Who are you and what do you expect from this class? Please write 4-5 sentences about yourself, including academic, career, and personal goals relevant to our course in biomedical ethics (why you are in school, what you like to study, where you work/volunteer/spend your time, other relevant experience, something interesting about you, etc.). It is also helpful if you can upload a picture to Blogger, since this will be where we have the most interaction.
Then please ask questions and/or comment on the posts of at least two of your classmates. Let's get to know each other (by 29 January).
Hello, My name is Jocelyn Laake. I am a RN in labor and delivery at St. Elizabeth Medical Center. This will be my very first time ever blogging, so please be patient with me. Twelve years ago I graduated from Miami University and landed my dream job delivering babies. There is something almost magical about what I do. I get to share in that amazing moment when a baby is born and breathes for the first time. To get a peek at the most intimate moment when a mother holds her child for the first time is something that still brings a tear to my eye. I absolutely love what I do and I love to teach others about it. Part of the reason I have decided to go back to school for my BSN is to continue that passion. I worked part time as an OB clinical instructor for Beckfield College, but I plan on continuing my education to possibly make it a full time position before my body gets too beat up to work the floor. I honestly am not sure what to expect from this class. I am sure it will push me to look closer into my personal beliefs about ethics in death and dying in a population other than infants.
ReplyDeleteOutside of work and school, my 4 year old son takes up most of my time. My husband and I are huge history buffs, so when we can we are taking some new adventure to new places and gathering new experiences for my son. One interesting fact about myself is that I am half Native-American. My mother is full blooded Mohawk and we are from a small reservation in upstate New York.
Congrats, Jocelyn, for making the first post! It is going to be great to have all nurses in this class as we look at informed consent, the future of medicine (genetic engineering, stem cell research, personalized medicine), death & dying, multicultural issues, and more. If you are half Native American and are interested, I might change your "Health Care Elsewhere" mini research assignment to look at health care on a reservation of your choice.
DeleteThat is so interesting about your native American heritage. My grandmother was half Cherokee and grandfather had Choctaw bloodlines (Arkansas). I'm very interested in hearing more about your reservation in NY. The only reservation I've really experience was in Ponca City Oklahoma, and it was a very sad, dismal experience. It was nothing like what I would have expected of a reservation.
DeleteThat is pretty interesting that you are half native american. I really enjoy learning about different cultures. I have never been to a reservation. I as well would be interested in hearing about the reservation in upstate New York.
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ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Erin, I am a mother, wife, and nurse. I have two very active boys ages 16 and 11 who keep me extremely busy but I would not have it any other way. I graduated from Beckfield College in 2012 and began my nursing career on TCU in Ft. Thomas where I practiced for about 3 years. I then transferred to Labor and Delivery and do believe I have found my passion. I expect to gain new insight from this class and challenge my own personal thoughts and beliefs related to ethical issues. I am excited to continue on with the cohort and can’t wait to obtain my BSN in November!
ReplyDeleteErin, I have to say I'm extremely happy to hear you have found your passion in labor and delivery. It really is an amazing calling, that takes a special person to be able to connect with these new mothers and share in their experience. I've done it for close to 12 years now and still love it, although I know you've seen me on the days it is not so wonderful. L&D does have its moments where we deal with ethical issues and it makes our job a little more difficult. Perhaps this class will help us both be able to understand and deal with those issues if they should arise.
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DeleteThank you Jocelyn! I truly do believe L&D is my passion. My hospital experience with my own deliveries (way back when) and the care I received from my nurses was what inspired me to go to nursing school.
DeleteHello, I am Kourtney Karlosky and I am 24, I have no children and I enjoy new experiences and learning about other cultures. I volunteer with special olymics and have been doing that for about 14 years now with my family. I have been working at St. Elizabeth for 5 years now, 2 of which I have been an RN. I just recently switched departments from a TCU to the ICU. I love my new job and glad I made the switch. However, I feel like I am starting back at the beginning though. Oh well, it is always good to challenge yourself. I expect to learn interesting ethical issues that we face in everyday practice and why we do and do not do somethings based off of what we see everyday at the bedside. Ethics has always interested me and I have been apart of a few risk management meetings and cases which I thought were interesting to listen in on regarding ethical issues and if we were treating properly. I look forward to this class.
ReplyDeleteKourtney, what was your motivation to start volunteering with Special Olympics?
DeleteMy step dad has always been involved and after my parents got together and I started attending events with him, I was kind of just hooked. They are amazing. They think that the littlest things that we take for granted are the best things in the world. It is just the best feeling ever to really appreciate what you have and know that its the little things in life that make it whole.
DeleteKourtney ICU seems like a perfect fit for you, you are a smart cookie! Also, as an aunt to an amazing kiddo with special needs I have to thank you for serving those kids.
DeleteKourtney what are your long term goals after you finish your BSN?
DeleteKourtney, that sounds like so much fun and so rewarding! I have a group of 10-12 year old boy scouts who would truly benefit from volunteering if you have any additional information.
DeleteErin, I will for sure let you know about volunteering! Alex, I do not know yet what my long term goals are yet. I have thought about CRNA or perhaps maybe NP but leaning more towards CRNA. However, I truly do enjoy bedside nursing.
DeleteThat is awesome Kourtney! How rewarding that must be!
DeleteIt is amazing when you leave the TCU floors and go to ICU, the learning curve you are experiencing. Did it myself and quickly learned that it takes a year to become comfortable. Good luck future team leader.
DeleteHello, I am Alex Butler I am 29, I'm a RN at St. E OR I specialize in Neuro Surgery I have been at St. E for almost 8 years. This will be my first expierence blogging. I am married to my wife Whitney we have been married for 7 years. Together we have 2 Kids Jack and Julianne. I'm very excited to start this class to learn and discuss more about these ethical issues. One reason I really like ethics is because there is not always and right and wrong answer and I enjoy discussing that and debating my veiwpoint. I'm very excited to get started.
ReplyDeleteWow, neuro surgery! Was there something specifically that brought you to specialize there? Also, have you ever dealt with a case like the movie The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and someone with locked-in syndrome? Since it is sometimes caused due to a stroke and involves the brain stem, have you ever some across a surgery that deals with this?
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DeleteAlex I had no idea you liked to debate :) I look for ward to it!
DeleteNo cases like this for the most part are something the MD's at our hospital don't pursue most of those pt's go to UC.
DeleteSurgery would be the only other place I would want to work at the hospital. Jealous of the 8 hour days. Bet it is hard to work with certain surgeons though.
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ReplyDeleteShelley SimpsonJanuary 25, 2016 at 10:00 AM
Hello, I'm Shelley Simpson and I am 45! I have been an RN for 23 years, but started working in healthcare at age 16. I've been at St. E for 22 years. I'm a critical care RN (ICU/ ER/ CSR) by practice, but now apply myself in quality management. I am a mom to two crazy, wonderful boys, ages 11 and 2. I volunteer for JDRF a great deal and with ADA some. Ethics is a very interesting grey topic. I typically can appreciate the greyness of life and value opinions other than mine. I look forward to growing personally with this experience.
JDRF? Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation? I hope that is what you are referring to. Do you have someone that has Juvenile Diabetes or is it something that interest you and think needs more awareness brought to it? I have 2 cousins that have it and 1 did very well with it but the other, not so much she is now 18 and still suffers from bad depression, self esteem, suicidal ideation and action by not taking insulin. Just curious your thoughts and connection.
DeleteMy oldest, Zachary, has type 1 diabetes that was diagnosed at age 5. It was important to me to get involved to help work toward the cure, but also to emphasize to him that he be proactive in his care. He's actually a youth ambassador for JDRF and was on the news this weekend for an upcoming benefit. I always wanted to keep him upbeat about it, or provide the resources he needs to prevent burnout and depression. I do hear it's much worse on teens, especially female teens. I'm sorry about your cousin.
DeleteMy son was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 20. They first said he was type II, but after none of the medications were working for him, they discovered he was type I. I'm very proud of him, he really works hard to manage his disease.
DeleteThat's cool to know, Tracy. I often wonder if it's more difficult to be diagnosed at an early age or later. I know the ones diagnosed at 1 or 2 don't remember any other way. The first couple years after, Zachary would yearn to have his pre-diabetes life back, but that all got better after the pump, and even moreso after Dexcom. It's amazing how many adults are misdiagnosed with type 2. I'm glad he's doing well. How old is he now?
DeleteTracy, disregard. I just saw below he's 28.
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ReplyDeleteHello there. My name is Jessica, I work in the ER at Florence. I moved to NKY from Chicago about 18 months ago for a job transfer of my husbands. I am a wife, mom of 4 (10,10,4,2)and a personal trainer/gym owner. I am looking forward to the topic of ethics, however the online format has me a little stressed out. I am nervous about missing assignments due to not knowing they exist!
ReplyDeleteJessica I am so impressed! 4 children, school, and 2 full time jobs!? Truly inspiring. How do you keep up and find time for yourself?
DeleteFour, FOUR kiddos! I'm very impressed, Jessica. You have your plate full and are doing wonderfully! Off the topic of ethics, I want to know more about your gym one eve at class!
DeleteErin, the gym is time for myself! If I dont do something active each day I get a little nutty. I am just turning my hobby into a paycheck! Shelley I would love to chat about the gym!
DeleteJessica, I'm with you on feeling nervous about missing something due to not knowing much of online format.!
DeleteJessica, I'm with you on feeling nervous about missing something due to not knowing much of online format.!
DeleteJess, you amaze me daily! You inspire me. I wish I had your energy. I really want to get started working out with you. I feel like I need to get in shape first.
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ReplyDeleteJessica did you get into health and fitness at a early age? Is it time consuming running a Gym?
DeleteAlex I was always active in sports and worked out, but I also loved the Drive Thru! It wasn't until baby body set in that I really changed my ways!
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ReplyDeleteHello, and I go by Chris. I have been an RN for 14 years now. I was a chef before I became a nurse. I switched professions when my son was born two months early and I spent 45 days in Good Samaritan NICU. There I met some staff members who help convince me to change fields and I applied to nursing school the day after my son was discharged.
ReplyDeleteI have two other children. I am married and have been with St. Elizabeth for 12 years all together. I left for a while and worked at level 1 trauma center in Atlanta. I spent most of my career in the ICU and ED. Looking forward to getting my BSN and see what doors open locally and afar.
A chef? So cool! Did you work around here?
DeleteWas sent to CIA in New York by the Hilton corporation. Worked up in Cleveland.
DeleteHello all. My name is Tracy Wells. I'm probably the oldest in the class. I'm a 53 year old mother of two children. My daughter is 32 and my son is 28. I've been a nurse for 3 1/2 years. I started working at Kroger at the tender age of 16. While working there, I discovered my love for numbers and balancing books. When I graduated from high school, my grandmother wanted nothing more than for me to be a nurse. She told me should would pay for my school if I would move to Florida and live with her and my grandfather. Sounds great, right? Well, at 18, who wants to leave their friends and live with their grandparents? I turned down the offer and I regret it. Well, I worked in the accounting industry for about 30 years. My father passed away unexpectedly in 1999. After his death, I wanted to volunteer somewhere where I could help prevent people from being alone when they pass away. This led me to volunteering at the Hospice unit. The first day of volunteer training, I realized I really missed with what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. I needed to be a nurse. I continued to volunteer and I enrolled back in school. I worked my full-time job as an assistant controller at a large property management company and went to school part-time. When I got accepted in the nursing program, I quit accounting and started working as a Clerical/CNA at the hospital. I eventually obtained a job at Hospice as a clerical/cna. I graduated from nursing school on July 6th, 2012 at the ripe old age of 49. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. I didn't want to ever go back to school...well, here I am, back at the age of 53! I think I will enjoy this class because at Hospice, I see ethical issues from time to time. I'm looking forward to November 28th
ReplyDeleteI have so much respect for those who work in hospice. It takes a very special person. It's the one area in nursing I could not work.
Deletewhat an awesome way to turn your tragedy into a service!
DeleteAgree with Shelley and Jessica. So great to have special nurses like you that can offer your services for the care of the patient and their family it those times.
DeleteTracy, I too went to nursing school as a second career; my first being raising my four children. I worked at U.S. Bank for 9 years while my kids were younger and in school. I enrolled in college as my oldest graduated from high school, and I was helping her enroll. I did myself. I had always wanted to be a nurse, and so glad I pursed my dream.
DeleteTracy, I too went to nursing school as a second career; my first being raising my four children. I worked at U.S. Bank for 9 years while my kids were younger and in school. I enrolled in college as my oldest graduated from high school, and I was helping her enroll. I did myself. I had always wanted to be a nurse, and so glad I pursed my dream.
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ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Ashley. I graduated from Galen College of Nursing in 2012. I have worked at St. Elizabeth Healthcare for almost 12 years. I have spent a majority of my time there working in the emergency room. It was my dream goal to get hired in the ER and have been loving it ever since. I was hired as a new grad in the ER and am working on my fourth year as a nurse. Was super scary but survived and have learned a lot. I look forward to learning about ethical issues. Especially in the sense of new technology that may bring along new ethical situations. Working in the ER as well as other departments we are faced with many, very challenging ethical issues. I look forward to hearing about other's experiences and learning about topics that are new for me.
ReplyDeleteAshley, I also graduated from Galen College of Nursing in 2012. "Nurse by Galen". It's refreshing to hear you enjoy working in the ER. That's a tough place to work sometimes. I'm glad we are on this second nursing journey together as well.
DeleteHello, my name is Gloria Herms, I am 53 years young, I have 4 grown children and 2 grandchildren. I went to nursing school as an older adult, graduating from NKU in 2003. I've been working at St. E. in Ft. Thomas since then. I love nursing, especially the oncology specialty. I am certified in chemo/bio administration. The floor I work on is med/surg and oncology; we take care of inpatient cancer patients when they need long term infusions or blood products. I am excited to be working on my BSN at Thomas More. I work full time, and babysit my grandchildren every other week on my off day. I enjoy yoga, walking, dancing and reading.
ReplyDeleteGloria, I had no idea we were the same age. You look so young! We both followed our dreams after we had our children. We are kindred spirits.
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