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May 2022 CNSA - SACRAMENTO STATE CHAPTER VOLUME 40, ISSUE 4

Self-care during nursing school??

Who has time for that??!
By Christine Buchman and Courtney Curtz
Community Health Director & Co-Chair
3rd Semesters

Self-care is vital to both our physical and mental

well-being. Burnout is real. We are nursing stu-
dents, we know this. We read about it, hear it in
The Final Chapter lectures, and preach it to our patients, but unless
Page 2 it is for an assignment, who takes the time for self-
care during nursing school? Most of us
There is Always Some- don’t. Most of us have no idea how to manage this
thing we CAN do balancing act to ensure we have extra time for
Page 3 ourselves. We spend our time staring at the mate-
rial, cramming information into our brains, all at
the expense of our mental and emotional well-
War in Ukraine being. On this journey, we must slowly discover
Page 4 ways to salvage our mental health. Here are a cou-
ple of tips that you can incorporate very easily
Mental Health into your everyday life. We all take showers,
Resources right? Right? Well, turn on your favorite song while you’re in there, might as well jam out to
Page 5
some tunes and dance in the imaginary rain. Or, for a more involved activity, join a yoga class
alone or with friends, or take your time to go to the gym and support your physical health.
Maybe bring some videos or online lectures with you to crank out some schoolwork too! If
Campus Resources you’re looking for a group rest and reset, start a post-it note board and ask friends to fill it will
Page 6 positive reminders and words of encouragement to brighten the day. The best part of this tip is
you do none of the work! This also works to help remind others who see or use the board that a
Nursing Meme Corner beautiful day can start with a beautiful mindset. Occasionally, time some time to rest and make
your soul happy. It is okay. Treat yourself to your favorite cup of coffee or date night with
Page 7
friends or family. Get dessert. Add the steak. Don’t be afraid to order that extra guacamole. The
important point is to remember that spending a few hours a week caring about yourself and
Updates & Info doing things that bring you joy will not make or break a grade. In fact, it might even break up
Page 8 the monotony and be just the energizer you need to give you a fresh perspective and new moti-
vation! Whatever works best for you, find a way. Learning your coping mechanisms now could
save you from burnout both now as a nursing student and later as a nurse. Besides, after we
graduate, we will be thankful that we made the effort to find the joy in our time here that exists
outside of exams, assignments, and grades.
THE MONTHLY SHOT PAGE 2

The Final Chapter

By Faith Bryan
Treasurer
4th Semester

The last two years in nursing school have been the hardest
but most rewarding and exciting years of my life! I have
been challenged in so many unexpected ways, including my
beliefs, friendships, and personal desires for entering the
nursing field. I have had countless breakdowns, bi-monthly
test/HESI anxiety, and fear of failure in lab and clinical.
However, what I have gained overall has been so worth it.
This past month I have been able to reflect on why I wanted
to be a nurse, my journey through school, and how I see my-
self as a nurse in the future. In my fourth semester, I was
placed for my community health clinical in a school district
to teach nutrition to children and for my preceptorship, I
was placed in the Pediatric ICU. Being placed in these two
spots really afforded me the opportunity to use all the skills
and lessons I have learned throughout nursing school. I feel
as though I can now walk into a community and be able to
help serve and help as a somewhat competent and well-
prepared nurse. I can see how this class and the program
overall have prepared me well to see inequities within our
communities, provide empathetic care, and communicate therapeutically to my coworkers/peers and
community members. Serving and working in the community/schools that many of my PICU pa-
tients come from was surreal. I felt like I was seeing two ends of the healthcare system and two ends
of my patients’ lives. For example, one of my patients in the PICU had a random stroke while on the
playground at school. I saw countless children on the playground at school and in the classroom set-
ting and knowing that one of them could be a patient of mine in the hospital was an eye-opening ex-
perience. This experience was life-changing and grew my desire to work with families and help edu-
cate communities about child/adolescent health concerns in the future.
My journey through school has not been flawless or easy. I have not aced every test or passed every
class with an A, and I have not always made the right clinical decision. However, I have pushed my-
self to work hard, advocated for my patients, and sought to always learn more and do better. I know
you have a little more to go and a little more to push through, but you will make it in the end! I am
so excited to see where you'll end up and to see CSUS SON graduates serving in the community.

Photo from author

THE MONTHLY SHOT PAGE 3

There is Always Something we CAN do

By Jaelee Young
1st Semester

There are many things that we

dread to do as nurses. Some do not en-
joy trachea care and sputum makes
others cringe, but these tasks do not
compare to what I dreaded the most. I
love to take care of people and like to
think I am very good at it! I was pre-
pared to take out rectal tubes and
clean up the largest messes, but I was
not prepared for how I would feel tak-
ing care of my first end-stage patient.
This year, I had the amazing oppor-
tunity to meet a kind patient. She was
the sweetest lady diagnosed with end-
stage cancer and was being moved to
hospice care at the age of 71. I recall
how nervous I was because she looked so fragile and I did not want to put her in
any more pain than she already was, but she was extremely kind and continuously
reassured me that I was doing a great job with her care. It was hard for me to con-
trol my emotions as I watched her transfer everything into her brother’s name
with a smile. As I was cleaning up supplies, I thought, how could she be so happy
knowing she was going to pass away so soon?
She had been dealing with her cancer for quite some time. During this time
she was able to come to terms with dying and spend precious moments with her
family members. After my initial shock and sadness, I realized how much of an
honor it was to be part of her care, see her smile, and make her laugh. I will always
remember her and how kind she was to me while she was struggling with some-
thing I could not even imagine. This is the attitude I will carry with me as I take
care of many more end-stage patients. It is so important to remember all the things
we CAN do for these patients, and all of our patients, to ensure that they receive
the best care possible!

Photo from author

THE MONTHLY SHOT PAGE 4

War in Ukraine: The Devastating Impact on Healthcare

By Karina Yakimtsev
1st Semester

On February 24th of 2022, Russia

launched an invasion of Ukraine.
The city of Kherson was the first
major Ukrainian city to fall to the
Russian forces. The missile
strikes and raids continued
spreading through the cities in
the south and east leaving behind
a path of destruction as well as
leaving millions of citizens with-
out basic necessities. Hospitals
were the target of many of these
missile strikes thus forcing
healthcare workers and patients
to seek refuge underground. Despite the UN’s agency relief efforts, these underground hospi-
tals were operating on low supplies. Nurses were having to ventilate patients manually as oxy-
gen shortages were nearing a critically low supply. Not only that, but many cancer patients on-
ly have access to the most basic chemotherapies right now. They have no access to the special-
ized medicines or targeted treatments that they need. The WHO had reported that trucks were
struggling to deliver supplies and proceeded to urge Poland and neighboring countries to as-
sist with medical aid. The setup of these underground hospitals is very crowded as there is
limited space thus making these makeshift hospitals not very ideal for patient care. Several ba-
bies have had to share cribs while other patients rest on thin mattresses on the floor. Patients
in more serious conditions were having to be transported to other cities or Poland to continue
life-saving treatment. The war has also had a major impact on the mental health of many pa-
tients. For example, adolescent patients
have reported suffering from panic attacks
due to the crisis going on in Ukraine. Many
patients and healthcare workers express
concerns for their homes, families, and
country. The war in Ukraine has not only
caused a major strain on its people, but also
on its healthcare system. One can only im-
agine the working conditions in which
these healthcare workers must be operat-
ing to provide patient care.

Photos from Washington Post and Global News

 THE MONTHLY SHOT
Resources
COUNSELING:
Student Health & Counseling Services
https://www.csus.edu/student-life/
health-counseling/counseling/
We offer confidential individual and
group counseling. If you would like to ex-
plore whether counseling is right for you,
the first step is to call us during business
hours at 916-278-6461.
If you are experiencing an urgent matter,
you can drop in during our business
hours. (Mon-Fri: 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. )
PAGE 5
CRISIS ASSISTANCE & RESOURCE
EDUCATION SUPPORT (CARES):
https://www.csus.edu/student-affairs/
crisis-assistance-resource-education-
support/
The Sacramento State CARES office provides
support to students who are in crisis or experi-
encing unique challenges to their education.
They address a variety of issues including, but
not limited to: Transportation Barriers, Mental
Health and Wellness, and Physical Health and
Wellness.
THE MONTHLY SHOT PAGE 6

Campus Resources—Food Pantry and Pop Up Pantry

ASI Food Pantry ASI Pop Up Pantry

Registration once every semester:

Fresh produce at no cost to Sac State
https://asi.csus.edu/asi-food-pantry
students in need
MONDAYS: 12 pm—3 pm See you next semester!
TUESDAYS: 10 am—2 pm
WEDNESDAYS: 1 pm—5 pm
THURSDAYS: 12 pm—3 pm
FRIDAYS: 10 am—2 pm
Location: University Union, Room 1246

Students are able to select foods using a

points system every week!

For more information, visit ASI’s website https://asi.csus.edu/asi-food-pantry or Instagram @sacstateasi

Photo Credit: Andrea Price (Instagram @andrea.price.sac)

THE MONTHLY SHOT PAGE 7

Nursing Meme Corner

Do you have a nursing meme you want posted?

csus.cnsa.monthlyshot@gmail.com
Photo Credits: CNSA Board and nursenote
 THE MONTHLY SHOT PAGE 8

Learn more about

Men in Nursing at IMPORTANT
aamncsus.weebly.com UPCOMING DATES
& aamn.org
Events:

Men In Nursing Meeting

Spring 2022 Apparel Order See you next semester!
[TBA] C.N.S.A. Meeting
View Past Monthly Shots See you next semester!

http://cnsaatcsusacramento.weebly.com/past- Contact Info

entries.html California State University, Sacramento,
School of Nursing:
7667 Folsom Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95819-6096
https://www.csus.edu/college/health-
human-services/nursing/
Phone: (916) 278-4106

Monthly Shot Editor: Hugh Darwent

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Faculty Co-Advisors:
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& Dr. Bridget Parsh

CSUS CNSA chapter:

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