Being A Nurse

“Being a Nurse Means— Examining Why You Want To Be a Nurse”

Why do you want to be a nurse?

This is an important question to answer. Do you have what it takes to be a nurse? This is also an important question to answer. You might have heard it said that to be a nurse, you’ve got to have heart. Well that’s true along with brains, common sense, good feet & a good back, a large bladder, and all of your five senses. Some of these can be developed and will be! Do you possess these?

Check the qualities below that you think a nurse should possess:

____Committed _____Self-Disciplined_____Motivated ____Critical Thinker

____Caring _____Competent _____Problem-Solver ____Qualified

*All of these should be checked. There really are many more qualities that a nurse should possess. But these are some that we will discuss in this module.

Identify some qualities you thought of:

_____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Being a nurse is one of the most rewarding & meaningful careers that one can have. Nurses make a difference in people’s lives by what they do and what they don’t do.

Discuss the meaning of the statements above:

_____________________________________________________________________

Nurses have to be committed not only to the program of study as a student but to usually working twelve hour shifts, nights and holidays. Sure there are jobs that do not require this but that may very well be your starting place for some time. It takes commitment to be willing to do that.

Even though some nurses are making a decent salary, money as a primary motivation won’t last. Because there will always be someone out there who is making a little bit more money. And there are some things that you will experience as a nurse that there is not enough money for! (may involve feces, gas, mucus or emesis)

Nurses are committed to “go the extra mile”. Everyone does not get to leave just because the shift is over. Are you willing to go the extra mile for your patient? Are you willing to help that classmate out who is lagging behind in finishing the patient care? Are you willing to just hold your patient’s hand because there is nothing else that can be done? Are you willing to comfort a family with just a hug when words are hard to come by?

On as scale of one to ten------what is your commitment rating to patients and to the program of study? _______ ________

If you rate yourself less than a 9, you might need to discuss your future of being permanently on the night shift with your family because you may not advance in your career. (No offense intended to nurses who choose the nightshift!).

If your rating was 9 or better then you may possess that caring attitude that the profession of nursing requires. Have you seen folks who just did not care? Patients can pick up on this quick. If you are not a “people person” you may find that you dread clinical. A nurse has to be caring. Instructors can pick up on a non-caring attitude too. Some students can appear unconcerned about their learning. They just want to know—will this be on the test? You want to demonstrate that attitude of caring to your patients and to your instructor.

How does one do this?___________________________

Answer: Make Eye Contact, Keep Yourself Busy, Show Your Preparation by Being Ready to Talk About It , Ask questions, Appear Interested with your non-verbal expressions, and Put Some Pep in Your Step!

So if you are committed and care about your learning and don’t want these comments to refer to you, then make sure that you demonstrate that attitude of commitment & caring towards patients and your learning.

Just what kind of nurse do you want to be? A registered nurse? Have you thought about being a safe, qualified, skilled, competent registered nurse? Hopefully so!

To be competent you must use reasoning and common sense in your actions. Instructors are looking for this quality. Competent nurses do not go about their actions in a rote or mechanical way. Proficient nursing care calls for “critical thinking skills”. How does your school define critical thinking?

The definition of critical thinking in a lot of schools is related to the nursing process. The nursing process is also defined as a systematic way to problem solve which when written out becomes a clinical paper, a care plan, a care map, or a clinical pathway. Regardless the idea of critical thinking is a method of delivering safe nursing care. Similar to the nursing process, critical thinking is purposeful, goal directed, making judgments based on evidence of the facts and is based on scientific principles. In other words, nursing students need to ask themselves: what do I see that is wrong or a problem, why is this occurring, how is this occurring, what else could happen, what if I did this? Thinking critically can help reduce errors in nursing. When studying you need to ask yourself the same questions because this is how you are going to be “going deeper with the content that you are attempting to learn”.

The first step in critical thinking is to build a foundation of knowledge that can eventually be applied in clinical situations. To build that foundation of knowledge and to develop clinical reasoning, you must devote time to study and to your way of thinking. Nursing requires not only the learning of facts and procedures but learning how to evaluate each unique patient situation.

The focus of your learning is not just memorization of facts and rote learning but you must develop a thorough understanding of the material. You are constructing a foundation to support your critical thinking & clinical decision making as your knowledge of theory and clinical experience increases. Some might even refer to this construction of knowledge based on practice as evidence based practice. That is the end result of critical thinking.

As a beginning nursing student, you will be asked the critical thinking questions by your instructor---why, how, what else, what if. Welcome these questions don’t be intimidated by them. And if you are not asked by the instructor ask them of yourself!

True or False

______It is good for my instructor to ask me questions and put me on the spot?

Why or why not?

There are several techniques by which nursing schools use to help nursing students become critical thinkers. Which of these techniques have you seen used so far in your nursing program?

“Thinking Aloud”: In conferences you will verbalize what you think about your patient’s condition, what you will do about it and give a rationale. (All of this is in front of your classmates---whew---aren’t you glad you had speech?)
Review of Case Studies or Patient Situations: Using a situation approach makes you reason, interpret, and identify evidence regarding your patient. Written assignments require you to organize, prioritize, and integrate information about a case study.
Computed Assisted Learning: CAI programs especially interactive programs enhance and challenge critical thinking skills. In addition some instructors believe these programs will help prepare you to answer computerized NCLEX-RN® questions!
Examinations: As bad as I hate to admit this, examinations are learning opportunities. I once disagreed with a professor who told me this profound fact. All examinations should be thoughtfully reviewed from the critical thinking angle. When reviewing exams be willing to listen to the instructor’s interpretation of the questions and the distracters. If all of your energy is spend defending your response, your mind will not be open to this different perspective and your learning will be limited to your perspective. Who is the teacher here?? What is the goal of reviewing the exam?

Identify other methods of incorporating critical thinking into the curriculum that the faculty has done in your nursing program. Hint: Games can count.

The process behind nursing practice requires a different way of thinking which develops into a second nature way of thinking. A one tract mind will not survive in nursing. You must develop the ability to keep multiple patients, multiple conditions & assessments in mind all while planning what to do next for every patient. Assessment is carried out every time the patient is seen. For the nurse, it becomes as natural as breathing.

Do you have a goal of becoming a critical thinker?

What makes a nurse qualified to give nursing care? What makes you qualified?

How does one become competent?

How can a nurse show the patient (client) an attitude of caring?

Instructors have been overheard saying:

“If I catch that student just standing there with their hands in their pockets one more time ---------“.

“I feel like I am pushing a wet noodle.”

“That student is moving in sloooow motion.”

“I have to drag it out of them in conference.” “It’s like pulling teeth.”

Words of Wisdom:

“I don’t know but I will go and look it up and find out.”

Check out these links:

Health Careers http:www.mshealthcareers.com

Take the assessment test! After you find out you are suited for a health career; click on Healthcare Careers then nursing and you will find information about the field of nursing.

Decision Making http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/problem/problem_adaptive_decisions.htm

Critical Thinking

http://www.studygs.net/crtthk.htm