Month: April 2023

Throughout my experience with the LEND playgroup I have developed a better sense of toddler growth and development, as well as what a nurses role looks like in comparison to an interprofessional team. I got to experience how other areas of toddler development play such a large role in how a toddler grows and as a nurse we only see them when they are sick and need care. Working with PT, OT, and speech students and staff, I got to see the areas that children struggle within outside the walls of a hospital or care facility. Working with speech I got to see the various levels of words and how important it is to be meeting the child where their speech level is. As well as with OT and PT and seeing where a 12-24 month should be with their fine motor skills and movement abilities. Throughout my time at UNE, I have been, I feel, limited experience with newborns, toddlers, and young children, we generally have our clinicals with the older population and then have one semester where we experience maternity and pediatrics. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go to Barbara Bush and work closely with children within the hospital. It was the first time I got to work with children in a hospital setting. Prior my experience with children was babysitting, camp counselor, school setting, and within the school setting more therapeutic areas, but a hospital is a very different aspect. I think there is only so much as a student we can learn from inside of a book and skills labs, in comparison to in-person and hands-on learning. So, taking the knowledge I have developed in my various classes and applying it within playgroup was amazing to see and be a part of something that incorporated so many different areas of a child’s development. I personally don’t know where my nursing career will take me but through my learning and experiences at UNE and through the LEND program, I know I will be with children somewhere a long my career. Children challenge us as healthcare workers and have so much growth and development to reach, it is our job to be aid them through this time where it is needed and help them reach their potential. LEND has been an amazing program and has helped me, a future nurse, discover not only my love for childcare but the importance of the interprofessional team that goes into the care for your patients. 

As I begin my process of taking the NCLEX I am very nervous and excited to be finished with school and continue onto the next chapter. I intend to become licensed within the State of Maine and it is part of the Nurse Licensure Compact state which helps if I do possibly want to move or travel nurse. I am originally from Massachusetts, so I need to go through the proper steps in getting my driver’s license changed to a Maine resident and have everything in place to do so just need to pick a day to sit at the DMV. Within the state of Maine, the application is completed via the website, and it does require our transcripts prior to applying. Knowing this my goal is to be organized and stay ahead of the paperwork I need to have completed prior to taking the boards. Making sure to know the costs, process, and time it will take. 

Maine requires a complete a criminal background check and fingerprinting. When completing this we need to keep in mind that it is only accessible for 90 days so making sure we are testing within this time span, or we will have to get it redone. 

After the presentation I began to think about my role as a future nurse within the state of Maine. Considering the importance of understanding your role and the duty of actions you must take under your license. Through the state of Maine’s website there is a Health Security Act Reporting which implements the process that occurs in certain situations where a licensed nurse it mandated to report a finding to the board. An example being if we feel a coworker is impaired or is not fulfilling their duty around patient safety. Understanding my role is an important aspect of nursing so that I keep myself and my patients safe in any circumstance. As a future nurse it is very intimidating to enter a field that is encompassed with legal issues, and we mainly only ever heard of the bad. The good is the most rewarding aspect of this career and I feel as though it is quickly overlooked. Underneath common legal impacts I want to make sure I am well versed in my facilities policies and regulations around these aspects of care. As well as making sure that I am being respectful and an advocate for my patient around all aspects of their care. As a nurse we are a key aspect in the interprofessional team that collectively discusses the patient. The nurse’s duty is to make sure the patients voice is heard around their needs and wants, as well as their comfort level.