A Day in the Life of a Nursing Student

Staying motivated is not easy for many nursing students. About half way throught the semester I start longing for summer. Summer is a magical place where the warm sun kisses your skin (through sun block of course); a land where homework is unheard of, and you don’t have to get up at 5:15am (or earlier) and drive through snow to get to clinicals.

Sometimes it takes work to stay motivated. So what do I do to stay motivted? First I have to recognize that I need some extra motivation. I remind myself why I started this journey in the first place. I remind myself why I wanted to be a nurse. I turn to my family, friends, and church family for encouragement and support.

The great thing about leaning into those that are closest to you is that they know all the reasons why you would make a good nurse! That is really helpful when you have had a bad day at clinicals. Those days are the roughest.

Don’t forget that if you need some extra support MSTC has councelors available for you to talk to for free, including Brian Sadler. Keep shining everyone!

~Amanda

With as many emails as we get it is easy to overlook the MSTC Diversity Commitee emails. I encourage you to take a look at their website http://mstc.edu/diversity for upcoming events that you would be interested in, which apply to your future nursing career.

The Diversity Committee had Zach Wahls come and speak at each of the campuses. Zach Wahls is the son of two lesbian mothers that testified before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee this past January. After a video of his testimony spread on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSQQK2Vuf9Q he was asked to speak on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and many other places throughout the country.

I thought to myself about what it would be like to care for someone from a family like Zach’s as a nurse. Would I be comfortable in this situation? Or would I encounter this situation and be uncomfortable and unable to provide quality, respectful nursing care? We need to ask ourselves these questions, and be brutally honest with ourselves.

How can nurses provide quality, respectful care to same sex couples and their families? First of all be knowledgeable. In our nursing fundamentals course we learn that the term family does not necessarily mean blood relative. Whoever the patient percieves as their family, is their family. However, we need to be knowledgeable about laws concerning same sex couples. For example, only the biological parent can sign consent for their child. Remember to be respectful. Simple things, such as not staring, go a long way. Make sure to address both partners, and ask how they would like to be addressed. Most importantly, be honest with yourself and your patient. They can tell if you are not comfortable.

When you find yourself in a situation you are uncomfortable in, ask yourself “Did I become a nurse to help people, or just certain people.” That question helps remind me that all patients deserve equal care. The Diversity Committee is just another resource for students, including nursing students, to learn from.

~Amanda

November 14th, 2011 from 8am-2pm at the Wisconsin Rapids Campus in rooms L133 and 134

Every 3 seconds someone in our community needs a blood transfusion.  It could be a child receiving chemotherapy, a teenager in a car accident, or a mother having complications during labor.  Blood is essential for life, and when donated it saves lives. 

You can sign up online at www.bcw.edu/mstc or call the Blood Center toll free at 1-888-310-7555.  Walk-ins are welcome; however, those with appointments will be allowed to donate first if there is a line.   Just mention that you have an appointment to move to the head of the line.

To prepare for donating blood it is recommended that you: get a good night sleep, eat foods rich in iron (beef, chicken, dried fruit, and whole grain breads) for a few days leading up to your donation, drink lots of water, and eat a healthy meal at least one hour before donating.

You will need to plan for about an hour to donate.  The four steps of donation are: registration, medical review, donation, and café time.  To register you will need a driver’s license, blood donor card, or government issued I.D.  You will then be given a questionnaire to fill out which assesses your eligibility to donate.  You can visit http://www.bcw.edu/bcw/donating/overview/eligibility/index.htm to see eligibility requirements, as well as http://www.bcw.edu/ucmro/groups/qsd/documents/controlleddocuments/001057.pdf?  for a list of medications that would disqualify you.

In the medical review your blood pressure, temperature, and pulse will be taken by a donor specialist.  A small drop of blood will be taken from your finger as well to test your iron level.  The donor specialist will then discuss the questionnaire with you. 

After that you will donate your blood, which takes about 10 minutes.  The set up is similar to being hooked up to an IV in the hospital, only your blood is taken out instead of medication put in.  You might feel a pinch at first, but the rest doesn’t hurt.  You just squeeze a ball every few seconds till the donation is complete. 

After donating you head over to the café area.  Café time is just as important as any other step.  You are provided with something to eat and drink while you rest for a minute.  It is important to drink lots of fluids the next 24 hours so your body can replace the fluid you lost during donation, and to not do any heavy lifting. 

Thank you for considering donating!

~Amanda