Last Updated: August 2014
During the spring semester of my junior year, I had the oppertunity to apply for co-op at 3 different locations: Cincinnati Children's, UC's Medical Center, & the VA Medical Center. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into all 3 co-ops. Without hesitation I chose the VA. This past year my little brother enlisted to be a combat engineer for the National Guard. Ever since then, I have had a new special place in my heart for our nation's veterans. This co-op experience has been all that I have imagined and more. I am proud to say that I work for the VA and I am honored to serve our nation's veterans.
During the spring semester of my junior year, I had the oppertunity to apply for co-op at 3 different locations: Cincinnati Children's, UC's Medical Center, & the VA Medical Center. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into all 3 co-ops. Without hesitation I chose the VA. This past year my little brother enlisted to be a combat engineer for the National Guard. Ever since then, I have had a new special place in my heart for our nation's veterans. This co-op experience has been all that I have imagined and more. I am proud to say that I work for the VA and I am honored to serve our nation's veterans.
What is VALOR?
According to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/VACAREERS/students-trainees/nurses.asp:
“ The VA Learning Opportunities Residency (VALOR) Program gives outstanding registered nursing students who have completed their junior year in an accredited clinical program the opportunity to develop competencies in clinical nursing while at a VA-approved health care facility. Learning opportunities include didactic or classroom experiences, competency-based clinical practice with a qualified RN preceptor, and participation in nursing-focused clinical conferences."
In addition, "VALOR participants who take a position with VA upon graduation are usually hired one-to-three steps above the entry-level salary rate established for new graduates. This is because VALOR participants are already oriented to VA and its practice requirements. VALOR students may be appointed on a full- or part-time basis during the summer months, and may continue during their senior academic year on a part-time basis.”
In short, the VALOR program is an extended version of role-transition and is similar to co-op. I had the opportunity to be paired with Tracy McDonald on the cardiopulmonary unit. Tracy’s vast array of knowledge and unmistakable dedication to her patients has been an explicit example of the nurse I wish to become. I was full-time this past summer. For this upcoming school year, I will remain part-time up until graduation.
“ The VA Learning Opportunities Residency (VALOR) Program gives outstanding registered nursing students who have completed their junior year in an accredited clinical program the opportunity to develop competencies in clinical nursing while at a VA-approved health care facility. Learning opportunities include didactic or classroom experiences, competency-based clinical practice with a qualified RN preceptor, and participation in nursing-focused clinical conferences."
In addition, "VALOR participants who take a position with VA upon graduation are usually hired one-to-three steps above the entry-level salary rate established for new graduates. This is because VALOR participants are already oriented to VA and its practice requirements. VALOR students may be appointed on a full- or part-time basis during the summer months, and may continue during their senior academic year on a part-time basis.”
In short, the VALOR program is an extended version of role-transition and is similar to co-op. I had the opportunity to be paired with Tracy McDonald on the cardiopulmonary unit. Tracy’s vast array of knowledge and unmistakable dedication to her patients has been an explicit example of the nurse I wish to become. I was full-time this past summer. For this upcoming school year, I will remain part-time up until graduation.
What was the most significant part of this experience?
For me, there were 3 substantial events that stood out to me the most:
1. Taking a 2-day cardiac dysrhythmias course ----- Because of this, I now feel comfortable reading, interpreting, and treating dysrhythmias. Since I have taken this course, I am now eligible to take my ACLS class and become ACLS certified. I am currently registered for the November ACLS class. I feel privledged to have taken this course because what I have learned in those 2 days is what I will learn in a whole semester in my dysrhytmias course this upcoming fall semester.
2. The day I felt comfortable calling doctors ----- At the beginning of the summer, I was intimidated even at the thought of calling doctors. I put it up on a pedestal. However, my preceptor allowed me to carry her Vocera (phone). I cannot thank her enough for helping me to step out of my comfort zone. It is hard to believe that at the beginning of this summer I let the doctor(s) take control. However, I now realize that that veteran is my patient too and I now feel comfortable telling a doctor what I recommend he/she should order for my patient under certain circumstances.
3. The moment I realized that I felt competent taking care of all 4 patients on my own ----- Although I will still be co-oping throughout the entire school year and up until graduation, it is hard to believe that I already feel comfortable taking care of a full load of patients on my own (with some guidance). I know that I am not competent enough to do it completely on my own yet. For example, I do not feel competent taking care of trach patients on my own yet. However, it is a rewarding feeling knowing that all of my hard work and extra studying is paying off.
1. Taking a 2-day cardiac dysrhythmias course ----- Because of this, I now feel comfortable reading, interpreting, and treating dysrhythmias. Since I have taken this course, I am now eligible to take my ACLS class and become ACLS certified. I am currently registered for the November ACLS class. I feel privledged to have taken this course because what I have learned in those 2 days is what I will learn in a whole semester in my dysrhytmias course this upcoming fall semester.
2. The day I felt comfortable calling doctors ----- At the beginning of the summer, I was intimidated even at the thought of calling doctors. I put it up on a pedestal. However, my preceptor allowed me to carry her Vocera (phone). I cannot thank her enough for helping me to step out of my comfort zone. It is hard to believe that at the beginning of this summer I let the doctor(s) take control. However, I now realize that that veteran is my patient too and I now feel comfortable telling a doctor what I recommend he/she should order for my patient under certain circumstances.
3. The moment I realized that I felt competent taking care of all 4 patients on my own ----- Although I will still be co-oping throughout the entire school year and up until graduation, it is hard to believe that I already feel comfortable taking care of a full load of patients on my own (with some guidance). I know that I am not competent enough to do it completely on my own yet. For example, I do not feel competent taking care of trach patients on my own yet. However, it is a rewarding feeling knowing that all of my hard work and extra studying is paying off.
What have I gained from this experience?
The amount of knowledge that I have gained from this experience is endless. To name a few, I've learned:
1. How to master time management ----- One of the most important things that I have learned throughout the VALOR program is how to master time management. One of the nurses on my floor taught me that it does not matter how knowlegable you are. Instead, she taught me that you cannot be a good nurse unless you have excellent time management skills. If there has been one thing that I have really tried to work on these past few weeks it has been improving my time management skills.
2. How to think like a nurse ----- Since the VA is a teaching hospital, the doctors are often young residents or young interns. As a result, nurses have an extra responsibility to be the patient's advocate. There were many times where a doctor would forget to put a diet order in resulting in the veteran not receiving a tray, putting an order in to discharge a patient when they were not ready from a medical standpoint, etc. As a result, I have learned that I have to anticipate what the doctor should and shouldn't order.
3. Most importantly: confidence ----- If I have learned one thing from this experience, it is confidence. At the end of junior year, I was semi-nervous to graduate and to be on my own since I did not feel comfortable in my nursing skills and abilities. However, I now feel much more confident and believe that I will be able to competently care for my patients upon graduation. Working in the float pool and floating to almost every unit of the hospital at Good Samaritan Hospital has also helped me to feel more confident in my nursing abilities. If there is one thing that I can improve on, it is my outward appearance of confidence. Even though I feel confident about my thoughts and decisions on the inside, I am aware that I sometimes come off as a soft-spoken person. As a result, I know that one thing that I have to work on is being less passive-aggressive and more demanding to the doctors in regards to patient care.
1. How to master time management ----- One of the most important things that I have learned throughout the VALOR program is how to master time management. One of the nurses on my floor taught me that it does not matter how knowlegable you are. Instead, she taught me that you cannot be a good nurse unless you have excellent time management skills. If there has been one thing that I have really tried to work on these past few weeks it has been improving my time management skills.
2. How to think like a nurse ----- Since the VA is a teaching hospital, the doctors are often young residents or young interns. As a result, nurses have an extra responsibility to be the patient's advocate. There were many times where a doctor would forget to put a diet order in resulting in the veteran not receiving a tray, putting an order in to discharge a patient when they were not ready from a medical standpoint, etc. As a result, I have learned that I have to anticipate what the doctor should and shouldn't order.
3. Most importantly: confidence ----- If I have learned one thing from this experience, it is confidence. At the end of junior year, I was semi-nervous to graduate and to be on my own since I did not feel comfortable in my nursing skills and abilities. However, I now feel much more confident and believe that I will be able to competently care for my patients upon graduation. Working in the float pool and floating to almost every unit of the hospital at Good Samaritan Hospital has also helped me to feel more confident in my nursing abilities. If there is one thing that I can improve on, it is my outward appearance of confidence. Even though I feel confident about my thoughts and decisions on the inside, I am aware that I sometimes come off as a soft-spoken person. As a result, I know that one thing that I have to work on is being less passive-aggressive and more demanding to the doctors in regards to patient care.
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