rn formation vol. 10 - issue 1

TOGETHER WE LEARN

TOGETHER WE CARE

TOGETHER WE GROW

Aug.Sept.Oct 2013 Volume 10 – Issue 1

CNSA Fresno State BOD and Mentors

Welcome Brunch for the Spring 2016 Class

Table of Contents: Meet Your Board! p1

Welcome to the

Family S’16 p5

Where in the world

is Fresno State

Nursing? p7

EXCLUSIVE SERIES:

The Undergraduate,

Professional, and

Graduate View of p11

Nursing

Defeat Stress TODAY! p14

A Peek Inside State

Convention p17

Keep in Touch with CNSA Fresno! p18

RN Formation is a publication of CNSA-CSUF Dept. of Nursing 2345 E. San Ramon Ave, M/S MH. Fresno, CA 93740 Phone: (559) 278-2041 Fax: (559) 278-6360

Join us this issue for a look inside

CNSA -Fresno State Chapter to see how

we are representing the image of nursing

throughout our community!

CNSA Fresno State

Board of Directors 2013-2014

Hello, I am very excited to be this year's Fresno State President. It is my dream to apply myself to making this year an unforgettable

and exciting experience both through knowledge and opportunity.

Each of my officers and directors are friendly and hardworking

individuals. With their help I have no doubt that we can make my

dream come true for Fresno State Nursing. I plan on working hard

to ensure that all of our students are getting the help they need and

provide them with as many opportunities as possible to help them

grow as individuals and nursing leaders. Make CNSA your family

because Together We Learn, Together We Care, Together We Grow!

[email protected]

Zack Huddleston

Chapter President

I am a 2nd career student, as well as a wife & mom with a part-

time job. At first, being in the nursing program was pretty

intimidating but once the realization set in that it’s important to

have fun, the intimidation subsided. I feel that my position of

leadership will allow me to have more exposure to other nursing

students and encourage them to not only have fun but to make the

best of this wonderfully adventurous program!

[email protected]

Sheri Cooley

Vice President

My name is Joy Recchio. I currently am in 3rd semester and am

beginning my senior year at Fresno State. I have many goals

that I wish to accomplish in my role as Treasurer. I want to

create a budget for events and activities put on by CNSA and

decrease the total cost spent as well as increase the profit by

10%. I also will make sure that at every meeting I will report on

the current financial status of CNSA and state exactly where and

when money was spent and why. I will plan a budget for money

spent at state convention in San Jose, mid-year convention in

Kentucky, and national convention in Tennessee and determine

the total amount being reimbursed to attendees.

[email protected]

Joy Recchio

Treasurer

Page - 1 RN Formation – Vol. 10 Issue 1.

CNSA Fresno State


I am Erin Kangas, a third semester nursing student. I am currently

serving on the CNSA Board of Directors as secretary. As your

secretary, I will keep all members informed of the topics discussed

through our meeting minutes. I will send all of the meeting minutes

out following our meetings. If you have any questions about CNSA

or about the meeting minutes, please feel free to contact me!

[email protected]

Erin Kangas

Secretary

Hello all! I'm very excited to be a part of your CNSA Fresno State

Board of Directors this year. I am an advocate for health and wellness

and believe that as nursing students and nursing professionals we

need to care for ourselves to be able to care for others. We are the

future of health care and must be act as health advocates for ourselves

and our patients to prevent disease and foster a higher quality of life.

With your help and participation I plan to promote health and

wellness in our nursing community here at Fresno State and the

greater community of Fresno. This semester, please make time to care

for yourself and make time to give back to others, I promise that you

won't regret it. I look forward to working with the students in our

nursing program and getting to know each of you.

[email protected]

Noah Morales

Community Health

Director

Hello! My name is Jordan Burns and I am the new Fresno State CNSA

Legislative Director. As cliché as it sounds, I am genuinely excited to

be as involved as I am now with our Fresno State CNSA chapter.

Every meeting is an opportunity for me to get personal with fellow

student nurses. Over the Summer I have been working on a

"professional code of conduct" resolution that I will be presenting to

the statewide body of delegates at "Convention" this October. I expect

to be talking to an audience of over 100 other nursing students. I'm

really excited about convention! I would challenge anyone reading

this to attend a CNSA meeting for themselves to get a better idea of

what this organization is about!

[email protected]

Jordan Burns

Legislative

Director

Page – 2 RN Formation – Vol. 10 Issue 1.

CNSA Fresno State


My name is Jireh Somera. I am the current Website Director for our

CNSA chapter. I will be entering my final year in the nursing program.

Being a part of this wonderful organization has greatly contributed to

my student nursing experience. Whether it is from emails, social media,

or through our new website, my goal is to provide innovation in how

information is distributed to the masses.

[email protected]

Jireh Somera

Website Director

Hey Nursing Family! My name is Jacquelyn and I am honored to be a

part of such a great group of people in CNSA. I hope to take advantage

of my position on the Board of Directors to develop my own leadership

skills, and I hope that through my enthusiasm I can help encourage

others to get involved themselves! It is my goal to make sure that

everyone in our CNSA chapter as well as our nursing program is

informed about what is going on in Fresno State Nursing through social

media, email, newsletters, flyers, and so on! I also plan to design apparel

for our program so that we are able to proudly represent our profession

when we are wearing something other than our beloved blue “smurf”

scrubs! We all know that comfort is key, so I look forward to any

suggestions on how I can help keep you informed and looking sharp this

year!

[email protected]

Jacquelyn Yerian

Publications

& Media Director

Hello, my name is Thomas Fuentez and I am the events director for

CNSA Fresno State. My primary goal is to encourage participation in

various volunteer events around our community. In addition to this, I am

hoping to coordinate several events to give us a chance to take a break

from nursing and go out to have some fun. If anyone has any

recommendations for events feel free to email me!

[email protected]

Thomas Fuentez

Events Director

Page – 3

RN Formation – Vol. 10 Issue 1.

CNSA Fresno State


Hello! My name is Tania Navarro and I currently hold the position of

Director of Membership for the school year of 2013-2014. As the

Director of Membership my duties consist of new member recruitment

and to provide information in regards to membership and conventions

(national and state conventions). At the conventions, I will organize

students who enjoy the legislative aspect of nursing to get involved and

to have a voice by being delegates and alternates. I will do my best to

demonstrate to students that there is substantial gain of knowledge that

comes with firsthand experience and that things such as leadership and

communication skills are not learned best just by reading books. My

advice for nursing students is simply this; enjoy life, love nursing, and

get involved with CNSA.

[email protected]

Tania Navarro

Membership

Director

As fundraising director for the 2013-2014 program year, my goal is to

help as much as possible in contributing to our Fresno State CNSA

chapter. This includes but is not limited to possible bake sales, retrieving

donations from local businesses, and helping nursing students attend

conventions. In addition, I hope to increase our RNBC prizes and

opportunities provided to future incoming cohorts.

[email protected] Haley Heesacker

Fundraising

Director

Page - 4

Hello! My name is Vanesa E. Vidal and I am the CNSA Breakthrough to

Nursing Director for Fresno State. As director I plan to teach, encourage

and provide resources to those who are minorities, first generation

students, single parents and men about the nursing profession. I want to

focus on visiting schools, both K-12 and community colleges, that are

located in neighborhoods with a low economic status and that have

higher drop-out rates. I would like the support and input from minorities

within our program to serve as examples to the communities we visit.

[email protected]

Vanesa Vidal

BTN Director


Welcome to the Family

Class of Spring 2016 !

This August, CNSA as well as other mentors in our nursing family greeted the Class of Spring

2016 at our Welcome Brunch and RN Boot Camp. While here, our newest nurses-in-

training enjoyed a 3-day adventure filled with ice breakers, advice on strategies for

success, a skills rotation through our nursing resource center and tons of raffle prizes!

Mentors -

Invaluable to us!

“ Mentors keep us on track and keep us calm. They are

reassuring and very knowledgeable. ”

- S’16


Welcome to the Family

Class of Spring 2016 !

Eight weeks after the start of the program, we asked the Spring 2016 Cohort what advice

and tools were most beneficial to them. We also asked for their feedback on ways that

their overall experience could have been improved. We will be implementing these

suggestions in our next Welcome Brunch/RN Boot Camp and wish S’16 the best of luck!

Page – 6

Strive for Good Grades

Keep a Positive Attitude

Practice in the NRC often

Seek Support from Mentors

Make time to have FUN!

Manage Time & Priorities

Participate in Study Groups

See an Academic Advisor


Page – 7

Where in the world is

Fresno State Nursing?

Author: Noah Morales

On September 25th 2013, Fresno State Nursing students participated

in the Benefits and Wellness Expo at the Satellite Union on the

Fresno State Campus. Ten students participated; they spoke with

over 100 individuals and provided blood pressure screenings for

over 60 people!

As an active chapter in the California Nursing Students’ Association, Fresno State nursing students are encouraged to make volunteer work and participation in community events a priority. While schedules get busy and life gets in the way at times, we are proud to say that each of our six cohorts are well represented at each of these

events and their level of professionalism is outstanding. These volunteer events provide an excellent opportunity for students to practice their skills in a real-world setting as well as collaborate with other students in the field. Read on to see where Fresno State has been leaving their paw prints!


Page – 8



H e a r t W a l k T e a m 2 0 1 3 ! ! ! Lauren Lawler, Janine Frey, Harroop Kaur, Kaitlyn Martin, Anne Wilcox,

Chris Ritter, Joy Recchio, Vathany Chea, Michelle Porte, Sheri Cooley,

Stacie Saldin, Rebecca Nelson, Duran Randolph, Nao Vang, Puvan

Sran, MyKim Doan, Alexis Deboer, Jacquelyn Yerian, Tania Navarro

Author: Tania Navarro September 21, 2013

The Heart Walk is an event that takes place every year at Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis. This event

brings the hearts of people together to fundraise for the American Heart Association. As student

nurses, our goal is to increase awareness of the risk factors that contribute to heart disease by

taking blood pressures and giving people information about their results. This is a great opportunity

for all semesters to get involved. New students get the opportunity to practice their skills on people

of all ages and different backgrounds. The variety of people gives them the opportunity to actually

listen and not just to assume that everybody will have a good blood pressure. All semesters have the

opportunity to practice their communication skills, collaborate as a team to achieve our goal, and

help our community by increasing awareness. I thank you everybody that participated this year by

giving a little of your time to make a difference. I thank you everybody for being the future of nursing.

Finally, I would like to ask everybody else when do they start being nurses. The answer is today… Be a

leader, represent your school, and get involved to make a difference while doing what you love.


Page – 9


Fresno State Nursing? Where in the world is


Author: Carolina Adame September 29, 2013

With about 400 blood pressure screenings and over 500 people educated, one can say that the event at the Madera Swap Meet was a huge success! In this largely Hispanic and uninsured community, Fresno State Nursing Students not only practiced their Spanish skills and manual blood pressures in not-so-perfect conditions, they were also able to apply their classroom knowledge to real-life cases. We had 20 volunteers, representing nearly all semesters, spend their early Sunday morning taking blood pressures, educating the public on HTN and DM, and informing them of local clinics that offer a variety of services on a sliding-scale payment plan. The Madera community was really appreciative and many asked when we would be back! These events are great for networking with students outside your cohort while working together to help the community. Sad that you missed this event? Stay tuned for more volunteer opportunities this semester!


A Handy Patient Education Tool

Page – 10



Author: Elena Pena SAFE, or Senior Awareness & Fall Education, is a program in which multiple disciplines including Nursing and Physical Therapy work collaboratively to screen the elderly clients in our community for their risk of falling. The events include health screenings as well as education and exercise programs to reduce the risk of clients falling in the Central Valley.

This program is beneficial to the elderly population in our community and allows nursing students to engage with the community, use the 4 C’s, work side-by-side with other disciplines and improve preparedness for practice. As the elderly population continues to grow, so does the need to increase awareness and care for this population. Come join the fun - We hope to see you on November 20th!


This year SAFE incorporated Community Health Nursing into the collaboration to ensure that elderly clients receive follow-up at home on the recommendation made at the clinic. Social Work is also involved in this project, in composing a resource book, which will be used to refer client to community agencies for additional assistance. Nursing students are involved in taking health histories, assessing orthostatic blood pressure, and performing a vision assessment on each client. Nursing students also review all client medications for polypharmacy and any medications that could increase fall risk.

Volunteer with SAFE

When: Wed. November 20 2013

Group#1 8:00am – 12:00 pm Group #2 11:00am – 3:30pm

Where: 1625 E. Shaw Avenue

Fresno, CA 93710

How: Please contact MaryAnne

McCarthy to sign up! [email protected]

Page – 11

A word with Fresno State Alumni,

Phillip Bautista

This is the first of a two article series in which RN

Formation catches up with Fall 2011 alumni,

Phillip Bautista, as he shares his thoughts on the

role of nurses and nursing students in the future

of healthcare, community involvement, and his

professional path after Fresno State Nursing. Be

sure to catch the second half of this two part

article in the next issue of RN Formation.

–Editor

Author: Phillip Bautista, RN, BSN, PHN

I first want to take a moment to

thank RN Formation for giving me the

opportunity to remain involved post-

graduation. As the 2009 - 2010

Publications and Media Director for

Fresno State CNSA, I was involved in

the RN Formation the year that it was

awarded the best newsletter at the

CNSA State Convention in 2010. On

the topic of dates, October 1st was a

historic date in several aspects. Many

individuals are still dealing with the

shock of websites, offices, and

monuments closed to public access

after the government shutdown due to

the inability to reach a budget. What

was the main reason behind the

shutdown? The exact same topic that

is on the mind of healthcare

professionals nationwide is also the

same topic that ended up in a

deadlocked Congress: The Patient

Protection and Affordable Care Act of

2010. You may know it to be

abbreviated as ACA, or also

Obamacare. I personally believe that

is important for us to recognize that we

are in the eyes of the public as the

future of healthcare, and we should

remember to remain professional by

avoiding the use of political monikers

like Obamacare and refer to it as

Affordable Care. Many of us have

heard of it, and there are definitely

mixed feelings and views about the

legislation.

(Continued…)


So what is the overall result of this

legislation in a nutshell? At an initial

increased cost, the healthcare systems

and insurance companies of the United

States will be offering health care to

citizens in a manner that is affordable.

While it is definitely true that the initial

costs will be high to offer health

insurance to everyone, consider these

numbers for a moment. The United

States spent $2.7 trillion dollars on health

care in 2012. It may be hard to wrap

your head around such a large number,

so break it down for every one of the

313 million people in this country as of

2012. The amount of spending is

$8,626,198.08 per person, per year, or

$23,633.42 per person, per day.

Outrageous, right? You would think that

with all of these costs, we would be

healthy. This is not the case. Only THREE

PERCENT of that $2.7 trillion spent went

towards preventive healthcare and

wellness costs. The Physicians for Social

Responsibility estimates that for every $1

of preventive care we provide, we can

save $44. It doesn’t take a math genius

to figure out that we could cut some of

that $2.7 trillion in costs by increasing

wellness. Overall, the ACA will have

many problems as we work towards

finding ways to improve our health, but

in the long term picture, our health care

costs can decrease. As nurses, we will

be a resource for questions from the

community. As nursing students, we can

already become involved by serving

the community through screening

events, educational events, and

embedding in the future culture of

nursing that healthcare is not only

about acute, sick care, but also about

keeping our communities healthy and

promoting wellness. After all, who really

wants to feel anything less than

wellness, happiness, and healthy?

Student Success was an idea

hatched from a brainstorm in 2012.

Since the initial discussion of an

opportunity to allow students to

educate the community in a real and

tangible way, we have held five events

that have increased in outreach at

every event. We initially were able to

educate about 40 people in March of

2013, and last month increased that

number to screening an estimated 400

people, most without healthcare, and

educating over 550 people in a single

day. The Department of Nursing is

receiving funding from the College of

Health and Human Services to continue

these events, so please consider

coming out when you can for the

events. Everyone has mentioned an

incredible opportunity for outreach,

and highly recommends it to other

students. There are faculty and RNs

available, so you have a safe

opportunity to educate and learn from

experience, while serving the

community.

By now, I’m sure many of you may

be interested in helping out, but want

to ask the question: “Does what I do as

a student really affect anything in the

(continued)


real world and in health policy?” I have

three simple examples for you. On

November 6, 2000, President Clinton

signed the Needlestick Safety and

Prevention Act. This act provided the

framework for the safety policies we

have today. Over 500,000 needlestick

injuries occur annually. Nursing students

(who eventually become RNs in case

you were wondering) were among

those that spearheaded the call for this

level of protection through student

association resolutions. At the 2011

CNSA Convention, future Legislative

Director, Jessica Hunter, presented a

resolution regarding tubing and

catheter misconnections. The resolution

asked for a higher level of awareness to

prevent these events from happening.

From your experience as a student,

especially those past 1st or 2nd semester,

how many times have you been

absolutely confused due to a new type

of equipment in a new clinical rotation?

On September 25, 2011, Judith Ming

died at Alta Bates Summit Medical

Center in Oakland, CA due to a form of

these misconnection issues. During a

strike, a traveling nurse was brought in

to the hospital, and mistakenly gave a

nutritional feeding (like the Jevity

feedings you gave during first semester

through a PEG tube) through an

intravenous route and the patient died

as a result. True story? Yes it is, you can

Google the full details. Due to this

resolution and awareness, hospitals are

now examining the possibility of

preventing these events in the future,

especially important for all of you as

students or new graduate RNs. Also at

the 2011 CNSA State Convention,

Darrell Wong, RN, and alumni of Fresno

State Nursing passed a resolution that

increased awareness of Angelman

syndrome, a neuro-genetic disorder

that occurs in 1 in 15,000 live births.

Darrell’s daughter Alyssa has been

diagnosed with this disorder, and he

wanted to raise awareness on behalf of

his daughter and others affected by

their diagnosis. As one of many pushing

for this awareness and research, the UC

Davis MIND Institute has recently

received a five year nearly $3 million

grant to research therapies and other

similar information on four genetic

disorders, including Angelman

syndrome. Sometimes your personal

stories can be a springboard to propel

you forward into new areas of

healthcare.

How can you get involved to make a

difference like this? All of us want to

come in to nursing so that we can make

an impact, and make a change on the

world. Not all of us are aware of how to

get to that point, but we all want to do it.

In the second half of my article, I will

address these questions, and share

some of my personal stories on how to

achieve this and find that balance

between serving others and maintaining

your sanity in nursing school. You are

welcome to email me if you have

questions or comments regarding the

article, I always welcome feedback!

[email protected]


Nursing School…

Stressed Much?

Page – 14

Author: Noah Morales

Community Health Director

On August 22nd it started again. For some, this would be the first battle but for

others, the end of the war. Regardless, the casualties would be the same; as

expected, our free time began to flee as an army of tests, care plans, and

clinicals charged towards us from what was once the distant horizon. Soon the

army was upon us; we were surrounded and all that could seemingly be done

was to study harder, stay up later, and eat faster. September came, hot weather

remained, and the last of our free time seemed to evaporate away. As the battle

continues, we grow weaker, inflicted by the penetrating wounds of Stress. And at

times, it feels as though we’re defenseless against this opponent. But it is not true!

What we forget is that the things we give up first, when our free time becomes

sparse, are the weapons that are most effective at defeating Stress:

EXERCISE!

NUTRITION!

SLEEP!

Exercise is arguably the fiercest and acts by releasing endorphins, improving

mood, bolstering brain function, decreasing anxiety (the undeniable partner of

Stress), and promoting better sleep. Sleep is no stranger to defeating Stress either.

Adequate sleep supports mental performance, emotional well-being, and

physical health. And lastly, maintaining good nutrition acts to support the mind

and body alike, protecting us from becoming susceptible to the consequences of

Stress. So as you forge onward, use your weapons well, use them often, and keep

Stress in check!


Nursing School…

Stressed Much?

Page – 15

Exercise: The more vigorous, the better. Get that heart rate up! Just

20 minutes of vigorous exercise a day has been shown to be incredibly

beneficial in so many ways.

Sleep: How much? There is no magic number, but typically experts

say 7-9 hours a night. Did you know that short sleep duration is linked to

an increased likelihood of obesity and psychiatric problems? Also, a

person who misses the prior night of sleep functions about as well as a

person who has a legally intoxicated blood alcohol level! Yikes, think

about that next time you go to clinical or work after pulling an all-

nighter…

Nutrition: In the words of Michael Pollan; “eat food, not too much,

and mostly plants.” What he means is that we should eat real food

(minimally processed), eat often but don’t over indulge, and you can

rarely go wrong with a primarily plant based diet. However, we often

do go for the wrong foods (high fat, simple carbs, high sugar). Why?!

It’s really not all our fault; humans are biochemically programmed to

crave these foods. These cravings are especially intense due to the

effects of increased cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in the brain. But

fight back by planning ahead and thinking about the food you eat.


Nursing School…

Stressed Much?

Page – 16

As I’ve said before and I’ll say again, journaling is shown to be an

effective way of maintaining and modifying behavior; give it a try with the Weekly Health Journal (see your email). Below is the data from the first month of the health journal. How’s your cohort shaping up?


A Quick Peek Inside

State Convention

Page – 17

On October 18th, forty-five of our members attended State Convention! Here are just a

few pictures from our 3-day adventure! Check out the full gallery on our Facebook page,

and stay tuned for more information about State & National conventions in our next issue!

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Keep in touch with

CNSA – Fresno

Page – 18

This October, forty-five CNSA Fresno State members attended State Conference in San

Jose, CA. We were honored to receive the State award for highest chapter attendance in

all of California! Do you want to get involved with this exceptional association and all of its

members? Read below to find out how to stay in touch with your local CNSA chapter!

Check out Our Website at: www.fresnostate.orgsync.com/org/cnsa

- Or -

Try scanning our handy new QR Codes

to take you straight to our website and

Facebook Page!

Author: Jireh Somera

A new semester always brings new opportunities to learn,

care, and grow. After being elected as the new Website

Director for our CNSA chapter, I knew that creating a

website would be a challenge. Coming into the position I had little to no experience

with HTML coding and let alone web design. However, through the help of OrgSync

and the countless Google searches, I was able to launch the new website at the

beginning of August. The website features tools you can utilize throughout the

semester. You can navigate through the homepage to various links from upcoming

events, pictures, to even the state and national websites.

ORGSYNC FACEBOOK


Mission: CNSA – Fresno State Chapter

Our Mission is to provide our Nursing and Pre-Nursing students

with opportunities that increase awareness of professional

organizations, promote education and knowledge of Nursing,

and encourage involvement on local, state, and national levels.

Furthermore, CNSA – Fresno State seeks to optimize student

exposure to the diversity existing within Nursing, and establish

bidirectional communication between its members, non-

members, advisors, faculty and the community.

Editor: Jacquelyn Yerian

Publications & Media Director

CNSA - Fresno State Chapter

Publications/Media Committee:

Jireh Somera, Kati Chaffin,

Desiree, Pimentel, Noah Morales,

Jordan Burns, Tania Navarro,

Elena Pena, Carolina Adame, Vanesa Vidal.

RN Formation is a publication of CNSA-CSU Fresno Dept. of Nursing 2345 E. San Ramon Ave, M/S MH. Fresno, CA 93740 Phone: (559) 278-2041 Fax: (559) 278-6360

We Want You!

To Get Involved.

Page – 19

Sun. Nov. 10 8:00am – 1:00pm

Woodward Park

Sikh/Punjabi Walk

Wed. Nov. 13 10:00am – 2:00pm

Free Speech Area

Wed. Nov. 20 8:00am – 12:00pm

11:00am – 3:00 pm

Safe Balance Clinic

To sign up to help out, contact:

[email protected]

Sun. Nov. 24 7:00am – 2:00pm

Madera Swap Meet

Sun. Dec. 7 8:00am – 12:00pm

Bulldog Pantry

MEETINGS:

Mon. Nov 4 - 4:30pm

Mon. Nov 18 - 4:30pm

Mon. Dec 2 - 4:30pm

Location: Music 160

Is this issue of RN Formation getting you pumped to get

yourself out there and represent Fresno State Nursing?! We

sure hope so & can’t wait for you to join us! Check out the

following upcoming opportunities:

Editor: Jacquelyn Yerian I hope that you have enjoyed this issue of

RN Formation! As the first issue of the

semester, I look forward to your feedback

on what you liked, what you want to see

more of, and any way that I can improve

this publication to get you the information

you need and want. Feel free to use my

contact information below to reach me.

Questions or Comments: [email protected]


rn formation vol. 10 - issue 1

Documents

fresno state nursing

cnsa fresno state chapter

cnsa fresno state bod

cnsa board of directors

years fresno state president

publication of cnsa

nursing program

nursing students