‘Student Veronica Phillipson ‘What will you find in the Scope? Student Eva Sipko Fascination of the OR Professor Lilian Longo Surgical Services Career Pathway: ‘Why did go this direction?”? 6 Student Meghan MeCarthy ALove for Surgery: Oral & Facial utpatient Surgery 7 Student Jeremy Borges Children's Hospital Operating Room - A Student's Work Experience @ Student Claire Liston Summer in the OR! Student Nurse Externship 9 Tanrak Ploykcao Thriving During Exams with Mingfullness 10 Meeting & Credits NCLEX question DUSNA Board of Directors M1 Banana bread Recipe by Student Kayla Pavlock NCLEX answerEDITORIAL What will you find in The Scope? Veronica Phillipeon Publicity Chair DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING ‘CLASS OF 2023 The Scope. he Scope is a magazine which publishes articles featu- ring the perspective of nursing students and facult ‘ames Veronica Phillipson’ and | am the Publicit Chair of Duquesne University Student Nurses’ Associa ion. J collaborated with students and faculty to create the Scope. ‘The Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania awarded The Scope in 2013, 2014, and 2016 the Excellent Newsletter Award. Past President Morgan Gruender and Vice President Emily Chur. chill established this awarded. piece of work. ‘The National Stu- dent Nurses Association awarded The Scope with the Newsletter Excellence Award in 2020. Past Vice President Lauren Biss. and Publicity Chair Hadley Mueller continued excellence of the Sco- Pe As nursiny tudents, we have unique experiences to sh whether this be an incredible internship in the operati ‘oom, a fantastic class experience with a professor, a plolicien score'on an exam, or a rapic response observation at clinical, the stories told are far the Duquesne University School of Nursing community to reflect on and learn trom. The goal is to continué this newslétfer and make'The Scope a magazine for all Duquesne nursing students to he proud o} I would love to hear your thoughts on this newsletter. Please email all comments and questions to me at phillipsonvedug edu Letters to the editor must incluce your name, contact inorma: tion, and major The views expressed in The Scope are individual and do not re- the views of Duquesne University or Duquesne Univers\- [leak forward to producing inspirmg work ‘able stories. that shares memo: Best, Verouica PlillipeonFASCI HE OR “Seeing the d: and how they all work togethe: take care of the patient is a F; IG EXPERIENCE.” EVA SIPKO DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING CLASS OF 2022 SING 9 jack of many he ant decile to practice tempt to get students i iy stpostle oll hospital: Some areas that students often Therefore, wien Iwas asked which le be intere these patient all so extremely welcoming and ‘experience that much more enj ie. learned to read rhythm strips which gave me a head start for the fall semester Finally, my trip to the PACU was a great cal care course twansition for my critical care yoration this fall, Again, these were things tnat Thad no Overall, [m extremely grateful fo% rior experience with. There was a lot of all my experiences this past summer. I aching required for me. My preceptor in finy nursing student lo leap PACU wes always patient and happily ance they get to visit any of answered any and al questions that aad. these areas. Even, are unsure if : © The murses cared for patien's eizectly out you would enjoy perioperative care ag OR due oa li of the OR unt he pling ope ken to gnurse, seeing ie diferent roles and Anatomy. stop where ald be discharged, how they all work together as_a team they inform ye about the | tational or up to the floor to reside in bed'fo! to take e of the patient is a fase ma- pfomar that hey offer Ip che Sumner thei overnight stay fer malorprocedu- Ung experience 2 Wide varies) of patients to'spend time in each ofthe p breas including the following. pre-opers. tive and. postaperatve, operating room (OR) Fine Bost jesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Thappily accepted my offer to par- ticipate and the summer mon hs od begin PrelaesPresso en tag on my firs day, 1 as taken directly ino the theOR-This ie whe. re surgeons, surgical techs, ‘murses, and nesthesiologiste were all jamming slong iSummer Hi of the. semen red thinking to myself, “this isthe place meant tobe forthe rest of my life As ay 4 weoks in the OR went on, got to skin the them perform numerous procedures, but tu ad Ei in that pond. here were 30 mat thrown round that of, [tis quite intimidating to be in a room wich such ingeligent mdividuals, Despite lo OR fle to hat me realize thatthe job. not so much for me. DR nurse was en my time at the 0 Since [was used to procedures all day ould be bored in p To my surprise, T absolutely loved time im this rotation. Contrary to the s 50 excited to finally perform the she because | knevt what Twas eager to also nice to have com aad ease ary nerves they had abo P 2 they were undergoing, the postop area, [We never hed any patien tebe as grateful for asip af water becauseSurgical Services Career Pathway- why did I go this direction??? LILLIAN LONGO PMO eps Keu ne enol aU EUR ORO ESE aU ate MLS 1987- DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY OR Oa a UMC acme nce rae Tecan Peete MET tar Shien ene STN ge acca Ree eta San Crate Oe SCOR tS Be CoE tered the work world as a center during my tenure there, I reorganize Forbes Reg.onal Hospi- Dec LET Me oe esti te rae a ao ae a) are of the sickest patients- more | was recrul eR ORC eC es Cs oie whele the "action DEO ee re Sys eee MELE Bree eM NRC SN CoM TT CMM Cte CSS at (ream Tee ALCS COCCI CO NMC OMe cnc Rec aOR gk eS sate Comm arolleny SEU ENE) TUCO URAC U ie TCC tg CTT ANE TTS Deel ie artes RO SOS SC emn arene tee aa COR NESE ony cae Cm nM a eee CUMS eT shortage. We al] had our choice of much more. terile oaeay Saran re ae a eRe Etc maae] Sess es AU eR NTR tT ees OO RCs heaton ney: tients siloed in very busy at Mercy. It was all hands CRO CR aT SE Ce SONS Ne coe Re a PTO RR We ROC acta alee aty 4 new Graduate Nurses were as-_ crossed trained to assist. | was also ip afl three major health systems in Ceun Caron aan ert Ne G m aCe Neue mtd Thaster's degree at night I'married job is exciting, erie aa Pitches tart ricd Ra cog Enh now time to Move up, and to move . PMO TERR Cea Arr ce eC OTIC ecard Dae canescens Daan On oom Ray eee ae Spee ee HOE IG Can a ELSE PETER EGLO Cos ECR Snot 4 Biles seas evry ORCC cr Same aca asm ase Fone st enican See CaO Cnt a meee) nC fooktare of anyone on aventilator- Services. | worked with the best of as well as th TURN Re UC eee CRTs mat Cotter Seen mn ci oe Seo EES irc) ders, Pre-operative, Infaoperative, and the great opportunities. tha ° Fea OOS aa sce ca Sama Ten kesCa TD Nee Coe Ree me meee Meer TI aA tan eRe co Nee SOR OCCT arma a LICa Nos CMLL ech ca sroem DRE TRIES eMC Cre RT pa Rae acre RC CR Uc Ua SUC e eae eat Ro Seren trae oe! Na Geena Aes RS Re RSET Se ca MeL MR ccs Sumac SRR aC yeclgt eaueert Orem een et Scum PLUM Cut eter ces eee Ce etal xA Love for Surgery: Oral & Facial Outpatient Surgery MEGHAN MCCARTHY DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING CLASS OF 2022 DUSNA MEMBER se summer going into senior year every nursing student is faced with a big decision on what they want todo that summer to further their educ tion and experiences in nursing. This is the sum- mer when internships and externships become available as well as’ many other opportunities being that | am from Dublin, Ohio, | was torn as to whether I wanied to stay in Pillsburgh for the summer or if 1 wanted to go back home. This dilemma caused me alotof stress and an~ sc eeseeeeeeesueeeeeeesesseeeeeeeeenss ely: Suddenly, in Gocs good timing. an amazing opportunity back home was presented to me. I ever realized the impact “To my suprise, my skills came fairly connections have on getting a job until this one popped up. quickly with the help and patience of ae ihent wag. pay ‘ten years old brake my jaw: ina bike ace i all my co-worker. I soon realized how gs traumatic 1s an understatement. During this particular much I loved the environment ofan hard time, the surgeon who performed the surgery left suc outpatient surgical office” an extraoidinary pat on fy atm ae ne We vowed ro always stick with the same oral surgeon after the mncreuible ‘work he did. Fast formatd eleven sears, | went back 0 *he Same surgeon and had my wisdom teeth femoved. Suddenly, 1 femembered why {loved tis oftce so much The staf was So Kind and the atmosphere was so positive. Fortunately for me they happened to b¢ looking for 4 parttme surgical assistant for the summer of 2001, 1 decided to accept the postion <0 Mork at Oral & Facial Surgeons of Ohio as a Supiea assistant ‘Though (hadnt been interested inthis particufat kind of sur= ery, Thave always had a desire to work in outpatient surgery. ‘hig was the perfect opportunsty to try someting new 3820 gee this olde be something could see myseltdoingin the ture On my first day, Iwas alittle overwhelmed by the tasks my job entailed. Itwas alittle bit of everything. .. sterilizing sur- gical instruments, setting up surgical trays, and helping with post-op patients, A jotof this was brand new to me. To my sur- use my skills came fairly quickly wath the help and patience Stall co-workers. | soon realizea how much | foved the envi- ronment of an outpatient surgical office. Everyone worked to- gether and helped each other out. I felt a sense of community Fight away, Being the curious nursing student that Lam, 1 was eager to o and witness a surgery. As soon as the surgeons and staff Sew was interested, they invited me to observe surgeries and the surgeons explained everything they were doing. AS ‘ihe summer went on Las eventally sbie assist witheauce Goning in some of the surgeries. Though I was timid in doing such a task, | was comforted by the patience of the surgeons and assistants. Working in an outpatient surgery setting is so different than the hospital environment. One difference is that everything is scheduled. or those that love organization and planning ‘working in an outpatient surgical office is ideal. Secondly, due tothe more relaxed environmient, I felt hike Iwas able to spend more time with the patients compared to my experiences in the hospital, And lastly | really enjoyed she sense of commu nity that I shared with my co-workers. I really loved gelting fo twork with the same people every day. [am’so thankful £0 have had this experience because it confirmed my interest in ‘this ele of nursing. As a nursing student, you seé many thine gs in the clinical environment, Dut outpatient surgery’ is not Bue of them. There are so many different fields and seitines of mursing tG explore, If there are any nursing students out there that believe the hospital environment isnot tne'r home, Thighiy recommend exploring an outpatient surgical office! MEWSMAGAZINE 6CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OPERATING ROOM -— A STUDENT'S WORK EXPERIENCE Baa ee ot) DAU Na ee ere ORO a USC} ne surmmer going into ny senor year of nur- sing. schoal Twas tn aupante, tag NCLER was talking about Job applications would seon, become my main prion. Suddenty. my Dyear degree was only afew inom ths away" from. emg “complete Lucky T was one of two nursing students this past summer whe fad “the opportunity to work at the childreks Hospital operating room. The experiences and exposu- re T'acquited this summer in the perting room were truly one of hand an helped calm my nerves, Obviously, surgical nursing 15 not a specially taught in the standard a apecll ups e endd this being the case, any and all time spent in the operating room was priceless. One of the teasons Urls Gime was so valuable was be. false everything was brand ne Never before had T'watched life: sang surgeries from ju Inches avvay Every hung Usain the ope- Tatihg room. was tailing, "scary, ‘ind breathtaking all al the same ite tecelvec' litle taste of everything fom appendectomies fo‘ctaniotomies to fisdom teeth extractions (orT Lyd ‘The most important thing {lear ned from my time in the operating Som was hove crucial teamor ers and, how effective it can be when performed properiy. The operating fan most certainly be chaotic at times, however, it is the most con- trolled and organized chaos J have ever witnessed. Everyone knows what their role is and can perform it perfectly ‘he scrub, technicians, know and what they are used for, The fuses know every medication and intervention that hs een imple- ented on the field Of course, the Sgeons get hen ands dirty and petform ffe-saving measures you dre used fo yathing tn your free He Grey’ Anatomy episode. This well-oiled machine seems to be Unstoppable and capable of hans ing "ny complicaton that tay ‘ome thelr way. Everyone respects one another and trusts that heir coworkers are more than capable of performing et roles “Thilcrendd aa eave ronment { quickly: found: myse Adaicted to. The excitement lemme wanting more and my capability of applying my nursing knowledge ‘iverytiting Isaw in the Operating kept me intrigued, Despite the majority of the in- formation being new, I was still able to provide and assist in sim- ple nursing skills such as patient positioning, basic assessment, and medication draws, I truly can: not speak any higher about my ex- perience in the operating room. My experience. this, summer really made me think about wae: fel want to work in the future The ‘excitement I experienced avery day in the operating room was something I knew T wanted Tomaintain in'my nursing career Because of this, plan on applyin to diferent operating roosts an emergency rooms within the Un versity of Pittsburgh Medical Cer ler (UPMG) and Aflegneny Health Network hospital systems. 1 can honesty say the surgical nursing expetieuce | had. thi summer efbinged my lite for the best. room was thrilling, scary, breathtaking all atthe same time’Summer inthe OR! | Student Nurse Externship CLAIRE LISTON DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING CLASS OF 2022 DUSNA MEMBER his surnmer, 1 was blessed to have an extemship in the [Operating Room {OR} at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) here in Pittsburgh! [always had an interest in surgical nur sing a8 a whole, and I wanted an opportunity to get some experience in the field before graduating. Unfortunately, nursing students do not get the opportunity to partake in clinical inthe OR. $0, I dacided to apply to externships specifically in hs concentration Tam so nappy that made this decison step out of my comfort zone, In my specific program, I spent atleast a week in one of eight pe sioperative settings ‘Phe tachudes preoperative, post anesthesta cx tink, Gastomtestna lab, outpatient surgery, ad che four main OR Species at AGH general, orhopedics, cardiovascular, and neuro stigery by theend the externshyp, ned knowedge ang under tanvling othe pavent experience {toms the moment they were ae tted Before surgery to wien they ware dischargee. Twas able co see rary interesting dhd complex surgeries including open heart, brain find int replacement procecures. ae longest suigety Iwas «Dart of was loshour Waple Surgical nursing is a whole different kind of nursing. In the O8, tasks are centered on setting up the room, positioning the patient ‘teving the correct supplies, and charting. This may sound rowcine, however, you have to Be quick on your (oes at all (mes because you may need £0 run out of the room fo get tools or supplies if a patient has a complication in surgery. Itis also very important to maintain s00d relationships with the strgeons, scrub techs, and others in the RAs the nulse, itis your respons lity wo Understand everyone's pre- ferences and every aspect of that specitic surgery. A lot of behind the scenes apes inte Sulcal nursing Ic lucing malngiing time to stay fon schedule, memorizing the location of the hundreds, and keeping your surgeon happy. As the circulating nurse inthe room, 1 performed all tasks ith ray preceplors observing. By the end of the exernship, Melt conden in Entering the patient, eng up the oom, preoping the patient carpeting timeduts, charting, poseoperative abseraments, inserting intravenous enters IVs), ane inserting fleys all on my oven If you don't helieve bedside nursing is for you, I would definitely consider looking into surgical nursing’ Not to mention the hours are great with minimal nights and no weekends or holidays! ‘Throughout my externship, | even got to shadow a few murse anes. thetists, and I was hooked! After shadowing ance, Lasked my boss to let me shadow for a second and third time. Anesthesia has always been an interest for me. After seeing a CRNA in action, itis mow my career goal. Being a nurse anesthetist would comaine my interest im the OR and push ine to have higher-ievel thiniung, critical care experience, and hold a graduate degree’ Afer graduating, I plan to Work in a car Govascular ICU for a few years before applying to graduate schools, 1am thankful for my externship because this experience solidified what kind of nusse {want to 20. Fellow studen's, please Go not hesitate lo reach out if you have any questions about ray exteraship and OR nursing in general! Nursing is by far not ited to being 4 bedside Sutse. 1 thitk iis important to know all your options to find the best Ait for you! cowtACT-LISTONCI@DUG.EDU‘TANRAK PLOYKAO DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY ‘SOPHOMORE NURSING STUDENT DUSNA MEMBER THRIVING DURING EXAMS WITH MINDFULLNESS Mindfullness can be done at any time. [As exams approach, you might experience some sen- se of anticipation, anxiousness, and tension. You are not the only one who has experienced these symptoms! Itis so easy to feel overwhelmed when you have three ‘exams to study for within one week. For some of you, time management is crucial for balancing a part-time job and school. Since the pandemic began, I started to ‘think about how to study and thrive while experiencing all these emotions. Here, have compiled some tips that have worked for me in the past, and hopefully for you as well Have you ever driven somewhere and forgotten why you are supposed to be there in the first place? Our minds, ‘can wander from one place to another within a couple of seconds. According to Matthew Sockolov, mindfulness is the practice of being in the present moment (p. 13, 2018). Being in the moment requires you to step into the present moment and notice where you are, along with ‘what you are doing, You can start simply where you are right now by noticing your inhalation and exhalation as you are reading this. Does your exhalation take a bit longer to finish before your next breathing cycle? Does, your breathing feel more constricted because you carry all those stresses on your shoulder? Maybe take this time to sit upright wherever you are and roll your shoulders, back. As you inhale for the next breathing cycle, I invite you to take a longer inhalation. As you exhale, slowly lot out the air out and feel the air moving through your lungs and your nasal cavity. Do this practice for 3-4 brea- thing cycles and observe any changes. Breathing mind- fully is one way to add mindfulness practice into your life! Grounding techniques can work wonders! 1 found that grounding helped me stay calm for exams in the past. Grounding practices involve all your five senses. During your upcoming exams, Invite you to use all your senses. Bring your mind and body together and be present in the moment, Maybe first notice your body such as the weight of your chair and wriggling your toes. ‘As you begin your study or exams, take this moment to touich any object you may have on your table. It could be your laptop or your pencil, for example. Notice the texture, colors, weight, and temperature. | usually carry a grounding object such as my crystal necklace with me. Whenever I have exams, I usually touch my necklace to bring a sense of calm and help prevent me from over- thinking Invite gentle movements into your day You can start simply by clenching your hands as you inhale and releasing them as you exhale. Itis easy to stu- cy without taking a break especially when the midterm ‘exams are right around the corner. Maybe take a 15-mi- nute walk around the campus and notice the changes, in your surroundings. Start simple, Find what works for your schedule and your body. For me, yoga has been my anchor throughout my time in school and the military. For some of you, it might be spinning and hiking. Take some time to figure out what works best for you! Iwant to end this article on a positive aote. As future nurses, we are learning how to take care of cur patients, with empathy, compassion, and caring. Nursing school can easily lead to burnout, I invite you to take this mo- ment to take some time today for you. I hope some of, these tools can help you with your studying as you pre- pare for your exams. MEWSMAGAZINE © Socentv a ai FaAcTewe MDEDrULES 75 ESSEXTAL MEDITATIONS To REDUCE TRESS, MFROVE MENTALMeeting & Creating Upcoming Meeting December 6H 9PM via Zoom Credit Opportunities Coming Up (Just the] Facts, Period: October 28th at 7pm Halloween Karaoke: Friday, October 29 at Towers MPR at 8:30-11:30 pm. Milkshake Factory: Monday, November Ist from 4-7pm Self-Defense Class: Monday, November 8th at the Union Africa Room at 7-8pm Holiday Party: Wednesday, December sth at Fisher 719 from 4-6pm NCLEX PRACTICE QUESTION ‘Anurse is reviewing the health records of several clients in postanesthesia care unit (PACU) to identify risk factors that can lead to postoperative complications. Which of the following clients are at risk for complictions? (Select all that apply) ‘A. Aclient who has a WBC of 22,500/ul. B. A client who uses an insulin pump C. Aclient taking insulin daily D. A client who has a bowel prep E. Aclient who has a BMI of 26 MEWS MAGAZINE 10 President - Ysabelle Katibak Vice President - Katie Anne Kocsis Secretary - Taylor Neiberg ‘Treasurer - Bridget Clark Social -Isha Patel & Abby Fischer Service - Maggie Laffin Fundraising - Olivia Lavin & Rachel Cusick Legislative Coordinator - Larisa Samryk Recruitment -Sammi Rapp Publicity - Veronica PhillipsonBanana bread recipe Ingredients: 1 cup sugar ¥ cup softened butter 2 eggs 1% ripe bananas (3-4 medium sized) ¥% cup water 1% cup flour 1 tsp baking soda Va tsp salt \ tsp baking powder ¥ cup chocolate chips Directions: Mix sugar and butter then stir in the eggs. Next add the water and mashed bananas. Beat for 30 seconds. Stir in the remaining ingredients until combined. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes. Kayla Pavlock Duquesne University School of Nursing Class of 2023 DUSNA Member NCLEX practice answer Correct Answers: A, B, C, D Interested in writing for the Scope? Lam always looking for new writers! Contact Veronica Phillipson. phillipsonv@duq.edu