Welcome Back!

Hello & Welcome Back Everyone!

My name is Nolan Ryan Villamil & I am your new Editor-in-Chief for the Newsletter for the 2015-2016 school year. 

First, I would like to congratulate the first year students on being admitted into the program & embarking on this journey we all know as nursing school. You have all taken your first big step into one of the most rewarding professions and we cannot wait to see what you have to bring to the table. It's a very overwhelming feeling at first and many of you may feel like even though you just started that you're already behind and THAT'S OKAY. You're about to learn all the tricks and trade to this practice while learning how to juggle your loved ones, social life, and finding time for yourself. All of that comes in time. So as of now just remember to be open minded, flexible, and take everything day by day. You're going through an adjustment period and you'll be learning to "THINK LIKE A NURSE" in no time. Please don't hesitate to approach any of the second years and pick our brains because we are more than willing to help you succeed. 

Class of 2017

Second, I would like to congratulate the second years, Class of 2016, on making it through the first year as we go on to finish our last four classes before we're officially done with nursing school. We have come a long way since we all started in Nursing 211. We've learned how to do a physical assessment, explored and incorporated the nursing process into our care, prioritize patients, and become effective communicators in just a matter of one school year. Now, here were are ready to build more on the knowledge as we make it through the last leg of our program. This year is going to fly by quickly just like the first year so let's make the most of the time we have together. I'd also like to welcome the newest editions to our class, the LVN's! Welcome to the most dysfunctional nursing family, we're glad to have you! Let's get this done and start handling business. 

Class of 2016

This is just a reminder that we are all apart of NSA (Nursing Student Association). If any of you want to write an article, interview, or have something pertinent that you would like to post on this blog please contact me and we can make it happen! For all other inquiries contact any NSA officer. 

Talk about a change of pace, instead of clinic, 17 CSM nursing students and I went to the 15th Annual Stroke Conference in Millbrae today. Great lunch, interesting speakers and lots of networking~~wow what a peak experience! 

From left to right: 

Britney Uehara

Jenny Nguyen

Jessica Santa Ana

Jess Gin Woo

Katherine Catahan

Xanadu Rupisan

Erica Ng

Christina Lepe

Ilene Simon

Dagan Bruemmer

Vanessa Dela Cruz

Janessa Mairs

Jaimmie Garcia

Susan Frame

Youngsim Shin

Angel Ayatch

Rheea Fe Bustos

Brittney Glanade

I. Simon 5/6/15

Left Brained or Right Brained?

4/14/15 I. Simon

Flexibililty!

4/14/15 I. Simon

What Do Nursing Students Do On Spring Break…? By:  Jenna Carvallo Editor in Chief

 

When most students think of spring break they think of vacation, beaches, time to be with friends to let off some steam. Well as most of you know, nursing students are a different kind of breed when it comes to most students.  While the rest of the spring breakers were enjoying their well-deserved vacation, several of the CSM nursing students signed up for more classes. That’s right; we all thought how we can make good use of this week of leisure. Eight of us (some not pictured here) decided to take the Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification class.

Heart Share in San Jose held a two day class and their instructors where very friendly and well prepared to teach the grooling class.  I think I can speak for everyone who took the class and say we would highly recommend going to Heart Share for the ACLS training.  They also offer a discount for students and continuing education credits for nurses. They found a way to make it fun and covered everything we would need to know, not only to pass the test, but feel confident in knowing what to do in a mega code. I feel confident that I can take on any role in team when there is a code, from giving medications to being the leader.

Mrs. Kaushiki Kapoor

By Dagan Bruemmer

Mrs. Kapoor has a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Azusa Pacific University and a Masters of Science in Nursing Education from California State University Dominguez Hills. She was a member of Sigma Theta Tau, an honor society for nursing. She has previoulsy instructed at Fresno City College, Baskersfield College and Evergreen Valley College. Mrs. Kapoor began her nursing career as a Medical Surgical Nurse at Riverside County Regional Medical Center, later transitioning to the stroke unit at St. Agnes Medical Center. She also worked as an Intensive Care Unit Nurse at Lompoc Valley Medical Center. She has been a professional speaker at CSUDH healthcare seminars, motivating high school students to pursue the path of nursing. She has been a professional analyzer for test modules designed for vocational nusring students at Wonderlic Inc. In her free time, Mrs. Kapoor tutors ADN, LVN and BSN students for NCLEX.Her hobbies include reading research articles on nursing practice, traveling to different places and bowling. She enjoys spending time with her family and watching old Bollywood movies.

“If you give a man a fish, he will have a single meal. If you teach him how to fish, he will eatall his life”

Kwan-Tzu

Baby Powder: Why is it so dangerous?

 By Jenny Nguyen, CSM SN

The most commonly used item with babies to keep dry and free from rash are baby powders. As new studies are starting to show, the use of baby powders are becoming more dangerous for babies when inhaled. From the American Cancer Society, the common ingredient in most baby powders is talcum powder. Talcum powder is made from talc, a mineral made up mainly of the elements magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. The powder absorbs moisture and helps to reduce friction, making it useful for keeping the skin dry and prevent diaper rash. This mineral is also commonly found in cosmetic products. In their natural form, some talc contains asbestos, known to cause lung cancers when inhaled. The most concern with the connection of talcum powder and cancer is focused on long-term inhalation exposure is a higher risk for lung cancer and women applying it regularly in the genital area are at higher risk for ovarian cancer. Although the results are not definitive, the research continues as talcum powder is being produce in various factories in the world. Another website, babycenter.com, with a pediatrician point of view has also recommended against the use of baby powder due to the risk of respiratory problems. These small particles are easily inhaled and irritate the baby’s lungs, especially if the baby is at high risk for respiratory illness, such as premature babies, babies with congenital heart disease, and babies who have had RSV or frequent respiratory illness. Pediatrician Jennifer Lowry suggests to use the powder sparingly and to be kept away from the baby’s.  This is to prevent skin irritation, and powder build up by cleaning any accumulation of the powder; especially in the folds of the baby’s skin. According to Medline Plus, the most common sign and symptom with excessive use of talcum powder is breathing. The markets  have talc-free baby powder for safe use but are advised to also use sparingly as the small particles can still enter the baby’s lungs.

Reference

Heller, J. (2014, January 20). Talcum powder poisoning: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia (D.

Zieve, Ed.). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002719.htm

Lowry, J. (2014, June 1). Is it safe to use baby powder on my baby? | BabyCenter. Retrieved March 2,

2015, from http://www.babycenter.com/404_is-it-safe-to-use-baby-powder-on-my-baby_1519559.bc

Talcum Powder and Cancer. (2014, November 21). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/talcum-powder-and-cancer

                       

 And our journey begins…

We have finally concluded our first semester. One semester down and three more to go.  J J J Through the course of this semester, we have learned how to provide assistance to patients with their activities of daily living (e.g. bathing, dressing, feeding), to learning how to give medications. (REMEMBER  EVERY NURSE… Must follow the Six Basic Rights!)  Right person, Right medication (know the side effects, and ask about patient’s allergies!),  Right dose, Right time, Right route, Right Documentation J  It has not been a smooth sailing ride but all our instructors, and having our group stick together helped us survive this (first) journey. All in all, it has been a roller coaster ride with ups and downs, but we must say that we considered this a learning opportunity that will help us become better, especially when it comes to patient care. And, our group agrees... that whatever happens is BX, stays in BX !!.J J

And Never Ever Forget Maslow