As I enter my 23rd year of nursing, I wonder where all the time went. It sometimes seems like just yesterday that I graduated from nursing school.
So many things have changed in nursing since then. When I took my boards ( NCLEX) we spent two days at the Indiana State Fair buildings taking our exams. Everyone in the State of Indiana took them at the same time. In fact everyone in the USA took them at the same time, so questions and answers couldn’t be divulged to others across the country. Very secrety stuff!
Of course, back then you had to wait eight or more weeks to get your results back from the State to know if you passed or not. That was very nerve wracking and I think I went through about two hands of fingernails over those weeks. Now, you take your NCLEX exam on the computer and know right away whether you passed or not. Technology at its finest - no waiting.
Speaking of technology and research, we have really come a long way with that. We didn’t always have the ISTAT machines or Accudata machines. We didn’t swab or brush our patients teeth every 2-4 hours or do subglottal suctioning either. Our ACLS guidelines were so long and confusing that it scared the bejeebers out of you to have to take it. It was like taking the NCLEX again. We didn’t have IOPO coming in to talk to our families about donation of organs because WE did that. We didn’t have Pyxis or the Omni cells. We actually had to count the narcotics drawers every shift, every day. We didn’t have our education modules on the computer either. Those were done in person on the units. Compared to what we have now it seems archaic, doesn’t it?
But, the one thing that has not changed is taking care of our patients. Treatments have changed, but there is still no technology that can truly care for our patients. There’s no replacement for the human touch. We feed them, bath them, cry with them, pep talk them and hopefully send them home to resume their lives. Technology’s great… but there’s nothing that can replace a great nurse!
Happy Nursing.
Teri Weller Sundine
To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nursing Opportunities Indiana.
Search for available Nursing Jobs at Clarian Health by Nurse Specialty.
So many things have changed in nursing since then. When I took my boards ( NCLEX) we spent two days at the Indiana State Fair buildings taking our exams. Everyone in the State of Indiana took them at the same time. In fact everyone in the USA took them at the same time, so questions and answers couldn’t be divulged to others across the country. Very secrety stuff!
Of course, back then you had to wait eight or more weeks to get your results back from the State to know if you passed or not. That was very nerve wracking and I think I went through about two hands of fingernails over those weeks. Now, you take your NCLEX exam on the computer and know right away whether you passed or not. Technology at its finest - no waiting.
Speaking of technology and research, we have really come a long way with that. We didn’t always have the ISTAT machines or Accudata machines. We didn’t swab or brush our patients teeth every 2-4 hours or do subglottal suctioning either. Our ACLS guidelines were so long and confusing that it scared the bejeebers out of you to have to take it. It was like taking the NCLEX again. We didn’t have IOPO coming in to talk to our families about donation of organs because WE did that. We didn’t have Pyxis or the Omni cells. We actually had to count the narcotics drawers every shift, every day. We didn’t have our education modules on the computer either. Those were done in person on the units. Compared to what we have now it seems archaic, doesn’t it?
But, the one thing that has not changed is taking care of our patients. Treatments have changed, but there is still no technology that can truly care for our patients. There’s no replacement for the human touch. We feed them, bath them, cry with them, pep talk them and hopefully send them home to resume their lives. Technology’s great… but there’s nothing that can replace a great nurse!
Happy Nursing.
Teri Weller Sundine
To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nursing Opportunities Indiana.
Search for available Nursing Jobs at Clarian Health by Nurse Specialty.
Powered by Compendium Blogware
Comments for Nurses Take Care of Patients, Not Technology