Genetic Nursing

Who knew there were genetic nurses! A Genetics Nurse basically helps patients that are at risk or have a disease related to their genetics. Diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. You’ll help patients and families better prepare themselves for the potentially harmful diseases that run in their family. Genetics nurses perform risk assessment, analyze the genetic contribution to disease risk, and discuss the impact of risk on health care management for individuals and families. They also provide genetics education, provide nursing care to patients and families and conduct research in genetics.

THINGS YOU'LL DO:

• Analyze patient’s genes
• Educate patients and families on their genetic risks

YOUR JOB CHARACTERISTICS:

• Structured
• Patient-facing
• Research-oriented

Salary: $54,000

I had my gallbladder removed

I decided Wednesday night was the night to go to the emergency room. I was in excruciating pain. I could not walk properly, breathe, talk, and eat. I went in and talked to a registered nurse  about my symptoms and got a room. I had an ultrasound done on me and the ultrasound technician knew immediately what was wrong with me.

I went back into the room they had me in. Nurse Sharol came into my room and had to put an IV in me. She said "Technically I can't say anything but I feel sympathy for you. You have gallstones sweety.." I was in shock because having gallstones for my age is rare. 

There are 2 types of gallbladder surgery. There's laparoscopic cholecystectomy which is the 4 incision surgery and there's the open cholecystectomy which is one big open incision. The difference between these 2 surgeries is their recovery time. The 4 incision surgery is a one week recovery time period. The open surgery is a 6-8 week recovery time period.
Luckily for me, I had the laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery. The surgery went well and I found out that I had 60 gallstones. The doctor said it could have been hereditary or I was born with a gallbladder disorder.
I still have stitches and surgery glue protecting them. I'm almost healed!

I Might Have a Peptic Ucler

The past year 1/2 or two, I've been having problems with my stomach. Not a belly ache; It felt like my stomach would contract and it would hurt for a while. I would drink peppermint tea for it to go away. The tea stopped working so I would have to sit in the shower. The warm water would ease the contractions. I had no idea why but it started once I moved to California. I've missed school days because of this issue and it's stopped me from doing what I need to do. I tried getting a doctors appointment but they're impossible to make where I live.

Recently I've been more sick than usual. My house runs on well water so we checked and it had high acidity which causes many health problems including stomach pains. I had this dull pain in my stomach and it lasted for 2 days straight. I vomited because my stomach couldn't take the pain. And now it hurts to breath, sit up straight, talk, and walk. I finally got in for an appointment with the doctors office I intern at. I saw the nurse practitioner who seemed to be a wet rag. She wasn't very simpatico with me. I told her what I've been experiencing so now she wants blood tests. These tests are going to check my liver and to see my H. pylori production. H. Pylori is a bacterium acid that is produced in your stomach and too much of it can cause peptic ulcers. That is not the only thing that can cause ulcers. Taking too much NSAID's like Advil, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc. eat your stomach lining creating holes (ulcers) in the stomach. 

I've taken a lot of Ibuprofen and Tylenol during middle school and high school for my severe headaches due to stress and not eating throughout the day. Hopefully, I'll get better soon because my goal is to graduate and eat more (healthy foods) during the day. I'm not going to let this get in my way.

Rural Nurse

I'm still amazed at how many nursing careers there are in this world. Is it just me? 
I found this nursing career online. It's pretty interesting. 

Rural Nurses work in isolated areas with patients who have limited access to healthcare. They typically work in critical care nursing, trauma, labor, and delivery, as well as in typical nursing duties like attending to patients who are sick or injured. 

There’s a chance you could be the primary caregiver of an entire community, so becoming a Nurse Practitioner would be helpful. Many nurses find this field especially rewarding due to the fact that often times patients will be neighbors, family members, close friends, and generally people they are already very familiar with.

THINGS YOU'LL DO:

• Treat patients with common acute illnesses
• Attend to patients with chronic conditions
• Educate rural communities about health and wellness

YOUR JOB CHARACTERISTICS:

• Multifaceted
• Patient-facing
• Independent

Salary: $48,000-$83,000

Otorhinolaryngology Nurse

Long name for a nurse. Otorhinolaryngology Nursing also called the “Head and Neck” Nurse involves caring for patients with chronic illness, disease, or small disorders related to the head. They examine skin, necks, ears, noses, oral cavities, and cranial nerves. There is even an organization for networking and locating continued education courses, it is aptly named The Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Nurses (SOHN).

You must have an associates degree in nursing or your BSN. You must pass you NCLEX and take the certification exam of Otorhinolaryngology. 

THINGS YOU'LL DO:

• Diagnose patients
• Provide support for patients undergoing medical and surgical procedures
• Assist with radiation treatments

YOUR JOB CHARACTERISTICS:

• Multifaceted
• Patient-facing

I have additional information about the certification exam. In order to take the Certified Otorhinolaryngology Nurse exam, the applicant must be a licensed Registered Nurse. It is recommended that the RN have at least 3 years of experience working in the field of ear, nose, and throat nursing while providing direct patient care to this population of patients. At this time, no specific continuing education credit hours are required to obtain initial certification.

The exam is offered twice a year, in the Spring and Fall, during a 2-week testing period at testing centers located across the United States. The fee to take the exam is $325 for members of the Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Nurses (SOHN) or $425 for non-members.

There are 250 multiple-choice questions on the exam and the RN is allotted 4 hours in which to complete the exam. Over one-third of the exam contains questions pertaining to nursing interventions for the patient with an otorhinolaryngological condition. Another one-third of the questions test the RN's knowledge of specific head and neck conditions. The remaining one-third of the exam pertain to nursing assessment and professional issues.

The Certified Otorhinolaryngology Nurse certification is valid for 5 years. At the end of that time period, the exam can be retaken to recertify or specific continuing education activities to earn contact hours must have been completed.

Salary: $94-$98,000

Criminal Nurse Story?!

I've decided to do some research on criminal nurses. Face it, there are bad people in almost every profession. Even nurses! So I found a couple stories to share with you.

Hurricane Katrina shocked the nation, as we witnessed a new level of disaster and tragedy, and post-Katrina recovery was slow going and equally horrifying. But even more shocking were the murders of elderly patients.

Dr. Anna Pou and two nurses, Chery Landry and Lori Budo, were arrested based on accusations of intentionally giving four older patients lethal doses of morphine and Versed, a sedative. According to an affidavit, Pou told a nurse to inject “lethal doses” to the patients who couldn’t be evacuated from Memorial Medical Center three days after Katrina hit. Pou said that the patients were not likely to survive anyway.

In February 2009, two Wisconsin nurses were fired from posting pictures of a patient on Facebook taken on a cell phone.

An anonymous call from a Mercy Walworth Medical Center employee tipped police off about the online pictures. Investigators discovered that the photos were taken when the patient was admitted to the ER due to a sex device in his rectum. However, the police haven’t found anyone who actually saw the pictures on Facebook, but said a discussion post of the situation was on one of the nurse’s profile.

A 47-year-old nurse, Barbara Salisbury, was arrested on murder charges in 2004. Salisbury, a ward sister at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Cheshire, was accused of attempting to kill four elderly patients.

The patients, Reuben Thompson, 81, Frank Owen, 92, James Byrne, 76, and Frances May Taylor, 88 were allegedly killed between 1999 and 2001. Each patient was killed in a different way, including being given the wrong dosage amounts and being deprived of oxygen.

Although Salisbury denied the charges, she was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder for Taylor and Own, and sentenced to five years in prison. The court was told that she was motivated by a need to free up beds on the ward. Salisbury was found not guilty in the deaths of Byrne and Thompson. Additionally, the Nursing and Midwifery Council found her guilty of two misconduct counts and removed her name from the nursing registry.

Not all nurses are bad. But not all nurses are good.

Gastroenterology Nurse

A Gastroenterology nurse (or also known as endoscopy nurse or GI nurse) treat and diagnose patients who are experiencing problems with their digestive system. They can also teach patients how to manage their symptoms that happen on a regular basis. In case of a serious emergency, Gastroenterology nurses will assist physicians during surgery. 

You need to get your associates degree in science and nursing (ASN) or you bachelor's degree in science and nursing (BSN.) And as usual, pass your NCLEX. 

THINGS YOU'LL DO:

• Diagnose conditions like cancer and reflux
• Work with nutritionists
• Assist home care specialists
• Research

JOB CHARACTERISTICS:

• Multifaceted
• Structured
• Patient-facing

Salary: $67,000 annually