Challenges You May Face at Nursing School

Challenges You May Face at Nursing School

Joining a nursing school to pursue one of the top nursing study programs of your choice is the first step toward a bright and successful career. It is where you can build your base in nursing by gaining knowledge, training, and experience. However, every new step comes with its own challenges!Getting to know all about nursing school challenges will help you prepare accordingly and further your education.

To help you, we have listed five challenges that you may confront while you study nursing in Canada or any other country.

Challenge 1 – Draining Lectures

Most students do not expect long lectures at nursing school. You will have to attend lectures on a variety of topics varying from anatomy & physiology to chemistry.Be prepared for complicated concepts and theories.You will also be learning how to think like a nurse, something you can’t forget once schooling is over. You are expected to remember it and bring it to your nursing career so learning it thoroughly is advised. However, avoid information overload. It is understandable that you cannot know everything at once, so don’t try and overdo it.

Challenge 2 – Regular Tests

Regular exams will be carried out at the school to test your knowledge and skills. It can be overwhelming for some students at first, but you will get used to it. Regardless, you need to brush up on your knowledge and skills to become a nurse. What better preparation than repeated tests?Questions will be confusing and tricky to test your knowledge.

Challenge 3 – Unfixed Clinicals

In nursing school, it is common for clinicals to change unpredictably for students attending nursing programs for international nurses. It may seem absurd at the beginning, but it will prepare you for the changing and flexible timings nurses have to handle. Whether it is shifts or patient assignments, students should be prepared for these changes.

Challenge 4 – Tiring Homework and Assignments

In nursing school, expect lots of homework and assignments. It will be time-consuming, exhausting and may look never-ending at times. However, it is part of your training. After some time at the school, students get used to the workload. So, better gear up.

Challenge 5– Time Balance of Personal Life and School Time

It can be difficult to manage between nursing school and your personal life. Between theoretical classes, clinicals, assignments and homework, you may not find time for yourself, family or a social life. Fret not; you can make it work with some slight adjustments.

Challenges are not something to suppress or crush you; rather, they make you more confident and able to explore your limits. Once you are out of school, you will realize the importance of the crunch you faced there.

To start your journey in specialized nursing, you can choose one of the specialized nursing study programs offered by INSCOL. To learn about the details of the available programs, visit the website.

How to Choose the Right 'Nursing Career and Nursing Program'

Thinking of becoming a nurse is an exciting thought, but the process can feel grueling. There are a number of best nursing study programs available. What you need to do is find the program that fulfills your needs and meets your career goals. If you have decided that nursing is the career for you, read through these suggestions to help you begin this fascinating career.

 

Make a List of Questions -

• Are you thinking about a full-time nursing career?
• How much time can you devote to studying and attending nursing school?
• How much can you afford to spend on a nursing career?
• Will you be comfortable in a fast-paced environment?
• With whom you will be most comfortable working with – the elderly or children.
• Is it accurate to say that you enjoy direct patient care?

Answer these questions and then eliminate the nursing study programs that don't feed your career goals. Your first step is to remove programs that aren’t economical for you and then, select from those that remain. Never hesitate to ask for help from someone who is experienced. Other considerations include: 

• Recognizing the Degree Requirements: Search online to find out what degree is required for your chosen field. You will find different requirements according to nursing program, so make sure you write down the points. This will help you decide on your nursing goals.

• Online Nursing Program or a Regular One: Nowadays, online nursing programs are becoming very popular; the reason for this is flexible time schedules and repeated lectures. However, there is one limitation – you can't interact with your teacher directly or personally. Thus, attending a regular specialized nursing program that also allows you to study and work at the same time is the ideal choice.

• Exclude Nursing Programs that are not Approved: This is a very important consideration, especially if you are planning for a long-time nursing career. Make sure you choose only the school or course that is approved by your state and nursing board. This will ensure that your nursing degree is approved and considered worthy by every medical institution.

• Always Investigate: Make a list of all of the Nursing Study Programs for IEN and start checking their popularity, reviews, and benefits. You can also visit that particular nursing school and talk with the students. Generally, ask them about the school and if they are happy there and learning a lot. This will give you an overall idea of the program.

Choosing the best nursing program is the key to shaping your nursing career; make sure you invest ample time in researching about the right program for you. It will positively enhance your career. To learn more about available study options in countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US, visit INSCOL

Nursing Management Tactics to Relax Yourself

As a nurse, you will often feel overwhelmed with your responsibilities, shifts, patients, etc.Nursing is the gentle art of caring. However, no profession is free of stress and nursing is especially susceptible to it. During your nursing education days, you might not feel the same stress level, but as you progress in your career with nursing education programs and your nursing job, you will experience it more.

You will come across many people asking you to keep calm and manage the situation with a leveled head. How about applying proventactics, and not just wasting words?It's true that it's always “easier said than done.”However, you should always try to take a moment to reflect and pull yourself away from feeling overwhelmed.

Dear nurses, and future nurses, its time to relax yourself with the following nursing management tactics:

1.  Sit Back and Catch Your Breath

Tired? Confused about all that is going around you? Relax. First of all, just collect yourself. Take two or three deep breaths. Sit back, catch your breath and plan before you jump onto the next task. You need a 'plan' to proceed. No matter how much time it takes, it won’t take more time than what you will consume stressing yourself to continue with no strategy. Choose the best way.

2.  Set Priorities among Patients’ Needs

Some patients may need less attention and some may need a constant eye. Opt to provide your care to the patient who is the least stable at that moment. Yet again, some patients may exaggerate their situation. However, you have to choose the most critical one. For instance, choose the patient who just had a transplant with a blood pressure of 191/91 instead of a patient who is upset for getting their 4 mg IV morphine 45 minutes late.

3.  Remember that Team Work Always Does the Trick

As a nurse, you can use the human resources around you. Not all tasks are necessarily to be completed by a nurse. For example, you can always delegate the task of getting a patient to the washroom to a CNA. Always think of nursing as a team sport.

4.  Learn the Art of Humility

As a nurse, in the entire period of your study and practice, you will be learning that nursing, as a profession, requires a lot of humility. For instance, you have to humbly apologize to the patients you failed to reach on time. Compassion may be the foremost trait a nurse possesses. Avoid excuses. Don't stress the patient with excuses like 'we are short on staff.' It's not going to help. Ask for any service you can provide instead, after apologizing.

Lastly, all can be managed. Just look at the tasks and form a plan. Regardless of how experienced you are, or if you are on the way to becoming a nurse (by studying international nursing programs), these tactics will always help. You need to remind yourself that frustration will likely lead you nowhere. However, calming yourself down will surely lead you to a more peaceful and enjoyable day!

Your Guide to Becoming a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner

With the increase in life expectancy and an aging population, there is a growing need for specialized healthcare professionals who are dedicated to the healthcare needs of older adults. This has resulted in a new specialization in the nursing field referred to as GNPs – or - Geriatric Nurse Practitioners. The primary role of GNP nurses is to care for older patients and to assist them in overcoming health challenges they face with an intent to improve their quality of life. For this, they utilize all-inclusive functional and psycho social management strategies when dealing with health and illness.  

The Typical Duties of a Geriatric Nurse:

A Geriatric Nurse Practitioner treats and cares for older patients. The majority of older patients suffer from multiple ailments. That’s why GNPs need to always be on alert regarding their patient’s possible existing conditions by keeping record of new symptoms, and all drug interactions. As compared to a general practitioner, they are more likely to be involved in long-term care, prescribing physical therapies from time to time, and adjusting medications. 

Typical Healthcare Settings for Geriatric Nurses:

• Hospitals 
• Community and Government agencies
• Clinical practices,
• Hospice services
• Long-term care facilities
• Research universities
• Home Health Services
• Counseling centers

Besides the above-mentioned medical facilities, a geriatric nurse can also be employed in an outpatient clinic, a palliative care clinic, and serve as a consultant to private companies who are dedicated to the care of older patients. Working with these private companies calls for some travelling, as they need to visit the patient at their home, and then counsel the family members or primary care giver. 

Academic Qualifications and Credentials:

A nursing student aspiring to be a Geriatric Nurse needs to have a Bachelor’s degree in nursing or any other healthcare field from a recognized institute. After successfully completing their degree, they need to get their license to practice as an RN and then gain relevant experience in the field. After gaining this experience, they can pursue a PG course or specialization course in geriatric care. 

INSCOL offers one-year graduate certificate in Gerontology in partnership with Niagara College, Welland Campus Canada. Gerontology Program For IEN is designed for internationally educated nurses and she dslight on many essential concepts such as care planning, effective geriatric care, common cognitive challenges faced by older patients, and critical thinking & decision-making. 

Visit at inscol.com to explore the top nursing courses in Canada for international students.

Get Rid of Lower Body Fatigue with Compression Stockings

• Are you uncomfortable or in pain due to prolonged standing?
• Are you experiencing lower body fatigue?

Varicose veins and decreased levels of mental awareness are common for nurses. As a health care professional, however, a nurse can never afford to be mentally or physically tired.

This problem can be solved by stretching, sitting whenever possible, and even choosing a comfortable pair of shoes. Another way to decrease lower body fatigue is by wearing compression stockings.

How do compression stockings prevent lower body fatigue? They encourage venous return. Venous return can be encouraged by applying pressure to the lower extremities. This prevents varicose veins and alleviates fatigue.

Via: Thenurseteacher.com

Keep these three points in mind when you purchase a pair of compression stockings -

1. A nurse should wear the best fitting compression stockings for them. Since compression stockings come in different levels of tightness, nurses are urged to measure their legs before purchasing them.


2. Remember, not all stockings are dedicated to relieving fatigue. Compression stockings that are less than 10mmHg are not considered to be efficient. Compression stockings that are above 20mmHg might also prove to be somewhat uncomfortable. So, consider the range between 15 to 20mmHg only.


3. Before buying a pair of compression stockings, you need to know how to measure your legs. During the day, venous pooling is always a possibility. Therefore, the best time to measure legs is in the morning. What are the measurements you should take? Just measure the circumference of the bilateral ankle, the calves, and the thighs. Also, measure the length from the foot to the knee. If, however, you want to keep the length of the compression stockings to your thighs, just measure the length from your foot to your knee.

If you're planning to purchase compression stockings, keep these points in mind. To make sure a nurse is not distracted from doing his or her best at work, eliminating your lower body fatigue is crucial. Your health matters!

For more health tips for nurses, there are a number of blogs you can explore at INSCOL. If you are a Filipino nurse looking for an opportunity to make a career in countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK or the US, INSCOL offers the best nursing courses for international nurses.

How to Improve Communication in the Hospital

In the high-tech healthcare system, communication between doctors, nurses, and other staff members plays an important role. A hospital patient interacts with several healthcare providers - from doctors to nurses to technicians - and so on. Therefore, an effective flow of communication followed by team collaboration is important in ensuring patient safety.

Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers are expected to communicate and work together well. Here are some simple steps that can encourage doctors to communicate well with nurses and other co-workers -

Address the situation - To establish a communication culture it is important to address the situation at hand. Nurses need to assertively speak their mind and doctors need to cooperate with them. This not only helps nurses with their professional success, it is also essential for every patient’s well being. 

Friendly Environment - In any professional field, familiarity is valued more than formality. There is a need for creating a friendly workplace environment. Here, doctors and nurses cooperate and work together. In addition to this, the workplace environment needs to be open. This means that nurses and doctors can question each other’s decision-making without hesitation and without intimidation or fearing a negative outcome.

Focused Team Training Program - The most efficient method of establishing team collaboration is organizing team training programs. With team training programs, a culture of respect, accountability, trust and shared decision-making is encouraged. Here, constructive feedback is supported to minimize the risk of error, while improving every aspect of patient care. Through these programs, doctors meet other physicians and nurses they are working with and everyone learns each other’s names. From here, a healthy, professional relationship develops that lays the foundation for optimum patient care.

Practice Collaboration - A difference of opinion and conflict are inevitable parts of any workplace setting. Therefore, to work in collaboration, it is important to analyze the other person’s point of view, instead of immediately rejecting it. This kind of approach often works wonders and provides fresh insight or a solution to a problem. Plus, for the sake of patient safety, healthcare professionals need to work constantly to foster an environment that facilitates cohesion and collaboration.

Effective communication is vital in every field of business, profession, as well as in everyday living. If you have more tips that can help in improving communication while at work, please share them with us in the comments below. 

For nurses who are looking for opportunities to study and work abroad, INSCOL offers specialized nursing courses in top countries across the world. To learn about available graduate and post-graduate nursing programs, visit the website www.inscol.com.

5 Things That Only Nurses Understand Best

Nurses play a very important role in the healthcare system. They are often referred to as the heart of healthcare. Nursing is a vibrant profession and nurses play so many roles juggled into one. They act as a caregiver, communicator, patient advocate, and teacher. With so many roles and responsibilities, there are a few things that only nurses can truly understand. 

1. Life is Fragile - The average person experiences the tragedy of death only a few times in life. Whereas a nurse deals with death and illness on a regular basis. It isn’t wrong to say that a nurse fully understands how fragile life really is. Nurses hear and see the stories of people who were doing fine and then suddenly found themselves lying sick or on their death bed in the hospital. A nurse’s emotional ups and downs are very different from the ones experienced by other people.
2. Health is Wealth - Nurses treat many patients everyday that are sick from a food-related illness. Therefore, nurses understand very well the importance of a healthy diet and good health. Preaching to patients the importance of proper nutrition and exercise is a common practice among doctors and nurses.
3. Value of Listening - A nurse is an effective listener and knows well the power of listening and showing empathy. Nurses spend more time with patients than doctors do. They always listen to patient stories, problems, and other concerns. Sometimes, even more than medicine, a patient needs someone who listens and shows empathy. This is another way that nurses play a critical role.
4. Seeing the Human Body From a Clinical Perspective - As a nurse, seeing people naked is part of their everyday job. Nurses care for many patients, giving them sponge baths, catheters, and at times, also helping clean waste from their body. Nurses learn to see the human body from a clinical perspective.
5. Joy of Seeing Your Patient Recover - Each job has its own set of rewards. In the field of nursing, seeing patients recover, or leaving the hospital healed, is the most rewarding part of their job. Nurses feel satisfied when they see a patient going home with a big smile. Being part of that healing process makes it even more special.

The life of a nurse is challenging. Nurses are always supposed to be ready for the unexpected. Because of their profession, nurses understand life from a different perspective that regular people aren’t able to fully comprehend. 

Learning is a part of every nurse’s career and nurses do it each day through practical experiences. Continuing education, even after working as a nurse, can take you to even greater heights in your career. With good job prospects, better earnings and growth, continuing education for nurses is always a great decision. To specialize in a field of your choice, INSCOL offers specialized nursing programs for internationally educated nurses. To learn more about the available courses, visit at www.inscol.com.