No, not that ab crunch you did at the gym – we’re talking the holiday crunch. The “I have to study, shop, socialize, and by the way get some sleep, too,” holiday squeeze. As a nursing student, you’re used to juggling a lot at once. But if you’re wondering how to make sure your study time doesn’t suffer during the holiday rush, use the next few weeks to study smarter, not harder.
How? Studying smarter, not harder means using every single second of your time to get the most results, and that doesn’t mean logging more hours.
1. Pace Yourself
When you have too much to do and a limited amount of time, make a plan. You should think about a couple of logistics like prioritizing your tasks and deciding how much time you need to complete them (and then add an hour or two!). But you also need to figure out when you should study to be at your best (not past midnight if you’re an early bird) and where you can go to have the quiet you need. Planning it all means you’re less likely to get tripped up by something unexpected.
2. Make the Time
The holiday season might seem magical, but the one thing you can use – extra hours in a day – just won’t happen. Take the hours you do have and make the most of them. Finding time to study when finals are bearing down and holiday commitments are building isn’t easy, but it can be done. Use every extra minute in your day – no matter what your day looks like. Sitting at the laundomat? Rough out a paper, take notes on a lab while it’s fresh, catch up on the ever-present reading you need to do for the week. Same goes for running errands – stash flash cards in your bag and go through them if you’re waiting in a long line.
3. Write It, Don’t Just Read It
Study experts say the very act of writing down information (like taking notes or making flashcards) is more effective than just reading. While you’re reading, take notes on the important points in a notebook. Write flashcards for important terms or practices. If you’re struggling with specific terms or ideas, write them down 30 times just like a grade school spelling test. Writing helps you remember more information, and then you have some study notes that can be easily carried and pulled out when you have a couple of free minutes.
4. Practice Your Speech
Hate proofreading your own papers? If you can swap papers with a friend for a once over, do it. It’s a great way to catch errors and make your writing even stronger. But in a pinch, reading your paper out loud is a tool journalists use all the time. Find a quiet place (the car is a great spot) and read out loud at a slow and steady pace. You’ll be amazed at the spelling and grammatical errors you missed by reading alone.
5. Take Breaks
Spending too much time cramming for an exam can actually make things worse. You just can’t do a 10-hour marathon without taking a couple of breaks, but you can’t get distracted either. Plan when you will stop your work so you can get up, stretch, walk around a little, and chat with a friend. When your planned time is up, stop and get back to studying. You’ll be refreshed without losing your focus.
Hopefully your holidays will give you plenty of time for both work and fun. On the days when things seem really hectic, take a deep breath, use every minute wisely, and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish! Good luck!
Happy Thanksgiving! What are you doing for the holiday? I’m spending the 30 days around Thanksgiving taking an online course called Gratitude, Grace and a Month of Self-reflection.
It’s based on Naikan, a Japanese psychological system that encourages us to count our blessings. It takes about me about 30 minutes a day to complete the assignments, which are pretty eye-opening.
For instance, traditional daily Naikan practice asks us to examine these three areas of living:
What have I received?
What did I give?
What troubles and difficulties did I cause?
So, here’s an excerpt of what a common list would look like (it’s not mine), but yours will probably be longer.
What I received
A warm house in the morning
Friends to run with
A healthy lunch
A fast computer/web access
A coffee shop to hang out in
What I gave
Money for coffee and a good tip
Started work on my financial plan
Made BLT sandwich
Made babysitter recommendation to neighbor
Gave a ride home to friend whose car is in the shop
Cooked dinner
Troubles and difficulties I caused
Didn’t send a check to a supplier, even though I said I would
Participated in gossip at lunch about a fellow nurse
Wouldn’t let my youngest child play computer games
Interrupted my wife while she was speaking at dinner
Used time at the clinic for two personal calls
Ignored my dog when he wanted to play after dinner
Wasted half my salad at lunch
Some of these Naikan exercises are serious and some silly, like yesterday when I did Garbage Naikan. I tried to think about what service I got out of everything that I threw away or recycled, like floss and coffee filters and bus tickets …and the list is endless because I’m supported by the whole universe.
As a nurse you have many opportunites to bless the lives of others. Making a difference while making a living is one of the most common reasons for entering the nursing profession. Doing Naikan will remind you of what you give, was well as what you get.
Remember to be specific and look for the details and be specific — the devil is in the details but so are angels 🙂 Write down the answers or type them or sketch them or speak them into a tape recorder and listen later.
Spend three times as long on the third question as the other two because that’s the most difficult one. (We like to think that other people are bothersome but we’re blameless!)
I plan to spend 45 minutes or so tomorrow doing Daily Naikan and answering those three questions. In my family we go around the table at Thanksgiving dinner and each person says what they’re grateful for. I’m always stumped but this year I’ll be ready.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jebra Turner is a writer in Portland, Oregon. Visit her at www.jebra.com.
As the holiday season kicks into full gear, excitement, emotions, and expectations run high. There are few other times as unique as this six-week stretch between Thanksgiving and the start of the new year. But when everyone is ramping up and your own life is going through a rough patch, the holidays can yawn ahead like a black hole you just need to get through.
How can you make the holidays special without the time, money, effort, or stamina that’s in short supply for you? Cutting back on anything you normally do during this time of year – parties, baking, shopping, volunteering – will be tough to do. It’s not easy for nurses to say no when someone needs something. But you might find the relief you’ll feel from reducing all your “have-tos” feels pretty good. Good enough that your holiday season becomes easier.
1. Focus on What’s Important
You can’t look anywhere right now without reminders of elaborate dinners, gifts, coordinated place settings, sparkly clothes, happy family gatherings, and all the details to make a magical marketing holiday. The reality is that many of us are short on time, sleep, and money for everything the magazine holidays promote. The key to making a magical holiday for you is to decide what’s most important for making your holiday special. Is it the decorations? The family gatherings? Choose one priority make that one thing special within the means you have available.
2. One Thing at a Time
It’s an old and effective rule – take the holidays in small doses. Can’t deal with a huge turkey dinner? Don’t do it. You can either buy it premade or make your own favorite dinner. Exhausted by caregiving and not up for small talk? Forgo big gatherings this year and see if one or two friends will meet you for coffee. Even if you have 30 minutes, they will lift your spirits more than a party you didn’t want to go to in the first place.
3. Keep to Your Budget
Sticking to a budget means more than your cash outlay. Your time and energy are as important (if not more so) and probably just as limited. The holidays are overwhelming in the best of times because we put so many expectations on what should be done. If you have been stretched too thin in past years, be honest about it. Are you tired of the cookie swap but feel a sense of peace serving dinner at a shelter? Pick one. Does the idea of another day at the mall make you cringe? Go online, look for free shipping, and keep it simple (plus there’s less impulse buying and you don’t have to stop for lunch!).
4. Ask for Help
Nurses are notorious for refusing to ask others for help. In a profession where you constantly give, asking for help often goes against your instances. But you can get help in small ways. Can you get your groceries delivered once or twice (many stores offer discounts for the first few deliveries)? Can your kids help with one or two chores? Can your spouse or partner pick up gift cards, make dinner, or do some laundry? Probably, but you might have to ask.
5. Find the Peace
Don’t laugh! And don’t dismiss this one either. Finding the peace in the holiday season is entirely up to you. You can choose how you do it and when, but taking the time to reflect on your year is helpful. Are you counting the days until this one is over? Honor yourself and all the struggles you have been through this year. If you can find nothing positive to reflect on, accept that. You aren’t wrong for feeling that way. What you can do instead is every now and then be aware of something in nature that gives you the smallest pleasure – the sound of birds chirping, the late afternoon sun, the puffy clouds, the crisper air. Take that minute to appreciate that one thing and the peace it might have given you, if only briefly.
The holidays can be a wonderful time, but when you’re struggling in your life, it’s tough to navigate the season. Respect your own needs and honor what will make your holiday season bright. Taking a new approach to such a traditional season isn’t always easy, but often feels best in the end. If you’re able to adapt to what makes you happier, you’ll be better able to take on the holidays.
As a nurse, you’re always ready to deal with the unexpected. Nurses think quick on their feet, no question about it. They also know how to plan and coordinate their actions with others.
But how about in your personal life? Are you ready for winter’s inclement weather, or other acts of nature that may impact your lights, power, water, or the roof over your head? Learn all about emergency preparedness on FEMA’s website — it’s a wonderful, deep, and detailed resource!
In the meantime, here are 4 simple ways to get ready for whatever Mother Nature may throw your way.
1. Buy emergecny supply kits (they come in many sizes) from online sources, such as the American Red Cross website outlet.
2. Or assemble your own outage kit for winter storms. A few must-have items: a car charger for your mobile phone as cordless phones require electricity.
Learn how to override your electric garage door opener. Review what to do if the power goes out at your home. Review safety rules for downed utility lines and portable generators, if you own one.
Outage kit for when the power goes out If a power outage occurs, you can be prepared by having a kit together to meet your basic needs until we’re able to restore power. An outage kit is also a great first step towards a more comprehensive emergency kit for use in a crisis or natural disaster.
A basic outage kit should include:
Hand-crank or battery powered flashlight and radio Battery-powered clock Extra batteries (change them periodically — even unused batteries lose power over time) Manual can opener Cell-phone car charger if you depend on a cell phone, and/or a corded, non-electric phone for home
Other handy items to have:
Bottled water Sanitary water containers (if you rely on electricity to pump water) Thermos Disposable plates and utensils Extra blankets or sleeping bags
Emergency kits for crises and disasters In a natural disaster or crisis, basic items we normally take for granted — like food, water, electricity and sanitation — can become survival needs. Predicting and planning for your family’s needs ahead of time can help minimize the effects of emergencies.
Disaster preparedness experts suggest having enough water, food and other supplies to survive on your own for at least three to ten days.
Since it can be a challenge to build a kit that’s both complete and portable, consider building two. A small kit can be helpful in the event of natural disasters and other pressing crises where you may need to leave your home, and carrying a large kit would be difficult or dangerous. Larger kits can be helpful for sheltering in place, but these might not fit in your backpack.
Here are some ideas for stocking an emergency kit, in addition to the outage kit items:
Water (1 gallon per person per day, include extra for pets) Non-perishable food (Don’t forget food for your pets) Prescription and over-the-counter medications Infant formula and diapers Sleeping bag and bedding Copies of insurance information, IDs, bank information, and family documents in a sealed waterproof container Cash A change of clothing Disinfectant Basic first aid kit (Red Cross also has a First Aid app for your smart phone) Personal hygiene items including bags for waste storage Matches in a waterproof container Additional batteries Eating utensils, manual can opener, and/or mess kit Paper and pencil
Cancer remains one of the biggest killers in America.
According to data from the American Cancer Society, one in every 258 children born today will die of the disease before they turn 20. An estimated 300 every 100,000 Americans contract cancer every year. Currently, the U.S ranks 8th in cancer in women and 10th in cancer in men.
Of all types of cancer, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the country. It is also the second most common cancer in both men and women.
What is Lung Cancer?
Cancer is a disease that causes body cells to grow uncontrollably. Lung cancer is cancer that starts, develops and destroys in the lungs.
Although lung cancer begins in the lungs, it can spread to lymph nodes found in other organs with ease. For example, lung cancer may easily spread to the brain. It is also possible for cancer to spread from other organs of the body to the lungs. This spread of cancer cells from one part of the body to another is called metastasis.
There are two categories of lung cancer; small cell and non-small cell. The two types of lung cancer grow differently and are treated differently. Non-small cell cancer is the more common of the two.
You’re more likely to die from lung cancer if you smoke than if you don’t smoke – 90% (9 out of 10) of all lung cancer cases are smoking related. The main reason for this is that tobacco smoke contains over 4,700 chemicals with 40 of those being known carcinogens. Tobacco cigarettes also contain more than 30 metals including cadmium and nickel as well as several radioactive substances – all of which have been associated with cancer.
You’re at a higher risk of getting the disease if you’remale – Given that more men smoke compared to women, you would expect men to be at an increased risk of getting the disease. This is actually true. However, the number of women with cancer has consistently grown over the past decade as the number of women who smoke increased. Today, 58% of all lung cancer patients in the U.S. are men with the other 42% being female (Cancer Correct).
Older people are at an increased risk of getting cancer – Researchers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration department (FDA) indicate that you are also at an increased risk if you’re older. 75% of all cancer patients in the U.S. are 65 years or older. However, if the number of long-term self-care patients increases,
African Americans are at a greater risk – One statistic that has puzzled many, is why African Americans are the most affected. According to an article on the Washington Post, African American are 37% more likely to develop lung cancer compared to white men, yet their exposure to cigarette smoke is lower.
Citing a 2010 report compiled by the American Lung Association, its writer indicates that white men smoked 30% to 40% more than their African American counterparts meaning that their exposure to tobacco smoke is higher. Yet, African Americans still lead the queue in cancer cases. Even Alaska natives and American Indians smoke more than African Americans but less at risk of developing cancer compared to African Americans.
Smokers of methanol cigarettes are more likely to get lung cancer – Apparently, the difference comes in which cigarettes you smoke. 80% of African Americans choose menthol cigarettes every time they want to smoke. Meanwhile, only 32% of Hispanic smokers and 24% of white smokers use menthol cigarettes. Smokers of menthol cigarettes tend to develop higher concentrations of cotinine in their blood – a possible reason for the increased exposure to lung cancer.
With the data above, it’s easy to identify the most vulnerable group. And this group is African American men aged 65 years and above who smoke methanol cigarettes. The situation is worsened when African American communities are targeted with ads featuring menthol brand cigarettes. Being able to understand the healthcare needs of different cultures is going to better prepare healthcare providers to handle and address this kind of information.
If you have or think you might have lung cancer, take advantage of the many cancer resources found online.
