Stethoscoop Eccentric Expo

At each Professionalism Conference it has become tradition to have a talent show to see just what the College of Nursing is made of. What a success the show was!

First we heard a guitar duet from Janelle Aguiar and her brother Ron with some sweet harmony. Then Sue Vongsikeo energized the crowd with her outrageous hip-hop dance moves. Next we all ‘felt the love’ from Stephanie Andersen’s clear saxophone tone ringing out everyone’s favorite Lion King theme song. After a special visit from Donald Duck dis-guised as Risa Clark, we were privileged to learn from

Megan Astill’s awesome gui-tar playing and singing that lasagna has a lot to do with our dating life. Next up, an incredibly well timed and entertaining stomp dance was performed by Preston Buss, Janelle Aguiar, Matt Millet, and Genevieve Manwaring. Finally, after Emily Dougal’s angelic harp solo, SNA topped off the show by showing us all the true way to do our ADL’s.

What I make of all this freely flowing talent is that it takes much more to be a

student nurse than good grades and not passing out while doing dressing changes. Clearly, the College of Nurs-ing is filled with amazing, well rounded people ready to make a difference in the world and in the lives of their patients.

~Sarah Jackson

Inside this issue:

St. George Marathon

2

Opening Social Homecoming

2 2

Student Panel 3

Professionalism Conference

4

Nursing Specialty Spotlights

5

USNA 6

SNA Mission Statement

6

Upcoming Events • USNA Conference–

November 3

• Thanksgiving Feast- TBA (Nov. 18?)

• Christmas Service Project– TBA at Thanksgiving Feast

• Friday Classes– November 23

• Thanksgiving Break– November 24-26

BYU Student Nurses Association

2004

September-October

The women’s nursing volleyball team did well for its first run in intramurals. The girls on the team in-cluded Brooke Jepson, Leslie Willie, Katie Sheperd, Angie Robinson, Abby Benson, Lynn Su, Sharla Morgan, Jennie Smith, and Lori Hatch-Wright. Jenni was the team’s designated captain. Thanks to all who participated! We ended up

with 4 wins and only 1 loss. We’d like to give a special thanks to those who line judged and cheered at the games. Hopefully we can keep up the tradition and win some t-shirts next year! ~Jennie Smith

The College of Nursing would like to recognize outstanding mentors in our clinical set-ting. Many of the nurses we work with in clinical are enthu-siastic about working with stu-dents and go out of their way to help us. Each month, the College of Nursing will honor a Mentor of the Month. If you would like to nominate someone you have worked with, pick up a nomination form in the NLC.

~Ethel Tovar, SARC Rep

Serving Shots Nurse Mentors

This year’s nursing opening social was one for the ages. It was held on Satur-day, September 25th,at Dean Marshall’s house. The faculty provided a delicious variety of food as students, faculty and guests were able to mingle and take part in various activities sponsored by the SNA. There were door prizes including nursing textbooks and other freebies, a fishing booth handing out candy and gifts, and a service project to help make school bags for a humanitarian project. Halfway through the fun, the mentoring program and the first semester stu-dents were able to meet up and get to

know each other. In general, it was a great way to bring the college together and promote unity. Kendra Niland, a first semester nursing student com-mented, “It’s nice to be in a program that is small enough to go to something like the opening social and really get to know one another.” Thank you to all of the hard workers that put together this fun event.

~Amber Pack

Infirm After the Fire

“Chicken pox are red the plague is blue.

You need a nurse from BYU!”

This cheer rung through the streets of Provo as several nursing students and faculty members marched in this year’s Homecoming Parade. This year’s theme was “Firm in the Fire”. Nursing students posing as patients and nurses marched (or rode in wheelchairs and on gurneys) along as some screamed in “pain” and

others tossed thousands of tootsie rolls to the crowd.

The float looked magnificent! Special thanks to Aimee Sherwood for her orga-nizing efforts. It was awarded the Dean’s Award for the Best College float. Thank you to all of those students and faculty members who donated their time and efforts to this project.

~Ashley Shillig, Newsletter Editor

“Take your cameras for this one. And we don’t mean for before-and-after photos. We mean during,” states Run-ner’s World magazine about the scenery surrounding the course for the St. George Marathon. Not only is the marathon on the Top Ten list for “Most Scenic Mara-thons”, but it is also one of the fastest marathons and attracts thou-sands of runners worldwide each fall to enter it.

Sarah Jackson, a fellow BYU nursing student, joined 4,584 other runners on October 6, 2004 to complete the race.

“The course was beautiful,” she stated about the 26 mile course through Utah’s red-rock country. She has been running since junior high, was on the cross coun-

try team in high school, and has been training on her own ever since, making her well-prepared for this race. She finished with a time of 3:23:36, beating the qualifying time of 3:40:00 to enter the Boston Marathon.

The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world’s most prestigious road racing events. Last year 17,926 runners

ran in the marathon, which is man-aged by the Boston Athletic Asso-ciation. Sarah is not sure whether she will be running in it this year or try again for next years’ Boston

Marathon, but with her dedication and love for running, there is no doubt that she will be ready for it and that all of BYU’s nursing students will be cheering her on.

~Holly Willardson

Nursing Student Qualifies for Boston Marathon

Fishing for Fun at Dean Marshall’s

“Take you cameras for this one. And we don’t mean for before-and-after photos.”

Stethoscoop Page 2

Six current and former nursing students participated in a student panel as part of the College of Nursing (CON) annual retreat at Thanksgiving Point this fall. The focus of our retreat was A More Excellent Way: Developing Nursing Leaders. Our in-

tent in having a student panel was to discover ways faculty and staff members are meeting student needs and to identify areas where we can improve the learning experience for students. Marianne Gessel and Joshua Nunnery represented the first year students, Jessica Rosemann and Megan Harr spoke for the senior nursing students, and Barbie Gilchrist and Krista Wilson added the new graduate perspective.

Dan Paxton, a consultant, facilitated the panel discussion and asked students to (1) describe their three best professors or leaders, (2) tell what they wish professors would do, (3) tell how they would change the nursing program, (4) describe how they have changed during their time at BYU, and (5) share what they love about this place.

Students gave the following responses.

The best CON professors or leaders listen, are genuine, are concerned about students and their needs, and are emotionally connected with and accessible to students. They are Christ-like, and they interact well with patients. They see great potential in students, strengthen students' confidence, and motivate students to rise to their potential.

Students wish professors would talk more about the spiritual side of nursing in both the classroom and the clinical settings and talk more about following the Savior. They wish faculty members would get to know each student and give more individual feed-back on assignments instead of just giving a grade. The students mentioned that sometimes instructions are poorly written, and that they would like to know what is expected from them right from the start, on the first day of class.

How would students change the program? The new graduates were most concerned with preceptored experiences. They stressed the importance of using preceptors who really want to teach, who want to work with students and who will take the time to go over students' goals with them each day. Students wondered about having multiple preceptors instead of just one during the Capstone semester, and they suggested using preceptors in the early semesters in the nursing program. In addition, students com-mented that they should show appreciation for their preceptors.

The student panel would like to see better organization in the nursing program, in the form of a semester calendar that includes all classes and activities for each course in the semester, syllabi that use the same format throughout the nursing program, and earlier notification of clinical locations and times. They would also like more one-on-one time with professors and more applica-tion of teamwork.

How have students changed since coming into the program at BYU? Their testimonies have grown, they understand the spiritual environment of the patient, they are more optimistic, they are more open to new ideas, they see applications for the knowl-edge they are gaining, and they realize the importance of pushing themselves to be the best they can be.

Finally, students recognize and love many things about the nursing program at BYU. They love having a personal relationship with their teachers, feeling valued as a person, having their opinions valued, and feeling nurtured in the program after finding their way through the prerequisites. Students expressed appreciation for faculty members who push them to do their best, who prepare them for experiences with death and dying, and who recognize the personal losses that students experience.

We are grateful to the students for their professional and helpful presentation. They were a significant part of our re-treat and our focus on improving the nursing program. We appreciate their candid suggestions for improvement and their generous comments about the things that are going well in the nursing program. We are serious about responding to their suggestions. Some of our first steps include working to get more courses and syllabi on Blackboard and to create more helpful course calendars.

We welcome feedback from students on all aspects of the nursing program. Please email comments and suggestions to: Nursing_Task_Force@byu.edu

~ Carolyn Sutherland, BYU Faculty

Students Speak their Minds

September-October Page 3

“..discovering ways faculty and staff

members are meeting student needs and to identify areas where we can

improve…”

When I heard the theme for the professionalism conference, my first thought was that the army recruiters were really good. They had even convinced our Nursing advisors to plan the entire professionalism conference around them. I thought there would be huge posters and American flags everywhere with captains and lieutenants speaking to us. Then I figured, “Hey, at least we’ll all get really cool pens, magnets, mugs, and key chains. What more could you want from a conference?”

When I grabbed my nametag and signed in at the conference, I did as everyone else does and ran to the breakfast tables, frantically searching for anyone I knew, while scarfing down delicious muffins. After about an hour of milling around and picking up free key chains and pens, I went into the conference room. I was pleasantly surprised, when I picked up my agenda. All of the names sounded normal and none of them had Sgt. or Col. in front.. I realized that I was about to get more out of the con-ference than free candy and highlighters.

When Jill Margetts stood up to speak about being a clinical nurse, I knew we started out on the right foot. She gave amazing advice on how to be proactive, coura- geous, and filled with endurance and passion. She spoke on how we need to do the best we can in all situations that we encounter.

The second speaker was Deborah Durtschi and her topic was how to be all that we can be as a student. We all know what we should do to become a good student, but how many of us actually read before we come to class, with questions ready to ask our instructors? How many of us jump at every opportunity to learn when we can? When we are in clinical do we ask our nurse to do that enema, or do we try to pass it on to someone else? Deborah made some very good points, and it would be wise for us all to follow her advice since hindsight is 20/20.

Amy Frost Turner was the following speaker. She really woke us up with a few gruesome pictures. Amy spoke a lot on her work not only in the emergency room, but also in the community. She showed us how much we can actually do in the profession. As nurses, we aren’t limited in the things we can do. We can actually work, have a family, and have a life. Amy does all these things and loves it.

The final speaker before the break was Lynn Callister. She spoke on being all that we can be in the profession. She shared experiences of hers from Russia, and she informed us that “nursing” in Russian means “relief”. Her remarks were very encouraging and inspiring. She advised us to engage in the small duties of discipleship.

After the break was probably one of the highlights of the conference, when we all sang “The Healer’s Art” and heard from Rachel Cornish Stewart. I was shocked to discover how talented she is.

I hope you all got as much out of the professionalism conference as I did. And seriously, don’t let it fade away. Keep it in mind as you go about clinical and classes because with this knowledge we truly can be all that we can be.

~Brittani Hamilton

Be All You Can Be

Stethoscoop Page 4

~Survey complete by Paul Blad~

Nursing Specialty: Rural Nursing (Includes Med/Surg, ER, OR, OB, Pediatric, Nursery, and Long Term Care Nursing

Job Description: Staff Nurse

Type of Patients Worked With (age; degree of sickness): age 0-100 yrs; all ranges of illness from minor surgery to acute care to step down ICU patients to trauma victims

Stress Level (scale of 1-10 with 10 being most stressful): Varies from 0-10, depending on the situation—90% low stress & fun

How often do you work:

-Holidays? Occasional

-Weekends? Usually once a week

-Nights? Occasionally, about once a month

How often are you on-call? Once a week

What do you like about your area of specialty? It covers everything, there is never a dull moment, it is always challenging, and there is usually great team work. There is a lot of job satisfaction.

What would you recommend to students interested in this area? Do it! A capstone Med/Surg would be good background.

What else would you like nursing students to know about this specialty? There is high job satisfaction, a lot of autonomy/team leader situations, you work closely with a team of other nurses and medical personnel and conquer challenges together.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

~Survey completed by Rae Jeanne Memmott~

Nursing Specialty: Psychiatric/Community Mental Health Nursing

Job Description: There are many settings in which this specialty can be used, so one job description does not really apply. Gen-erally speaking, this nurse works as a member of an interdisciplinary team in either inpatient or outpatient settings with individuals who are experiencing severe to mild mental illness or life stresses which interfere or have the potential to interfere with their daily functions.

Type of Patients Worked With (age; degree of sickness): Adults of all ages.

Stress Level (scale of 1-10 with 10 being most stress): 6-10 depending on the setting.

How often do you work: If you have a master’s degree, you usually do not work any of the times listed below unless there is an emergency. If you have a BS, you rotate shifts like everyone else so you work some of all.

-Holidays?

-Weekends?

-Nights?

How often are you on-call? Usually not on-call

What do you like about your area of specialty? It applies to all areas of nursing. I can use my specialty in any other clinical area or in a Mental Health setting. It allows for a great deal of independence.

What would you recommend to students interested in this area? Get a year or so of experience while you are working on a master’s degree or before. You will find much more satisfaction when you are MS prepared, and you will have a lot more independence in your practice.

What else would you like nursing students to know about this specialty?

There is a great need for bright, self-motivated nurses in this area. Many of my classmates who began their careers ICU or ER have now decided that they can have a greater influence working in areas that use more of their mental health/psychiatric skills.

~Ashley Shillig, Newsletter Editor

Nursing Specialty Spotlights

September-October Page 5

with listing for jobs throughout the international region. Check it out!!

Currently, USNA is also working in partnership with the Utah Safe Kids Coalition to get the WHALE (We Have A Little Emergency) Program, up and running in Utah. This program is set up to provide the names of small chil-dren to emergency crews when they are involved in an automobile accident. Keeps your eyes and ears open to hear more about this outstanding program and how you as a student nurse can help.

In April, Utah will be honored to host the National Student Nurses Association’s National Convention.

On November 3rd the Utah Stu-dent Nurse Association (USNA) will be holding its Annual Convention at the South Town Expo Centre. This year we will be hosting nursing students and colleges from Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming so the vendor’s displays and booths should be well worth your time. The convention schedule is packed with exciting activities. There will be a Mini-NCLEX Review FREE with regis-tration. For those not ready for the NCLEX there are numerous Focus Ses-sions on International Nursing, LVAD/Artificial Hearts, and Internships and Residency Programs just to name a few. To learn more and register check out the USNA website at www.utahstudentnurses.org

Also at this website is a job board

Last year the convention was held in Nashville, Tennessee and was attended by the BYU SNA Board. If you ask any members of the Board, it was an excellent experience and we hope to see many of you there.

~Doug Ludington,

USNA Region 3 Representative

BYU Student Nurses Association

If you have something you would like to see published in the next edition of the Stethoscoop, please contact Ashley Shillig

Thank you to all those students and faculty members who contributed to this newsletter!

E-mail: ashley_gillette@byu.edu

We’re on the web!

http://

nursing.byu.edu/

What is Going on in USNA

BYU SNA Mission Statement

The Brigham Young University Student Nurses’ Association (BYU-SNA) is a pre-professional organization and a constituent of the Utah Student Nurses’ Association (USNA). The USNA is composed of the college chapters of student nurse associations throughout the state of Utah. The National Student Nurses’ As-sociation (NSNA) is composed of the fifty state organizations in the United States. These organizations unite to promote profes-sionalism in the student nurse and help him/her to prepare for entry into practice into nursing. Involvement is not only professionally-oriented, but service driven to the school and community. Nursing students have the opportunity to join BYU- SNA to net-work with other nursing students locally and across the nation to create friendships and associations that can guide their future careers.