Victor Valley College. The Journal. The Bi-Monthly Nursing School and Allied Health Newsletter Letter. December 2012 Volume 3 No. 2.

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1 Victor Valley College The Journal The Bi-Monthly Nursing School and Allied Health Newsletter Letter Christina Hovis cdcr.ca.gov There are several different facilities to work in when you are a registered nurse. Most new grads don t know the wide spectrum of facilities that they can work in. Most nursing graduates work in the hospital. New graduates and working nurses don t think about working in state prisons. They are scared and are uncertain of what their objectives would be working in a prison. Also, most nurses don t know that you only need your ADN to work in a state prison. Pam Payne is one of Victor Valley College s nursing program graduates who is employed at a state prison. She graduated from VVC in December 2006 with her ADN and later received her BSN from Azusa Pacific. Pam has worked for five and a half years in Chino at The California Institution for Men. She started her nursing career at St. Mary s on the telemetry floor and also worked part-time at GEO, a private prison in Adelanto. After working at GEO she realized she enjoyed working in a prison and wanted to work at The CA Institution for Men. December 2012 Volume 3 No. 2 Prison Nurses What influenced her to start working in a prison are the benefits you receive when working for the state. RN s start at $7,285 a month, up to $8,431, supervisors start at $7,828 a month, up to $9,516 and they also have sign on bonuses. State prisons have 24/7 nursing care. They use a team nursing approach and have RN s, LVN s, and CNA s working for them. Test Your Knowledge The RN s do mostly assessments, make judgments and chart (SOAPIE), LVN s pass meds, and the CNA s help with ADL s. SOAPIE is a type of documentation, which stands for subjective, objective, analysis, plan, intervention, and evaluation. The CA Institution for Men has four yards where LVN s and RN s work. It also has a hospital infirmary, which houses medical and mental health patients. Pam s advice to nursing students and all nurses is, to work per diem to keep your skills up if you decide to work in a prison. It is hard to get back to the public setting. She states, You should work one to two days a month in a hospital to keep your skills up. For more information on prison nursing visit: Facilities_Locator/CIM.html A nurse has just reassessed the condition of a postoperative client who was admitted 1 hour ago to the surgical unit. The nurse plans to monitor which of the following parameters most carefully during the next hour? A. Urinary output of 20 ml/hr B. Temperature of 37.6 C (99.6 F) C. Blood pressure of 100/70 mm Hg D. Serous drainage on the surgical dressing (see the last page for answers and reasoning)

2 The Journal Victor Valley College While nursing students were enjoying time away from school and spending time with their loved ones over summer vacation, one Victor Valley College alumni, Kim Weeks passed away. The details of her death are being kept Interested in purchasing AD space to support this news letter? Please contact the Nursing Department at for more details. VVC Remembers Their Own private however it is known that at the time of her death, her husband was unemployed and she left behind three lovely children. Kim graduated from Victor Valley College's Nursing program in 2010 and has been an excellent employee at St. Mary's hospital ever since. In efforts to help with financial expenses, the nursing program has contributed immensely. In a matter of one week, together staff and nursing students were able to raise three hundred dollars. Supporting our community in times of need, CNSA ( California Nursing Student's Association) has generously donated two hundred dollars to be able to deposit a grand sum of five hundred dollars in Kim Week's memorial fund account. A moment of silence was conducted for Kim at a nursing orientation in which December 2012 Page 2 students and staff together felt something should be done for Kim in return for the two years time she dedicated to pursue her education and become a proud registered nurse. Five hundred dollars is our token of remembrance for Kim and her family. Victor Valley College remembers their own and is always open to provide support and assistance to their students; past, present or future. Words of Wisdom When we all started nursing school there were some things we wished we knew from the get-go; some things we wished we could have foreseen; some words of wisdom if you will. This article is meant for the incoming nursing students who are just about to embark on one of the hardest journeys they will ever have to face. The good news is, is there are ALUNMI GIVING Your contributions are welcomed. All proceeds help sup-port the student community service projects, pinning ceremony, and the growth and development of the nursing department. Please Contact: The Victor Valley College Foundation in care of the VVC School of Nursing at: some very good words of wisdom from the faculty for them to take and use. These words are not just for the incoming student though! They can be used for all nursing processes! So here they are: Professor Speakman, who teaches NP1, says, Time management and organization! Don t be afraid to ask instructors for help. That is one of the most important things you can do. Ask for help before it becomes too much. That s what the instructors are there for. Always ask for help! Do your ATI s from day 1. Those are probably the most helpful things you can use. Some students don t utilize them enough, but when it comes down to it, it can make you or break you stated Professor Sally Thibeault. Professor Thibeault teaches NP4. Professor Diane Cline, who teaches NP4 with Professor Thibeault, says, If you have questions and need help ask for it. Do not be afraid to ask. And take each day one at a time. Sometimes students get overwhelmed when they look at the big picture. Just take it one day at a time. I would advise students to set aside a minimum amount of time, let s say 20 hours per week for concentrated, focused study time. Learning the concepts, not memorizing them is the key. Also take an occasional break to refresh your energy levels stated Professor Alice Ramming. Professor Renate Longoria (NP2 instructor) says, One day at a time; one assignment at time. Stay positive and keep at it and study hard. There you have it! Some of the wisest words from the people who know (and have been there themselves), so take these words and use them. They are sure to help you in the future.

3 The Journal Victor Valley College The Great California Shake Out is an annual event that was held on October 18 th, 2012 at exactly 10:18 in the morning on the lower campus. The Shake Out is used to prepare people for what is to come because you can t be too prepared when there is a mass casualty incident. Once the initial drill happened they dropped, covered and held on. When the drill was over they shot into action and went outside to start triaging patients and come to their rescue. There were four different areas: green (those that The Great Shake-Out could wait a few hours and had minor injuries before being treated), yellow (those that were a bit more serious than the green and could wait 1-2 hours), Red (those that need immediate care), and black (those that were deceased or those who were too far gone to be saved). During the event there were doctors (played by the faculty) who guided the student nurses and directed them with what to do. Over nine million people take an active part in the annual shake out event in California alone. States involved are the central states, California, Nevada, Alaska, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, and the south eastern states. Not only do they do this in the United States, but they do it in several countries! Some countries include: Puerto Rico, Guam, British Columbia (Canada), Southern Italy, New Zealand, and Japan (just to name a few). This event doesn t just have to happen in schools either. It can be done in homes, businesses and organizations. In order to host one of these events you have to have proper planning and organization. For our event the people most involved in organizing it were Professor Alice Ramming, RN and Tiana Gray, RN. When asked how the event went they both said, Very well and they were please with the way it turned out. Of course things do go a little awry when you don t have all of the medical equipment that a hospital has or the space. The nurses were split into different categories: ER nurses, ICU nurses, Med- Surg nurses, and field nurses. There were also a variety of patient scenarios, which were developed by Sandra Hendrickson, RN and some things were added on by Professor Ramming. For example a homeless bag lady that had to have security control her multiple times! Another example was a patient who had an open abdominal wound that needed emergent care. There was also a ruthless, nosey reporter/ photographer! The shake-out program itself happens annually in the fall semester only. December 2012 Page 3 When asked if there could possibly be a shake-out type of event for the spring semester Professor Ramming stated that she, would like to plan some sort of disaster preparation for every semester. For this event the only program involved was the nursing program. Hopefully in the future the EMT/ Paramedic and the firefighter programs may be involved too. As of right now there are no set plans to start doing the disaster preparation in the spring semesters. To participate in the next Shake-Out you can log on to california/colleges/.

4 The Journal Victor Valley College December 2012 Page 4 Flo s Closet is Open! CNSA Students Promote Continuing Education In Style For three consecutive days, Victor Valley College nursing students in CNSA (California Nursing Student's Association) promoted continuing education with a little help from Las Vegas. Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville brought Las Vegas alive at their annual employee skills fair from September 25th-27 th. This Skills fair is mandatory for all Desert Valley employees to refresh their knowledge of hospital wide polices, protocols, equipment, and to continue to promote critical thinking. Various departments were encouraged to choose a specific casino or aspect of Vegas and create a fun and friendly atmosphere while fulfilling requirements to reinforce department specific knowledge. During the last CNSA convention on August 18 th, CNSA members were motivated to assist with the implementation of the recommended goals released by the National Institute of Medicine. Members of CNSA strove to assist with the goal for nurses to achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved system that promotes seamless academic progress. With the guidance and support of Pamela Wolf, clinical educator, and Elizabeth Schwarz, administrative assistant, CNSA members created a booth that encouraged nurses to continue their education and pursue higher degrees such as BSN, MSN and DNP. Pamela Wolf mentioned this about the project, the booth provided a window into the options available to anyone pursuing a nursing career, demonstrating that with personal and professional growth, anyone can be enriched through higher education. Take a look at your options NOW. Get our degree was the message at this year s education booth. By providing needed pamphlets and informational fliers on specific programs several Universities assisted with this event including: Cal Baptist, Loma Linda, Biola, California State San Bernardino, as well as California State Domingus Hills. Members of CNSA chose to use the Stratosphere Casino as their theme in order to promote the ideas of Sky s the limit and Once you stop, you're at the top. These ideas sug- gested by CNSA Vice President Forum Mehta and Project Coordinator Jessica Sanchez, soon expanded to include the promotion of Desert Valley Hospital s exceptional student externship program, RN residency program, and the charitable foundation. Dr. Joseph Morris, VVC Nursing Program Director, as well as CNSA faculty advisor Alice Ramming, visited Desert Valley's skills fair to stand by their students, and assist with the promotion of this important idea. Nursing students who participated and should be recognized for their contributions are, Jessica Sanchez, Johanna Estrada, Hannah Ream, Cielo Abellar, Crystle Rajania, Camille Ondarza, and Jessica Moreno. Keep up the good work ladies, VVC s Nursing Program, CNSA, and Desert Valley Hospital are proud of your selfless efforts to promote education. You can now donate your un-needed, outgrown, overly large, or even slightly used scrubs and other nursing items! Books, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, white shoes and scrubs donations are always welcome. Bring Donations to the Allied Health Building 32 s front desk. If you re in need of any of these, please submit a one paragraph letter (be sure to include your process and phone number) to the box in the skills lab that is labeled: Flo s closet request. You may also request to Barbara Eichen at Barbara.Eichen@vvc.edu or Sandra Hendrickson at Sandra.Hendrickson@vvc.edu. Make sure to put Flo s Closet Request in the subject line and don t forget to provide contact information as well.

5 The Journal Victor Valley College December 2012 Page 5 Don t forget to order your scrubs and other nursing supplies at Advance to help nursing students now and in the future have wonderful graduations. Use the code provided at the left and go to Buy anything at this site with the use of the code and support your fellow nurses. Test Your Knowledge Answer and Rationale Correct Answer: A Rationale: Urine output should be maintained at a minimum of 30 ml/hr for an adult. An output of less than 30 ml for each of 2 consecutive hours should be reported to the physician. A temperature higher than 37.7 C (100 F) or lower than 36.1 C (97 F) and a falling systolic blood pressure, lower than 90 mm Hg, are usually considered reportable immediately. The client s preoperative or baseline blood pressure is used to make informed postoperative comparisons. Moderate or light serous drainage from the surgical site is considered normal. Test Taking Strategy: To answer this question correctly, you must know the normal ranges for temperature, blood pressure, urinary output, and wound drainage. Through the process of elimination, you then can determine that the urinary output is the only observation that is not within the normal range. Review expected postoperative assessment findings if you had difficulty with this question. Acknowledgments This section is to thank those that worked hard to help create and promote this newsletter. Director: Dr. Joseph Morris, CNS, GNP, PhD Supervising Instructor: Prof. Alice Ramming, RN Editor: Christina Hovis, SN NP4 SN NP4 Story Writers: Christina Hovis, SN NP4, SN NP4, SN NP4 Special Thanks to: Dr. Joseph Morris For your encouragement and continued involvement. Prof. Alice Ramming Your calm kindness and assistance Elizabeth Vandom For your continued willingness to help with the newsletter and to assist all those who ask. NP4 class of Fall 2012 Thank you for your continued dedication to our school and perseverance no matter the trials that we may face. Peers Empowering & Educating Peers (PEEPs) The PEEPs program is a volunteer program designed for nursing students enrolled at VVC. The intention of the program is to provide supplemental support to students that are having difficulty with comprehending the theoretical and clinical concepts in nursing for more information visit my PEEPs at Photographers:, SN NP4, SN NP4 Cdcr.ca.gov Donna Derryberry Thank you for always being willing to take the time to help. Laura Katnic Your always willing to lend a hand whenever asked and we thank you. Saunder s 5th ed NCLEX Review Thank you for providing us with the review NCLEX question COM Or Contact Brenda Bagwell bbagwell64@yahoo.com