today.

Ellen Bailey Medical Center I was influenced by a number of professional nurses who were instructors in a school of nursing and who were also instrumental in developing new professional roles and programs for the hospital. They were experts in their areas of practice, passionate about improving care to patients, and innovative in finding and implementing solutions.

They gave me a vision of what a career in nursing could be.

It’s who I am. Being a nurse has given me numerous opportunities to make a difference in the lives of many people either through one-on-one care or through improving our health care system.

I worked with a patient in home care who needed assistance to be able to manage at home. In collaboration with her and her family, we were able to identify and obtain community support for her to be able to stay in her own home.

Nurses practice in many environments and in many capacities. Our education prepares us to help people live healthy lives as well as understand and cope with life circumstances that can be barriers to the kind of life they wish to have.

Donna Cancer Treatment Centers of America I felt God calling me to be a nurse at a very early age. By the age of 13, I had declared that I was going to Oral Roberts University to become a nurse — and with God’s help, I did just that. I love to help people, take care of them and make a difficult time better.

I have always liked working with kids, as well as the challenge of being in a critical care environment. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit offers the perfect blend. Some days are hard, but seeing our patients get better is such a reward.

Nursing is an amazing profession that empowers you to make a difference for patients and families during some of the most difficult and stressful times of their lives. The love and care you give your patients and their families is lifechanging for them. Nursing is a field in which you can make a difference every single day. I couldn’t possibly find a better way to spend my work day.

RobAnn The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis Most nurses will say that they chose nursing or, perhaps more accurately, nursing chose them out of a fundamental desire to help others. I am no different. I recognized early in my career an affinity for working with patients and their families who have experienced life-altering neurological conditions, such as traumatic head and spinal cord injuries, brain tumors and brain aneurysms. Initially, the challenge these very ill patients posed piqued my interest. As my career progressed, I realized that people are rarely prepared for the suddenness and complex nature of a debilitating neurological condition and, as a result, they oftentimes lack the understanding and resources to adequately cope with their new situation.

St. John Health System identified this need and created the neuroscience nurse navigator position to augment patient care through education, support, and improved interaction with the healthcare team. For the person scared to have their aneurysm treated, I am the one holding their hand as they go to sleep. For the brain tumor patient, I am the one scheduling and accompanying them to their neurosurgical and oncological appointments, as well as teaching them about their brain cancer. For the aneurysm patient, I am the one welcoming them to their first aneurysm survivor support group meeting. While all of these patients are embarking on their own personal journey, knowing that they do not have to take this journey alone is why I am a nurse.

Priscilla St. John Health System I was attending Tulsa Community College in 2008, finishing my engineering prerequisites, when my oldest son was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Following this diagnosis, the care my son received at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis was incredible.

Not only was I impressed by the way the nurses cared for my son, but also by the care and respect they showed our family. This experience inspired me to change my focus and earn a nursing degree — hoping I could be just like the nurses who took such wonderful care of us. To me, nursing is a show of love. As nurses, we provide care, love and show compassion to our patients daily. We show love by providing dignity and going beyond whenever we can for our patients.

Lisa Saint Francis Hospital South

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As a little girl, I remember pretending to be a nurse. My friends would come over to my house, and I would pretend to chart and take their blood pressure, temperature and use cross-stitch string and plastic bags as IVs. When my friends weren’t available I would use stuffed animals and baby dolls.

I always wanted to care for and serve people.

Being a nurse is hugging and sitting in silence while a new widow weeps the loss of their spouse who has been taken off life support. Being a nurse is cheering your patient on as they walk for the first time after being on a ventilator for months. Being a nurse is a calling.

If I have learned anything about being a nurse, it is that I must trust that God is in control. He must receive all the praise in every circumstance.

One of my patients had reached her final moments of life and knew her time on earth was coming to an end. Her husband had expressed that her one wish was to see her daughter get married. Our staff turned this wish into a reality. The couple exchanged vows alongside the patient (the mother of the bride) as well as a room of close family and friends. This was a moment I will never forget.

Knowing that I can make a difference in the lives of others as a nurse encourages me to start each new day with purpose and impact. Each day brings a new fresh start.

Maloree Cancer Treatment Centers of America I am privileged to work with oncology and blood and marrow transplant patients at Saint Francis Hospital.

Through my work, I’ve experienced many special moments, yet a memory that stands out occurred the first time I was the lead nurse on a stem cell transplant procedure. It was incredible to know I was helping that person reclaim their life — spend time with family, see the world, see their children get married and meet their grandkids. Each time I have infused stem cells since then has been special, yet the first time is something I’ll never forget.

It is such a blessing to see that particular patient — and many others — at least once a year at the Survivor Party we have for all of our patients. There are always hugs — and maybe a few tears — because, as an oncology nurse, your patients become your family and you become theirs.

Whenever I face challenges, I always think back on that first bone marrow transplant patient who is out there enjoying life, in part because of what I was called to do as a nurse.

Jaclyn Saint Francis Hospital I would encourage others to become a nurse because it is truly a rewarding job. Helping others is at the center of nursing care, but it is so much more than that. Leaving at the end of your shift you feel as though you did some good in this world, hopefully, making a difference in someone’s life. One of the main reasons I decided to become a nurse was because there are a tremendous amount of opportunities and paths you can take in the nursing field. That aspect of nursing really appealed to me. I liked knowing that if one unit or specialty didn’t fit me, there would always be other options for me to move forward with. I became an operating room circulator directly out of nursing school and have been working in the same operating room for the past six years. I am very fortunate to have found something I am very passionate about and enjoy. Nursing is a very challenging profession and isn’t always easy, but it definitely has always been worth it.

Meghan OSU Medical Center I became a nurse to continue a lifelong dream of helping others. To me, being a nurse means connecting with people and providing them with support and care to make their lives better. Even if I just make one day better, it makes a difference to my patients as well as myself.

One of my favorite memories of being a nurse is when I worked in the neurotrauma intensive care unit at St. John.

My patient had a stroke, which caused a rapid decline in his neuro status, but as the night went on he started to make small improvements. I woke up his wife so she could witness these improvements and, although they were small things that many take for granted, they were big things to my patient and his family. As my patient’s wife talked, they held hands, and he would nod appropriately. We surrounded his bed and cried, celebrating something they had been longing for: hope.

I would encourage anyone who is interested in nursing to give it a chance because it’s the most rewarding and challenging career. I am forever thankful to my dearest medical professionals for their encouragement and support. I am continuing my education and will strive to be a family nurse practitioner so I can provide preventative care and treatment for the entire family.

Kassi St. John Sapulpa I became a nurse to be a resource to those around me. I truly enjoy learning and teaching patients how to better their lives. Knowing that families trust me with their loved ones is such an honor.

OSU Medical Center is an environment where I feel like I am valued member of the team.

Halee OSU Medical Center

I always wanted to work in health care, but it was my aunt (a nurse herself ) who encouraged me to give nursing a try. I have loved it ever since. To me, nursing is a platform for which people like me can take the lead to display high levels of kindness and compassion. It brings me much joy when my former patients come back to say “hi” and “thank you.” Some of them I took care of over 20 years ago.

I would encourage others to choose nursing because of the unlimited opportunities you get each and every day to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Neil Hillcrest Medical Center In a days’ work, I perform CPR, deliver a baby in the dark in the backseat of a truck parked close to the ER doors, start an IV on a crashing patient, inform family members that our team is working to save the life of a loved one, triage broken bones, help manage the care of a STEMI, take a patient to IR for a cold leg, recognize child abuse and notify authorities, give medication, draw blood, hang fluids, manage multiple drips on a patient being transferred to the ICU, apply pressure dressings, educate about safe sex, laugh, cry, watch the disbelief on the face of a woman told she would never have children as she hears the heartbeat of her unborn baby for the first time, give reassurance, and then I sit for a moment to chart it all.

This is nursing. It is education, bedside manner, humor, teamwork, compassion, multi-tasking, the ability to think on your feet and patience for your patients. All of these things appeal to me. I can’t imagine any job being any more rewarding to me than the job I have chosen.

Misty OSU Medical Center I am a hospice nurse by calling.

Just because I am strong, professional and knowledgeable in front of patients and their families, does not mean I am any less affected by the gravity of what they must endure. I truly love that I have the ability to bring comfort during this transitional and difficult time in my patients’ lives. Through each experience, I always tell myself, “If it no longer affects you, then it’s time to do something different.” I am grateful for my sad days. The reason for this is because I believe this compassion enables me to be truly effective in providing the comfort and care for our hospice patients.

Tina Saint Francis Hospice On two separate occasions while I was growing up, my mom battled cancer. It was scary, but I was able to see how much the nurses cared for her and how special the nurses were to her. Nursing is so much more than a career; it is a passion. When you are a nurse, you often work weekends and holidays — but, I promise every single minute is worth it — such as the day we discharged a patient as a fully functioning person, who some weeks earlier could not walk or talk.

Everyone hears about the unstable economy and fears of layoffs or cutbacks. As a nurse, this is seldom the case. Nurses are always needed. As a nurse, you have the ability to earn one degree, but then choose from a wide selection of specialties.

Charel Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital I was inspired to pursue nursing by my father who was a medic in Vietnam. I became a nurse to not only help people, but also to have the ability to learn and work in any field of medicine.

Nursing, to me, means one has the ability to help or guide people/patients to a healthier or better quality of life and that is a rewarding feeling. One memory that stands out for me was saving a man’s life that had a cardiac arrest. He survived and continues to keep in touch and thank me every time I see him.

If someone would like a career that is not only rewarding but also offers the ability to work in any aspect of health care, then I would encourage them to look into nursing as a career.

David Oklahoma Heart Institute I love being a nurse and enjoy coming to work every day.

I can’t imagine doing anything else. Working in a small community hospital, you can have a variety of jobs and make a real difference in the lives of your patients and in the lives of your fellow nurses. There are times when the job seems so overwhelming and daunting, then a patient will say “Thank you for being a wonderful nurse,” and it makes it all worth it.

I believe that nursing is more than a choice, it is a calling. I would encourage a career in nursing because it offers job security, flexible schedules, opportunities for advancement and a chance to make a huge difference in the lives around you.

Debbie St. John Owasso

I had an aunt whom I looked up to who was an R.N. She was smart, compassionate and committed to her profession and used to tell me stories about her experiences. I knew that I wanted to make a difference in someone’s life.

Nursing can be a lifelong career that can take you many places and many experiences.

Nursing allows you to be a part of another person’s journey, and permits a glimpse into a person’s private life. You can have the privilege of being there and sharing the best and worst moments of someone’s life.

When I was a case manager in hospice I was caring for a delightful lady who was married and had six children. There was so much love in this family. The hour had come for her passing and all of her children and husband surrounded her bed on their knees. They were talking to her, praying for her and telling her how much she was loved and how she would be missed. I can imagine how wonderful it was for her to be ushered out of this world by those dearest to her.

Nursing is in great demand everywhere, the salary is good, and I can promise you will never be bored. There are so many areas to work in from newborns to hospice. Your critical thinking skills will be developed and honed. Without sounding cliché, you can make a difference in other people’s lives. I can never imagine doing anything else.

Karen Cancer Treatment Centers of America I come from a long line of nurses, so to speak — my mom is a nurse, as well as half my family. My mom has been the biggest influence in my decision to become a nurse. I also knew I wanted to serve others and to make a difference in other people’s lives.

Nursing to me is providing care and compassion to others at a time when they need it the most.

My favorite nursing memories are when I have patients who have had hip surgery and they work so hard to walk again. To see the look of pride on their faces when they meet their goals, that is always amazing to me!

I encourage others to become a nurse because of the never-ending opportunities. Become part of a team to change lives, benefit others, and gain experiences to learn and grow … nursing is ever changing.

Michelle Jane Phillips Nowata Health Center My family taught me to help anyone in need without expecting anything in return. While I was an emergency medical technician, the nurses encouraged me to become a nurse so I could help more people.

Being a nurse means I will always do my best to help patients and their families achieve a holistic state of wellbeing — not only through the traditional role of direct patient care, but also through patient and family education and advocacy.

Several years ago, the hospital where I used to work received a long-distance call from someone who sought me out because they had seen me in action as a patient advocate. They needed the same kind of help for their family member. I was able to provide the caller with patient-care information, questions to ask the physicians and staff, as well as agencies to call inside and outside of the hospital to arrange home care for their family member.

Nurses can utilize their experience and skills beyond the role of direct patient care. Most importantly, nursing is a profession with unlimited possibilities to help people.

Keith Cancer Treatment Centers of America I’ve known I wanted to be a nurse as long as I can remember. I think I just liked helping people feel better. My parents encouraged me. I guess they knew it was my calling.

Being a nurse means helping others. I’ve worked in ER, Surgical ICU and now the OR. Each area is different with different patient interactions. In the OR, I try to alleviate fear and make my patients and their families as comfortable as possible. Seeing my patients smile and feel comfortable with the experience makes me love my job.

Being a nurse also means being a patient advocate. Our patients are sometimes afraid to ask questions or just don’t know what to ask. I explain each step of the process and encourage any questions to assure understanding. Keeping families informed of progress and seeing their level of comfort is just as important.

Nursing means holding patients’ and their families’ hands, showing them you care. My philosophy is to treat others as you’d want to be treated. It’s hard work, but it’s the most rewarding profession I’ve found.

Donna OSU Medical Center I had a patient who was having a very difficult time in their life. They were struggling with traumatic events that had occurred in their past, combined with current stresses. The patient asked me to stay with them and talk, as they reached for my hand to hold. After only a short time the patient began to relax as they told me their story of past events and how their current situation relates to those events. It would have been so easy to walk away, saying I was too busy, but instead I stayed and was reminded that every person has a defining story and has seen trials that some can only imagine.

For me, nursing means service; not simply to be a servant, but to serve a greater good through not only actions and deeds but through caring, devotion and advocacy.

Dustin Hillcrest Hospital South

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Insights in NURSING With a calming hand, a wealth of knowledge and a heart full of compassion, nurses demonstrate their professional training and personal commitment to their patients and their families every day.

Here are uplifting glimpses into the lives of five local nurses who love what they do.

Patients need a navigator

She helps sick babies heal

Fear, confusion, isolation (that feeling field since 1986, finds it very gratifying of being all alone) — those are the ing to serve her patients in this way. shadowy feelings that close in on some“I have had the privilege to help one who receives a cancer diagnosis. patients in both in-patient and outpaAlma Hallmark helps tient settings, which have patients at Tulsa’s Cancer involved chemotherapy, raTreatment Centers of diation and surgery. My exAmerica (CTCA) navigate perience and training gives the maze of cancer treatme the knowledge to share ment on their journeys to with patients about things health. they would be encountering “Receiving a breast during their treatment. cancer diagnosis is very Hallmark reaches out to overwhelming,” says Hallnew patients before they mark, who is a certified enter the center to gather breast nurse navigator at the right information for CTCA. “They are scared, them and help arrange any Alma Hallmark and they have other isappointments they may sues going on at home that they must need during their evaluation. She will deal with including their diagnosis. meet with the patients on their first day “My job is to help guide patients and every day throughout the evaluathrough education about their breast tion. cancer, make sure they are set up with “This is a touch point to make sure the appropriate doctors who they need we are meeting their needs and can to see and help them deal with any help answer any question they may emotional and psychological issues have,” Hallmark says. “I will also have an they may face in dealing with this diageducational visit with them to go over nosis,” she adds. “I also am a sounding their particular pathology information board for them as they work through and discuss possible treatment options their treatment.” that the physicians may discuss with Serving as a guide, advocate, educathem based on this information. tor and liaison — nurse navigator is a Unfortunately, Hallmark says, most relatively new specialty, and the majorpatients have been told only that they ity of this type of nursing is in the field have breast cancer, and no other inforof oncology. mation has been given to them.

While advances in cancer treatment “I feel when we empower the patient have made a big difference in outwith information, they will be better comes, saving millions of lives over the equipped to do the correct treatment past three decades, patients today often for themselves and feel more confident face more complex decisions about about what they are actually doing,” she treatments as well as follow-up options adds. than ever before.

Nursing gives you an opportunity to Several studies have shown that navi- help people at their most vulnerable gation services increase participation times in life. in cancer screening and dedication to “It’s an opportunity to be a giver,” follow-up care.

Hallmark says. “I would absolutely recHallmark, who has been in the nursommend nursing.”

“There were children back then who we Judy Toman specializes in helping sick couldn’t save,” Toman adds. “Now we’re able babies stay alive.

The registered nurse has done so for 38 to save their lives.” years at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Saint Francis is one of only two hospitals Francis. She graduated from the University in Oklahoma equipped with ECMO; the of Tulsa’s nursing program in 1978, landed other is in Oklahoma City. a job in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Toman now coordinates the ECMO (NICU) and never left. program at Saint Francis. The procedure is Toman discovered the specialty during used after all other modes of therapy have one of her rotations at Saint Francis during been tried and the infant or child has an 80 nursing school. percent chance of dying without it.

“The NICU seemed so challenging with She says ECMO is administered in only lots of opportunities to grow as a nurse,” 10 to 12 cases per year at Saint Francis. ToToman said. man is on call 24/7 along with several other That’s exactly how it has nurses trained in the proceworked out, and why she has dure. ECMO patients remain on remained. the heart-lung bypass machine Over her career, Toman has an average of seven days, but seen medical advancements Toman has seen a patient stay in the equipment and proceattached to the machine for 31 dures used to save newborn days and survive. infants’ lives, and she loves Not every patient makes it. the opportunity to continue Toman says she also aplearning. preciates the technological Of all the changes she has improvements made in venseen, a procedure known as tilators over the years, which Extracorporeal Membrane have saved many patients Judy Toman Oxygenation (ECMO) tops her from needing ECMO. list. It is a life support therapy offered to Toman also helped put together a infants and children with severe breathing therapeutic hypothermia program in 2007 or heart problems. ECMO is a form of heart for the NICU. It allows infants and children and lung bypass that is used as a tempowith neurological problems to be cooled to rary support for infants and children who 33.5 degrees for 72 hours soon after birth, are failing all other conventional methods allowing the brain to rest and respond to of life support. other treatments.

The ECMO machine circulates blood Toman developed her love of nursthrough an artificial lung outside the body, ing while growing up and watching her where it is oxygenated and then pumped mother, who worked as the head nurse of back into the young patient’s bloodstream. surgery in Bartlesville from the time Toman This allows the lungs and heart time to was 5. heal.

“She was a dedicated nurse,” says ToSaint Francis introduced the procedure man, who has one son and one grandson. in 1988.

“I always looked up to her for her desire “It’s something that really intrigued me,” to help others. When I graduated from TU she says. “I had been a nurse for 10 years Nursing School, she pinned me and then and wanted to continue learning and be retired. I guess I was supposed to follow in challenged. her footsteps.”

Watching babies be born is her thrill Malary Scott never wavered in what she wanted to we walk the moms through the whole process, telling do professionally when she became an adult. She was them what to expect and just being a support person going to be a nurse. for them.”

It started at a career day at Catoosa High School.

Scott loves what she does, even after 10 years.

Afterward, she got to shadow a nurse at She especially loves seeing new moms Hillcrest Medical Center. “It was fantastic,” and dads during the first hour after their she recalls. babies enter the world — “watching She didn’t wait long to pursue her them bond with their baby and getting dream. After several months of shadowto know them and seeing what they look ing, she completed the training to belike for the first time.” come a certified nursing assistant (CNA), While that’s the norm in her daily routhen went to nursing school at Rogers tine, Scott also provides support during State University in Claremore. the difficult times when a baby does not Scott, 29, now works as a registered survive. nurse in the labor and delivery unit at HillHillcrest operates a palliative care crest. She has been with the Tulsa hospital program for newborns — the only one in since she was 17.

Oklahoma.

Malary Scott She fell in love with labor and delivery The SILAS program provides comfort after working at the hospital for only a few months. to a terminally-ill newborn and the best possible qual“Getting to watch babies being born was just amazity of life. ing,” she says. “Watching them being brought into this “That’s something we do only at Hillcrest,” Scott says. world amazed me every time and still does. It’s fantas“I had the honor of being there when Silas, the baby tic!” that this program is named after, was born and then Scott, who has two daughters of her own, works on holding his mama’s hand while he went to be with the a team of nurses who help pregnant moms through Lord. labor and afterward, including how to breast- or bottle“It’s a very special program for us.” feed their newborns.

As difficult as situations such as that are, even for “We’re by their side the whole time,” the Tulsa resiScott, she considers it an honor just to watch a baby dent says. “We also have a lot of pre-term babies who being born. end up in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), and “There’s no other way to put it,” Scott says.

This committed float nurse does it all getting to know my patients and what conditions Chika Okwufulueze’s training as a nurse began they came to the hospital with. Then, I will make a long before she received her formal instruction in medical school. plan of care to accommodate the patients’ needs She owes her professional calling and inspiraand their loved ones, too. Such care plans entail tion to her late grandmother in Nigeria. Growing up assessment, medication administration, pain relief, there, Okwufulueze helped her grandmother serve provision of comfort, feeding and nutrition, attendas a traditional midwife, monitoring pregnant woming to their personal hygiene, health education, en and safely delivering their babies. psychological and spiritual support if “I witnessed the joy and satisfaction needed. she had as she watched these children “There is never a dull moment in my grow,” Okwufulueze says. “She had no career.” formal training, and she did not make a Okwufulueze adds that the nursing lot of money, but she was always glad profession allows her to help people to help the poor. So, I vowed to go into even in their most vulnerable condinursing so I can accomplish more than tions, and she takes that responsibility my grandma.” as a rewarding challenge.

Okwufulueze, 40, is now in her 16th She recalls one patient in the medyear as a registered nurse, serving the ical-surgical unit who, due to his size, last eight years at OSU Medical Center could not reach to scratch parts of his in Tulsa. body that itched.

Chika Okwufulueze “I am loving every bit of it,” she adds. “I “He was constantly on the call light go to work every day knowing that I will be spending asking for help to scratch or rub some intimate parts my time with the most awesome people in the world.” of his body,” Okwufulueze says. “Needless to say, this Okwufulueze serves as a float nurse at OSUMC was embarrassing for him to ask. So, I bought him a because it gives her the opportunity to care for wooden scratcher from our gift shop and personaldifferent categories of patients, ranging from those ized it with the message ‘wishing you good health coming into the emergency room, intensive care and independence’. Let’s just say he was overjoyed unit, surgical units, maternity and other specialties. with that simple gesture.”

“My duties at work depend on the unit that I work She knows how much her grandmother would that day,” Okwufulueze says. “Typically, it involves have approved.

Critical care is his passion In a hospital intensive care unit, each day brings a flurry of intense activity as medical professionals work together to care for seriously injured or ill patients.

Paul Gilmartin knew that was what he wanted to do with his life.

“Previously, I’d been in information technology and then sales,” Gilmartin says. “I wanted to change careers and find something more fulfilling. The more I looked at nursing, the more I felt it would be a good fit for my Paul Gilmartin personality.”

Originally from Ireland, Gilmartin, 46, moved to Tulsa 23 years ago. He had previously lived in England for a few years, working for a company there with headquarters in Tulsa.

Fast forward to when Gilmartin lives in Tulsa with a budding interest in nursing.

“I started on that path doing some prerequisites at school, then I signed up for the nursing program at Tulsa Community College,” he recalls. “I did that full-time for two years. Prior to graduating, I did clinicals at several hospitals around town. I discovered a really good feel when I was at St. John and knew this was where I wanted to work.”

Gilmartin applied for and became a nurse extern at St. John the summer before he graduated. That was in May 2008, his official hiring date with St. John.

He works in the adult ICU at St. John, and the fast-paced atmosphere requires a laser focus. As a critical care nurse, Gilmartin is responsible for ensuring that acutely and critically ill patients and their families receive optimal care.

“We are directly involved with making assessments. The physicians lean on us quite a bit to guide them so our assessments are very important,” Gilmartin says. “The physician might be thinking, ‘Well, this guy could move out of the ICU today.’ But if we see something that makes us not so sure and we think we need to hang onto him a little longer, the physician will listen to us. The last thing a physician wants is to send somebody out of the ICU and have to bring them back the next day.”

A critical care nurse also is a patient advocate. That involves serving as a liaison between the patient, the patient’s family and other healthcare professionals — at all times putting the patient first.

“Nursing is a wonderful profession,” Gilmartin says. “It’s challenging and it’s hard work, but it’s so rewarding. I feel like I make a difference for the patients and their families. Working in an environment where you are a team is rewarding. The doctors, the nurses and the respiratory therapists lean on and count on each other.

Everybody feels like their role on the team is very important.”

Nurses leave footprints in the lives of their patients every day.

“One young lady in her 20s was close to dying, and we were doing every intervention we could,” Gilmartin remembers. “It was looking bleak, and we were losing hope by the minute. For probably a week, it looked like she was not going to make it, then ever so slowly she started to turn the corner. She had a long recovery, but she made it home. Every so often, she’ll come back to see us.

She always comes to see me because I was the nurse with her for so long. It’s so rewarding. She is so thankful when she sees us, and we are so thankful when we see her because it reminds us of what we can do.”

Gilmartin wouldn’t trade his career for anything. However he would change one thing: “My only wish — if I had my life to do over again — I would start being a nurse when I was much younger.”

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Ongoing nursing shortage creates career opportunities at senior living communities (BPT) — You’ve likely heard about the nursing shortage for years now, and perhaps you think it’s been resolved. However, registered nurses are near the top of the list when it comes to employment growth.

Additionally: • Over the past decade, the average age of employed RNs has increased by nearly two years, from 42.7 years in 2000 to 44.6 years in 2010.

• America is seeing vast increases in the number of people over 65. This age group has many medical and health needs, and will put a strain on our health system.

• Recent reforms in health care will give millions of people access to the health-care system. More nurses and health professionals are needed in response.

These factors, combined with an anticipated strengthening of the economy, will create a renewed critical shortage for nurses.

“The potential lack of nurses in assisted living communities is particularly concerning,” says Kim Estes, senior vice president of clinical services for Brookdale Senior Living.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that by 2022, American health-care facilities will need 1 million more nurses than there will be nurses practicing. At the same time, people 65 and older will account for 16 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus. With 85 percent of seniors having at least one chronic medical condition and more than two-thirds having at least two, seniors are the age group most in need of care.

Any labor shortage, however, can have

a silver lining for those who are willing to train for the understaffed market and pursue available jobs where the need is greatest.

“The nursing shortage, aging population and rising incidence of chronic conditions are creating a perfect storm of opportunity for nurses who want to go into caring for those in assisted living,” Estes says.

“Many nurses don’t think about going into senior living as a career path because it’s not a typical hospital or doctor’s office position, but it can be very rewarding.

Rather than treating a patient and moving onto another patient, assisted living gives nurses the opportunity to build longlasting relationships and enrich the lives of residents and their families.”

Some assisted living communities hire nurses as health-and-wellness directors.

They oversee all clinical services within a community including managing care associates, setting standards and leading health-and-wellness programming.

Rather than providing daily hands-on care, these nurses shape the overall quality and content of care their community’s seniors receive on a daily basis. The work offers opportunity to advance to higherlevel leadership positions at the district, regional and corporate level which pay significantly more than a typical hospital or physician’s office job.

Some health-care providers are taking action to combat the looming nursing shortage, offering support, training and assistance to people interested in entering the profession. For example, Brookdale is

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The nursing shortage, aging population and rising incidence of chronic conditions are creating a perfect storm of opportunity for nurses who want to go into caring for those in assisted living. launching a student loan reimbursement program hoping to attract more nurses to work in assisted living.

“Whether you’re already working as a

nurse, or are considering a career in nursing, working in a senior living community can be professionally, personally and financially rewarding,” Estes says.

School nurses often unsung heroes

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Nurses bring smiles to the faces of their patients as they meet their needs, often at the most trying times in their lives. Find out how you can show your appreciation to these caring professionals, and garner a few smiles in return.

How to show a nurse you care (MCS) — Nurses are often the first people patients see when visiting hospitals. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources Services Administration, there were 2.8 million registered nurses, including advanced practice RNs, and 690,000 licensed practical nurses, or LPNs, in the United States between the years of 2008 and 2010.

Nurses fill many roles in the medical community, assisting doctors and helping to make in-patient stays more comfortable for men and women who are ill or injured. Specialized nurses, such as nurse practitioners, may even serve as the primary health-care provider, offering diagnoses and writing prescriptions.

While there is a specific week set aside to show appreciation to nurses each year, many people agree that these caring professionals deserve recognition throughout the year. Any instance is a good time to give back to nurses, and the following are a few ways to honor the nurses in your life.

• Play caretaker to him or her.

Nurses tend to the needs of others all the time, but some nurses do not get the respite they deserve. Those who want to show appreciation to a nurse who has helped them in their lives can present the nurse with a gift card for a massage and soothing spa treatment.

• Cater a meal.

Offer to cater a meal at the hospital or medical office so that all nurses on staff can benefit. If there is one nurse

in particular you want to treat, give that nurse a gift card to a local restaurant.

• Provide foot relief.

Nurses spend hours on their feet, and that can cause pain or stiffness throughout the body. Present a gift card to a store that specializes in comfort shoes or custom orthotics. A certificate for a pedicure or foot massage would be appreciated as well.

• Create a charmed existence.

Charm bracelets are the rage right now, and nurses may appreciate a bracelet that highlights their career path with specific charms. For something they can wear on the job, treat nurses to a Steth-o-Charm, which is a charm that slides securely onto stethoscopes. These charms come in many designs and can make for a memorable gift.

(MCS) — School nurses do much more seizure disorders has increased. According than apply bandages to playground to the American Diabetes Association, scrapes. School nurses conduct vital health roughly 1 in every 400 children and adoscreenings and are often the security lescents has diabetes. School nurses may blanket for students who need special care help administer life-saving insulin shots to during school hours. Despite all they do, children who need them. school nurses are often the unsung heroes Researchers estimate that up to 15 milwithin the school community. lion Americans have food allergies.

School nurses certainly tackle their This potentially deadly disease affects share of fevers, 1 in every 13 nosebleeds, children (under cuts and 18 years of scrapes, but age) in the U.S. nurses play othThat’s roughly er pivotal roles two in every as well, calling classroom. up moms and These children dads to pick up can have severe their sick sons or life-threatenand daughters, ing reactions. overseeing School nurses the school’s may treat health policies serious allergic and helping to reactions or ensure a safe provide a safe school enviplace where ronment for children with students. serious allergies In addition, can eat lunch. the role of the In some school nurse cases, school has changed nurses become dramatically a mediator over the years. between home A school nurse and school. may oversee Nurses may vaccination indirectly be schedules. He teaching stuor she also dents as well. may arrange Each time the for assemblies nurse treats a regarding condition, he “change of life” or she may be seminars for educating stuchildren about dents on how to enter puberto avoid that ty. When there Courtesy situation in the is an epidemic future. For exYoungsters may not recognize it, but school at the school, nurses provide a valuable service that can make a ample, a nurse the nurse is may impart the school day injury much easier to handle. often charged importance of with notifying eating breakstaff and parents and helping to contain fast to avoid a morning headache or teach the situation. youngsters about the benefits of stretching Apart from all of the tasks in treating before diving into physical education class. sick children, nurses also are essential in School nurses are often the unsung hehelping to keep children with life-threatroes of a school, wiping away tears when ening diseases healthy while they are at youngsters suffer an injury at school and school. The number of children with seriacting as a reassuring voice when such ous allergies, diabetes, asthma, and even injuries are painful.

• Give a decorative badge reel.

Nurses must wear identification or have swipe cards on their person to gain access to areas of hospitals. Many badges are standard items without any flare or style. A colorful or decorative badge reel can be a nice way to brighten up a nurse’s day.

• Give verbal or handwritten thanks.

One of the easiest and most heartfelt ways to show your appreciation to nurses is to simply tell them how you feel. Offer a handwritten note or speak with a nurse in person. Such a simple gesture does not take much effort, but it is bound to make an impact.

The Florence Nightingale Pledge This modified Hippocratic Oath was composed in 1893 by Mrs. Lystra E. Gretter and a Committee for the Farrand Training School for Nurses in Detroit, Michigan. It was called the Florence Nightingale Pledge as a token of esteem for the founder of modern nursing.

I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate

the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.

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Types of medical nurses The nursing field is comprised of many different types of nurse. Here are descriptions of various types of nursing jobs: Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) — These are also known as nurses’ aides, patient care technicians, home health aides or home health assistants (HHAs). CNAs provide patients with assistance in their daily living tasks, working under the supervision of a registered nurse. They can be found in hospitals and in different types of nursing homes, adult living facilities, even in private homes.

Registered Nurse (RN) — Registered nurses comprise the largest occupation in health care, and they have the most flexible type of nursing career. RNs perform a variety of duties including providing treatments, educating patients and their families about various medical conditions, and providing advice and emotional support to patients and family members. RNs may choose to specialize.

Travel Nurse — This is an RN who takes travel assignments, working in hospitals across the country for periods of around three months at a time. These nurses are highly paid and enjoy generous benefits, since their services are in such high demand.

Public Health Nurse (PHN) — Public health nurses are RNs with specialized training in community health. In addition to providing the standard RN functions within their hospital or care facility, PHNs frequently travel to patients’ homes, schools or community centers, where they work with families and individuals to find viable, accessible solutions to community health concerns.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) — Licensed practical nurses work in all areas of health care and have more training than CNAs, but less than RNs. LPNs provide basic bedside care such as taking vital signs, preparing and giving injections, applying dressings and ice packs, and monitoring the patient’s overall condition. LPNs also observe and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments, sometimes performing routine laboratory tests.

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Through virtual simulation education, nurses are learning to care for diverse populations and practicing global health scenarios including epidemics, rare illnesses and other infectious diseases.

Nurses address global health care concerns through virtual learning (BPT) — People are more connected now than ever before thanks to the globalization of technology, international travel, commerce and industry. But this interconnectedness also means that health concerns, which were once limited to a community, can have a global impact. The Zika virus, the outbreak recently declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO), is the latest example of a foreign health issue that quickly raised concern within our borders.

Nurses are using the technology that connects us to prepare for this new reality.

Through virtual simulation education, they are learning to care for diverse populations and practicing global health scenarios including epidemics, rare illnesses and other infectious diseases.

“Globalization has changed our approach to health care. Viral diseases can spread rapidly, so we have to be ready,” says Dee McGonigle, professor in Chamberlain College of Nursing’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program. “Virtual learning environments provide valuable, interactive education on best practices for patient safety and disease containment in a real-time scenario that mimics real life.”

Dr. McGonigle heads up the college’s 3-D Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

During the Ebola outbreak in 2014, she and several colleagues built the Virtual Ebola Treatment Center (VETC) in Second Life, a virtual world created by its global community of users. In Second Life, users — known as residents — are represented by avatars that can walk, run, sit, stand, fly and interact with other residents.

Chamberlain students learned how to admit and care for Ebola patients by practicing scenarios in the VETC within Second Life. Faculty from the MSN Informatics specialty track facilitated and mentored students through the risk-free virtual learning experience.

Like the Zika virus, the Ebola crisis was a wake-up call that proved how quickly disease can spread and how important it is to be prepared. Seemingly overnight, health care professionals and students nationwide were tasked with developing expertise on a disease that was previously of little concern to U.S. citizens.

“Nurses around the world were looking

for answers,” says Dr. McGonigle. “We knew we had the opportunity to build a critical training tool to prepare our students to treat Ebola patients.”

Chamberlain alumna Kellany CadoganNoland, now a clinical learning lab specialist at Chamberlain, utilized Second Life for her MSN Informatics Specialty Track nursing project. Second Life nursing projects are designed to help those who cannot complete them in a real-world situation because of geographic or other limitations.

Cadogan-Noland used the VETC to test potential responses to an Ebola outbreak in the United States. She collaborated with mentors around the country to determine which infrastructures and clinical processes — such as clinical dressing locations for hospital staff — were most effective at disease containment. Within weeks of completing her project, the West African outbreak had spread to the United States.

Cadogan-Noland and her team adjusted their VETC strategy to implement and test containment plans as they were announced by the WHO. “I benefitted more from Second Life than I would have through an onsite project because we could adapt the virtual environment to our learning needs so quickly,” Cadogan-Noland says. “I was able to quickly test scenarios through simulations. We couldn’t have accomplished this within such a short timeframe in a brick and mortar facility.”

Chamberlain faculty and students can easily adapt their model of virtual simulation education to address other emerging global health issues like the Zika virus, giving nurses like Cadogan-Noland an extraordinary window to the rest of the world. Dr. McGonigle and other Chamberlain leaders behind the VETC are planning more interprofessional collaboration in the future to explore new innovative applications of the virtual learning experience for their students.

“The quality of virtual learning is continually evolving with enhanced technology and feedback from putting simulation methods into practice,” says Dr. McGonigle.

“We have so much more to discover with virtual learning. We are just getting started as we use it this to educate nurses who will go on to transform health care worldwide.”

Salute to Nurses Contest runs May 1 through 22 National Nurses Week is May 6-12. In celebration, Tulsa World is asking readers to nominate an outstanding nurse who they believe deserves special recognition. Nominations will be accepted at tulsaworld.com/contests from May 1-13. Please submit a photo and the reason why you think this nurse is special.

Readers may vote May 14-22 for their favorite among the nominees.

The winning nurse will be contacted May 23 and will receive a $100 gift card to any Bloomin’ Brands restaurant (Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’s Italian Grill or Outback Steakhouse).

Be sure to check tulsaworld.com/contests on May 31 to learn which deserving nurse has been selected.

Hillcrest and Cancer Treatment Centers of America are sponsoring the contest.

Nurse Practitioner — A nurse practitioner is an RN who has completed additional courses and specialized training in order to function as a doctor. There are a few different types of nurse practitioner, and any of them can work with or without the supervision of a physician. They take on additional duties in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, and in many states they may write prescriptions. At the advanced level, nurse practitioners provide basic primary health care, diagnosing and treating illnesses and injuries as a doctor would.

Nurse Midwife — A nurse midwife is an RN who has completed additional specialized education in nurse midwifery. Nurse midwives practice the obstetrical and gynecological care of pregnant women, including prenatal care, delivery, and infant care after birth. Many work with the same women from puberty until menopause.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) — A certified registered nurse anesthetist is an RN with specialized training in anesthetics. CRNAs work closely with other health-care professionals such as surgeons, dentists, podiatrists and anesthesiologists. A CRNA takes care of a patient’s anesthesia needs before, during and after surgery and other procedures.

Home Health Nurse (HHN) — Home health nurses are RNs who provide periodic services to patients at home. They may travel to a patient’s home from their hospital of employment, or they may work for a home health-care facility or outpatient center.

Their job is to care for patients who cannot leave home, and instruct patients’ families on healthy living.

Occupational Health Nurse — Occupational health nurses provide for and deliver health and safety programs and services to workers, worker populations and community groups. Depending on the employer, an occupational health nurse may provide emergency care, prepare accident reports and arrange for further care if necessary.

S 12 n n Sunday, May 1, 2016

NURSES DAY