Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Is There a Doctor in the House? No, Just a Nurse!

The medical profession is held in high regard, because of the propensity and ability of doctors to save lives, cure illnesses and generally make right whatever’s wrong with your body. In fact, some people elevate doctors to the pedestal occupied by a higher power when they seemingly perform miracle cures or bring back patients who were on the brink of death. Aspiring doctors go through a long and arduous path filled with a nerve-wracking five years of med school and a sleepless year of internship before they can reach their goal of being able to practice medicine independently. Nurses, who are trained to care for patients and augment the treatment proffered by doctors, can “provide fully accountable patient care across all settings” through the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree available at the Columbia University’s School of Nursing.

Open to nurse practitioners who have completed a master’s degree, this two-year course involves one year of internship and prepares nurses to be able to treat independently the most complex patients in any type of care setting. Graduates of the DNP degree are now being allowed to take a voluntary certification exam conducted by the National Board of Medical Examiners that will add to their credibility.

Even as some doctors welcome this move as allowing them to assign more responsibility to “Doctor Nurses” as they’re colloquially called, others are voicing opposition to allowing nurses to practice on par with medical doctors. The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians are emphatic in their stand that nurses, in spite of advancement in their field, should be allowed to be a part of the healthcare team only under physician supervision. They cite the vast difference between the training undergone by medical doctors and advanced nurses – the former are more specialized and train for a higher number of hours during their internship.

The DNP degree is in direct contrast to this view – it is the highest degree that nurse clinicians can earn and allows them to “practice fully accountable care independently across all settings”. The key words here are fully-accountable and independently, terms that are normally associated with the less glorious side of practicing medicine.

As long as they can be held responsible for their actions, nurses should be allowed to care for patients as primary care physicians. There’s no question of “out of scope” practice here. DNP graduates are not allowed to call or pass themselves off as doctors, but will patients be comfortable seeking a diagnosis from someone they consider just a nurse, no matter how high his/her qualifications?

No matter how advanced education becomes, no matter how knowledgeable a person becomes, there’ll always be a certain set of people that refuses to accept that a nurse can be qualified enough to treat patients like a doctor, just like there will always exist people who stereotype women as nurses and men as doctors.

By-line:

This guest post is written by Heather Johnson, who frequently writes on American InterContinental University. She welcomes your comments and freelance writing inquiries at: heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

// Thanks for the article, Heather.

//Luke

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

New developements in walking



I was searching cnn.com to find a health story to share (Because kt says i should). And i see and article that says walking is a healthy activity. HMMMM i thought, is this really new news? so being the curious george that i am i looked at it and found some exciting information about a low excitement activity. From what i read walking can lower your body fat that contains estrogen, which leads to breast cancer, so in turn walking reduces breast cancer, which is great news. if you you consciously relax, improve the alignment of your body, and involve arm movements, puts less stress on the legs while you walk ( known as Chi (CH-EE) walking). than you can actually reduce body aches and pains. hooray walking.walking also increases your mental activity (the article says i guess) so it says that in the elderly you can help fight alzheimer's which is fantastic, walking-3 sitting on the couch-0. Plus there are all those previously known beneFITs (fit pun intended) that walking has. Stronger bones, keeps you slim, releases endorphins in your brain, and its good for your heart.
Riley Brown-Admissions

Monday, June 23, 2008

Pregancy Pact


At Gloucester High School in Mass. it is believed that seventeen high school girls made a pact to become pregnant and raise their children together. This is just craziness to me! It is believed that the girls having the babies do not have a lot of direction or purpose in their lives. It is also believed that their babies fulfills two functions for the teens -- one is that they have the love of a male, well they believe they have the love of a male. I am not saying that is all they have, but they believe they have it. Then, the baby gives them a sense of status and purpose which they wouldn't necessarily have in another way. To me this does not make any sense, they must not be thinking or not know how difficult raising children is.

I was a nanny last summer and let me tell you I do not know how parents do it... lets just say it took me along time to want to have my own kids someday after that summer. ha ha

I just hope all works out for these teenagers!


Friday, June 20, 2008

Happy N Healthy


Riley, all i gotta say is...as the bigger person I will not fight back haha ;) although I know for a fact that many appreciated my flip flop cake blog! Anyways...because we are focused on healthy things, since we are a college of health sciences after all, this blog has some interesting tips for those of us out there that wouldn't mind losing a little weight in a easier fashion....we all know that cardio is the way to go when we are after losing a few pounds...but sometimes we really don't want to spend that much time on a treadmill or running endless miles! (am I right?)
so, I have learned many different options, but one that really interests me is intervals, and how they can actually be more beneficial!! Less time and better results? who would say no!! mix sprints with jogging for only 20 minutes, can help you lose 3x the fat than those who jog steadily for 40 minutes. They say the intervals spark the fat-mobilizing hormones while making cardio capacity better, therefore easier next time you hop on! if we do the same boring workout everyday you may not notice anything changing, well sometimes it is due to not overtaxing and making other muscles work, if we use the same muscles everyday the body and adjust and basically plateaus at that point thus not helping with further weight loss...
I could really go on forever about more scientific stuff, but just remember you still have to eat right, just going to the gym everyday does not subtract from eating poorly! i know lecture lecture...but really this is some pretty interesting stuff!!
~Kt :)

Thursday, June 19, 2008

6/19/08






Wow, jenna and kt have been busy on their blogs. except sandal cake is weird and I do not approve. I'm pretty sure Friday the 13th is unlucky because zombies come out of the ground and feist on the minds of retired congressmen, what do you have to say about that kt??? The fact that gas is cheaper just shows that the free trade excange of north america isn't working were i need it to work. I drive a ford explorer and wouldnt mind paying 3 dollars a gallon but four??? boo that. Which brings me to the fathers day blog, and my wekks topic. This year for fathers day my brothers dad and I are going paintballing. It's something none of us have done, the only experience i have with paint balls is getting hit by one and haveing a shin sized bruise on my shin. I am very scared that i will get hit in the face somewhere that the mask doesnt cover. thats just my luck. But on a happier note my brother and sister-in-law are having a baby boy!!!! they are undecided on a name but i am thinking Gunner. awesome. they already have a 20 month year old little girl named Lucy who i love! she is adorable and awesome! So anyone that reads this tell me your thoughts on gunner, because i think it rules.



Riley B- Admissions

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Drivers run to the border!


Drivers from San Diego who are experience pain at the pump are heading across the border for gas. In San Diego retails average price for a gallon of gas is $4.61. And a few miles south, in Tijuana, it's about $2.54 a gallon— even less if you pay in pesos.

According to msnbc.com; the lower prices mean a U.S. motorist could save almost $54 filling up a two-year-old Ford F150 pickup with a 26-gallon fuel tank in Mexico. The differential in diesel is even greater, selling at $5.04 a gallon in San Diego County and $2.20 in Tijuana.

I guess the answer to saving the pain at the pump is heading to MEXICO! or we could stay for a vaction?

To see the whole article visit, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25175249/.
*Jenna*

Monday, June 16, 2008

Father's Day History


I was just thinking about father's day and the good time I had this past weekend, with my family celebrating father's day. I was interested to where it originated from and found some history. I was amazed to see it has only been permanent since 1972. AMAZING


Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.
Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.
After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.
~Jenna

Friday, June 13, 2008

paraskevidekatriaphobia


Friday the 13th...
So, as most are aware, today is the infamous Friday the 13th. The proper name for "people afflicted with a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th, is paraskevidekatriaphobia" Many think it is the day of extreme bad luck...but really...where does all this come from? Apparently, no one really knows the exact origins of this crazy unlucky day...it tends to be a double wammy as some view Friday as unlucky as well as the number 13...therefore...UNLUCKY FRIDAY + UNLUCKY 13 = UNLUCKIER FRIDAY...it is also mentioned that Christians may view it as unlucky because Christ was crucified on Friday (can be viewed as positive as well) and there were 13 people at the last supper eventually resulting in one death. The Da Vinci Code, holds that it came about not as the result of a convergence, but a catastrophe, a single historical event that happened nearly 700 years ago. So go research and see what you think...I personally try not to think much about it...but if you are "paraskevidekatriaphobia" then good luck to you on this beautiful Friday the 13th!!
~Kt :)

Yum Yums

How to make these cute Flip Flop Cakes!!! Perfect for fun summer get togethers or birthday parties! (they are just so cute!)


1
box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
Tray or cardboard, covered with foil

2
containers Betty Crocker® Whipped vanilla
frosting
Assorted food colors
About 40 small round candy-coated fruit-flavored chewy candies
Assorted colors Betty Crocker® decorating icing (in 4.25-oz tubes) or Betty Crocker® Easy Flow decorating icing (in 6.4-oz cans)

1 roll Betty Crocker® Fruit by the Foot® Green Apple Wave® chewy fruit snack (from 4.5-oz box)
2 edible pansy or silk daisy flowers

1. Heat oven to 350°(325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Make cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool 15 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
2. Cut cake lengthwise in half. Continue cutting each piece to form flip-flop shape as shown in diagram. Place pieces on tray. Freeze pieces uncovered about 1 hour for easier frosting if desired.
3. In small bowl, mix 1 cup frosting with food color to make desired color; frost sides of each flip-flop. In another small bowl, mix 1 cup frosting with second food color to make desired color; frost top of each flip-flop. Place small candies around side edge of each flip-flop to look like jewels. Decorate top of each flip-flop with decorating icing. Cut two 6-inch pieces from fruit roll; cut pieces lengthwise in half. Arrange on flip-flops for straps. Just before serving, top with flowers. Store loosely covered.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Follow High Altitude directions on cake mix box.

In case you are a health nut...here are the nutritional facts
40mg; Sodium 300mg; Total Carbohydrate 72g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 56g); Protein 2g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 6%; Calcium 6%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 4 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 4 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 5 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

This was taken from the Betty Crocker website...http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeID=33203
hope you enjoy!!! ~Kt :)

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Jazz

So I was told to add "Jazz" to my blog this week. So to bring some jazz I'm gonna tell you what movies are good and which arent. So well start with a list and I'll give some links to other movie reviews.
Over Her Dead Body was horrible. lame plot, lame jokes, Don't see it! http://movies.com/over-her-dead-body/r925279/comedy
Cloverfield wasn't bad. It was a fun because it delt with what real people would do in an alien (or whatever it is) attack. throughout the movie you just want to jump in the screen and tell them what to do because they are so oblivious to common sense. Fun to watch,but not a masterpiece by any means. http://movies.com/1-18-08/r910712/horror#critics
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Meh, I enjoyed it but it didn't use the usual Indiana system I suppose its good that writers are getting original but it's indiana Jones. It had no religious ties which threw me for a loop, but Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf do a good job in the movie thoughhttp://movies.com/indiana-jones-iv/r882926/action
Kung Fu Panda was hands down my favorite movie of the year. I don't think anyone could see that movie with out at least chuckling. with amazing animation and an allstar cast it would seem they didn't have a choice but to have a hit. It was so much fun to go to and I was happy I saw it.http://movies.com/kung-fu-panda/r872932/animation
And those are some super jazzy Film reviews.
Riley Brown- Admissions

Monday, June 9, 2008

It's Summer Trauma Season...


Indeed, it is that time of year - summer! Summer is the time of year when students are finished with school (with the exception of those taking summer courses), recreation activities increase, and people in general are more laid back and adventure seeking. With all of this comes an increase in the incidence of trauma. I found a very interesting article on the relationship between weather / seasons & trauma.

Check out this article and stay safe!

// Luke

Yo Yo

It looks like Mondays have become my blogging day...that means once again the bachelorette is on tonight...I donno about any one else out there but i'm going for Jason...he is the one with the adorable little boy...and well, he is awesome! ok you are sick of me talking about my love with reality tv...so i just wanted to say thanks to all the new students that came to the roomate roundup deal last week...i enjoyed being on the student panel and trying to answer all of your questions! i also wanted to give a shout out to my parents who are enjoying the lovely sunshine of California to watch the US Open...yea i may be slightly jealous!!! ok well, until next time!! Kt :)

Tornados

I just can not believe all of the tornados and severe weather that has been going on across our lovely state. I can not believe the picture of the damage and the flooding. It is scary to see the damage that has occurred in Kearney, Aurora, Ceresco, and Omaha. I do not know much about weather but from going back to visit my home town of Kearney I now know that weather can be horrible and devastating. I thought you guys might want to look at some pictures from the storms, so I looked up some websites you can check out.
http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/19642419.html
http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/19446344.html
http://pictopia.com/perl/gal?process=gallery&gallery_id=45302&provider_id=408
These pictures are pretty amazing!
Jenna:)

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Blog 2

It's Riley again, Now that I have read a few blogs I think I have a better understanding of what to post. And the only thing i can really say is going on in my life is that i have started my ethics class and im having a lot of fun with that. student assisting has been exciting though. It's really increasing my typing speed and giving tours is a lot more exciting than it sounds. All in all im pretty happy with my job here thus far

Monday, June 2, 2008

Happy Monday

So here we are at the beginning of another week...the weekend was good and i am very excited to watch another episode of the bachelorette tonight...apparently it is on early tonight (7pm) for some reason. I am definately into the show, as i always tend to be, although i try to tell myself i will not get into another season of reality tv...oo well. I hope all of you out in middle Nebraska have recovered from all the tornado and storm activity, because i am originally from Kearney, i am definatley thinking about everyone at home!! Until next time.... Kt :)

First Timer

Hi! My name is Jenna Pinion, and I am a new student assistant in the admissions office. I have only worked here a couple of day but I am very excited about it. I am a nursing student here at the school. I will be starting Nursing Care I in the fall which I am very excited about. It will be great to start on the clinical floor! I look forward to posting many blogs through out the year. Jenna