If you are an member of the National Student Nurses Association, you will recognize this photo as the cover of the February/March 2020 NSNA magazine.
Mine came in the mail a couple of weeks ago and I thumbed through it quickly and then added it to my “to read” pile, which I started attacking this past weekend. My favorite article was titled “Take a Hike,” and was written by Jennifer R. Blanchard, a nursing student in Tennessee. It’s a great piece about the benefits of getting outside and hiking and advice on how to make it a priority.
As you know if you’ve read my previous posts, I’m an advocate of regular walks. If I don’t get my 2 – 3 miles in at 5:00 a.m. every day, it seems like the whole is a mess for me. I need that time to think, reflect, pray, and plan. For me, walking is meditation. We’re in South Florida, so while it’s true that we have few hills for hiking, we also have few excuses not to get outside – even when it rains, it’s warm (and sometimes even sunny when it’s raining). I think my niece who lives in Nebraska put it best when she said, “Oh right, Aunt Sara, it must be so awful to have to self-isolate where it’s sunny and warm and you’re surrounded by fruit trees.” I think it was snowing in Nebraska when she said that.
Blanchard’s assertion in the article is that hiking is way to refill our cup, to refill our souls. It doesn’t have to be hiking, as it is for her, or walking, as it is for me, but you do need to have a regular way to refill your own cup, your own soul. It’s true that you cannot care for others if you don’t have enough energy to care for yourself. At no time is this more important for nurses, when they are challenged as none have been before.
This morning, I watched a Today Show interview with Michael Phelps, focusing on the decision to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympics. He said, “The biggest thing now is for everybody to look at this as an opportunity, an opportunity for another year, fine-tuning some small things that are going to help you make a big difference.” I thought about that statement as it might be applicable to nursing students. We can see by the reports on TV, on social media, and from our friends that being a nurse right now is exhausting and overwhelming. All of you will soon be entering that environment. You need to have the best tools in your possession to be prepared for that. You can take this time to work on self care in preparation for being able to make a big difference when you get to professional practice. Not only working on self-care, but also taking in as much knowledge as you can, so that the gap between school and practice is minimized for you.
So maybe this is the time to prepare and fine-tune what you need to know and to make a habit before you enter professional practice in the wake of this chaotic time in healthcare. What are you doing to fine-tune things that will help you make a big difference as an RN?
*To the RN-BSN students who are out there in this chaos – maybe you can share some things you wish you had prepared for?
Good afternoon Dean Turpel,
I recently came across this updated policy briefing on COVID-19 from the Florida board of nursing. Below I have attached it as a PDF, please take this into consideration for our immediate future.
Thank you
https://floridasnursing.gov/pdfs/policy-brief-covid19.pdf
Yes, I receive all communications from the Board of Health and Board of Nursing as they are released, as I am the contact person for Broward College. As one of the BC Nursing Program end of program learning outcomes is Spirit of Inquiry, utilizing the evidence-based practice that promotes clinical nursing to intervene for patients, while integrating the nursing process, questioning underlying assumptions, and offering new insights to improve the quality of care of clients across the lifespan, I’m happy to see that you are taking a proactive approach in learning more about the partnerships between hospitals and nursing programs during this challenge.
I’m sure that as you read carefully through this document, you understood that this document was supported by our accrediting body, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, of which we are members and for who I am the point of contact. I’m sure that you also noted that it is a document meant for considerations by hospitals and healthcare organizations. I have been in contact with our hospital partners throughout this crisis and all of our clinical affiliates are aware of what is happening in this program, as I am aware of what is happening in their hospitals. You may remember that I encouraged students to consider what positions hospitals have open at this time that might allow you to work in the hospital setting and gain an important perspective on how to care for patients during a pandemic.
Hello Dean Turpel,
Thank you for the reminder of self care. I feel like I have been spending too much time indoors lately and my mood and energy are suffering for it. I just want to tell you I think you are doing an outstanding job of handling all of this craziness. I love reading your blog and seeing your updates. I am currently in Trends and yes, it is an adjustment, but nursing is a field where we need to be able to adjust and work with what we have. Although not ideal, I feel very fortunate that you managed to come up with a solution to get us to graduate on time. I hope you and your family stay safe and well and thank you for being a great dean and mentor.
P.S. I love the animal pictures. I now aspire to own donkeys one day.
Thank you, Michelle, that’s so nice. There are good and bad aspects to this isolating, quarantining, staying at home, social distancing, or whatever it is, right? I’m interested to see how things will go after we’re done with this and how life changes. You are entering the professional role at a very interesting time!
I’m listening to a webinar today about the NCLEX that will apply to your cohort and I’ll share in my next blog post.
Good morning dean Turpel,
I was curious when we will be able to register for fall classes without the restrictions, I tried last night when registration opened but the classes were still restricted.
Great question. I will ask our ADs. They don’t let me have anything to do with registration as I tend to mess it up.