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Latest News from Marian College, School of Nursing

Six Steps To Academic Success At Marian College

Here at Marian College, we pride ourselves on providing our students with the resources to keep them successful throughout their nursing career. Here are six practical tips to surviving and thriving as you power through your nursing program.

success

1. Motivation: Getting through your nursing program can prove to be difficult, especially when you take into account the other responsibilities you have in life. Keep reminding yourself why you started and how you can stay motivated through the difficult times.

2. Attitude: A positive attitude can help push the achievement of your goals. Visualize your success and focus on passing.

3. Resiliency: If you perform poorly on one test, don’t be discouraged. Use the failure to propel you to make it better in the succeeding ones. As Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it: “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”

4. Innovation: Creativity and going out of the box are important traits to make one succeed in the nursing program. If one study technique doesn’t work, explore other means of studying.

5. Active Learning: Keep in mind that learning does not stop within the four walls of the classroom. Be an active learner even after you leave your class. Sign-up for free online nursing journals that will help you expand your knowledge of the profession. Grab every opportunity to volunteer, which is a rich source of knowledge and experience. This is an opportunity to establish networks as well.

6. Perseverance: Success is given to those who persevere, don’t give up!

These six tips will help you make the most of your time at Marian. It may not be easy, but it will be worth it in the end! If you would like more information on our nursing program, please visit our website, or give us a call at either our Los Angeles (213) 388-3566 or Van Nuys (818) 782-6163 campus.

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Does Coffee Help?

 

Does Coffee Help?

When it comes to waking up and getting ready for the day, many people rely on coffee to get them through the morning and into a working rhythm. Coffee is both a necessity and an art form, depending on who you ask. In light of coffee’s role in our busy schedules, we wanted to do some research into the big question: Do you NEED coffee? What is it really doing to our bodies?

Waking Up.

Many nurses can’t start the day without a cup of coffee, and this may be due to their cortisol levels. Our bodies naturally have a high level of cortisol in the morning, since this is the hormone responsible for waking and rising. When the body starts to develop a reliance or even addiction to caffeine, it can disrupt the natural distribution of cortisol in the rising, waking, and sleeping periods of daily life. As a result, drinking too much coffee can prevent the body from getting healthy sleep and waking patterns.

You Don’t Feel Tired, But You Look It.

Too much coffee can cause the visible signs of aging to appear more dramatic. Coffee can cause wrinkling and aging because it dehydrates the skin and elevates cortisol levels. A decrease in collagen and elastin production is also found with increased consumption of caffeine, leading to skin aging.

Caffeine Affects People Differently.

Different people, different reactions to coffee. The amount that is too much for one person can be too little for another. The effect of caffeine varies from one person to another, so there is no perfect amount of coffee for anyone or everyone. Drinking the amount that you consider adequate is recommended, just as long as you recognize what is too much for your health. As always, water should be consumed to balance out the other liquids to keep your body hydrated.

Coffee is one of the greatest stimulants around and has contributed to an undeniable increase productivity. There have been many studies performed over the years highlighting the benefits of drinking coffee. The key is to limit yourself accordingly. If you’ve ever questioned the amount you’re drinking, chances are you are drinking too much!

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Nursing Etiquette Tips

As a nurse, you will be constantly interacting with different kinds of people, from your colleagues to patients to their loved ones and friends, all of whom will likely be facing certain stressors that make them irritable. While working long hours and being on your feet all the time may also wear you down and make you impatient, etiquette will allow you to maintain professionalism and cultivate good relationships. Ultimately, this will make your nursing career more satisfying in Los Angeles & Van Nuys.

Nursing Etiquette Tips | School of Nursing Los Angeles & Van Nuys, CA

Etiquette is based on kindness, common sense, and consideration as you strive to create harmony and cooperation in your health care environment. Here are a few tips to help you present yourself in a professional manner:

Introduce yourself

Whenever you’re meeting someone for the first time, it is important that you extend your hand for a handshake and introduce yourself, rather than waiting to be asked for your name, waiting to be introduced by someone else, or simply ignoring salutations and jumping right into the task at hand. When introducing yourself, start with a salutation, like “Hello”, followed by your name and your job title.

Introduce people in order of their rank

When introducing two different people, like a nursing student to a surgeon, say the name of the higher-ranking person first, and introduce him/her to the second person. Then introduce the first person to the second one. For instance, “Andrew, i’d like to introduce Janet Brown. Janet is one of the new nursing students who recently joined us for her first clinical. Janet, Andrew is our head of surgery since 2009.

Have a firm handshake

A confident handshake creates a positive first impression and sets the mood for mutual respect. Stand up, lean forward, smile, make eye contact, and have a strong handshake. However, keep in mind that the handshake rule does not apply to all cultures, like Hindu, where men never shake hands with women. Some people may also be struggling with arthritis, and a handshake may be painful. So go with the flow.

Lastly, maintain a positive, professional image

When working as a nurse in Los Angeles & Van Nuys, you want everyone to identify you as a professional, competent, and respectful person. Dress accordingly, wear a name tag, watch your body language, smile sincerely, be approachable, and show care and interest. Be the symbol of calm and authority when needed.

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Balancing Nursing School and Life

One of the biggest challenges of nursing school is the massive time commitment it demands, which can cause you to miss out on many things in your personal life. Work, personal pursuits, family, and friends and all important components of a satisfying life in Los Angeles & Van Nuys.

Balancing Nursing School and Life | Nursing College Los Angeles, CA

Learning how to manage your time so you can keep up with the demands of nursing school and still have adequate time for non-work things can make your career much more fulfilling. Here are a few tips to help you balance nursing school and life:

Keep your things organized

Designate an area in your home or room for your nursing studies, to keep your books, computer, supplies, and anything else related to nursing. This will make it easier to adjust your mindset from nursing to other things and back to nursing when you need to.

Prioritize your projects

Take your nursing school projects, and always allot some time to work on them during the week. Use the project deadlines to set milestones for the project progress. You can work on it every day during a specific time, or choose a couple of days within the week to focus and complete it.

Set realistic goals

Don’t overburden yourself as it could lead to burnout and despair. If you want to enroll in nursing school while working and taking care of your family, pick one course a semester or as much as you can handle without neglecting your other duties. If you strain yourself you could end up losing them all.

Form a support network

Create a strong network to provide guidance and support during this journey. Your team could comprise fellow students, your educators, your family, and anyone else who can provide professional or moral support when you need it.

Lastly, manage your stress

So you’ve always wanted to be a nurse. As enthusiastic as you may be about having a successful nursing career, it is important to take care of your health. Take time to exercise, socialize, tour Los Angeles & Van Nuys, and have fun to let some of the steam off. Most importantly, take time to enjoy every experience – the challenges, the new people you meet, and the first-times of everything. Stretch yourself within limits and enjoy the lifelong journey.

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Why You Should Get Involved in Student Activities

Students work hard in high school to get into a good university or college in Los Angeles & Van Nuys to pursue the career of their dreams. As graduate students, they work even harder, dividing their time between classes and homework, and sometimes work, family, and a few other commitments. It seems like they don’t have the time to squeeze in student activities.

Why You Should Get Involved in Student Activities | Nursing School Advice

However, graduate students should try to add some more non-academic related activities to that list because they can impact their experience as students and career afterwards in a massive way. There are many reasons why you should get involved in other activities, including:

1. Better connection to your school

Higher learning institutions have an abundance of resources that students can exploit, if they can find them. Getting involved in various activities gives you opportunities to explore any opportunities and capitalize on them.

2. Experience

If you did not take part in any extra-curricular activities while in high school, no you have an opportunity to acquire new skills and experiences that may help you in your professional or social life.

3. Networking

Getting involved in an activity that you’re passionate about allows you to meet new people with similar interest and possibly make lifelong friends.

4. Developing new skills

You can choose to join an activity that helps you develop your existing sills, or one that presents an opportunity to learn new things. At the very least, you learn to work as part of a team, you become a more effective communicator, you become better at public speaking, and so much more.

5. Fun

School should not be all about serious stuff. By sharing your passions with other people, you will be able to form strong friendships that make everything you do fun.

Student Activities Look Great On Your Resume

Lastly, you should know that recruiters and employers today don’t just look at your school grades when evaluating your candidature. The skills and experiences that you gain as part of a team or in a leadership position where you manage talents and solve conflicts can be applied in any situation in the real world. Those skills can set you apart from other candidates with similar academic qualifications competing for the same opportunity.

Most universities and colleges in Los Angeles & Van Nuys have a list of activities and organizations for new students to participate in. So find one that sparks your interest and enjoy the learning experience.

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10 Success Tips to Get Through Clinical in Nursing School

Congratulations, if you’re about to start your first clinical rotation. This is a major milestone for student nurses in Los Angeles & Van Nuys as it means that you have completed the first phase of your nursing program, have been through the Transition to Care event, and you’re ready to take the next step and start gaining real life, practical experience in a clinical setting.

10 Success Tips to Get Through Clinical in Nursing School | Los Angeles

You’re probably experiencing mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness about your performance. Here’re a few tips to help you be successful in clinical:

  1. Keep an open mind when approaching each patient. This will keep you from being judgy and allow you to adapt faster when dealing with patients from different backgrounds and those that have been through different experiences.
  2. Every medical professional you interact with can teach you something. The CNAs and techs have a wealth of knowledge about caring for patients because they spend a lot of time with the patients.
  3. Develop mentorship programs. Listen to the clinical instructor. Your adviser plays a big part in shaping your professional development. Try to learn from every person you encounter, especially those that you admire and occupy positions you hope to reach in your career. Learn about nursing, administration, time management, and everything else.
  4. Ask questions. You’re still a student, and your clinical should be treated as a learning opportunity. Ask questions and look for opportunities to practice different nursing skills.
  5. Take your clinical seriously, as if you were actually working there for a living. This mentality will help you to avoid other people’s negativity and keep you focused.
  6. Plan your time wisely. It is important that you be on time and be ready for the day with all the necessities – notepad, pens, stethoscope, etc.
  7. Show up with enthusiasm. Keep in mind that your attitude is a major factor when venturing into something new. Be ready for anything.
  8. Respect your fellow students and new work colleagues, and aim at establishing great working relationships. Keep in mind that you will likely work or encounter them in your profession.
  9. Pay attention to your personal life as well. Don’t get consumed by nursing and start neglecting your family, friendships, self-care, partner, and personal activities. You need a break sometimes to avoid burnout and to develop a life outside work.
  10. Be committed. This is like a sum up of every other point. It means facing your fears, being active, taking notes on everything, respecting your colleagues, volunteering at every opportunity, and not giving up even after making several mistakes.

Lastly, continuously work on your communication skills. Keep in mind that patients and their families open up their lives and entrust you with private information so you can use it to improve their health. Know how to communicate their concerns to other medical professionals, and how to comfort them without giving them false hopes, and you will enjoy your clinical in Los Angeles & Van Nuys.

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What is a Nurse Practitioner and What Do They Do?

A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a licensed and autonomous registered nurse (RN) with advanced training to manage people’s health conditions and prevent diseases. Since they receive more training than registered nurses, their duties are more complex and involve:

  • Administering physical exams
  • Obtaining medical histories
  • Providing immunizations
  • Administering preventative child care
  • Prescribing medications
  • Prescribing massage therapy, physical therapy, and other rehabilitation therapy
  • Diagnosing and treating illnesses
  • Ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests such as blood work, x-rays, and EKG’s
  • Diagnosing and managing chronic diseases such as arthritis and diabetes
  • Performing procedures such as casting, suturing, skin biopsy, and cryotherapy
  • Providing patient education to facilitate informed decision making
  • Referring complex cases to other health care providers

Also referred to as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), NPs usually specialize by demographic to address pediatric, women’s, or adult-gerontological health. An NP may specialize further in primary and acute care settings that include:

  • Pediatric health
  • Family health
  • Neonatal care
  • Geriatric health
  • Adult health
  • Mental health / psychiatric care
  • Women’s health / midwifery
  • School / college health

What is a Nurse Practitioner and What Do They Do? | Nursing Careers

Requirements for Nurse Practitioners

The role of NP was created in 1965. To practice as a nurse practitioner, you need a minimum of a master’s degree, though many NPs are opting to get a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) to access even greater job opportunities.

To become an independent practitioner, you need to meet the regulations outlines by the APRN consensus model with regard to the preparation and accredited education of an NP, as well as your licensure and certification. You are expected to have the skill and training to provide a wide range of services to at least one population focus – as mentioned above.

NP vs Physician

The duties of a nurse practitioner may appear to be similar to those of a physician, but there are a few differences. Generally, NPs specialize in specific areas of health care to provide all encompassing personal care – education, prevention, and wellness.

Even so, studies suggest that NPs provide exceptional healthcare services. In fact, patients under NPs often report fewer preventable hospitalizations, fewer hospital readmissions, fewer unnecessary ER visits, and higher satisfaction compared to those under physicians.

Moreover, seeking treatment from an NP is more cost-effective than visiting a doctor, largely because their educations costs are much lower – about 25 percent.

Should I Become a Nurse Practitioner?

A recent report showed that 88% of NPs expressed satisfaction with their career, while 66 percent of doctors would encourage students to become NPs as opposed to physicians. And with an annual average salary of over $100,000, becoming a nurse practitioner can be a very fulfilling career.

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Travel Nursing

Travel Nursing involves taking temporary nursing assignments in different hospitals and other medical facilities across the country, when and where there is a shortage.

Travel Nursing, Perks & Benefits, Travel Nurse Overview

The demand for nurses in hospitals and senior care facilities has been increasing; so it is not unusual for some facilities to face staff shortage. When such a situation arises, a traveling nurse is hired to fill a specific position for a period of between 8 and 13 weeks, though some assignments can last as long as 26 weeks.

Benefits of Travel Nursing

Travel nurses have the freedom to choose from a wide range of assignments in different parts of the country and lasting for between two and six months. This means that you can decide when to take time off and for how long. You also don’t get stuck at the same job for long if you don’t like it.

You can take advantage of the short-term work assignments to explore new cities and experience life in different parts of the country, or to get away from extreme weather at different times of the year. If you want to settle down, you can test different places and decide to take assignments around the place you would like to live permanently.

Perks of Travel Nursing

Travel nurses enjoy competitive wages that allow them to live comfortably in any of the 50 states where their job assignments take them. They usually enjoy travel reimbursements, meaning that expenses associated with travel and living arrangements are fully catered for. So you can live in nice neighborhoods without worrying about the high rent prices, and save your money while touring the new city. Moreover, you get a benefits package such as medical, vision, and dental insurance for your peace of mind.

Is Travel Nursing Right for You?

You should consider a travel nursing position if you are an adventurous person who enjoys exploring new places, are social (since you’ll be working with new teams often), and love the job flexibility.

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Signs You Have What It Takes to Major in Nursing

Pursuing a major in nursing is a little different from being in a different major. This doesn’t necessarily mean that other majors are easy. Generally, most college courses comprise exams and several lab sessions. But nursing school has many different exams, clinicals, simulation labs, reading assignments, certifications, and so much more.

Signs You Have What It Takes to Major in Nursing

To succeed in a nursing major, you need certain qualities to help you stay focused and motivated. Here are some signs to show that you can handle the demands of nursing school:

1. You are Flexible

With clinical rotations, things hardly ever turn out the way you planned them to. A seemingly small problem can quickly escalate into a life-threatening situation. Last second changes occur very often. In the hospital environment, so many unexpected things can happen, so you need to be flexible enough to handle each situation as it arises.

2. Perseverance

You need a strong sense of determination to pursue a course in nursing. One of the biggest challenges is striking a balance between completing the mandatory hours of clinicals and completing the tough nursing school curriculum. Moreover, you need to meet all the requirements of your studies while being available to your patients as a student nurse.

3. Empathy and Compassion

When dealing with different kinds of patients, from nursing mothers to elderly patients, you need to be able to allocate how much time you can spend with each patient according to their unique needs, to provide them with the level of comfort they need.

4. Great Communication Skills

You need to use the appropriate form of communication – telephone call, text message, email, face to face conversation, gesture – as the situation demands. Learning about the various diseases, illnesses, surgical procedures, and other healthcare information is just one part of being a good nurse. You also need to be able to listen and communicate well with your patients, their families, and other healthcare professionals.

Final Note

Lastly, keep in mind that you will be spending many hours on your feet, often with minimal rest. You need to prepare yourself physically and mentally to meet the unique demands of the nursing profession.

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How Hard is Nursing School?

Nursing is a unique profession that gives those who choose to pursue it the opportunity to directly improve the lives of others. As a nurse, you will be working on the front lines of the medical field, soothing the patients’ pain, calming worried families, and performing tasks as directed by the doctor. It is extremely rewarding when patients get better, but equally devastating when they take a turn for the worst. But what exactly does a nursing student have to go through to adequately meet the challenges of the profession? Let’s begin with nursing school.

How Hard is Nursing School?

First, you shouldn’t expect any healthcare profession to be simple. Nurses and other medical professionals are responsible for other people’s lives, and so they need to be fully prepared. Fortunately, most students who get accepted in the different nursing schools are able to successfully complete the programs. But the challenge starts there.

The Journey to Becoming a Licensed Nurse

Every student experiences his/her training differently, though you face more or less the same challenges. What really matters is how well you make it through depends on your level of enthusiasm and dedication.

Typical challenges include:

  • The amount of things you need to learn – Part of the difficulty of nursing school is the large volume of new concepts, terminologies, facts, and practical skills you need to learn. But for some people, learning new things is fascinating.
  • Critical thinking – As a nurse, you will need to be creative in your approach to tackling different problems. It takes great knowledge and experience to develop good deductive reasoning skills.
  • Time management – Your studies include a combination of classwork and lab work. You need to good time management skills to balance your training.

What It Takes to Get Into Nursing School

If you want to become a nurse, there are many educational options to pursue. So if you’re unable to get into one school, you can always try to get into another. That said, every nursing school has its own unique admissions criteria. You need to research schools that you hope to get into to determine whether or not you satisfy their requirements.

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