Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A Publication of The Duquesne University Student Nurses'
A Publication of The Duquesne University Student Nurses'
A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E D U Q U E S N E
U N I V E R S I T Y S T U D E N T N U R S E S ’ A S S O C I A T I O N
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Who We Are
The Scope is the proud recipient of the 2013 and 2014 Student Nurses
Association of Pennsylvania Excellent Newsletter Award.
DuquesneScope.wordpress.com
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Image from clk-
er.com
Table of Contents
Zika virus hits close to home Page 4
Chelsea and Briana have all you need to know in this EXCLUSIVE
If you’re like me then you are probably sick of being cold and wet all the
time. So why not go somewhere to get a nice tan and have some fun in
the sun. If this is your idea of a great spring break then head south. Home
to many wondrous sights, beaches and entertainment Georgia or the Car-
olinas are great places to visit. Whether you go Savanah or Myrtle Beach
you are sure to have a great spring break trip.
If you like sitting in a car for hours on end, cranking up the music
and having fun with your friends. Then a road trip would be the
best spring break for you. Packing up the car, setting off onto an
adventure and having memories that will last a lifetime. Whether
you decide on a destination and take your time getting there or
you just grab the map, throw the dart and try to have as much fun
as possible, a road trip can be a great time to experience places
you never would have seen otherwise. Head to the Grand Canyon
or go see the world’s largest ball of yarn whatever just have fun
and take pictures!
Despite the fact that being cold is getting old, some of you may
want to go skiing or snowboarding this spring break. If you real-
ly want to get away there are great slopes in Colorado such as
Beaver Creek. Trying to stay closer there are other places here
too such as Camelback Mountain. As always there are multiple
great destinations to go if you’re looking to spend time on the
slopes.
Saving the best for last. Stay home! I know it’s fun to go away for
spring break but what’s better than home. You can have fun
with all your friends, sleep in your own bed and stay in you pjs’
the entire break and no one will judge you. Also after months of
eating college food who doesn’t want a nice home cooked meal
and better yet; it’s free! Just think of the money you save! Stay-
ing at home you can relax, take a breather and come back feel-
ing better than those that decided to have a little too much
fun for breakJ. So give yourself the gift of doing nothing this
spring break and go home and snuggle with your pets, they
miss you too!
If you are still bummed out about your missed plan just think,
by staying in the United States, you won’t have to travel that
much and deal with the madness of airports, or train stations.
Also where you go may not be as crowded. No matter where
you go have a fun spring break and stay safe.
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Lead, a Threat to Children and Adults Alike
Bridget Seelinger, DUSNA Publicity Chair
The disaster in Flint, Michigan has raised awareness for rising levels of lead in drinking water. Some reports say that
our very own Allegheny River may have near-toxic levels of lead in the
water, which raises questions as to how much this can affect one’s health.
What makes the situation in Flint so perilous is the fact that the lead that is
in the water is originating from the pipes. In 2014, the town’s water source
was switched from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Pipes were used that
were not properly treated against corrosion, so throughout the years, the
pipes have worn down and leaked literal poison into the water. There are
very legitimate fears that the high levels of lead in the children of Flint’s
bloodstreams, may lead to permanent neurological damage. The state of
Michigan, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the federal govern-
ment are seeking to prosecute the officials responsible for the decisions
that led to the water crisis.
Lead works as a poison in the body, mimicking the actions of important
vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, and zinc. As a result, lead can cause severe mental alterations as the brain
has decreased oxygenation and decreased muscle function, since calcium is vital for healthy muscle contractions. Lead
is odorless, tasteless, colorless, and virtually undetectable until symptoms start to occur. The only way that lead can af-
fect you is if it is ingested, which is why it is important to check one’s home for lead paint, especially if there are chil-
dren in the home.1
After reports indicated high levels of lead in Pitts-
burgh water sources, the Pittsburgh Water and Sew-
er Authority (PWSA) began testing our own pipes
for corrosion and came up with a safeguard against
the poisoning of our water supply, the decision to
switch from caustic soda to soda ash, a chemical
that will create a film over the pipes to prevent cor-
rosion.
In a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette2, John
Jeffries, supervisor of the county health depart-
ment’s Public Drinking Water & Waste Manage-
ment Program, said, “I think this is a good oppor-
tunity for people to understand the water systems of
Allegheny County have been using the same
sources for a very long time, and they are comforta-
ble treating those to meet rules and regulations… For what it’s worth, I drink the tap water.”
Symptoms of lead poisoning in children include developmental delays, irritability, hearing loss, nausea, vomiting, ab-
dominal pain, loss of appetite, and weight loss. In adults, symptoms include high blood pressure, muscle pain, joint
pain, decline in mental functioning, miscarriages, and constipation. If you present with the symptoms above, it is im-
portant to get help right away. Treatment for lead poisoning is Chelation Therapy, a process of ingesting a chemical
and excreting the lead through the urine. In severe cases, EDTA therapy is used, where an even harsher chemical is
used to excrete the lead.3
It is important for people to understand the true danger of lead, especially lead in the drinking water, and be vigilant for
signs and symptoms of possible toxicity. Hopefully, as the investigation in Flint continues, proper actions may be taken
to resolve this very critical issue.
1, Delaware Department of Public Health: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/leadpoisonfaq.pdf
2, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2016/01/22/Pittsburgh-water-sewer-authority-using-new-
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lead-fighting-chemical/stories/201601220121
3, Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/basics/definition/con-20035487
Photos from NBC and Wikipedia
The Reality of the Dangers of a Broken Heart
Holly Storm, freshman
You have just broken up with your significant
other and feel like you could die from a broken
heart. Even though it sounds silly to say you
could die of a broken heart there is actually a
chance you could. Broken heart syndrome is a
stress-cardiomyopathy which means the heart
muscle is abnormal that can be misdiagnosed as
a heart attack. And even though these two things
are similar in some aspects, Broken Heart Syn-
drome actually is very different from a normal
heart attack.
In Broken Heart Syndrome, your body reacts to a
sudden increase of stress hormones and a part of
your heart will enlarge and start pumping badly
while the rest of your heart will be functioning
fine. Even though the effects of Broken Heart Syndrome can be very severe and threatening like short-term
heart failure, the good news is that more than likely you can be back to normal within a week or two. Some
things to look out for when experiencing Broken Heart Syndrome are severe chest pain, shortness of
breath, and irregular heartbeats. The reason that Broken Heart Syndrome is not the same as a heart attack
is for several clear reasons. Heart attacks are a
result of plaque building up in the arteries
over long periods of time which then puts
pressure on the junctions of the arteries. So
heart attacks are the result of a poor health
whereas to experience Broken Heart Syn-
drome, you do not need to be in bad health. It
can happen in healthy people, even though
what happens during the attacks are very dif-
ferent.
So when you are extremely upset over some-
thing such as a breakup or a death, do not push
aside what is happening to you, as that could
become life threatening. Though it sounds ri-
diculous to say that you experienced Broken
Heart Syndrome, it is something that should be
taken seriously and your heart will thank you.
“[Theater] gives you leadership roles and helps you delegate, both
things that you do a lot of in nursing,” she says.
“We have Christmas lights and we borrowed a moving light from Car-
low, those are two special features for this production,” Levi says,
adding, “We’re really enjoying the new theater as well.”
“I love that we can walk through our grid standing up, in the old thea-
ter you had to crawl on your hands and knees,” Levi says laughing.
In future years, Levi hopes to assume the role of Head Light Design-
er for one of the main productions on campus and hopes to move
beyond her current board position, Historian, for the Red Mas-
quers.
Tickets for Red Masquers productions are free for both faculty and students and can be found online at
www.DuqRedMasquers.com.
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Photos by the Red Masquers and Christina Levi
Faculty Feature: Why do I Love Nursing?
Cynthia Rost, BA, BSN,MSN, RN
Answering this question is tantamount to asking
what I like about being alive. For me, nursing is
such an integral part of who I am as a human being
that it seems impossible to separate the nurse from
the person. Nursing was not something that I
dreamt about as a child, it was not, in fact, my first
choice as a career. I was an audiologist, working
with the elderly in a large county-run nursing facili-
ty when I first noticed what is was that nurses do. I
saw that individuals relied on nurses for health ed-
ucation, activities of daily living, medication man-
agement, and life sustaining treatments. Wanting
to be the person that provided these many services
to those in need, I came back to Duquesne (yes, my first degree was earned here as well) and enrolled in the
B.S.N. program.
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Faculty Feature: A Love for Nursing and Writing?
Linda Koharchik, DNP, MSN, RN, CNE
Being an author or co-author of manuscript chosen for publication in a journal of nursing can be a gratifying expe-
rience. Nurses write for a number of reasons and in a variety of venues. Nurses seek publication to share personal
nursing experiences, to make a commentary, or to disseminate research findings or evidence-based practice im-
provements. Publication is an expectation of the role of the nursing professor.
Whatever journal is chosen for seeking publication, the potential author must closely follow the author guidelines
of the journal. The style of writing will be specified and may be the
American Psychological Association (APA), the American Medical Associ-
ation (AMA), or Chicago style, just to name a few. The guidelines will
suggest a word count for the submission, varied according to the type of
venue; a simple commentary may be as few as 500 words, but a research
manuscript may be allotted 3,500 words. The tone of the manuscript al-
so depends on the forum of where publication is sought. Scholarly writ-
ing is expected when reporting research, but a commentary may employ
a more conversational tone. The potential author must follow the jour-
nal’s guidelines and carefully upload his or her manuscript as directed.
It is an expectation that authors will submit to only one journal at a time,
as simultaneous submissions to more than one journal is considered un-
ethical. Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is sought by those who
wish to disseminate their work in a credible source. When works are peer-reviewed, the manuscript has been
scrutinized by experts in the field, who then may accept, reject, or suggest revisions to the author. Rejection is not
uncommon, with a reported 65 to 80% rejection rate in some journals (Jasper, Vaismorandi, Bondas, & Turunen,
2014). Rejection doesn’t always mean the end to pursuing publication of a manuscript. The author may consider
the comments provided by the reviewers, constructively revise the work, and then resubmit to another journal.
Being a published author is an impressive feature to place on one’s resume, but it is not necessary to have an ad-
vanced degree before seeking publication. Student nurses have im-
Jasper, M., Vaismorandi, M., Bondas, T., &
portant perspectives to share. A great start is publishing in a student Turunen, H. (2014). Validity and reliability of the
newsletter, such as The Scope! scientific review process in nursing jour-
nals—time for a rethink? Nursing Inquiry, 21(2), 92-
100.
Oermann, M.H. (2012). Editorial: Impact factors and
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clinical specialty nursing journals. Journal of Clinical
Be sure to check out Dr. Koharchik’s column in the American Jour- Nursing, 21(3/4), 299-300.
nal of Nursing!
Why do we love Nursing?
The Scope asked students across ages and classes about their top reasons for loving nursing!
See why Duquesne nursing students LOVE nursing!
“I love to make a difference...no matter “I love how the field has so
where you're working, you get to make a many opportunities for direct
difference." -Briana T patient care as well as indirect
patient care. Nursing gives us
the opportunity to engage in a
“I'm constantly being
certain type of nursing and
challenged and learn-
then move on to a different
ing new, interesting
type if we decide one day that
things all the time.
we want to do something else.
And I love that I'll be
~Brooke C.
helping people." -
Hayley B Nursing makes
me happy! I get
to help people!
NCLEX Nook
Question is from Elsevier Evolve
Answer on Page 15
Spaghetti Carbonara
MarthaStewart.com Instructions:
Ingredients : 1. Set a large pot of water to boil (for pasta). In a large skillet,
cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8
1 pound spaghetti to 12 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
8 ounces (8 slices) bacon, cut 1 inch
thick crosswise 2. Salt boiling water generously; add pasta and cook until al
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper dente, according to package instructions.
3 large eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Parmesan,
more for serving and half-and-half. Set aside.
1/2 cup half-and-half
4. Drain pasta, leaving some water clinging to it. Working quickly,
add hot pasta to egg mixture. Add bacon; season with salt and 13
pepper, and toss all to combine (heat from pasta will cook eggs).
Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese.
Aquarius and Pisces
You Aquarians, on an episode of Avatar, would totally be bending the air and making crazy tornadoes and spread-
ing dandelion seeds and stuff. Your fate is determined by the location of Ur anus
in the deep and vast universe around us. You are a social butterfly and are con-
stantly networking and coming up with innovative ways to help those in need
around you. No wonder you've chosen the field of nursing! You, my friend,
though you may not enjoy it now, will be a boss at evidence-based practice re-
search and implementation. Continue to utilize your social skills and follow your
heart in helping others and success will follow the trail you blaze!
If you were an Avatar character, you would be a water bender, and Neptune is
your ruler. You are a dreamer--believing and striving to achieve the impossible.
You have an overwhelmingly large heart for others, so much so that you are al-
most always second on your list. Your goals to change the world and help others
can sometimes seem to tower over you--like the stack of linens you try to carry
to a patient's room for a bed bath. Fret not! Instead of letting the grand picture
overwhelm you, focus on the little things and exercise giving yourself some 'you'
time. Take nursing school one EAQ exam and one Grey's episode at a time.
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Questions about your program?
Come to a Forum with the Dean!
DUSNA BOARD OF
Second Degree– April 18th, noon, College 104
Juniors– March 30th, noon, Fisher 539/541
DIRECTORS
Sophomores– March 9th, 1pm, Fisher 539/541
President– Emily Kinley
Vice-President–Caroline Miller
Knit Me Up Essentials Secretary– Allison Erceg
Treasurer– Joelle Augustine
Owned and operated by Duquesne
Social Co-Chairs– Tara Shipe and
Nursing student, Mikayla Dongell
Call or Text or Email for skin care tips or new makeup and skin care products
or simply to support a fellow nursing student in her business to uplift, moti- 15
Secretary Publicity
Email us at dusnaduq@gmail.com16 if
you’re interested in running!