Month: June 2017

A Letter To My Younger Self

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Dear Kate,

Hey, it’s me, future Kate. I’m living in Columbus in a tiny apartment with two cats. Yes, cats. You were always a dog person! I also found a way to deal with our terrible fear of heights because I go rock climbing frequently.  I’m finishing up my second year as an RN in the ICU float pool and I just passed my CCRN critical care certification exam. Can’t believe it? It took a lot of work to get here. Looking back,  there are some things I want to share with you.

So, you’re a sophomore in college and just starting your first year in the nursing program. I know freshman year was crazy hard. It was your first year away from home, you struggled to adjust to the big city, and you had an impossible schedule of classes. Your hard work paid off and you’re now in the nursing program! Congrats!

I know it feels like you’re in the clear because you made it into the program, but it only gets harder. Don’t let that discourage you- you have all of the friends you made freshman year and a whole bunch of nursing professors to help you along the way. Your classes will be difficult, but just remember- these are things you’re actually going to use. They’re relevant to your career. All of the new skills that seem so intimidating at first (head to toe assessment, PEG tubes, dressing changes, catheters) will become part of your daily routine. It gets much less scary with time. Once you get those skills down, you’ll start on newer, harder ones- PA Catheters, chest tubes, and cardiac drips. Don’t worry- you’re never alone. There are so many seasoned nurses around you to help you.

There are going to be hard times.  You’re going to staunch bleeding and wipe tears. You will see traumatic, terrible things happen to people and work to fix them. How do you get through all of this- why would you want to put yourself through this?  Just remind yourself- if you can give comfort to help someone having the worst day of their life, it’s worth it. If you can hold someone’s hand so they know they’re not alone, it’s worth it.

There will also be great times. You’re going to see patients heal with a new lease on life. You’ll feel joy when your lung transplant wants to walk 15 laps around the unit. You’ll wipe away tears of happiness when a young trauma patient starts giving you thumbs ups when she previously couldn’t move at all. You’ll have so many great conversations with patients and their families and learn all of their stories.

So, yeah, we’ve accomplished a lot in five years. You had a lot of help and support to get here. You’ll gain so many friends- your coworkers will become a second family. You’re going to have a spectacular manager who fosters your inquisitive nature, working with your awesome educator to find you additional educational opportunities. Finally, you’re going to be happy. That depression that always lingered around you in college will break up and dissipate. Every patient helped, every small difference you can make to improve someone else’s day gives your life meaning. You’ve found your happiness.

Kate Best is 2015 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Nursing. 

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Give Back, Get Involved

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I always tried to volunteer and stay involved throughout college as much as I could.  Although I was in a sorority and held officer positions, it was too time consuming for me to juggle both, being in nursing school.  (Although I did partake in the PLAN mentoring group within the CON). So, I knew that I was going to carry that on during post-grad being a new graduate nurse.  I have stayed involved with the College of Nursing via the Alumni Society (I serve as a regional ambassador back here in Cleveland) and also by doing these blogs to share my experiences to other people who are soon following in my footsteps.  I’ve always been the type of student and person who enjoys sharing my experiences with other people, so this has always been a perfect fit for me.  Aside from being able to donate as a CON Alumni, being involved with the regional side of the alumni society enables me to stay involved specifically with the CON and speak on behalf of the new grads that come back to Cleveland or move here post-grad.  It’s a cool way to be a little bit more involved than just rambling on about being a nurse :).  If you are interested in checking out some of the volunteer opportunities associated with OSU CON, here’s a link to current opportunities.

Although these two opportunities are the only volunteer work I am doing at the moment, I plan to do more.  With the possibility of going back to NP school this coming fall, I hope to get involved with a committee or group for school.  I’ve always felt that being involved is a good way not only enhance your resume, but to also get your name familiarized within the community, because as we all know, a lot of the healthcare industry is about who you know!  Another good way to stay involved within the field of nursing, which I plan to do so as well, is to enroll in the ANA (Nurses Association) and if you work in a specialized department, like an ED for example, enroll (for $$) within that association as well. You’ll stay in the loop on medical and nursing practice as well as receive discounts on CE courses, etc.

There’s many extracurricular and volunteer opportunities to partake in during school and post-graduation, and it’s such a good way to keep busy in your time off from work, since we only work 3 days of the week anyways :).

Sydney Adelstein is 2016 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Nursing. 

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