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An edition of The Daily Independent

9 THINGS NURSES DOTHAT YOU MAY NEVER HAVE KNOWN ABOUT

CommunityFOCUS

Finding work, life balanceTHE TOP STATESIN WHICH TO START A CAREERIN NURSING

WHY NURSING IS MOVING FROMHOSPITALS INTO THE PUBLIC

PART OF GATEHOUSE MEDIA’S

MORE ABOUT

Kim Duff, LVNHOMETOWN Ridgecrest, CA

EDUCATION Cerro Coso College, CNA,LVN

People often ask the question of nurses “whydid you choose to be a nurse”? My answer is Ididn’t choose to be a nurse it chose me. As farback as I can remember I always wanted helpsomeone or something to feel better. It startedwith injured Barbies and GI Joes. I then ex-panded my repertoire to include; lizards,snakes, hamsters, cat and dogs and eventuallyworked my way up to the neighborhood kids.When other kids ran from the skinned knee Iwas there to fix them up. In 1987 I took a vol-unteer position at the Wildlife Way Center inLittle Tujunga Canyon Ca. where I was able tocare for a wide variety of exotic animals and Iwas pretty much hooked from that time for-ward. So my journey continued.

Fast forward to the mid 90’s and I am now astay at home mom with three young childrennot feeling very satisfied with the path I was on.After taking a few courses at Cerro Coso Col-lege I discovered the wonderful world of med-icine and the nursing program. I then went on

to receive my Certified Nursing Assistant andwork in long term care which was an excellentfoundation for my future career. I graduatedfrom the Vocational nursing program in 2000and soon after began my career in nursing.

Long term care was my first introductioninto the field. What an amazing experience! Tobe able to provide comfort with dignity forthose in their twilight years gave me a glimpseinto the power of the field of nursing. I thenbegan my employment with Ridgecrest Re-gional Hospital on the Medical Surgical floorwhere I was able spread my wings thanks to thementorship of some truly amazing nurses in-cluding Pam Glant, RN, Cindi Weidenkopf,RN, Ceila Mills, RN, Cynthia Schonhoff, RNand Jeni Hugho, RN to name a few. I am cur-rently Clinic Manager at Rural Health CareClinic and I look forward to where it will leadme. I have always been a nurse because I wasborn that way and I am honored to be part ofsuch an amazing field.

Kim Duff, LVN

Nursing Profiles

Salute to Nurses 2016 3

CONTACT USPhone: 760.375.4481Fax: 760.375.4880

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InBrief

By Melissa EricksonMore Content Now

To improve patient careand keep up with ad-vances in the medicalfield, professional nurses

turn to mobile devices to accessinformation and the latest tech-nology. The best nursing appshelp nurses improve efficiencyand enhance the experience forpatients.

“Nurses come out of schoolwith a lot of knowledge, but themost useful nursing apps allownurses to take care of their pa-tients day to day armed with thenecessary information to staycurrent and quickly referencemedical information,” said Jen-nifer Mensik, executive directorof nursing, medicine and phar-macy education programs forOnCourse Learning, a providerof workforce solutions and edu-cation for the health care, finan-cial services and real estateindustries. Mensik earned aPh.D. in nursing from the Uni-versity of Arizona College ofNursing.

Smartphone apps allow nurseseasy access to unlimited researchsuch as thousands of medicalterms, drug databases and trend-ing technology, Mensik said.Here are a few standouts:

Resuscitation! Resuscitation! is the award-

winning virtual patient simulatorand a handy tool to help a nursedevelop a diagnosis, and man-agement and treatment tools.Resuscitation! offers a case pres-entation of a patient who is ill, al-lowing the user to create ahistory, perform a physical exam,develop a differential diagnosisand administer therapy to treatthe patient’s underlying problem.Free.

Nursing Clinical MasteryThis free app offers quick and

easy access to reference chartsand algorithms plus in-depth in-terpretations of abnormal lab re-sults and a library of searchablereference materials. It also fea-tures dozens of detailed, nursing-specific skill reviews and fullcolor images to help with diagno-sis.

Nursing Central A great gift for a new nurse,

Nursing Central allows a user tolook up detailed information ondiseases, tests and proceduresand consult a database of 5,000drugs and more than 65,000medical terms. Plus, you cansearch Medline and subscribe tofavorite nursing journals. $165.

Merck ManualOver 300 experts contribute to

this trusted medical referencethat offers detailed diagnosis andmanagement information. Theclinically-focused entries arearranged by topic, symptom orsection and include quick diseaseoverviews and helpful navigationtools make it easy to find answersat the point of care. Prices varyfrom third-party vendors, butMerck will put out a free MerckManual app with many new fea-tures in June.

On call: Some of the best nursing apps

Nursing Profiles

As long as I can remember, my passion has al-ways been to work in healthcare field. I began myjourney working as a phlebotomist right out ofhigh school while attending CSUSJ working to-wards my BSN in Microbiology. My respect fornurses runs deep, as I observed firsthand the pro-fessionalism and compassion as they took charge,saved lives, and brought comfort & healing.

My path took a detour after college as I fol-lowed my heart to Ridgecrest and found myselfworking as a software analyst for the F/A-18weapons system support program at China Lake.I remained on base for 16 years until, when caringfor my ailing parents, that fire inside me wasrekindled. As my sons left for college and withthe help of friends, family, and many nurse men-

tors, I returned to school to begin the journey tomy RN. As an LVN I worked with newborns inlabor and delivery and when I received my RN,moved to Intensive Care, where I remained for 6years.

I now find myself in the specialty nursing areaof Infection Prevention, loving that nursing offerssuch diversity and challenge. In this role, I edu-cate staff and patients alike about the ever-chang-ing landscape of infections, and implement waysto keep our patients and staff safe from those in-fections. I love that I can serve my community inthis way and am so grateful for the opportunitiesI have been afforded in my career, as well as forthe incredibly dedicated, passionate people I havethe privilege of sharing this journey with.

MORE ABOUT

LeslieO’Neill, RN

HOMETOWN Wayne, NJ

EDUCATION CSU San JoseCerro Coso Community College Bakersfield CollegeMicrobiology/LVN/RN

I have been a nurse for 19 years and a man-ager for 10 years. I am currently the Director ofMaternal-Child Services. My education con-sists of two Masters degrees, one in Nursingand the second one in Health Administration.I also have certifications in In-Patient Obstet-rics, Electronic Fetal Monitoring, and I am aCertified Lactation Consultant as well.

I always wanted to work in health care andwent into nursing because I love working withpeople and helping people. Obstetrics was al-ways my choice. There is something wonderful

about bringing a new life into the world. I lovedworking with all types of patients at the bed-side. I liked that adrenaline rush of being aLabor and Delivery nurse. I went into manage-ment because I felt that I have more to givewithin the administrative field where I am ableto make changes to nursing. Even thoughsometimes I still miss direct patient care I ab-solutely love my job. I am able to see evidence-based nursing care being provided on a dailybasis due to changes I can design and imple-ment.

MORE ABOUT

Agnes Majeed, RN

HOMETOWN Bakersfield, CA

EDUCATION Masters Degree in NursingMasters Degree in HealthAdministration

Agnes Majeed, RN

Leslie O’Neill, RN Infection Preventionist

MORE ABOUT

JesseAllande, RNHOMETOWN Tennessee

EDUCATION Roanne State CommunityCollege, LVNEast Tennessee State University, RN

I am a Registered Nurse and the RidgecrestRegional Hospice Clinical Supervisor. I ob-tained my nursing degree from Roane StateCommunity College in Tennessee in 2006 thenfurthered my education at East Tennessee StateUniversity. I have been a home health/hospicenurse since 2007. I have been in Ridgecrest

since August 2012. I came here as a travelnurse to experience California and decided Ilove it here. I have had a passion for Hospicenursing since I was a teenager and feel so grate-ful to be able to do what I love in such a won-derful community!

Jesse Allande, RN

4 Salute to Nurses 2016

I actually started at RRH as a unit secretaryover 12 years ago. I always knew that I wanteda career in something where I would be help-ing people and making a different in my com-munity. While working with all the great,caring nurses on the old C-Wing, I found my

calling to also become a nurse. I obtained myLVN at Cerro Coso Community College andthen my RN at Bakersfield College. I am cur-rently working towards my Masters throughWalden University.

MORE ABOUT

Jenni Melchor, RN

HOMETOWN Ridgecrest, CA

EDUCATION Cerro Coso Community College, LVNBakersfield College, RN

Jenni Melchor, RNCase Manager/ Discharge Planner

MORE ABOUT

NicolleKielman, RN, CEN


EDUCATION Cerro Coso, Golden West College

I have been a nurse for over 30 years. Itrained as a nurse in Belfast Northern Irelandwhere I grew up. Nursing has afforded me totravel to different countries to work such asSaudi Arabia and ending up in California. Ihave 2 wonderful kids but I miss my familyback in Ireland and Scotland. In my spare timeI love to knit. It helps me to unwind after a busyday at work. I have worked in hospitals andprivate doctor’s offices. The last 19 years I haveworked in rural health clinics. I love knowingthat our patients are getting the best medicalcare they can in a rural setting. This is an un-

derserved portion of the community.

I have worked in the Rural Health Clinic Pe-diatric Department for the past three and a halfyears. I love working with the kids making surethey get the preventive medicine they need andimmunizations. We have many challengesworking in a rural area, trying to referring pa-tients to a specialist. We try our best to makethis happen for the kids. I don’t think there isany other job I would rather do. It is an honorand privilege to help people in need of care.

MORE ABOUT

Maggie Bradshaw, LVN

HOMETOWN Belfast, Northern Ireland

EDUCATION Belfast Northern Ireland

Maggie Bradshaw, LVN

I am currently one of the night shift chargenurses in the Emergency department. I grewup in Ridgecrest, graduating from Burroughs.After Cerro Coso, I attended Golden West Col-lege in Huntington Beach, CA, to obtain my As-sociate’s Degree in Nursing and my RN,graduating in 2008. I have been a CEN (Certi-fied Emergency Nurse) for four years, and amworking towards my BSN.

I’ve worked my entire nursing career in theED at Ridgecrest Regional Hospital. I love the

constant challenge and pace of the ED. It’snever the same from one shift to another, and Iam constantly learning new things. I was moti-vated to become a nurse thanks to the amazingnurses I had during my lengthy recovery frommajor back surgery shortly after high school.The breadth of knowledge I witnessed, alongwith compassion they showed me during oneof my most difficult experiences, was inspiring.I try to bring that same compassion to myeveryday nursing practice.

Nicolle Kielman, RN, CEN

Nursing Profiles



Unsung


Nurses are capable and caringeveryday heroes. Expertmultitaskers, nurses arealso patient and compas-

sionate and do much more workthan most people realize.

When asked what things aboutnurses or jobs they perform are peo-ple unaware of, a variety of nursesshared their feelings:

Well-educated“Nurses are required to continue

their education on an ongoing basisin order to keep their licenses cur-rent so they can keep practicing.Nurses take pharmacology classesand are taught to double-check physi-cian orders for safety. If there is anyquestion nurses seek to correct thoseorders and ensure safety for the pa-tient. Most nurses have degrees thattake two to four years to achieve. Nursepractitioners have master’s degrees andwill soon require doctoral degrees.”

– Deborah Henry, a certified nursepractitioner specializing in urogyneco-logical care at the Bladder ControlCenter at Women’s Excellence in LakeOrion, Michigan

Patient advocate“The nurse is in charge of a patient’s

care and is the patient’s advocate.Nurses provide health education notonly to the patient but also to the pa-tient’s family. In addition, nurses areskilled in assessments of the patientfrom a multi-system viewpoint, arriv-ing at nursing diagnoses and makingsure the patient has the optimal out-come.”

– Michelle Podlesni, president of theNational Nurses in Business Associa-tion and author “UnconventionalNurse: Going From Burnout to Bliss!”

Always on“Nurses are nursing 24/7, whether it

be on the job in a busy emergency de-partment saving lives, at the bedside ofa dying cancer patient taking his lastbreath, or at home taking care ofhis/her family. Nursing never stops, thecaring and selfless giving of themselvesis something that true nurses are just

born with.” – Registered nurse Leslie Block, an

emergency department nurse and thecreator and author of ER Nurses Careblog,http://ernursescare.blogspot.com/

Supporters“This is small but mighty: Going to

wakes and funerals. The nurse thatcared for my mom in the hospital asshe was dying came to her wake. Sheonly met her that day. Those are thingsthat nurses do!”

– Susan Tarr, registered nurse, Cleve-land Clinic’s Fairview Hospital

Artists“In neonatal intensive care units,

many of the nurses are very proficientat photography and scrapbooking.They are fantastic at doing hand- andfootprints and incorporating beautifulsayings and quotes into the scrapbookpages. Our parents are so appreciativeof these small gestures.”

– Sheila Struble, registered nursecertified, Cleveland Clinic’s FairviewHospital’s neonatal intensive care

Learners and planners“Nurses determine what it would

take to create an in-hospital weddingor to fulfill last wishes. They take timeto lighten patients’ burdens, offer com-fort and share a laugh. They take timeto learn what’s important to patients,whether it involves sports, music, art orfresh air, and help bring important

events to life. They listen, cry andworry about patient’s status andshow their feelings by holding hands,smiling, asking questions and silentlyassessing.”

– Nancy M. Albert, associate chiefnursing officer for research and inno-vation, Cleveland Clinic Health Sys-tem, and clinical nurse specialist,Kaufman Center for Heart Failure

Watchdogs“Ambulatory nurses maintain com-

munication with family members inorder to support patients in the com-munity. These nurses often identifyhome needs for patients in the formof pill-box fills and assist with sched-uling follow-up doctor appointmentsas well as safety issues. Recently, one

of our nurses contacted a local seniorcenter who assisted with installing alock box on a patient’s house – in theevent that the patient fell, the fire de-partment could get in the house with-out breaking in the door. Just oneexample of the way our ambulatorycare coordinators look out for patients.”

– Deanna Mcleeson, nurse manager,Cleveland Clinic’s Fairview Hospital

Wearers of many hats“During a critical time involving a

patient’s dying, the intensive care unitnurses arranged a Skyping session withthe patient’s daughter, who was out ofthe country, so she could see her dadand say goodbye. Recently a patientwas admitted to the emergency depart-ment, and after admission the nursingsupervisor discovered that the patienthad his pet bird in the car. The nursingsupervisor spent all evening looking foran animal shelter to pick up the bird.Throughout the night the supervisorswere checking on the bird. The nextmorning the animal shelter picked upthe bird.”

– Janet Schuster, chief nursing offi-cer, Cleveland Clinic’s Lutheran Hospi-tal

Navigators“Nurses help patients navigate the

health-care system as a casemanager/care coordinator.”

– Ingrid Muir, nursing director,Cleveland Clinic

9 things

NURSES DOthat you never knew about

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The long-term em-ployment outlookfor nursing showsthat it’s one of the

hottest degrees outthere, with more than 1million new nursesneeded by 2022, accord-ing to the Bureau ofLabor Statistics.

While employmentpossibilities are high,career advancement canincrease if nurses ex-hibit an emphasis onprofessional etiquette,said Kathleen Pagana,author of “The Nurse’sEtiquette Advantage,”now out in its secondedition.

Pagana, a registerednurse with a Ph.D. inthe field, was criticallyinjured in a car accidentin 2003 and was unableto physically work forseveral years. She wasable to start teachingduring that time and re-alized that etiquetteskills were one of themost important itemsmissing for nurses toadvance their careers.

“Etiquette is the miss-ing link for success inthe workplace,” Paganasaid.

Professionals — inhealth care or not —might have a great un-derstanding of the skillsneeded to get their jobdone, but without eti-quette it’s harder tomove forward in any ca-reer, she said.

“Everyone can becomean expert in etiquette.The better you become,the more you will besought after for oppor-tunities and positions.Let’s take a sport anal-ogy. If you don’t knowhow to play basketball,

Here are some of Pagana’s favorite tips:* Never approach someone at a conference and say,“Do you remember me?” Instead put out your hand,smile and say your name.* Wear your name tag on the right side of your chest.This way it can easy be read when shaking hands.* Hold your drink in your left hand at a networkingevent. This keeps your right hand warm and dry andready to shake hands.* Use the “BMW” method to remember proper placesetting positioning. Your bread (B), meal plate (M) andwater (W) appear in this order from left to right. * Your email address is a reflection of your profession-alism, or lack of it. * The value of social media is underestimated bythose who haven’t bothered to learn about it.

Etiquette

Nice guys finish FIRST

Using etiquette to get ahead in nursing

would anyone want youto be part of a competi-tive league? Probablynot. However, if youknow the rules and howto play, you could be anasset to any team.Knowledge of profes-sional etiquette canmake you a welcomeaddition and help yousurvive in the toughestsport of all, a businessworld that is often un-forgiving and highlycritical,” Pagana said.

Just what is etiquettein a business sense?

“Etiquette is aboutrelationships. Nursingis a career character-ized by professional re-lationships with allkinds of people in allkinds of settings. Byusing the guiding prin-ciples of kindness, con-sideration and commonsense, professional eti-quette can help nursesinitiate new relation-ships and enhance es-tablishes relationships.It can guide them inunfamiliar situationsand help them knowwhat to expect fromothers,” Pagana said.

Like other profes-sionals, nurses willbenefit by comingacross as polished, con-fident and professional.Etiquette helps levelthe playing field innurses interactionswith others.

“Nursing is all aboutrelationships. Etiquetteis the missing link forsuccess in the work-place. Why not knowhow to handle awkwardand challenging situa-tions that could dimin-ish confidence, tarnishreputations and derailcareer aspirations?” Pa-gana said.

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Nursing Profiles

I grew up in a small West Texas town calledShamrock. My mother had always wanted to be anurse and since that goal was not realizedthrough her she encouraged me to become anurse. But I went away to Texas Tech with an-other goal in mind. A couple of years later an LVNprogram started in my home town and my par-ents suggested that I return and go through theprogram which I did. After graduation I sought ajob in a nearby town and realized that I wouldmainly be administering drugs. Money was tightso I joined the Army in order to be able to returnto school with the GI Bill. While in the Army Ifound my niche in the ER. It would be severalmore years until I obtained my degree in nursing

which I did with the support of my husband in1987 at Antelope Valley. Now I knew nursing waswhere I belonged and went on to receive my BSNthrough California State University atDominguez Hills.

Ridgecrest has been my home for the past 31years and I have spent 24 years of that at Ridge-crest Regional Hospital. Initially I started onnight shift on A-Wing which was a surgical unit.I applied to work in the ER and have spent mostof my time there. Now I am an AdministrativeSupervisor and continue to do what I know best-nursing.

MORE ABOUT

BeckyCopeland, RN

HOMETOWN Shamrock, TX

EDUCATION Texas TechAntelope ValleyCSU Dominguez Hills

I am a Registered Nurse with 9 years of ex-perience providing patient-centered care in thehospital and the nursing home. Solidly creden-tialed and experienced with patient assess-ment, medication administration, makingsuggestions to the physician, handling queriesregarding health and other basic nursing du-

ties. I also have a good interdepartmental com-munication skills to aid facilitate care.

I have worked at Ridgecrest Regional Hospi-tal since 2006. I have worked as a Staff Re-source Nurse, a Charge Nurse, and a ResourceNurse.

MORE ABOUT

Genera Arreola, RN

HOMETOWN Ridgecrest, cA

EDUCATION Excelsior College, Albany NYAssociate in NursingCerro Coso, Associate ofArts, Vocational Nursing

Genera Arreola, RN

Becky Copeland, RN, BSNNursing Supervisor

MORE ABOUT

Joanna Tang, ER RNHOMETOWN Ridgecrest, CA

EDUCATION AA, Cerro Coso Community CollegeBSN, California State University Bakersfield

I grew up in Ridgecrest as did both of myparents. My great uncle was a member of thesidewinder team. My grandfather is involvedwith the China Lake Navy Museum. I gradu-ated from Cerro Coso, earning an AA with hon-ors and went on to complete my Bachelor’s ofScience in Nursing, Magna Cum Laude. As achild I suffered from asthma and was hospital-ized every year during flu season. The pediatricnurses on B-wing and the ED nurses had a pro-found effect on my life which shaped my deci-sion to become a nurse. In nursing school, Iworked as a nurse extern at Kern Medical Cen-ter in trauma and perioperative nursing. I in-terned at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital in theICU.

After nursing school, I returned home andjoined the RRH team. I completed a course inICU nursing and telemetry. I have worked inthe ICU for over five years, precepting severalnursing students and new grads. I also taughta course in arterial line management. I joinedthe Infection Prevention team at RRH last yearas an Infection Preventionist and contribute tothe department’s data analysis and epidemiol-ogy. I am a member of the Association for Pro-fessionals in Infection Control andEpidemiology, a member of the Alpha ChiHonor Society, and the Sigma Theta Tau Inter-national Honor Society of Nursing.

Jennifer Johnson, RN, BSNInfection Preventionist


I have been a nurse for 27 years and still lovewhat I do! I worked as an LVN for 14 years,then went back to school and earned my RN,now for 13 years.

Most of my employment has been at Ridge-crest Regional Hospital, in various depart-ments; Medical/Surgical, Pediatrics,Labor/Delivery, Newborn/Nursery, Post-par-tum, Home Health, Hospice, Surgery, PACU,and currently Care Coordination. The beauty ofnursing, you can work in all areas! I was edu-cated locally as well. We have excellent nursingprograms in our community that have pro-

duced some exceptional nurses, and I continueto work with them at RRH, today.

It is certainly an honor to be nominated andrecognized for this Salute to Nurses. This pro-fession requires team work, trust, respect,honor, commitment, compassion, empathy andsacrifice. It cannot be accomplished alone, so Isalute all my fellow nurses, you all deserve to berecognized for your chosen profession. My hus-band and four daughters also deserve my grat-itude, because without their support, I wouldn’tbe where I am today, at RRH.

MORE ABOUT

Laurie Hewlett, RN

HOMETOWN San Diego, CA

EDUCATION Cerro Coso, LVNBakersfield College/CerroCoso-Step-Up program, RN

Laurie Hewlett, RNCare Coordination

MORE ABOUT

CarynSchomberg, RN

HOMETOWN West Salem, WI

EDUCATION BS Psychology US-LaCrosseBSN-WSU

I learned I wanted to be a nurse when I wasin high school and was enrolled in a RegionalOccupation Program for Health Careers. Thedays I did Health Careers I did not mind get-ting up early. I was excited to go and help thenurses and the patients at the clinics. I thenworked as a Medical Assistant for Dr. Mondkarfor many years while putting myself throughLicensed Vocational Nurse training at CerroCoso Community College. I graduated in 2009with an Associate Degree in Science.

After graduating, I accepted a position at

Ridgecrest Regional Hospital on the Med-ical/Surgery Telemetry floor. In 2012, I gradu-ated from Bakersfield College as a RegisteredNurse with an Associate Degree in Nursing. Icontinued working on Mountain View, theMedicine/Surgery Telemetry floor, while alsobeing a frequent float nurse to all other nurs-ing departments in the hospital. I have workedmy way up to Resource Nurse and have been acharge nurse for approximately 3 years now. Ilove my job, the unit I work on, and the staffand patients I see everyday.

MORE ABOUT

Heather Diamond, RN

HOMETOWN Paso Robles, CA

EDUCATION Regional occupation Program for Health careersCerro Coso-LVNBakersfield College, RN

Heather Diamond, RN

I was interested in being a nurse as a younggirl, but ended up getting another degree first.With encouragement from my husband afterour sons were in school, I went back to collegeto become an RN. A classmate and I carpooledtwenty miles to a satellite program in Yakima,Washington. There were ten in our class. Wehad on site clinical instructors and listened tomost of our lectures on VCR. That was 25 yearsago.

As a new RN I worked at a small rural hospi-tal in Toppenish, Washington. I started in medsurg and also worked on peds, ob, nursery, andsame day surgery. I enjoyed my years workingat Toppenish and am thankful for the wide va-

riety of nursing experiences. I moved to Ridge-crest in 2001 when my husband became theminister at Trinity Lutheran Church . I becamea home health nurse at RRH and now amHome Health Clinical Supervisor. I’ve enjoyedbeing able to care for patients in their home,whether it is helping wounds heal, teaching IVantibiotics to a caregiver or teaching patientsmore about their chronic disease to preventhospital admission. Home Health has a greatinterdisciplinary team to treat patients athome. I enjoy helping to coordinate care andteach new clinicians. I feel being a nurse is avery interesting and fulfilling career.

Caryn Schomberg, RNHHA Clinical Supervisor

Nursing Profiles


Nursing Profiles

I have been a registered nurse for just over ayear. While my path to get here has taken manyturns, I am very happy to have arrived. I went tocollege at the University of Texas at Austin, whereI struggled choosing between psychology andnursing. I ultimately chose psychology and wenton to receive a masters's in cognitive psychology.I continued to work in psychological research,however, my interest in understanding thehuman body and my desire to care for others onlygrew. Pretty quickly, I decided to move from thedesk to the bedside and become a registerednurse. I began studying nursing and received myBSN from New Mexico State University in De-cember of 2014.

I began working at Ridgecrest Regional Hos-pital in 2015. I worked on the medical surgicalfloor for a year and recently transferred to theICU. I love working at RRH because of its sup-portive environment; I feel like I am part of afamily. Nursing has been an incredibly fulfillingpath for me because the learning never ends - es-pecially with my new transition to the ICU. Mostof all, I appreciate the fulfillment I receive fromtaking care of others and knowing that I havecontributed positively to our community. In myfree time I like to volunteer at the animal shelter,practice yoga, and spend time outdoors.

MORE ABOUT

Melissa Stauble, RN


EDUCATION University of Texas, Mastersin Cognitive PsychologyNew Mexico State University, BSN

I moved to Ridgecrest when I was in ele-mentary school and graduated from BurroughsHigh School. I then pursued a nursing degreethrough Cerro Coso and became an LVN in2011. I then began to work in the ER and com-pleted my ADN through Bakersfield College in2014. I have continued to work in the ER since

that time. I became a nurse because I enjoyinghelping and caring for people. My mother wasalso an inspiration as she is a nurse, as well asmany of my aunts. I still love being a nurse forthe original reason I became a nurse and can-not see myself in any other career.

MORE ABOUT

Janelle Olsen, RN


EDUCATION Cerro Coso, LVNBakersfield College, ADN

Janelle Olsen, RN

Melissa Stauble, RN

MORE ABOUT

StacieShaw, RN


EDUCATION Cerro Coso VocationalNurse Program

I became a mom at a young age (I was deter-mined not be another teen mom statistic) andit gave me the drive to pursue a career thatwould allow me to support my family (and seta good example for the next generation). I ap-plied to the LVN program up at Cerro Cosoafter finishing my prerequisites and was luckyenough to get in on my first try. I worked veryhard the entire 18 months (while raising a twochildren with my husband), and graduated inDecember of 2007. It was the best decision I

have ever made because I became part of theworld of nursing. I have worked in a couple ofdifferent fields including long term care, homehealth and clinic nursing which have all helpedme to grow in my skills and compassion. Ilanded in Rural Health for the last 3 years nowand have loved every minute of it. I am cur-rently Lead Resource Nurse and I love what Ido and look forward to my future in the field ofnursing.

Stacie Shaw, RN


Opportunity


For those innursing, theoutlook forfinding a job

is positive. But, justwhat constitutes agood job?

Personal financewebsite WalletHubrecently compiled alist of the best andworst states inwhich to be a nursein an effort to helpregistered nurses,especially newlyminted nurses, fig-ure out where to laydown roots. Thingslike salary, commut-ing distance and jobopenings make adifference.

The nursingworkforce is pro-jected to grow 16percent from 2014to 2024, muchfaster than the aver-age for all occupa-tions, according tothe Bureau of LaborStatistics. Growthwill occur for anumber of reasons,such as an agingpopulation and the

overabundance ofchronic conditionslike arthritis, de-mentia, diabetesand obesity.

According to theWallet–Hub study,the top 10 states topursue a career innursing are: Wash-ington, Colorado,Minnesota, Wiscon-sin, Texas,Wyoming, Alaska,New Hampshire,New Mexico andOklahoma.

“In some respects,we are entering thenext dimension ofhealth care wherethere will be emerg-ing opportunitiesand transforma-tions in how care isdelivered, organizedand utilized,” saidRonda Hughes, as-sociate professor atMarquette Univer-sity’s School ofNursing in Milwau-kee. “Nurses arecritical members ofall health-careteams that providepatient care and im-prove the qualityand effectiveness ofhealth care.”

Rather thanworking under doc-tors, nurses are partof a medical teamthat works togetherto meet the chal-lenges of patientneeds.

“Part of beingable to accomplishthis as we move for-ward is the need forinterprofessionalcollaboration fo-cused on patient-centered care.Patient-centeredcare is at the heartof nursing, sonurses should beleading health-careteams in both hos-pital and commu-nity settings.

“If you take theprovisions of theAffordable CareAct, the ‘graying’ ofthe population andthe skills that nurs-ing bring to patientcare, the demandfor nurses will con-tinue to increase,”said Hughes, whoalso offered recentnursing graduatessome practical ad-vice.

“I have seen

nurses really thrivewhen they enjoytheir job, can bal-ance work andpersonal activi-ties/interests.Think of nursingas career, not ajob. If you findyourself in a situa-tion where youjust have a job, itis most likely timeto find another po-sition,” she said.

To succeed “youneed to find theplace and peoplethat will supportyou reaching yourcareer goals. Theimportance offriends, family andcolleagues cannotbe emphasizedenough. As recentgrads select wherethey want to workand live, they needto really under-stand what theyare passionateabout, what aretheir strengths andweaknesses, andthe pros and consabout where theyare thinking of liv-ing.”

Accordingto the

WalletHubstudy, the

top 10 statesto pursue a

career innursing are:Washington,

Colorado,Minnesota,Wisconsin,

Texas,Wyoming,

Alaska, NewHampshire,New Mexico

andOklahoma

TOPSTATESto pursue a nursing career

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Nurses are returning totheir roots. A conflu-ence of factors, from

an aging population to theAffordable Care Act, haveled to a trend where healthcare is not only practiced inhospitals and clinics butwhere it was originally prac-ticed — in the community.

About 87 percent of nursesgot jobs in hospitals in 2005compared with 76 percent in2012, according to the RNWork Project, a nationalstudy that tracks nursing ca-reer changes.

“I think it’s a shift that isoccurring throughout thesystem, and not just in nurs-ing; care is moving beyondthe clinical walls and meet-ing people where they are,”said Susan Hassmiller, sen-ior advisor for nursing forthe Robert Wood JohnsonFoundation, which funds theRN Work Project. “Peoplewant access and they wantconvenience, and they wantto trust that those caring forthem are competent. Nursesare in a prime position todeliver all three. I thinkthat’s definitely positive forpeople and communitieswhere they live. So much ofwhat affects someone’shealth status and well-beingis not just what he or shepresents to you in a hospitalor office visit.”

ACA’s effectThe adoption of

the Affordable CareAct, with its empha-sis on communitycare in outpatientand ambulatory set-tings, is one reasondriving the trend ofcommunity nursing,said Dr. PhyllisSharps, Johns Hop-kins School of Nurs-ing’s associate deanfor community pro-grams and initia-tives.

“These days thetrend is toward pre-vention and promo-tion of health, andwith the AffordableCare Act many people whowere previously not insurednow are. The beginning carethey receive” is often at thecommunity level rather thanin a hospital, Sharps said.

“The Affordable Care acthas definitely influencedmore community care, but sohas consumer demand. Notonly do millennials want con-venient, trustworthy care, butthe boomers and the greatestgeneration want to be caredfor in their own communitiesand in their own homes,” saidHassmiller. “Additionally, themore our system shifts tovalue-based care, the incen-tive is to keep people healthyand out of the hospital. Be-cause of this financial incen-

tive we will seemore communityprogramming anddirect care, withconcomitant hiringof nurses who canprovide this type ofcare. It does take aspecial set of com-petencies.”

Focus onprevention

While nursesembrace the samequalities no matterwhere their joblies, communitynursing is differentfrom traditionalnursing in how it’spracticed.

“Community health nurses,in general, focus on popula-tions rather than individuals.With this perspective thesenurses focus on health pro-motion and disease preven-tion, provide education tocommunities, improve com-munity health and safety, andincrease access to care,” saidDr. Terri Lipman, assistantdean for community engage-ment for the University OfPennsylvania School of Nurs-ing.

“Hospitals are making theshift to providing more carein the community due to fi-nancial constraints and con-sumer demand, especially assystems move to more of avalue-based incentive for-

mula,” said Hassmiller. “Addi-tionally, it is well understoodthat people do better in theirhomes surrounded by theirsupport system and awayfrom the inherent risks thathospitals bring, such as infec-tions. There are significantresources being invested inhome care and we will con-tinue to see a rise in this typeof care.”

For the future, “nursingstudents should be preparedand encouraged to work insettings outside of the hospi-tal. We need nurses who un-derstand that people aren’timpacted only by their cur-rent illness or condition, butby their lives and environ-ment in the community atlarge,” said Hassmiller, whoencouraged all nursing stu-dents to advance their educa-tion.

“It is in a baccalaureateprogram where communitycompetencies are introducedwith courses in communityand public health nursing.The Institute of Medicine Fu-ture of Nursing report hasencouraged at least 80 per-cent of all nurses to attain abachelor of science in nursingby 2020. Doing this will en-sure a workforce that is pre-pared for not only acute care,but community care as well,”Hassmiller said.

“Not only domillennials

wantconvenient,trustworthycare, but theboomers and

greatestgenerationwant to becared for...

in their ownhomes.”Susan

Hassmiller


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