Happy new year to you if you are reading this. It is a beautiful and brand new year, and each days of the year should be carefully treated with both caution and deliberation if we must achieve our goals after 365days.

I have always said Nursing is more of a constant job but not any more, nursing is evolutionary,  because nurses do the same thing everyday, forever: every day at work you care for a patient, you administer care, you sympathize and empathize with your patients. The act of nursing is constant, it never changes, it was so in the days of Nightingale, it will remain so after this generation. Nonetheless, the methods, process of care keeps evolving. Several units of nursing are getting birthed, different measures to keep nurses aligned with the profession.

It is a new year and everything should be new, a new mindset,  new goals,  new plan and possibly a new career plan.
Career plan is a practical and realistic strategy that helps you determine your skills and interest, it also helps you set career goals, put them into actions through various guidelines.
If you must achieve your goals as a health care provider this year,  you will need to have your career plan.

What do you need to do? 
First consider your interests and educational goals.
Do you intend being a mental health nurse?
Have you considered knowing the various schools in the country offering a post basic course on psychiatric nursing and possibly how much they cost?

To start with:
 1.  Set a SMART goals
 I know a lot of nurses would have a new year resolution which revolves around the job, ranging from team work,  to attitudes towards patients, to commitment to the work and success in career.

No matter what your goal is, you need it to be SMART
- Specific: Don't go about the wards in scrub with the mindset of you wanting to have several certifications this year, or you want to attend every conference that is tagged "nurses conference". You need to know what you want.

Ask yourself the following questions?
What do I need?
What do I need at the unit I work?
Knowing what you need will not only help you achieve your goals, it will also prevents you from confusion.

- Measurable: Can you measure what you want?
Can you make up your mind that you will attend conference worth #100,000 for this year. You can probably break down the money into smaller amount, which means you can attend 6 conferences with #100,000 depending on the theme and location.

- Achievable: This is mainly for young nurses, you intend having your own organization, promotion or honours as a nurse.
It is beautiful to have great desires no doubt, you need to know what you want and also find out if it is achievable.
If you need to have a ALS/BLS certificate before March this year,  it is very much achievable.
If you want a license in orthopedic nursing before the year runs out even though you have not purchased the form, that is so much unrealistic and unachievable.

- Realistic: How realistic are your goals?
Do you aim at working with an international organization?
Is it realistic this year?
What about in two years to come?
You desire to attend a particular boot camp for nurses in March this year and it is #55,000 for ticket, aside from accomodation and other expenses and you earn #30,000 monthly.
Setting a goal of getting the #55,000 in two months should be your plan.
If you spend #5000 on transport fare, pay your kids school fees and you are only left with #10,000 after your expenses, attending a conference that worths #55,000 might be unrealistic.

- Time bound: This is as important as every other point mentioned.
How much time do you have left?
How much time are you willing to commit to this goals?

 2. Commitment 
 It is easy to make rules, and break rules, but is always difficult to keep the rules. It is very much easy to enroll in courses whether online or physical, but it is more difficult to learn and commit time to the course.
You have to be committed this year.
If you intend been a better nurse to your patients, you want to be more passionate. You need commitment to do that.

 3. Short term goals
 Set short term goals, this makes the journey looks better and easier.

 4. Time management 

 The key to achieving your goals is time management. Do you intend enrolling in post basic courses this year?
You need to learn to manage your time effectively.

 5. Work on your team spirit
Truth be told, some nurses do not have a good team spirit. They love to do things alone, which is wrong and can put your patients at risk.
Nursing is a team work.


If you are not into team work with your patients, you are likely to lag behind in your career plan. A good team member realizes that you are writing an exam and does some things to help you feel relieved.
If you want to enjoy the benefits of good team spirit in 2019, then you need to be a good team member likewise.

 6. Self assessment
 Be determined to asess your goals either quarterly, bi monthly or bi annually.
 Self assessment helps you stay on the track, and also helps you discover yourself 

Summary is to make goals that can be achieved this year,  I believe in simple,  short and specific goals. They are the 3S behind my work. This year keep it simple, keep it short: not too much grammar or dreams, keep it specific.
I hope you got value?

Meet the founder of Nursing Job Opportunities, Nurse Abiodun Oluwatobi. In this interview he talks of what prompted him to embark on this nursing journey and how he created NJO, which is today the number one platform in Nigeria that helps nurses in their careers. 
Enjoy your read! 

FNA: Can we meet you?
Mr Abiodun: Abiodun Oluwatobi is my Name. I'm a registered Emergency Nurse cum American Heart Association Instructor



FNA: What school did you finish from?
Mr Abiodun: Did my general Nursing at Sacred Heart Hospital School of Nursing, Lantoro Abeokuta. And my specialised training at National Orthopedic Hospital Igbobi Lagos.

FNA: What prompted you to embark on this nursing journey?
Mr Abiodun: My Dad actually did encouraged me too. He was treated by a Male Nurse at  the hospital and he made some enquires on my behalf. Prior to my school admission I never knew they were Male Nurses, but I loved the idea sold to me then that I can easily become a doctor after the training. I'm glad I started the journey, so far it been rewarding.

FNA: This is encouraging, what has been the challenges you have faced so far in this journey?
Mr Abiodun: Challenges are must encounter in life. The important thing is for one to have the capacity to overcome and learn from them.

FNA: How do you cope with patients who try to address you as a medical doctor or patients who think you chose the wrong course?
Mr Abiodun: Have encountered many of them to mention a few.
Stereotype been a male Nurse, Poor remuneration, Quackery etc.
This is unavoidable most especially in developing environment. I let them know I'm a specialist in my profession not only by words but actions.

FNA: What is it like to be part of the American Heart Association?
Mr Abiodun: Been part of the instructor Network is mentally tasking as you have to be updated and learned. I need to mention also that it financially rewarding and not fixed. They are always room to learn more. I have been opportuned to meet other professionals instructors and travel beyond my comfort zone for training.

FNA: There are several opportunities that young nurses can participate in,  but some of them don't know them and for those who know it,  they don't know how to go about it
What is your take on this?
Mr Abiodun: Yes they're many opportunities, but location/exposure can be barrier sometimes.


FNA: What inspired you to create NJO?
Mr Abiodun: Many times I'm asked this question I think back to the day I created the 1at group. It was a vivid Sunday afternoon.
Truth is that I created it out of desperation for information and ensuring my colleagues would have assessed to them Asap. But only God can inspire one to that capacity.

FNA: When did you create NJO and how has the journey been so far?
Mr Abiodun: Dec 4th 2016. It has been two years. I would lie if i say it been good News all through, but I must say have learnt massively, gain amazing opportunities and the highlight of it is when Nurses share the Good News with me that they got a job or opportunities. We're the first of its kind for Nigerian Nurses and we birthed others. Many thinks to NJO Nurses.

FNA: Wow,  this is inspiring. What are the three lessons you will teach nurses who intend to go into entrepreneurship?
Mr Abiodun: 1. Start with what you have.
2. Start small.
3. Start Now!

FNA: If you have the opportunity to change anything in nursing?
What will it be?
Mr Abiodun: Change the fact that RNs will spend at least 3-5years to obtain BSN in Nigeria.

FNA: What is you take on the use of social media and nurses?
Mr Abiodun: I encourage many of my peers to harness social media opportunities. With a phone connected to the internet, you have the world at your fingertip. That the older generation didn't have.

FNA: What would you advise young nurses?
Mr Abiodun: I would advise my peers to;
1. Have multiple sources of income.
2. Invest heavily on themselves.
3. Make positive use of social media to harness there potentials.
4. Think outside the box.

FNA: Thank you sir for honoring this interview
We the team of FNA really appreciate you
Mr Abiodun: Thanks.

If you enjoyed your read drop a comment, watch out for more exciting interviews that will come your way in 2019.
You can also nominate your celebrity nurse to be inteviewed. 

 Hydrocortisone is a corticosteroid with glucocorticoid and to a lesser extent mineralocorticoid activity. It is used as an immunosuppressive drug, and for conditions adrenogenital syndrome, adrenocortical insufficiency and high blood calcium.
Topics hydrocortisone is used to treat itching,  redness.

Nursing is beautiful, but it is so dangerous if it is done without adequate knowledge and carefulness. Student nurses most times see the perfect side of nursing,  all they know is nursing is noble,  then life takes a new turn the day a road traffic accident patient’s blood splash on the face and they have to pray the laboratory investigation results comes out negative.

One of the things I have chosen to be my mantra as a nurse is, “every patient is a suspect”, therefore I guide my care diligently with my suspicion. It is true that every occupation has its hazard,  ranging from emotional rollercoaster, to exposure to pollutant and chemical and various types of injuries.  The good news is as nurses we are enlightened about these hazards: we teach them and talk about them, yet a large number of nurses are victims of various kinds of workplace hazards.

1. Back Injury
This is common,  and it is relatable to every nurse. Research says about 40,000 nurses report back related injuries annually, and this is due to lifting patients in bed,  helping patients out of bed,  transferring patients from the bed to chairs, and movement devices. Nurses are known for their perseverance on the issue of short staffing and underpayment, which is one of the cause of back injuries.

All back related injuries can be related to short staffing. Example is a nurse who weighs 65kg is been designated to a female surgical ward of 15 patients. In a shift that will last for 8 – 12hours, the nurse will need to help half of her patients out of their bed, help them on a bed pan or have their bed bath.

How to prevent back injuries 
As much as the issue on underemployment is yet to be attended to by the government and labor congress, nurses can do themselves the favor of learning how to prevent back injuries.
It can be prevented in two ways
• Reducing the rate at which you carry heavy objects
• Learning to delegate work to nursing assistants or ward care

2. Stress
Stress has become a way of life for a large number of nurses, and they all have learnt to accept it as such. Stress can be managed to help you stay healthy and agile at work

Management
• Have a schedule of your time, don’t spend your day offs visiting friends who live miles away
• Eat healthy
• Exercise regularly
• Sleep well
• Avoid unhealthy foods,  such as caffeinated drinks
• Don’t procrastinate
• Know that you can’t have it all, you need to reward yourself after a busy shift. It not creativity.

3. Infectious Disease
December 1st  was the world AIDS  day and it was tagged,  “know your status”, health practitioners are at the verge of contacting several kinds of infectious diseases, either by body contact, inhalation or other means. Research says that 600000 to 800000 needle-stick injuries occur each year in all healthcare system.

Prevention
• Learn to keep an eye of aggressive patient to avoid inhalation or bodily contact with vomit or blood
• Never uncap a needle when it is not yet needed
• Don’t attend to a patient with your gloves on,  and face masks in case of pulmonary diseases

4. Violence 
A research result says, 80 percent nurses who work in emergency services report violence each year; 39 percent of nurses experience verbal assaults yearly and 13 percent of nurses report battery and domestic abuse yearly. So much has been said about violence in the ward,  and we hope the government can do something to address the issue of violence and assault towards nurses.

Prevention
• Be patient not to reply a patient relative in anger
• Ask questions before retaliation
• Never insult anyone
• In cases of death, don’t break the news of the deceased in a close formation. You tell them and leave immediately
• Be smart and know your right as a nurse

Above are the 4 common hazards in nursing and ways out. 
Drop a comment and share this with a friend that needs it. 

Meet Adenike Oladimeji, popularly known as The Sent Nurse. In this interview she tells us what has been keeping her going in her nursing career, and how she came about the name 'The Sent Nurse'

Enjoy

FNA: Can we meet you beautiful nurse?
Nurse Oladimeji: I am Adenike Oladimeji, a registered Nurse

FNA: Where did you finish from?
Nurse Oladimeji: Bowen university teaching hospital, school of nursing.

FNA: What is your qualification?
Nurse Oladimeji: Rn, Bnsc, (in view), currently doing my degree in Obafemi Awolowo university

FNA: What state are you from?
Nurse Oladimeji: I am from Osun state

FNA: So many people know you as the sent nurse, how did you come about that name?
Nurse Oladimeji: Well, I didn't just come about it

FNA: So what inspired the name?
Nurse Oladimeji: I didn't study nursing because I couldn't do something else, but, when I became born again I had a clear picture of what God wants me to do in order to fulfil the purpose he has for me.

When I am working, I do it as if I am rendering the service unto the Lord. Of course, many people/clients noticed.
A patient told me one day, God sent you to us.

As if that's not enough when I was frustrated about the kind of treatment nurses are being given and the thought of quitting came to my mind, God told me, "I have called you and sent you to deliver those in the bondage of sickness, you cant quit now"

I knew it immediately, I have been called and sent to carry out an assignment. So I decided to activate it on every of my profile

FNA: Aside nursing, what else do you do?
Nurse Oladimeji: Emotional intelligence coaching, health coaching, beauty business and I blog

FNA: Sounds interesting, did you develop your interest in these things after you became a nurse?
What inspired these ideas?
Nurse Oladimeji: I have always been a business person, (I sold cosmetics when I was in school ).

Writing and giving information has always been my hobby even before I became a registered nurse. I learnt that information is power and you can prevent a couple of things if you have adequate information so, that's my motivation.

FNA: You are a team member of Fellow Nurses Africa.
How did you join FNA?
Nurse Oladimeji: Yea, I am. I love to contribute towards nursing rebranding , so when I was contacted by Oluwatosin to join, I didn't think it twice.

FNA: Great
What would you say about nursing in Nigeria?
Nurse Oladimeji: Nursing in Nigeria is still crawling, it needs a lot of upgrades. But thank God for we the young ones... Nursing in Nigeria is a work in progress

FNA: What specifically do you like about nursing?
Nurse Oladimeji: The fact that I can contribute to promotion of health, prevention of illness and aid recovery or nurse to peaceful death is amazing. It is fulfilling 🙏

FNA: If you have the opportunity to change an aspect of nursing in Nigeria, what will that be, and how will you change it?
Nurse Oladimeji: Involving Nurses in healthcare policy making, by actively participating in politics, and mobilizing other nurses to join

FNA: One of the things nursing  in Nigeria is battling with, is the fact that the public see nurses are inferior persons, they see nurses as very harsh professionals and promiscuous individuals. What would you say concerning this?

Nurse Oladimeji: Because it is a female dominating profession, The ancient nurses, (senior colleagues ), brought culture and religion into it, (man/husband is the head if the family), and because many of them married doctors they did a lot of "yes sir", carrying gallipots around, files around and following them like inferior or juniors in the ward. Of course, patients on admission would have seen that and would pass the gist on to another person hence the general public got to believe that.

Basically, lack of professionalism!!!
Lack of professionalism is one of the reasons they say we are harsh too, and the fact that nurses are overworked stressed and sometimes frustrated, (they take the heat of almost everything in the hospital), and the harsh treatment of patients.

What I will say is that Nurses should maintain a high level of professionalism at all times, get good communication skills, interpersonal skills and emotional an intelligence skill.
I hope I am not talking too much.

FNA: Not at all. How do you see nursing in 5 years?
Nurse Oladimeji: If we all get good academic qualifications, get involved in politics, ace our professionalism game, i see us taking grounds.

FNA: What are your goals in life?
Nurse Oladimeji: Know God more, be strong, do exploits, (fulfil purpose ), and make heaven.

FNA: What is your advice to young nurses and aspiring nurses?
Nurse Oladimeji: Whatever you find your hands doing, be diligent as if you are doing it for God. Equip yourself professionally and academically. Get involved.

FNA: We the team of FNA really appreciate your responses and time. Thank you.

We wish you best of luck in your career and journey as the sent nurse.

Nurse Oladimeji: My pleasure.

You can follow Nurse Oladimeji on her social media platforms

Instagram: @thesentnurse

Facebook: Adenike Oladimeji Thesentnurse

Twitter: @thesentnurse

Drop a comment if you agree with the sent nurse's response.
Suggest the next person we can interview on this forum.   

Nurses lament bitterly on how there are no nursing opportunities in Nigeria, which is about 50% true.

Nursing is versatile, more versatile than medicine, yet nursing has been crippled in Nigeria. Nurses are in demand in a variety of specialisation and work settings.

Nurses can choose to specialise in different department.
  - pediatric
  -  travel
  - orthopedic
  - obstetrics
  - neurological
  - barrier nurses
  - international nurses
  - theatre nurse

Those are the most popular nursing specialization I have always heard, and seen people around get involved in.

Nursing in Nigeria is gradually becoming a thing of the misplaced priority.
Nursing has too many battles to fight, and it is lame to stand on it feet, to fight a good battle.
While a campaign is done on quackery in nursing, another war is arising between nurses and patient's relative, then the government gives a rule that constraints nurses and the other medical team see nurses as inferior persons.

I have seen few nurses who bagged their certificate in notable schools, settle for trading. They simply put behind the nobility of the profession to sit in a shop because the pay from nursing is too small to keep their budget.

While we complain about bad government, disunity in the nursing profession and enmity between nurses and the other team mates is another thing nurses must look into.
Should I let you know that nurses have the biggest share in this problems
It is true that there are no nursing opportunities in Nigeria? Which simply means, if you are not a bedside nurse, you will be a school nurse, and that ends it.

There are different opportunities around us, that we have failed to open our eyes to.
  - Social Nurse: This type of nurse is mostly seen in advanced countries. I also believe it can happen in Nigeria, it all depends on how well you can project yourself as a nurse.

A social nurse is involved in social service. She is involved in ways to promote health around the public. These are nurses you meet at a social gathering, an event.

A social nurse can work anywhere. She can work alongside with actress, actors, musicians. She gives first aid on a movie set. She advocates for health and helps promote health safety on the movie set.

A social nurse can also be events. An event planner can have an official nurse who follows on events, she prevents hazards, gives first aid and helps save lives.

  - A corporate nurse: As a corporate nurse, you can work in companies, industries. You are not likely to dress in scrub or uniform. You give first aid in case of occupational hazards.

  - A nurse who works in nursing homes: Aside from you working in a nursing homes, you can also have your nursing homes.
Nigeria has few nursing homes and it is highly needed. There are many people who can't cater for their old age at home, a nursing home will do.

If you choose to be a geriatric nurse, working in a nursing home will be the best place for you.

  - Sports nurse: Accident is bond to happen when sports are going on. You have to know about orthopedic nursing, with a bit of mental health. Most athletes are under drugs and likely to fight addictions at a point

  - Home service nurse: For the rich fellows in the country who would prefer to bring doctors to treat then at home. A nurse is needed in places like that. A nurse can also be the permanent nurse to an actress, actor. She is different from the nurse on the ward, though they both follow the same ethics.

With the above points, nursing can live a life of theirs if only they are determined to achieve success.
If you must get to the point of having a job like the ones I listed above, then you must start creating that opportunity for yourself now.

In my next post, I will be teaching basic ways, nurses can create opportunities for themselves.

If you get an offer to work in a nursing home, with a good pay, would you go for it?
How else should nursing opportunities be created in Nigeria?

Temola Oluwagbemiga is a 400L Nursing student and NUNNSA President, Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State

In this interview with Fellow Nurses Africa, he explains the challenges of being a Nursing student in a private university and how he got into Nursing through his mother.
Enjoy....

FNA: Good day Student Nurse, Can we meet you?

Temola: My name is Oluwagbemiga Temola. A student of Achievers University Owo. I live in Ilutitun, Okitipupa LGA

FNA: What is your area of study and level?

Temola: I am a 400level student of the nursing science dept.

FNA: Why did you choose nursing?

Temola: I actually love nursing because my mum is into the profession. The way she's dedicated to it and execute it, without doubt, she's my nursing Heroine.

No matter how long you've been a nurse, the feeling of making a profound difference in someone's life is ALWAYS awesome! Patients, family members, and friends who thank you for doing so can make it even more rewarding. No matter how bad a day at work may be, touching lives and making such a difference makes it all worth it!
Those were the things I saw through her

FNA: These are really great words.
That means you learnt a lot from your mum.
Can you then say that your mum's passion triggered you to go for nursing?

Temola:  Exactly... She's so hardworking and passionate about her Job... And you know, it's not really about the salary she gets from it, but I love the accolades attached to the profession.
The joy of you seeing your works and people are really appreciating you for it

FNA: Very true.
How do you cope with the profession as a male. Most people believe nursing is a female 'thing'
What would you say about male and nursing?

Temola: Yeah... As a student nurse anyway, I feel a bit intimidated with the nature of nursing in Nigeria, but I learnt it's different at the other side

Well, I have heard other people telling me I should have studied medicine, but I don't believe I should...

I really believe I'm in the right pace...and I really wanna do exploit and great with my nursing. I know what I want... So I don't mind they feminine thought about it

FNA: You sound very confidence about yourself.
How did you scale through in the nursing department of your school to become the President of NUNSA

Temola: I pray I'm not too over confident (laughs)

FNA:  laughs

Temola: well,  I got to know about achievers university through the jingle some days to Christmas, and the school actually resumed the section around October. So after Christmas and new year, my mum and I decided to come. I presented all my credentials and I was told to go back home, that I should keep to my mail

In short, I fully resumed the section January about two weeks to test. As at then there's only one level for nursing dept as we're the first set
So by 100level 2nd semester, our then H. O. D spoke to the class rep, that he would like us to conduct a mini election that he wouldnt like to run a dept without student unionism. So the course rep went back and there's was a mini election conducted, and I was chosen as the president up till date

FNA: So, you had no rival or godfather or even had to do a campaign to get elected.
It must be that you are brilliant then.

Temola: Yeah... Really I don't have... I felt it wasn't about being brilliant. I feel I am just graced to be the president

FNA: What do you love about nursing?

Temola: I love the history anyway, the nightingale, the deaconess phoebe, the daughters of charity of saint, theodor fliedner and his wife, and the likes
Another thing I love is the care it offers to individual and family

FNA: If you have the power to change nursing in Nigeria?
What part of nursing will you change?

Temola: Oh... I Wanted to actually address a few things. Nevertheless, the aspect of good policy making would be my main target.

Policy that will help nurses operate maximally
Proper monitoring of the hospitals where nurses operate as in senior nurses to tailor the affairs of the junior ones
Clinicians should take whole responsibility of nurses interns and student nurses at the clinical area.

FNA: How do you see nursing in Nigeria in the next 5 years?

Temola: Smiles... Well I  don't think I have the knowledge, I'm just a 400level student. All I can do is to keep our profession in prayers and hope are were exactly or above where we ought to be🤣🤣

FNA: I observed that NUNSA Achievers Chapter is about to elect a new president.
What criteria would you advice nursing students to look out for before voting for a candidate?

Temola: Hmmmm, Unionism in a private institution 🤔. Well... I will only advice my fellow colleagues to elect a charismatic leader. That's all

FNA: You just sounded diplomatic. Before I end this interview.
Kindly tell us what is your dream in life?

Temola: Umm I think explaining details of my dream is not an good idea. I have so many dreams, but the best of them all is to have a happy life and family.

FNA: What can you tell nursing students and aspiring nurses?

Temola: To know the reason for coming into or studying the profession. I will simply advice

FNA: Nurse Oluwagbemiga, it was nice having you on this show. We the team of FNA appreciate you a lot, and we wish you best of luck in your nursing profession

Temola: It's my pleasure.

Building Researchers in Nursing Profession - A Case of Nigeria's Foremost Institute of Nursing Research.




Research has been known to be one of the bedrocks of sustainable growth and development in any society and profession. This, with all intent and purpose has been the pursuit of Institute of Nursing Research in Nigeria. So, what looked like one of the biggest glows in the dark dropped into the Nursing world recently when the profession's foremost Institute of Research organised its 4th online class to simplify the existentiality of literature review for members of the profession. 

The literature review class which took place over the course of 2 weeks had seasoned researchers and academics taken participants in different aspects of literature review, the soul of every notable research. The class which had people from far and wide from across the country and beyond had participants gravitating for more and expressing their conceit and confidence in literature review writing at the end.

In interview sessions with some of the participants by Fellow Nurses Africa, some of the participants had these to say:


In her words, Nnokwe Chioma, a nursing officer from Federal Medical Center, Owerri said - "the whole 2-week experience was a splendid one, I really learnt as the class met my expectations."

Olowookere Jane, a nursing officer from Federal Medical Center, Owo who learnt about the class on the national telegram page of National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives said that she wasn't expecting much initially as the class was the first online course she would took part in. She said that the techniques in writing literature reviews and search for literature reviews online were her most difficult aspect of literature review. She however said that she had learnt a lot from the class and she's more confident in taking on research studies. 

When interviewed, Nurse Doreen Mbara, a public health nurse and a principal nursing officer with Imo State Local Government Service Commission said she knew about the class through the coordinator of Imo State research team.  She said the passion she has always had for research made her took part in the class, describing her 2-week experience as educating and enlightening, she advised the organizers to look into time factor for subsequent editions. 

Going further, Nurse Mohammed Labaran from Federal Medical Center, Katsina said the class had sharpened his skills in research. He was however hopeful that the institute would organise another class soon. 

A medical doctor from The Caribbean Island of St. Vincent and The Grenadines by the name Elizabeth Dairo described the class as amazing said the class met her expectations. 

Odedina Tumininu, a student at Sacred Heart School of Nursing, Lantoro, Abeokuta who is addicted to learning new things said he learnt about the class on a whatsapp platform said the class was 100% worth it. 

Also, Olaleye Elizabeth from Oyo State College of Nursing and Midwifery had this to say:
"when I was writing the literature review for my project, I saw beyond heaven, I was so frustrated. When I saw the class memo, I was eager to know what was frustrating me then." Describing the class experience as awesome, said that if not for time constraint, she would have loved to rewrite the literature review of her project. 

One of the board members for Fellow Nurses Africa, Adenike Oladimeji said that she never liked research methodology as a course in school but the literature review class made it so simple and interesting that she felt like the 2-week course had prepared her very well to conduct a research.

Richard Success, a student from Sheperd University, Benin Republic who got to know about the class on Facebook said she had problems getting correct information due to the bias of some researchers. She said she had learnt how to write a research properly. 

One of the resource fellow at the institute, Owoeye Isaiah, a nurse educator at school of psychiatric nursing, Aro, Abeokuta said his penchant for nursing research was a driving force that made him join the team of intellectuals in the institute. A facilitator during the class, he facilitated the theme : "WRITING A GOOD LITERATURE REVIEW: TECHNIQUES, SKILLS AND PITFALLS" said his expectations was that at the end of the class, participants would be able to engage in activities involved in literature review without stress. He was undoubtful that his expectations would be met. 

Among many others that were interviewed, the class was described in highfalutin languages by the participants as encomiums were showered on the organizers. At the end of the 2-week course, certificates were issued to participants at the end of the class with compilations of the lectures in PDF format. Members of the public interested in learning more about literature review can get the PDF from the institute at a subsidised price. 


Ogunleye Ayodeji for Fellow Nurses Africa. 

Nigeria's health care system is built on inequity which has contributed to lack of public and private sector.

Nursing is an evolving profession.
According to Zig Ziglar, "whatever your passion, get involved in it at a level that is bigger than you are"

Having a passion for nursing is much different from get involved in wonderful works around the profession. One of the ways yo get involved in a greater force is to participate in nursing events around you.

One of which is the:
2018 ANNUAL NURSING CONFERENCE (LCC NSG 2018)

SEPTEMBER 24TH-26TH 2018VENUE: SHEBA HALL, IKEJA

HOLISTIC NURSING IN CANCER CARE: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
OBJECTIVES OF THIS CONFERENCE:

EMPOWERING NURSES IN MANAGEMENT  AND PRACTICE

SETTING THE PACE IN NURSING LEADERSHIP
IMPACT OF NURSING RESEARCH IN CANCER CARE

FAMILY SUPPORT AND CANCER CARE
ROLE OF THE NURSE IN PALLIATIVE CARE AND BEREAVEMENT PROCESS

NETWORK WITH OTHER NURSES AND LOTS OF INTERRACTIVE SESSIONS

PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE
NURSING INFORMATICS

NURSING ETHICS AND THE LAW
AWARDING OF CERTIFICATES AND CREDIT UNITS

SPEAKERS
Mr Emmanuel Udontre
Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria

Mrs Achomadu Chiji
EKO hospitals

Mrs Julie Magbo
Family Bond Expert

Mrs Shonibare Dorcas
Director of Nursing Services, LASUTH

Mrs Shode O
Retired ADNS, LASUTH

Ms Abigail Simon-Hart
Cancer Advocate/Survivor
BRICON Foundation

Dr Asuzu
University College Hospital, Ibadan

Mrs Owums Henrietta 

Lagos State University Teaching Hospital

Emeribe Uchenna Iroh
Lakeshore Cancer Center, Victoria Island

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"Nursing, no doubt is a fulfilling career" Ajah Kingsley says

Nothing gives a Nurse more joy than seeing a patient return hale and hearty to his family and business after a lengthy  stay at the hospital.
Knowing that a  once critical patient still  draws breath as a result of your efforts gives fulfilment.

With each day that dawns, you know you are going to touch a life and make a difference in someone else's life, whether it's in the emergency room, operating room, intensive care unit, out patient unit, labor ward, surgical suite or any other part of the hospital where health care is rendered.

However, despite the volume of satisfaction Nurses derive from providing care and reliving patient's distress, undeniable is the fact that Nurses experience burn out due to the rigorous and demanding nature of the job.

The sleepless night duties, the 8-12hours shifts, the increasing work load,having to deal with manipulative and abusive patients, the staff shortage, the high expectations, the low motivation, working without break periods, the work place tension, unsupportive management, the death of a patient whom you are emotionally attached to and the strained interpersonal relationship with coworkers such as head Nurses, Doctors and other hospital staff can even cause psychological distress leading to physical, emotional and mental exhaustion.

Some days you smile home, other days you are overwhelmed, overworked, underappreciated, worn out and even feel useless to yourself and family after the day's job as you are too tired and stressed up to do other things or even help out with home chores .

Nobody cares whether your fiancée broke up with you last night or if you have personal issues that are eating you up, as long as you are a Nurse, you are always expected to remain cheerful and pretend like everything is okay because patients shouldn't see you at your worst .

Most Nurses ignore their own health in the course of their duty. It's not uncommon to see Nurses work overtime even when exhausted especially if they are emotionally attached to the patient in question.

An exhausted Nurse is a dangerous Nurse! When a Nurse burns out:

√ medication errors occur
√ documentation errors happen
√malpractice tends to increase(just get ready for litigations and to lose your license)
√ attention and concentration are impaired
√ poor  clinical decisions are made
√ bedside manners are lost
√ inadequate standard of care is rendered
√ Nurse performance reduces
√ He/she  tends to become cold,rude,insensitive, impatient and easily irritated .
√ Patient's outcome and satisfaction depreciates
√ Nurse - patient relationship suffers.

Fellow Nurses, I know Nursing school taught us to always make patients our priority but it's time to learn how to put yourself first. There is no way you can efficiently and effectively  care for a patient when you are physically depleted, emotionally drained and mentally exhausted.

Nursing will still continue even if you wear out, get stressed up, breakdown, burn out and die. So take care of your health so you can take care of others.

Love yourself enough, learn healthy ways to manage your emotions and cope with stress.
Get enough sleep, confide in someone if you are having a bad day.
Know how to delegate and always take short breaks in other to relax and refresh if the shift turns out rough and tough.

I know we are burning with passion to serve humanity but an exhausted Nurse is a dangerous Nurse.

#KINGSpiration
#share_your_stories
#inspire_others

About the author: AJAH KINGSLEY IFEANYICHUKWU

From Afikpo, Ebonyi state.

Graduated from School of Nursing, Mater Misericordia Hospital, Afikpo, Ebonyi state

You can add him on Facebook @Amb Kings

My mum used to say you meet your spouse where you are. Even for those who met on social media, they still met their spouse on a site they belonged to. So if you don't meet your spouse as an undergraduate, in church, at NYSC camp or PPA, at internships. You would likely meet your spouse on the ward, either as a patient who came for check up, a patient's relative, the doctor or a laboratory technician.

Knowing that you can meet our spouse anywhere, we tend on switch on our relationship WiFi so you can get connected to single ladies or men. You also know that not all relationship leads to marriage, but what happens in the relationship affects each partners.

It is not news that nurses and doctors go into relationships with one another. Either it is a relationship heading somewhere or a relationship where it is for sexual ecstasy.

Romance on the ward might look appealing because you and your colleague have a lot in common. Especially on days your favorite doctor is on call, and lucky he turns out to be your ideal man. You get to know each other on subsequent calls, you begin to chip in things about yourself, ask questions about him.

I have seen few doctors and nurses relationship gone bad, while few in this generation have been successful. It is either the relationship was never defined at the beginning or it was defined and the doctor turned out to be engaged with another lady.

Having a romantic relationship with a doctor draws attention to you and in no time it becomes the headline on the hospital's latest. Here are few things you should know about romance on the ward.

- Dating at work helps you get over pressures of the job. We all know how tiring nursing can be, with emergencies and funny patient. You can have tough times at work, with a patient case and your handsome doctor will turn out to be of help because of the thing going on between you two.

  - If you are in a romantic relationship with a doctor or nurse, it becomes difficult to leave work at work. You end up turning a date into a ward round discussion or turn a chat to clerking.

  - To enjoy your relationship, you must ask questions.
Could it be flirting?
Does he want something better?
Does he respect you both as his partner and a nurse?
How does he react when you argue with him on terms of a patient's case?
What does he do when you refuse to carry out his medical plans because you feel it is not right to?

These are questions that will help you know who he is, what he is up to and how well you both can cope with your relationship alongside with work.

In case the relationship goes bad, it becomes the nurse's shame and not the doctor's shame. To avoid being the talked about.
  - Keep relationship at home
  - Act as colleagues at work
Don't follow him all around during hospital hours to the point of allowing patients know that there is something going on between you.

  - Make sure you know who he is and what you are up for. If the relationship turns bad, it can be a source of sexual harassment and assault for you. If you are the one who left the relationship, he might try touching you in places you don't like on the ward.

The beauty of love is not been talked about by other nurses in the hospital, rather having a man or woman that loves you and is ready to pull through every odds for you. A man/woman who loves will love your profession and help you achieve greater heights in it.

Do you think it is ideal to go into a relationship with a doctor in your hospital?

I was with a group of young nurses and everyone talked about their fantasies and desires on fashion and trends. One of them said she would love to get a golden braid on her head with the hair length reaching her waist.

She said she loves long hairs and I can testify to the fact that she has always been on long braids since I met her. Then we digressed into the modern day nurse. The modern day nurse in blue scrub, on canvas and long braids.

We concluded that nursing has taken so much of the Nigerian culture, which is why so many hospitals and patients complain when a young nurse tries to do otherwise.

Nursing ethics is a branch of applied ethics that concerns itself with activities in the field of nursing.

Below are list of nursing ethics that has to do with fashion, styles and dress code:
  - Fingernail polish is not allowed in clinical areas. This will prevent the nurse from working in a sterile environment. Long nails can transfer infections from a patient to another patient.

  - The use of jewelry such as multiple earrings, dangling earrings, nose rings or body ornaments are not permitted.
Plain wedding or engagement rings and little earrings are permitted

  - Hairstyle must be packed neatly and above collar. For male nurses, moustache and beards must be short and well trimmed.

  - A nurse must dress smart, work smart and walk smart.

With the above ethics listed, can a nurse weave her hair with a coloured attachment, like a blue, yellow or green attachment?
Can a nurse have tattoos on her hands or legs?
Can a nurse wear a shoe that is different from black on her white uniform?

To answer the above questions, you must agree with me that the dress code of nurses in each hospitals differ from each other, although it is same in all school of nursing.

If your hospital permits you to wear a white shoe on your white uniform, or a brown shoe? You must have discussed that during your interview.

As nurses we all must note that our dress code provides physical and emotional safety for patients, while allowing nurses as much personal freedom and comfort as possible.
Some individuals would never trust you if you dress shabbily as a nurse.
Wives will not trust their husband's health with you if you dress in a skimpy and tight nursing uniform.

These brings me to ask these questions.
- How well can patients identity the nurses who are responsible for their care?
  - What are patients perceptions of the nurses' professionalism?
  - How do patients prefer to identity nurses?
  - What manner of dress for nurses do patients prefer?

The above questions can either be asked by the hospital management to set a dress code scale for their nurses or can be asked by the nurse herself.

I will never dispute the fact that individuality is different from professionalism.
I like short hair, because I find it difficult to style my hair myself. Albeit, I like brown hairs, afros, and low cut.

Whenever I want to make my hair, I make hair that will be 'packable', not because the hospital makes it compulsory but because I am creating an impression in the heart of my patients that I am a good nurse.

Nursing dress code is wide and becoming controversial in our modern world as different nurses wants to create their own code of dressing.
I believe strongly that nursing ethics is universal, and no nurse will want her fashioned mind to create problems for her patients rather than solutions.

What is your opinion about the use of coloured weavon as a nurse?

Do you think it is right to use a white attachment or blue as a nurse?

WHO shared their database on immunization, vaccines. They shared the global immunization coverage levels on their twitter handle.

Photo credit: WHO twitter handle

Globally, 85% of children have been vaccinated with the first dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday through routine health services and 67% with a second dose. 167 countries have included a second dose of measles vaccine as part of their routine vaccination schedule.

Nevertheless, coverage levels remain well short of the WHO recommended measles immunization coverage of at least 95% to prevent outbreaks, avert preventable deaths and achieve regional elimination goals. 

162 countries now use rubella vaccines and global coverage increased from 35% in 2010 to 52% in 2017, which represents an additional 25 million children vaccinated in 2017 compared to 2010. This is a major step towards reducing the occurrence of congenital rubella syndrome, a devastating condition that results in miscarriages, hearing impairment, congenital heart defects and blindness, among other life-long disabilities.

Newly available vaccines are being added as part of the life-saving vaccination package – such as those to protect against meningitis, malaria and even Ebola. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract, and can cause cervical cancer, other types of cancer, and genital warts in both men and women. In 2017, the HPV vaccine was introduced in 80 countries. 

On the other hand, vaccines to prevent against major killers of children such as rotavirus, a disease that causes severe childhood diarrhoea, and pneumonia have been around for over a decade. But the use of rotavirus and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) is lagging behind. In 2017, global coverage was only 28% for rotavirus and 44% for PCV. Vaccination against both these diseases has the potential to substantially reduce deaths of children under 5 years of age, a target of the Sustainable Development Goals.

17 countries had transitioned out from Gavi financial support by the end of 2017. Out of these, 7 countries have achieved at least 90% coverage by for DTP3 at the national level.

With the above immunization coverage, can we boldly say that the world is becoming a better place for health care services?

The trauma area at my hospital is similar to thousands of others. When a patient with a gunshot wound or a motor vehicle accident arrives, a bed is prepped, the right supplies are on hand, and up to 20 nurses, respiratory therapists and physicians are ready to spring into action.

There is one difference: The leader of our trauma team now wears an orange vest.

The easy-to-spot garment, called the trauma team leader identification vest, clearly identifies who’s in charge. It’s a simple yet effective innovation created by a nurse after a hectic gunshot trauma simulation, in which a huddle of highly stressed emergency room staff members spoke over one another and there were no clear roles. In particular, no one knew who was leading the trauma code. The orange vest became routine part of emergency care at our hospital earlier this year, and the trauma team reports it has helped clarify who’s in charge and strengthened communication among members.

The innovation also illustrates why hospitals should support novel ideas by all members of the health care team. Health providers are good problem solvers, and because they work in the hospital and other health care settings are uniquely positioned to come up with fresh solutions to health care problems.

In recent years, a growing number of health care workers have been stepping up to create innovations by applying “design thinking” – a human-centered approach that was originally developed in the business world to create new products. Traditionally, hospitals were designed with input from administrators. With design thinking, the innovations come from those who actually work there, providing feedback to designers to improve the final product. A 2016 report that looked at ways in which a health system can implement design thinking identified three principles behind the approach: empathy for the user, in this case a patient, doctor or other health care provider; the involvement of an interdisciplinary team; and rapid prototyping of the idea. To develop a truly useful product, a comprehensive understanding of the problem the innovation aims to solve is paramount.

“Design thinking is useful for when we need a paradigm shift, for instance when something is fundamentally broken about a service,” said Thomas Fisher, one of the authors of the report and the director of the Minnesota Design Center at the University of Minnesota. “It allows for the creative, multidisciplinary thinking around solving the issue.”

At Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, where Dr. Bon Ku serves as director of the Jefferson Health Design Lab, medical students, nurses, doctors and other hospital personnel are given the freedom to design, manufacture and prototype their ideas, which they can then present back to the hospital. One of the innovations the lab has fostered is a new pediatric pain scoring system called CareCube.

Normally, patients are asked to rate their pain on a score of 1 to 10. But health care workers at the university recognized that a toylike object could be at once both more inviting and more effective for children. Each of the six sides of the cube has a facial expression, such as a frown or a grimace, that corresponds to established pain scores. When asked about their pain levels, children in the hospital can simply take the cube and point to a face, which helps the nurse decide if their pain is being managed well.

This year, Dr. Ku, an emergency medicine doctor, and his colleagues introduced a course that pairs medical students with architecture students. The group is using design thinking to develop a digital mapping tool that uses GPS-like software to understand how patients, doctors and nurses move about and interact in the emergency room, with the aim of improving communication and decreasing wait times.

A design thinking approach was used by a group of researchers at McGill University in Montreal, who found that the closer a sink was to a patient with Clostridium difficile, a hard to treat and highly contagious hospital infection, the more likely hospital workers were to wash their hands after seeing the patient. The lead author of that study, Dr. Yves Longtin, says that to improve hand-washing rates, most clinical care at their hospital has been moved to a newer part of the building, where sinks are installed within plain sight.

ealth care workers may also invite patients to the health innovation table. At the University of Michigan, Dr. Joyce Lee, a designer turned physician, is a co-leader of an interdisciplinary collaborative calledHealth Design By Us. The group supported a patient-designed mobile system for diabetes management that grew out of the work of one young patient’s father who was looking for easier ways to monitor and report his child’s glucose levels. The system, called Nightscout, attaches to the patient’s glucose monitor and transmits digital readings to the cloud, where they can be easily accessed through a phone, tablet or smartwatch to ultimately guide clinical decisions in real time.

Online communities that support innovation are also springing up. Dr. Diana Anderson, an architect who went on to get a medical degree, was a co-founder in 2016 of Clinicians for Design, an international network of health care providers. The group offers online discussions as well as workshops and digital resources, with a focus on improving health care delivery and the hospital’s physical layout.

When I think of something as basic as a bright orange vest, it amazes me that such a simple and inexpensive idea from an experienced nurse could lead to improvements in how real trauma cases are handled. By fostering simple innovations through design thinking in hospitals, we can tackle many challenges in the hospital in new ways, saving both dollars and lives.

Amitha Kalaichandran, M.H.S., M.D. (@DrAmithaK), is a resident physician and journalist based in Toronto.