The Student Nurses Association plan to hold a meeting  Nov. 5 at noon. Members plan to discuss upcoming community projects and fundraisers for the holidays.

Brandy Haley
Courtesy of Media Services

   A new instructor has arrived in the School of Nursing.

   Brandy Haley is an assistant professor. She went to school at Southeast Arkansas College in Pine Bluff. She received her Licensed Practitioner Nurse license from Pine Technical College, her Registered Nurse diploma from Baptist Health in Little Rock, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Excelsior College in New York. She is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

   Haley said she has been a nurse since 1996 where she started out as a LPN, then she completed her master’s degree.

   Haley said she came to teach at the University of Arkansas at Monticello because she had family members on her side and her husband’s side to graduate from UAM. She also said she always wanted to teach at a 4 year university.

   Haley said she feels she can bring simulation into the nursing program at UAM. She said she has a lot of simulation experience.

   ”I try to always remember I was once a student,” Haley said.

   She said she tries to remember her experience as a student, so she can make sure she explains things in the simplest form for her students.

   Laura Evans, dean of the School of Nursing, hired Haley in August.

   ”She was the best applicant and has been a wonderful asset,” Evans said. She said she feels that with Haley, the School of Nursing will continue to grow.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated to correct the instructor’s title, name of schools and the academic degree name.

Jeff Biehl began the Accelerated Second Degree BSN program in the Fall of 2011. He is a member of the Dean's Circle, SNAOU, and the National Student Nurses Association. He has his CNA certification and eventually plans to pursue further education through the CRNA program. Jeff graduated from Wayne State University in 2005 with a degree in Spanish and also played baseball there all four years. In his free time he likes to enjoy the beach, sports, a good movie, and spending time with family and friends.

Well, I just got done wrapping up my first pediatric clinical and I can say that it was completely different than any med-surg clinical that I have experienced. I went into it with an open mind, although I didn’t have much interest in spending my future nursing career as a pediatric nurse. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids, but it takes a completely different mindset to endure the sacrifices of pediatric nursing. I have heard it mentioned on more than one occasion that in order to be a pediatric nurse, you have to be different. It took me a few clinical hours to competently understand what exactly that meant. Yes, you need a personality that is compatible with the kids and you need to empathize on what they are going through. Although I exhibit many of those qualities, I felt that my skills and attributes were more receptive on an adult unit.

First of all, the disease processes are extensively different. I thought that I had a good grasp on many of the diseases and conditions that plague one’s health. However, when it comes to children, the game changes. We know that in children, the susceptibility to specific diseases is due to the immaturity of their immune systems. This was extremely evident every time I walked into a room. The rarest disease that I came across was called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. One minute, the child was walking and talking and then the next minute he could hardly coordinate any movement in his body and couldn’t talk. If you feel bad, how do you think the parents feel? Well, that’s part of being a pediatric nurse. Not only do you have to tend to the child’s every need, but have to be able to comfort and educate the parents so that they can understand how to function appropriately moving forward. As I said, it takes a special person to do this on a day to day basis.

I had a great experience although it was short lived. We were able to do a lot of observation in the NICU and I think that it will be an excellent transition into labor and delivery which starts next week. The great thing about experiencing all that nursing has to offer while in school is that you can start to pinpoint where you may want to end up when it’s all said and done. Being in pediatrics for a month allowed me to realize that I was more cut out for adult/geriatric nursing. So far I’m leaning towards an adult intensive care unit and there are several out there. Nonetheless, I still have some clinical experiences to cover so who knows!

Students Lina Huynh and Phai Yang were mentioned in a Las Vegas Sun article for their participation.

Also participating in the event were students from the College of Pharmacy’s chapter of the American College of Clinical Pharmacists (ACCP) who set up a booth to provide medication counseling and STD awareness as well as offered health screenings.

USN is proud of our students for their continued support of the Southern Nevada community.

Donating blood is safe, it’s simple, and it saves lives. Most donors find it a painless and heart-warming experience. Visit United Blood Services for information on donation requirements.

Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Canned meats (chicken, tuna etc)
Pastas/noodles
Jello Mix
Cake mix
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Pumpkin pie mix
Canned Gravy
Canned Vegetables (corn, peas etc.)

Also being collected are $5, $10, $15, $20 donations to buy turkeys from The Butcher Block to provide Thanksgiving dinners to families in Southern Nevada. The $20.00 donations will be used to pay for each turkey certificate and extra funds will be donated to HELP of Southern Nevada. The turkeys are large enough to feed a family of six. Cash or Check is preferred. Checks can be written out to University of Southern Nevada and delivered to Professor Marie Wright in the College of Nursing. For information, please call 702-968-1669 or email mwright@usn.edu.

USN Student Nurses Association members who donate five items from the list will earn one community service credit. For donation of $5, $10, $15, or $20 will also earn an additional one community service credit.

Monetary donations for the purchase of turkeys must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17.