School Me Saturdays- new theme, who this?

Okay.

New theme for Saturdays.

Since Funsies Fridays has been changed to Saturday. Not that I think I am that funny. Or organized enough to continue Fridays when I have class all day every Friday. I am not that organized. Trust me.

And I know that I am not the only nurse who is in school, or thinking about school, or preparing to think about school. The why is different for every other nurse but the 10 nurses in my PhD cohort said they were doing the program to aid the public in the very real problem of health disparity. This could be disparity of race, of gender, of sexual orientation, and more. It all fits.

And then there was me who said I wanted to do the program so I could do research specifically in the operating room. This is very seldom studied area of the hospital. Most studies and research are done from the doctor point of view. Well, buttercup, the surgeons are nothing without the support of the operating room staff. Just like the OR staff is nothing without surgeons to operate. We go skipping the halls hand in hand.

Even if a nurse isn’t actively pursuing a degree, they are pursuing education in the form of CEUs. These are continuing education units. There is ALWAYS something new to learn. And all that knowledge goes back into improving health outcomes for our patients. And it is required to maintain licensure from the state. The hours required will vary depending on the state.

And CEUs are required to maintain certification. The CNOR that I hold requires 135 CEUs every time I recertify, which is every 5 years. The nurse anesthetist requires 100 hours every 4 years. There are other certifications, but this is what I know and am familiar with.

The point is that nurses, especially certified ones, are an educated bunch. And we are always learning.

Some nurses only do what is required for licensure upkeep. And that is okay. Not everyone is as education crazy as I am. But continuing education hours still need to be maintained. And the board of nursing can audit a nurse at any time. It is not worth it to fake it. In California, you had to list the CEUs on the renewal form. Ditto for my CNOR recertification.

Are there cheats? Absolutely, but there are only hurting their patients and themselves.

At the end of Philosophy yesterday, I made a general announcement that there will be a 2-day symposium on reversing the chronic disease crisis in America. I thought this would be useful to many of my cohort. There was interest, just in that little group, and my professor asked me to send the information to her and she would post it on the graduate degree page.

That’s the thing with education and nurses. Someone is always interested in learning more. This has been lost a bit during the pandemic. And it is time to get it back.

You know, if you want to.