Introductory Posting

Welcome to my blog about patient education in nursing. This blog will be used to teach future nurses' the best ways to teach their patients'. Nurses' should be constantly providing their patients with education materials on topics such as: surgical procedures, how to clean their surgical wound, about a patient's disease or condition, etc.

My name is Amy Wade and I am a student in the School of Nursing. I am graduating this May and am interested in working in either labor and delivery or the intensive care unit. My clinical experiences through NIU will be completed on 2/26/09. I have previous work experience as a lifeguard, a certified nurses' assistant, and I also worked as a nurse intern this summer on the step down intensive care unit at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, IL.

Currently my clinical is at Rockford Memorial Hospital on the Labor and Delivery unit. While on this unit I work side by side with a registered nurse to provide patient care, perform patient assessments, document patient care, administer medications, assist with deliveries, monitor patient's recovering from c-sections, and assist during c-sections.

Several patients that I encounter are nervous about being in the hospital, which is understandable; a hospitial can be a scary place. I believe that the more educated a patient is about their hospitalization, the more comfortable they will become. Would you agree or disagree with this statement based on any experience you may have had, even if it is just for a doctor's office visit.

Amy Wade