Thursday, January 29, 2009

How Do I Dislike Google? Let Me Count The Ways......

So, I decided to start a blog. Two actually. I'm a homeschooling mom putting herself through nursing school, so I thought I'd write about both, each on their own page. Share a little useful information, some common experiences, etc. Great. All is good.

Since each blog was on a specific topic and, let's face it, a homeschooling mom putting herself through school can use every nickel she can earn, I decided to add Google's AdSense program. No biggie - each blog has a certain audience, so the ads should be things they might really be interested in - nursing school info on the nursing blog, homeschool resource links on the homeschool blog.

But hey, did you know that Google can, with absolutely no explanation, yank all of your ads AND keep all of the money you've earned so far? Whoo, talk about fun....... They claim privacy issues and refuse to provide even a hint of what the problem is/was, yet expect bloggers to be able to defend themselves somehow? If you don't tell me what you think the problem is, I can't possibly make any sort of explanation!

[Yes, I looked through the Help pages they referred me to and still don't know what the problem was. I didn't click on my own pages, I didn't pay for clicks, I didn't imply that clicks would get anyone entered in a drawing, etc.....]

So, I thought I had part of the heat bill paid this month. With all of the ice and snow, that was a good thing. Now, it's all gone. Up in a puff of smoke.

Thanks Google. Maybe someday Larry and Sergei will find out what it feels like to be treated this way. It won't come from me, but I hope someone's there to help pay their heat bills when it happens......

-

Monday, January 26, 2009

Handwashing vs alcohol hand sanitizers

OK, ok, ok, I know. You've had it beaten into your head since day one. Handwashing! Some days, I think I'll scream if that is the answer to one more question....... And now we're seeing those alcohol-based hand sanitizers everywhere as well.

A few fun facts:

Many places are using hand sanitizer because nurses aren't in compliance with handwashing directives. What does that mean? It means that too many nurses are either making bad hygiene decisions or are too rushed off their feet. Poor hygiene by choice in a client-contact situation isn't defendable, but we can fix that one ourselves. There are students in the pipeline who will hopefully relieve a little of the nursing shortage, but I don't see understaffing problems going away any time soon......

The National Fire Protection Association bans these hand-sanitizer dispensers from being hung in hallways that lead to exits. The darn things are flammable thanks to all that alcohol.

Oh, and the alcohol itself...... apparently it's just one more thing for addicts to try to steal! With a 70% alcohol content, I guess it appeals to some drinkers, but wow, does it seem like a dangerous way to go. I don't know how widespread this problem is - do any of you have stories from your workplaces on this?

Here's a better story - the successful use of an anti-microbial hand sanitizer (non-alcohol-based) in the treatment of multiple-drug resistant bacteria on a paraplegic gentleman with stage IV decubitous ulcers
http://www.orthosupersite.com/view.asp?rID=33734

If you're using an alcohol-based sanitizer, keep rubbing your hands until it is dry instead of spreading the stuff onto your hands and letting it dry without rubbing.

If your employer can be persuaded to use a sanitizer with an emollient in it, it's very likely that your hands will thank you for it. The frequency of washing or applying alcohol to our skin at work can make it very drying, to say the least......


And a few articles:

Soap and Water Washing Beats Alcohol Rubs, Antiseptic Wipes for Removing C Difficile


Hand Washing: An Easy Way to Prevent Infection (Mayo Clinic, geared more towards the public, but useful)

Alcohol Rubs vs Antiseptic Soap to Reduce Contamination (AFP)

Take care!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Hi ho, hi ho.....

And it's off to work we go! Our class is just about to start our first clinical rotation! Some of us are excited, some terrified..... and most of us are some combination of the two. How could we not be? We are *finally* getting some hands-on, practical experience with real clients. The flip side of that is that it's hands-on, practical experience with real clients. LOL.

I think I'm going to head off to allnurses.com to read the forums on nursing school bloopers and stories...... Aren't medical folks always the ones with the best stories at parties? I'd love to hear yours. :)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Another Way to Look at Your Math

People, including nursing students, vary in their learning style. For that reason, I'm adding this to my list of math-study resources. This site says that its methods work well for people who have trouble memorizing things and it really does look useful for that.....

http://www.dalesplace.net/introduc.php

Good luck!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Mnemonics - Flu

The FACTS tell you when it's the flu, not just a cold:

Fever spike
Aches
Chills
Tiredness
Sudden symptoms

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Would You Consider Teaching?

Click on this post's title to read a recent article about how a shortage of teachers for nursing programs is part of why the shortage of nurses may not end any time soon. With many nurses being run off their feet due to understaffing, it's a bit frustrating to learn that over 40,000 students were turned away from bacc. or graduate programs in 2007......

For those of you getting ready to complete graduate programs or who have been out in the work force for a few years, would you consider teaching? If teaching is something you're good at, maybe it's worth considering, either full-time or outside of work hours!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

And You Thought You Were a Non-Traditional Student......

http://adulted.about.com/b/2008/12/31/success-story-peggy-gray-becomes-a-nurse-at-60.htm

Well, bless her heart! If Mrs. Gray can go back to school and study until 4am at age 60, surely you can do this! I am considering finding a picture of her to paste in my notebooks for inspiration.....

Friday, January 9, 2009

Ya Gotta Decide Sometime......

For a (very) brief summary of a (very) long list of possible nursing specialties and jobs, try http://choosenursing.com/options/index.html

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Useful Nursing-Math Review Site

http://www.accd.edu/sac/nursing/math/mathindex2.html

This site, called Pharmacology Math, has some basic and useful tutorials in various aspects of the math you will need as a nurse. While some of us have solid math backgrounds, others of us haven't seen a formal math book in a decade or more. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, it can't hurt to check out these pages to make sure you are 100% sure of your information - and sometimes it just helps to see/hear something done in a different way from how your instructor worded it. (Especially true if your instructor is not strong in math teaching ability and/or isn't able to explain a problem in different ways to different people with different learning styles!)

Tutorials include:

-Common conversion factors/equivalencies
-Common abbreviations
-Ratio and proportion
-IV problems
-Titration problems
-Pediatric Pharmacology math

There are a number of quizzes under each tutorial topic, so click around and see what you need to brush up on! :)

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Mnemonics - Ear and Eye

AD - right ear
AS - left ear
AU - both ears

OD - right eye
OS - left eye
OU - both eyes

Here is the USA, we Drive on the Right side of the road and Switch lanes to pass on the Left.

There are 2 of Us.


O is for optical and A is for auditory.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Nursing Employment Outlook - US News & World Report

Clicking on the title of this post will bring you to today's article by US News & World Report's Marty Nemko on the current outlook for nursing careers. While it skims over a lot of information, it does keep the hope of gainful employment at the end of this schooling alive. :) With the way my next term is shaping up schedule-wise (read: stress-wise), I *better* be able to find work after this. LOL!!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Back to the Grind

Good luck to everyone who is back to class tomorrow! We had rather a lot of work assigned over the break, so it wasn't much of a break, but I hope that most of you got a few days of quality downtime to spend with your friends and family.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Make Sure Your School is Certified....

 Oh, my goodness! I can't imagine going all the way through nursing school (not to mention *paying* for it!!!) and then finding out that I can't sit the exam because the school wasn't certified. I sure hope that these folks get their money back and are able to start over.

Nursing School Nightmare

Friday, January 2, 2009

Notes From Florence

The most important practical lesson that can be given to nurses is to teach them what to observe.
--Florence Nightingale

Mnemonics - Blood flow through heart valves

One quick and easy way to remember the path blood takes through the valves of the heart:

TRIPS BIAS

TRIcuspid
Pulmonary
Semilunar
BIcuspid
Aortic
Semilunar

Note that it's the two "cuspids" that are represented by more than one letter. Usefully, the TRIcuspid takes 3 letters while the BIcuspid takes 2. If you remember that, you won't get tripped up trying to remember extra, imaginary valves! :-D

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!!!!!

Happy New Year, everyone! May 2009 find you safe and sound, happy and healthy, and prepared for and passing all of  your exams!