Nursing Jobs Indianapolis

Where Are You From?

Monday, May 24, 2010 by Sherry Holden, BSN, RN, Associate Partner

IU 4-Medicine is an eclectic mix of humanity: both patients and staff. A few days ago, I was prompted to think about our diversity based on a conversation I had with an elderly patient. He was 76 years old and hospitalized for diagnostic studies. I asked him where he was from and he replied, “Tennessee” and then proceeded to tell me the name of a very small town he was sure I wouldn’t remember. He was right, I don’t! Then I asked, “How did you get to IU from Tennessee?” He replied, “I have LIVED in Indianapolis for 68 years. You asked me where I was FROM!” Point taken. There is a distinct difference between where we are from and where we live.

Since I have been transplanted many times, I have always been curious to know where people are from. Over the years, I have learned a lot about the people, cities, towns, and states where I have lived from patients and staff. Once a man responded to that query by saying, “Well, I am Kentucky breed and Indiana feed!” One of my favorite encounters occurred several years ago at IU when I asked an intern, Dr. Khan, where he was from. His reply, “Where do you think I am from?” My response: “Some place very far East of here.” To my surprise, and his great pleasure, he replied, “Mongolia!” Without hesitation, I told him we were probably related. Then I gave him a great explanation of the westward migration of Mongolians centuries ago. Many of them went to the area of the Ukraine where my mother’s family lived. Consequently, it was very probable we had family ties. Naturally, he thought I was very strange. Thereafter, whenever he came to the unit, I referred to him as “Cousin Kahn” and he always smiled in disbelief. I’d like to think that he has told this story over time from his angle - still smiling in disbelief.

So, where are you from? I posed this question to some of my colleagues and got these responses: Indianapolis, Gary, Avon, Hope, South Bend, Linton, Evansville, Terre Haute and C-ville. (You have to be an insider to know that Indiana town.) Chicago, IL; Bettendorf, IA; Lagos, Nigeria; Manila, Philippines; Cincinnati, OH; Milwaukee, WI; Kampala, Uganda; Bangkok, Thailand; Kansas City, KS; Hastings, MN; San Paulo, Brazil; Addis Abba, Ethiopia; and I am from Valley City, ND - some people consider that a foreign country with its own language! Really, no passport needed. Finally, one nurse admitted being from “Heaven.” I suspect she is one person who really can go home again!

Our journeys have brought us to this place from the North, South, East, and West. We all have stories to tell of the roads we have traveled. My curiosity wonders why we are all here at this place and time - individually and collectively? As a staff, we exist only for a brief period of time. This month, some people are going and new people will come. Soon we will be a different mix and our identity will change. Who are we, and where are we going?

In the scheme if it all, my great hope is that we do not miss one another along the way.

Sherry

Sherry Holden, BSN, RN
Associate Partner, 4South, IU Hospital

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit RN Job Opportunities Indiana.

Racing for Poisons

Friday, May 14, 2010 by Gwenn Christianson, MSN, RN, CSPI

What does May in Indiana mean? The Indianapolis 500 race of course! Racing cars are on everyone’s minds, as we keep a close eye and ear on the results of Poles and Bumps and the Race itself. Races are fun to watch and of course cars are essential for most of us for transportation. At the same time, cars are also a source of toxins that can wreak havoc upon the individual who encounters them.

Starting with their fuel, cars are filled with fluids that can harm you. Gasoline is a hydrocarbon, which if swallowed and aspirated, can result in hydrocarbon pneumonitis. The end result can be devastating or even fatal. How might someone swallow gasoline?

Usually people do this when they are siphoning fuel from one vehicle to another. The moral of this is to never siphon orally! Motor oil and transmission fluid are also hydrocarbons, but because they are so much thicker than gasoline, they are much harder to aspirate, so are less likely to be a problem.

Other automotive fluids that are poisonous are radiator and windshield washer antifreezes. Radiator antifreeze contains ethylene glycol, while windshield washer antifreeze contains methanol. Both are extremely toxic in extremely small (teaspoons) amounts. Ethylene glycol can cause kidney failure, while methanol can cause blindness, and both can cause death, if very much is ingested. Brake fluid is similar to the antifreezes in toxicity.

How do people accidentally swallow these fluids? The most common error they make is to drain the fluid into a handy pop can or cup, which they then mistake for the can or cup that contains their drink. They take a big swig from it and unfortunately, one swig is enough to be a problem. Young children see the can sitting there and sip from it too – and can also wind up with serious problems.

Fortunately most hydrocarbon exposures don’t end up as aspiration pneumonitis and we have very effective treatments for both methanol and ethylene glycol exposures. Still, the best treatment for any exposure is Prevention. Don’t siphon gasoline or any automotive fluids. Drain automotive fluids into clearly marked waste containers and never use beverage containers for drainage purposes.

Enjoy May and Race Fans……. start your engines!

Gwenn

Gwenn Christianson, MSN, RN, CSPI
Senior Partner and Team Leader
Indiana Poison Center, Methodist Hospital

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit RN Job Opportunities Indiana.

Celebrating Nurses Week: Making it Creative and Meaningful

Saturday, May 8, 2010 by The Clarian Health Nurse Recruitment Team

Clarian Health has traditionally celebrated National Nurses Week at its downtown Indianapolis hospitals with an extensive lineup of events, activities, get-togethers and giveaways.

It used to start in late April and run through the end of May, usually capped with a day or two for nurses and nurse leaders at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, watching cars practice or compete for spots in the famed Indy 500 race.

Of late, we’ve taken a second (and third) look at our celebrations and asked ourselves: Do umbrellas as gifts and offers of free makeovers really make nurses feel appreciated for the work they do? Do they want to take time away from their families and friends and spend it with us – their employer – at an event we stage after hours to say thanks for a job well done?

More and more, we’ve realized that it’s not the gift or event that counts. It’s the motivation and the thought behind it. Is it genuine? Is it meaningful? Is it appropriately thanking those you intend to thank?

Last year, we changed our Nurses Week lineup and substituted some new things and got rid of some old habits in hopes of instilling a new way of thinking among our professional nursing staff.

For example, in lieu of a small gift for each nurse, we opted for charity and asked our nurses to identify nurse-led or nurse-inspired programs operating at our hospitals so that a significant donation could be made in the name of nursing, in honor of Nurses Week.

One program RNs identified was “Got You Covered” at Methodist Hospital’s Emergency Department, which provides sweatpants and sweatshirts to patients who don’t have clothing to wear after they are treated and released. A nurse started it; a nurse still runs it; and nurses KNOW it makes a difference to patients. We were happy to donate money to that cause in the name of great nurses at Clarian.

We’re doing the same thing again this year, and already, triple the number of nurse-led or nurse-inspired programs have been identified as potential recipients of a Nurses Week donation. That’s a step in the right direction, I think.

I believe, as does Clarian, that nurses are at the heart of health care. Nurses Week is an opportunity to say thanks to nurses who do the work of heroes, but it’s also an opportunity to think differently about how we recognize and appreciate that work … every day of the year.

Lydia Ostermeier, MSN, RN, CHCR
Director of Nurse Recruitment, Retention, Workforce Development, Resource Allocation & Customer Service
losterme@clarian.org
317-962-1886

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit RN Job Opportunities Indiana.

Count Down for Accuracy

Thursday, March 25, 2010 by Gwenn Christianson, MSN, RN, CSPI

I really don’t have a math obsession, although sometimes it must seem as if I do to parents when I bombard them with questions like, “How many months old? How many minutes ago? How many pounds does she weigh?” What I do have is a fixation on accuracy, because accuracy is so important to my work.

Over the course of time, I’ve found that parents have an aversion to counting pills. In the world of the Poison Center, we count pills because we are trying to narrow down the number of pills a child could have ingested to a safe amount. “So, we started out with 24 tabs, you’ve used 2 doses of 2 tabs each, and you’ve counted 16 left, that means 4 tabs were ingested, right? 4 tabs x 160 mg/tab / 14 kg = 45 mg/kg and we don’t need to send him to the ER until he’s ingested more than 100 mg/kg, so he’s OK. That’s great!”

Or, we count pills because we want to establish the absolute maximum number of tablets the child could have ingested ….. “The bottle held 50, you’ve got 30 left and you know you’ve used at least 7 and probably more, so the maximum she could have taken would have been 13 …. 13 tabs x 200 mg/tab / 15 kg = 173 mg/kg - > 200 mg/kg is toxic, so we’re OK – let’s just watch her for an upset stomach or drowsiness ….”

Finally we count pills because sometimes, rarely but not impossibly, we are given the gift of finding all of the pills. “You know the bottle holds 100 tablets but you don’t know how many might have been taken already - why don’t you count them and we’ll see if that narrows the amount down to a safe range, OK? “98, 99, 100 – they’re all there!” “That’s great! That means he couldn’t have eaten any. That’s fantastic news, and I’m so glad you took the 2 minutes to count the pills to be sure.” At the end of the day, the finding of “no exposure” is the best count of all.

Gwenn

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Nursing Jobs Indianapolis.

Nursing Means Working with Great People

Monday, February 1, 2010 by Teresa Weller Sundine, BSN, RN

It's almost springtime, and with that we will have a new crop of nurses. Recently, one of the staff nurses who is now a nursing instructor brought about 8 of her nursing students to our unit to get an idea of what Critical Care was about. I got to meet several of them and of course when I found out they were graduating in May....well, the old “recruit” mode came out in me. I told them how much I really loved working on NCC and that we are a very cohesive group. We all work very well together and even enjoy each others' company outside of the work environment. There are not a lot of jobs that you can say that about.

We recently received the results of the NDQI study and our unit scored above the national average on all of the questions. To me, that means the majority of us like our jobs, like our managers, and think we are treated fairly and work well together.

For me, working with great people means as much, if not more, than the area itself. I never dread going to work (except that I would love to be independently wealthy and never have to work) or hate being there once I arrive. I know, even when the work is intense and the night seems like it will never end, that I will be with people that I trust to work with and will be able to laugh or cry without fear, because they are friends and we have all been there. We support each other, not only at work, but also outside of work too. That is a comforting feeling to have - especially in the field of nursing.

Happy Nursing.

Teri

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Nursing Jobs Indianapolis.

Lydia Ostermeier, MSN, RN, CHCR, Director of Nurse Recruitment

Thursday, January 28, 2010 by The Clarian Health Nurse Recruitment Team

Lydia Ostermeier, MSN, RN, CHCR, Clarian Director of Nurse Recruitment

Lydia became a nurse to have a challenging and rewarding career, which she has happily pursued at only Wishard Hospital and Clarian since obtaining her RN licensure.

"Nurses can make or break a patient’s hospital experience – you have to keep a smile on your face and your chin up at all times even in the most difficult of circumstances."

Lydia has previously served as a Neurosurgery ICU staff nurse, a Director of Staffing, and a Clinical Manager at University Hospital in Indianapolis.

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nurse Job Opportunities.

Happy Holidays!

Saturday, December 19, 2009 by Gwenn Christianson, MSN, RN, CSPI

“Indiana Poison Center, this is Gwenn RN, how may I help you?”

“My son just ate Santa Claus!” wailed the caller. “What am I going to do?”

Unique ingestions happen around the holidays. This one was perhaps more unique than is typical.

“Ma’am? Could you explain that a little more thoroughly for me? What do you mean, he ATE Santa?”

Turned out “Santa” was an antique glass ornament, handed down through the family, and mom had unfortunately hung it on a lower branch on the Christmas tree. Her 18 month old son had promptly grabbed the shiny object and bit off it’s head. The baby was fine, had no cuts in his mouth, and was able to drink juice without any problem. The tiny fragments of thin old glass would pass through his GI tract without problem, so only a little instruction on diet adjustment and observation during the next week was necessary.

How mom was going to explain this to Grandma was a whole other story, one that I couldn’t assist her with.

Gwenn

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Nursing Jobs Indianapolis.

Nurse on the Phone: Hot Topics!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 by Gwenn Christianson, MSN, RN, CSPI

At Indiana Poison Center our staff are called Specialists in Poison Information, conveniently abbreviated as SPIs. Sometimes I think our Registered Nurse jobs should actually be known as real Spies, since we spend so much time digging out hidden information ...

Indiana Poison Center, this is Gwenn RN, how may I help you?

“This is Kate, the school nurse from Happy Valley Elementary. Several of our parents have seen this e-mail that is circulating about alcohol based hand sanitizer and the dangers involved if children should lick the hand sanitizer off of their hands. The parents want us to switch to alcohol-free hand sanitizer. Can you tell me anything about this?”

Well, I can tell you that as long as your students weigh more than 30 pounds and are licking less than a teaspoon of hand sanitizer from their hands, they are going to be perfectly fine. Ethanol based hand sanitizers typically contain 62% ethanol, and ingestion of a teaspoon or less in a 2 year old, 30 pound child is not enough to be a problem. If you have kindergarten aged children and above, they should weigh more than 30 pounds, so they should be fine. I’d be glad to e-mail you our news release on hand sanitizer – you’re not the only school nurse being besieged by parents who have read this mis-information and are worried about it!

“Hi, this is Dr House from Memorial Community ER. I have a guy here who says he shot up heroin, but he sure doesn’t act like it. He’s agitated, tachycardic and hypertensive. I remember seeing something about heroin that was contaminated ... Can you fill me in on that?”

Sure, Epi-X had an alert out on heroin that is contaminated with clenbuterol. It resulted in symptoms like you describe – agitation, tremors, hypertension, tachycardia – plus hypokalemia and hyperglycemia. Treatment is basically symptomatic and supportive care – benzodiazepines and temperature control, plus correction of the electrolytes. Would you like me to fax you the alert?”

A weeping mom: “I just gave my baby some Motrin and some cold medicine - Then my sister-in-law told me that ibuprofen and cold meds could kill him! She saw it on the internet! Should I take him to the Emergency Room?”

No, ma’am, you don’t need to take him to the hospital, he’s going to be perfectly fine. I’ve seen that internet entry too and it’s not true at all. It’s what we call an urban legend, or what they used to call an old wives’ tale. Ibuprofen, which is what’s in Motrin, and Dextromethorphan, which is the cough ingredient they’re concerned about, are not toxic together. Both are safe when used as directed, together or separately. I’ve checked several drug interaction sites and they have no drug interactions, and I’ve also checked some reputable web-sites that investigate web rumors like this and they say there’s no support for this one.

Gwenn

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Nursing Jobs Indianapolis.

Nursing Patients and Patience

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 by Teresa Weller Sundine, BSN, RN

As nurses we have patients, but we also need to have PATIENCE! In our world everything is needed NOW or 10 minutes ago. Our work environment many times seems to be in crisis and we get frustrated.

Some examples are July of any year we get new... I mean brand spanking new residents that to us seem completely incompetent because we forget that they are just like us. They are just starting to find their way in the medical world. We forgot that WE were once brand new too and although we THOUGHT we were smart ( like our teenagers) and knew everything, we realized quickly that we have a long way to go to know everything. We must help the residents along just like we help our fellow nurses along.

Each year, actually several times a year, we get the new nursing graduates. They have 12 weeks of orientation and then several weeks of mentoring and we let them fly. What we need to realize is they are still fragile and need to be handled with care. We need to get to know them... see what makes them tick and help them to grow stronger and more knowledgeable. This is where the patience comes in because many times our personalities clash or WE are frustrated with life or work so we LOSE our patience. It may have nothing to even do with that person, but we let our own personal lives run our work emotions. We must all remember back to when we first got out of school and entered our first job. I know it was scary and sometimes it still is. I thank all the nurses that were patient with me and helped me to grow and I hope I show my fellow employees the same thing.

Nursing is a very rewarding profession not only monetarily but emotionally, intellectually, and friendship-wise. I love the people I work with and I am very glad they are there with patience for me too.

Happy Nursing

Teri Weller Sundine BSN, RN

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nurse Jobs Indianapolis.

Search for available Nursing Jobs at Clarian Health by Nurse Specialty.

The Struggle Makes You Savor It

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 by Teresa Weller Sundine, BSN, RN

Hello to all who deign to read this blog!

Isn’t it funny how we change over the course of our lives? When I was in high school (in the dark ages of the late 60s), I worked in a private nursing home that was attached to our local hospital. I started working in the dietary department right after I turned 16. Back then you HAD to keep your grades up and actually show your report card to the manager in order to keep your job and your hours. That was a great motivator to do a good job in school. I was one of eight children, so money was very sparse. If you wanted money, you had to go out and earn it.

Prior to starting my senior year of high school, I went to my school counselor to see about what classes I needed to take to get into college. At that time, my counselor asked me if I wanted to be a nurse. “A nurse? No, I don’t want to be a nurse!” He assumed that because I was working in a nursing home. Back then the nursing field was not all that great. It was assumed that women would become nurses, secretaries or teachers. But I was a rebel and decided I wanted to be a dietician. So off to Ball State I went in 1971. My fear of chemistry effectively killed that dream, and I ended up earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics Teaching and an Associate’s degree in Food Management.

After college, I managed a restaurant for ten years. I married my high school sweetheart, had two beautiful children, and later divorced. As a single mother, I knew that I could not make it on my salary as a restaurant manager and raise my children in the way I wanted.

Once again I found myself back at Ball State in the Nursing program. It was a struggle to work full time, take classes full time, and raise a four-year old and a four-month old, but let me tell you every minute of struggle was worth it. If you are “hungry” enough, then you can achieve anything. I earned my Bachelor’s in Nursing and moved to Indianapolis to work in Neuro Critical Care. Guila Thompson was the manager that hired me and even though I had no idea what Neuro Critical care was, Guila made me feel at home - and that was all I wanted.

So, I guess if I had taken my counselor’s advice back in 1970, I would have become a nurse much sooner, but I don’t know that I would have appreciated it as much. Sometimes the struggle makes you savor it that much more.

We all have many paths in front of us to choose from, and each one takes us in a new direction, but some actually lead us back to the beginning - a bit worse for wear, but much wiser.

Happy Nursing.

Teri

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nursing Opportunities Indiana.

Search for available Nursing Jobs at Clarian Health by Nurse Specialty.

What Do Nursing and Catching Chickens Have in Common?

Monday, September 28, 2009 by Sherry Holden, BSN, RN, Associate Partner

Staff nursing is challenging and intense. It requires physical, psychological, mental and spiritual prowess, and stamina. In order to survive, one must find a bit of levity in any given day, recognize it as such, savor it for a moment, exhale, refresh, regroup, and move along. In current terms, that would be known as the “levity bundle.” Levity is spontaneous and fleeting so one must grab its nuances and quickly partake of its benefits. Sometimes we are so stressed and overwhelmed we totally miss our moment of reprieve. I’m embracing levity nowadays as a survival technique, and it is interesting to me where I find it.

I floated to O.T,U. this week; a fish out of water. I’m always amazed that I function quite nicely on my unit, but when I go to another unit I might as well be in a foreign country and not speak the language! My first patient’s chief complaint was listed as 129.9! I kept that little number in my head throughout the day; chuckling and scheming. I have no idea what it means but I will not miss an opportunity to take advantage of it in the future.

We had a pitch-in last week, mostly sweets, because everyone knows that stressed spelled backwards is desserts. I missed a great opportunity to make my infamous “Beefy Brownies,” but many good bakers provided wonderful treats. It was an appreciation/farewell for one of our favorite physicians - a very special interlude with a lot of banter and one moment that was quite hilarious; one that shall always be remembered. Levity.

Sometimes these levity moments are long remembered. When I first started working at IU, I worked nights. I was reading the nurse’s notes from the day and a student nurse was caring for an elderly gentleman that was learning the art of walking with a 4-prong cane. The entry: patient abel to use cain. Priceless.

And, then, there is the “Chicken Catcher.” One day a group of us converged at the nurses' station and started talking about the program America’s Got Talent. I stated that I liked the “Chicken Catcher.” The conversation that ensued went fifty directions regarding the job of a “Chicken Catcher.” Wikepedia finally gave us the job description: A chicken catcher is one who catches chickens. OK then. In the final analysis we decided there was a need for such a job because chickens cannot be herded.

The next day our conversation centered around the fact that the chicken catcher had won the million dollars and a show of his own in Vegas. He was a quiet, shy man that had moved way out of his comfort zone to catch a dream. It changed his life completely.

Chicken catching and dream catching have enough merit to be independent blogs, our reality is “levity catching,” and when we accomplish it, we can exhale.

Have a nice day.

Sherry

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nurse Jobs Indianapolis.

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Nursing Defined

Monday, September 14, 2009 by Sherry Holden, BSN, RN, Associate Partner

I like words. I like concept analysis. I like it when I discover the “right” word. I like new words. I like words that I always pronounce wrong or words that roll off my tongue. I’m actually looking for a certain word. Here’s the challenge: if you could define nursing in one word, what would it be? I would much prefer we were having this as a round table discussion so each of us could have the opportunity to expound, because I am going to give you my word, which I, of course, think is the best - and the only way I will have “thought variables” is if you send me a reply. Otherwise I am going to be pretty smug about my choice.

Nursing is "relationship." A cascade of other words are contained within relationship. Thus, one could define nursing in great detail based on a single word. Try it for a little word exercise and see where it takes you.

I have been thinking about the nurse-patient relationship a lot this past week. Over the past few months I have had a wonderful relationship with CW and his wife B. It all started with, “Hello, my name is Sherry and I am going to be your nurse today.” That introduction has forged great relationships over time. CW was special. He endured many difficult medical interventions, numerous trips to the hospital, and was forced to make choices and decisions that were very challenging. Each time he came to 4-medicine, I wanted the privilege of caring for him. I learned a lot about his history, his family, his life, their great 4th of July Celebrations, his daughter’s wedding, his children, the wonderful home he loved on the Ohio, and a wife who sacrificed beyond his expectations. I have his address and phone number on my dresser. I had planned to visit CW & B after his surgery this summer; maybe go to a horse race. It was not to be.

On September 4th, I went to Ohio for his funeral. I wanted to see him one more time, say good-bye and connect with B. She is a special, gifted woman and I think we will maintain a relationship, too.

There was never a time that I cared for CW that he didn’t ask about me: what was new, how were the kids, the grand-babies, the garden... He always made me feel good. He was a joy to care for and always appreciated anything done for his well-being. I told B the other day, “People like CW are the reason I am a nurse.”

With relationship comes joy and sadness; the memory of both will linger in the case of CW. Understanding that full scope of involvement, tomorrow I will once again walk into the room of a stranger and say, “My name is Sherry and I’m going to be your nurse today.” Nursing defined.

Sherry

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Nursing Jobs Indianapolis.

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Excited Registered Nurse Goes Back to School for Masters Degree

Monday, September 14, 2009 by The Clarian Health Nurse Recruitment Team

This week has been so exciting with the start of the Clarian MSN program. I am proud to say that I have been accepted in the University of Indianapolis MSN program offered on site at Clarian -- a partnership that's existed for Clarian RNs since 2004.

I am going to study for my master’s in education. I forgot how busy it is to be back in school. It is so exciting. I am enrolled in two classes at a time with a combination of in-class time and online learning.

Shalunda

Shalunda Tyler, RN BSN
Nurse Recruiter for Perioperative
Services, Endoscopy, Adult
Cinics, and Healthnet
317 962-9083 office

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Clarian Serves!

Thursday, August 20, 2009 by Tracy Davis, BSN, RN, CCRN, Pediatric Critical Care

Boy did we ever! The past week I had the opportunity to do something I rarely get to do... take care of “big people,” meaning adults... and what a joy it was! Clarian has an entire building at the Indiana State Fair, the Clarian Healthy Lifestyles Pavilion. It is manned entirely by the Clarian Serves volunteer staff from all Clarian facilities statewide. That is a ton of manpower when one considers it is open all day, every day of the 17 days that the fair runs!

Some of the various interesting booths that are part of the offering include a Kids Zone, a Neuro Center for stroke risk evaluation, a digestive diseases area (with a chance to tour “Coco the Colon” no less!), a Heart Aware cardiovascular area, a Human Motion area that features Dance Dance Revolution, blood pressure checks, and my area, cholesterol and blood sugar checks. Needless to say this is a very popular place at the fair, busy from open to close.

Yesterday alone I helped with my colleagues check the cholesterol and blood sugar of 309 fair-goers! Most of the people who came through for screening were over the age of 50. As the machine that performs the test takes about 2 minutes, and then there is the discussion of results and some counseling, I was able to spend about 4-5 minutes with each person. Delightful! I tend to be able to find fun in most things I do. So even if it is something as “routine” as a lab result, I find a way to get to know about the person sitting in front of me, try to put them at ease, and maybe make them smile, even as I am poking them in the finger a little bit.

I heard many fascinating stories. When a person has lived a full life, there are a lot of stories to be told. I earnestly look them in the eye and tell them I am glad to have met them. Some ask if I “have to do this for my job” and I tell them, “No, I want to do this so I can meet people like you.” And you see a smile come across their face, because so often I think they probably feel that society no longer values them. The time passes way too quickly, and you honestly tell them it was a pleasure to meet them.

I love to eat at the fair, and told more than a few that I was not sure I was the right person to be counseling on nutrition at a once a year event that I truly believe you need to make count in terms of your food choices. And by choices I mean choose one of each. One gentleman in his mid-70’s sat down and said, “I’ll just tell you right now my total cholesterol is high, my good cholesterol is low, and my blood sugar is too high.” And I said, “Well why would you want to depress yourself on such a beautiful sunny day by having this test? Let’s forget this and go get a corn dog and lemonade shake-up!” And he smiled and said “tell my wife that and we’re out of here!” Needless to say, we didn’t do that, but the tension was broken, he listened very well to everything I taught him, and left with a twinkle in his eye. Like I said, you have to make it fun.

I heard many stories from people who had lost a job in the past year, and were getting screenings instead of trips to a doctor. Proud people with determination, typical Hoosiers. Some were scared of what the results were going to be, and then quite relieved when they saw them. I told them I was proud of them for having the test done instead of assuming the worst and avoiding the answer. It was a very busy few days, but such a rewarding experience. Another example of finding a way to make a difference in people’s lives... only this time, the people happened to be grown-ups.

Tracy

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Nursing Jobs Indianapolis.

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Registered Nurse Gone Crackers

Sunday, July 19, 2009 by Sherry Holden, BSN, RN, Associate Partner

People like plain old soda crackers, especially when they are sick. Recently I became intrigued with this fact because I had a barrage of cracker requests and an encounter with a man who wasn’t grasping my explanation of NPO when he said, “I understand all of that, but can I have a cracker?” People always want crackers when they can’t have anything else. They seem to get focused on crackers and don’t consider them food. “Why would it hurt to have just a couple of crackers?” People want crackers when they aren’t really hungry but would like “a bit of something.” We need crackers with soup; likewise with a salad. We need crackers and 7-Up for an upset stomach. Pregnant woman want crackers and water. People that are nauseated for any reason want a soda cracker. The lowly cracker consists of flour, shortening, salt and baking soda. In and of itself, that combination doesn’t sound very inviting. Bicarbonate of soda is the key ingredient. It will heal you inside and out! There must be a book out there on all its uses - nothing better to clean a kitchen sink than bicarb and vinegar. Maybe it helps our inner pipes also. Sorry, I digress.

As you can tell, I have spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about soda crackers. My plan is to purge my mind in this space and transfer the topic to you so you can get it stuck in your head - like an old song that you can only remember the first line.

In the midst of my cracker intrigue, I went to Southern Indiana to visit a nursing friend of mine who has just moved to the “burbs of Evansville.” We spent some time in Newburgh at the Newburgh Country Store - a fascinating place worthy of a day trip. In the middle of the store was an old cracker barrel filled with soda crackers - naturally! As we munched, I asked Nathan, a third generation proprietor of the store, what was up with the soda crackers. He proceeded to point out the fact he had a rare original balsam cracker barrel in the store - it was a dandy. He explained how crackers were transported in these barrels and arrived here with the British. He considered the soda cracker a comfort food and stated that people enjoyed the combination of browsing, snacking and reminiscing. He reminded us that crackers have a unique bond with our childhood. Of course, they are the right size for a little hand, they have fun little holes, they crunch when you eat them and they make a mess and leave a trail. What more could a kid want. It seemed a fitting treat in the midst of an old general store; clever and a source of conversation.

That encounter led me to learn a bit more about crackers. After all, we are a generation of people who have embellished the cracker to the point of selection that includes an entire aisle in the grocery store and so much variety we are "paralyzed with choice!” And there is absolutely no end to what we can use as toppers! Here are a couple of fast facts courtesy of the Internet and Time/Life books: Cookies and Crackers, 1982. Premium saltines first hit the market in 1876 in St. Joseph, Missouri. However, “10,000 years ago, Neolithic farmers were making a grain-water-paste baked on hot stones.” ( Soda crackers are 32% water.) “A flour paste, cooked once, then cooked again to dry it thoroughly, becomes a hard, portable victual with an extraordinarily long storage life—perfect for traveling. For centuries, no ship left port without enough bone-hard, twice-cooked ship’s biscuit. The word biscuit comes from the Old French 'biscoit,' meaning twice cooked…to last for months, or even years. While sailors and other travelers chewed their way through unyielding biscuits, cooks of the ancient civilizations of the Middle East explored the culinary possibilities of sweetness and richness.” Of course, now we move into the area of cookies. I will certainly not go there today! Nor will I entertain discussion about whether crackers are a French or British original!

The morale of this entire rambling is the fact that the little square soda cracker seems to bind us with all of humanity. Bicarb may not be the key ingredient after all. Soda crackers provide a little comfort and seem to have healing powers that soothe the body, mind and soul.

Sherry

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Nursing Jobs Indianapolis.

Check Your Blood Pressure at the Indiana Black Expo Minority Health Fair

Saturday, July 11, 2009 by The Clarian Health Nurse Recruitment Team

Clarian Health will be present at the Indiana Black Expo Minority Health Fair. The IBE is an annual event for Indianapolis that grows more and more every year. This is an opportunity for the Clarian staff to volunteer and help the community. We will be providing blood pressure checks and education. I have volunteered in the past five years with my sorority at the March of Dimes booth. This will be my first year volunteering for both Clarian and the March of Dimes.

I encourage everyone to come out to the IBE events and make sure you stop by the Clarian booth and say "Hello." Get your blood pressure checked while you are there. If you are a Clarian staff member and want to volunteer, it is never too late to sign up on the pulse page through the Clarian serves link. Take care.

Shalunda

Shalunda Tyler, RN BSN
Nurse Recruiter for
Perioperative Services, Endoscopy,
Adult Cinics, and Healthnet
317 962-9083 office

To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit RN Job Opportunities Indiana.

The Mere Presence of a Nurse Makes All the Difference

Sunday, May 31, 2009 by Sherry Holden, BSN, RN, Associate Partner

At dawn on a glorious Sunday morning in Dakota, my mother died. Fitting for a master gardener, May 24 was the new strawberry moon - a time to grow. Ironically, my mother was highly allergic to strawberries! However, she spent her entire life as a part of the prairie. She lived and died by the rhythm of its seasons.

This blog is one of my observations on life and death.

MAKE PLANS FOR DEATH
I was amazed how prepared my parents were for a time such as this. My mother was 86 and my father is 90 - sharp as a tack. They had planned for death. When my mother endured a sudden event that entailed making very hard decisions very quickly, my father knew her wishes and was able to make those decisions with a clear head, albeit a heavy, heavy heart. Death is a hard conversation and most of us avoid it. I certainly experienced the benefits of the many details my parents had settled beforehand.

RESPECT AND HONOR CHOICES
There are 11 children in my blended family. Trust me, we are all very opinionated - especially my parents. They made some end-of-life choices that even surprised the funeral director! They certainly surprised us! But, in unity, we respected and honored their wishes. Many families have a difficult time with this and often divisions ensue. At Clarian we talk about “crucial conversations.” I guess if we have those in life, they aren’t as necessary in death.

MAKE PLANS FOR LIFE
Within the hour of my mother’s event, she was making plans for her garden. She was moving plants and fussing with her cactus. They were planning to attend the graduation of a great grand-daughter the day she died. Life has gotten so busy and demanding we live by reaction most of the time. I asked people on my unit this week what their plans were for fun this summer. Interesting, we don’t seem to plan for fun. I think I’m going to get a new planning strategy and live life a bit differently.

DON’T FORGET LOVE
I have no doubts my mother loved me, and in kind, she knew that I loved her. It was a relationship of “show and tell.” She had a great capacity for loving her family - especially the grand and great grand children. Never miss an opportunity to let someone know they are loved before it is too late.

NURSES MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
I was a part of a rotating vigil at my mother’s bedside. The situation was surreal; full circle. It was the hospital I worked at as a student - 45 years ago! My mind covered a lifetime during those quiet hours. I had the opportunity to share that time with a kind and caring physician and some pretty remarkable nurses: Michelle, Katie and Bonnie were very special people. My sisters and I did many of my mother’s cares while the nurses cared for us. (The Clarian philosophy of patient, family and community.) It was validation for me that a nurse doesn’t have to be DOING - mere presence sometimes makes all the difference in life and death.

Sherry

To become a Registered Nurse at Clarian, visit Nursing Jobs Indianapolis.

Privacy is a Matter of Trust

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 by Lucia D. Wocial, PhD, RN, CCNS, Clarian Nurse Ethicist

In a world where cell phones have cameras and millions of people participate in social networking activities like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, it is easy to forget what information is private. People receiving care in hospitals are at their most vulnerable. Because we as health care workers have access to sensitive information, we are held to a high standard when it comes to patient privacy.

Patients trust that what they tell us will stay with us unless they give us permission to share the information, or the information is shared for the safety and well-being of the patient. This duty was much easier when each patient had only one copy of a paper record. Today electronic records make it possible to forget the boundaries of privacy and inappropriately share confidential information; these days, such a breach can mean that anyone with access to the World Wide Web is looking.

Protecting private health information has become very complex, which is why there is a federal HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule. Clarian Health also has HIPAA policies and procedures to guide employee behavior. The HIPAA rules create national standards designed to protect personal health information. The rules set limitations on the use and disclosure of health records and establish safeguards to protect the privacy of health information. For the average health care provider like Clarian, the Privacy Rule requires activities such as:

Adopting and implementing privacy procedures
Training employees so that they understand the privacy procedures
Designating an individual to be responsible for overseeing privacy procedures
Properly securing patient health information

Health care providers have a strong tradition of safeguarding private health information. That tradition is based on trust.

The hospital system I work for has an abundance of resources to help nurses navigate the nuances of the HIPAA rules including a new Web page with links to policies, training modules and people who can help us uphold the trust of our patients when it comes to protected health information.

What does your employer do to help you understand HIPAA?

Lucia Wocial, PhD, RN
Clarian Health Nurse Ethicist

To apply for a nursing position at Clarian, visit Registered Nurse Jobs Indianapolis.

Nurses Week at Clarian... It Really is ALL About Our Nurses!

Thursday, May 14, 2009 by Tracy Davis, BSN, RN, CCRN, Pediatric Critical Care

It has been a fun-filled time around here lately as we celebrate Nurses Week. I have the privilege of being on the Nurses Week Committee that is responsible for planning all the fun! I think what makes it so interesting is the unbelievable variety of ways we go about honoring and rewarding the hard work of our nursing staff.

I was especially proud of a decision by our staff to forego their own gift and instead give to others. It was felt that in these tough times, it was just the right thing to do. Not surprising really, if you know the people around here. The funds that would have been used for a staff gift instead went to fund two nurse-related Clarian charitable programs, a scholarship to a deserving nursing student, and a generous donation to help a nurse and their family in a time of need. Just like the hearts of nurses….usually taking care of others before themselves. The staff does receive some great recognition, too. Ice cream delivery to all the nursing units is a huge hit. There is nothing like hearing “woo-hoo” when you go into a staff lounge and tell them you just brought dessert on a busy Sunday afternoon. Or if it is a really busy day, it may be lunch! There is Clinique Day, tickets to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game, tickets to a Colts game in the Clarian suite, and tickets to practice at the Indianapolis 500.

It is a great time to recognize all that our staff provide to our patients and families each day and night, 365 days a year. They are truly deserving of all the fun that comes their way!

Tracy Davis

To join the fun as a Registered Nurse at Clarian, visit RN Job Opportunities Indiana.

Frequent Questions of New Graduate Nurses

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 by The Clarian Health Nurse Recruitment Team

"What is the best place for a new nurse to start a career?"

"I was told that to be a good nurse you must have med/surg experience before going into a specialty area. Is that true?"

"I apply for positions that require experience because I was a student nurse on the floor for two years."

"I was told that I need to pass my boards before I would be hired into a hospital."

"Does my clinical experience count for nurse experience?"

"Is Clarian on a nursing hiring freeze?"

"Do you offer a sign-on bonus?"

These are all questions and comments that come to me and my colleagues in nurse recruitment. I wanted to take time to address them. We welcome all new nurses to apply for positions here at Clarian. On the Clarian Nursing Career Center website, you will see the open positions posted, and most of the positions that require nursing experience will say that on the posting.

It is the individuals preference as to gaining floor nursing experience before going into a specialty area. We do offer, at different times during the year, specialty internships to help new nurses get training in those specialty areas. Examples are the operating rooms and critical care areas.

Student nurse extern or nursing school clinical does not qualify as nursing experience. Positions posted for RN experience are looking for registered nurse experience.

Although Clarian does not offer sign-on bonuses, we do have other incentives for employees such as the career advancement program, tuition reimbursement, and advancement in education through the Clarian degree program at work.

For answers to any other questions, please contact a nurse recruiter at 317 962-2600.

Shalunda

To apply for a nursing position at Clarian, visit Registered Nurse Jobs Indianapolis.