Category: Self-Care

Transition to Professional Practice

May 10, 2022 / ecarrell

As I moved through the semester, I noticed that I was able to move through the questions faster than I had previously been able to. Over time, I became more familiar with the exam question format and assessment techniques and was able to recognize what the question was asking me.

I felt that the ATI assessment questions were very difficult and tested very specific content, so I felt that ‘mastery’ came with repeated exposure to questions and forming association between disease states and unexpected/expected outcomes. I chose to test myself with practice questions, which gave me more experience with the topics, and helped me identify patterns in question styles and content. I used to feel very overwhelmed when faced with an ATI exam, but I have become more comfortable after doing many of them.

Work/life balance has been a huge part of my strategy to maintain my good mental health, because while I am serious about my studies and preparation for professional practice, I would not be mentally well if I didn’t see my friends, take a walk, listen to music or read a book once in a while.

I will keep the same study strategies while I prepare for the NCLEX, as I feel that ATI questions are very helpful in testing content and forming good test-taking habits. I will continue to incorporate relaxation and extra-curriculars into my life when I start my job, and I’m sure that as I grow older and get more comfortable at work, I will find new ways to excel in the nursing profession.

Attaining and Protecting You License

April 3, 2022 / ecarrell

I plan to get licensed in the state of Maine, which is a Nurse License Compact state.

The Maine application is web based, and requires a transcript, school certification form and a criminal background check. The criminal background check is fingerprint based, and is done electronically through the maine.gov website.

There is an ‘Impaired Nurse Toolkit’ linked to the maine.gov website which details the mandatory reporting process, which includes information about mandatory reporting about substance abuse or alcoholism, receiving an allegation, conducting an investigation, progressive discipline, and training tools for supervisors and employees. The ‘Resources & Links’ tab on the Maine Board of Nursing website also has a wealth of information about Mandatory Reporting.

I think the best way to avoid legal issues like informed consent, malpractice, negligence, etc. is to be well-educated about state-wide nursing laws, as well as the individual institution’s guidelines that I am employed by. While there are systems in place to protect nurses, I am responsible for my own actions regarding my license, quality of care, and mandatory reporting. Nurses should not rely on malpractice insurance to prevent them from facing consequences, and instead should be focused on providing the best care they possibly can with the resources and tools that they have.

Prepare for Transition

January 27, 2022 / ecarrell

After graduation, I am most excited about having a set work schedule. I have been in school for ~18 years now, and I came straight from my first Bachelor’s Degree to the ABSN program. I’ve spent so much time planning what my career will look like, and I’m so excited to start working and have my focus shift from assignments and due dates to actually mastering skills and making a salary. I am fortunate enough to have a group of friends that are in nursing school with me or are in school to be health professionals, so I’m sure we will all have a big celebration once we’re done with school in May. I will be honest; I am anxious about getting the job I want and passing the NCLEX. In preparation for that, I will be using ATI as a study tool as well as UWorld, which I’ve heard is helpful for preparing students. In general, I tend to procrastinate, so I will be sure to stick with a regimented and scheduled plan of attack for when and how long I study.

The NurseLogic modules stressed the importance of quality improvement, and I found that I learned quite a bit about the processes of how changes are implemented and modified. I also learned that there are so many different variables involved in patient education, and we as nurses are responsible for evaluating a patient’s ability to learn, as well as to determine how patients best learn, which are both impacted by their individual barriers to learning. Finally, the information regarding the NCLEX on the ‘Testing and Remediation’ module was very enlightening. We haven’t learned much about the actual format or focus of the exam, and it was helpful to hear and learn about the resources available as well.