WORKING NURSE: Belva, what are your two areas of nursing expertise and where do you perform them?

BELVA GARDNER, RN, BA, MA(ed): I started my nursing career in intensive care and then transferred to surgical step down, which is a monitored (telemetry) unit. I do that type of nursing at Glendale Adventist Medical Center where I have been since 1999 when I was recruited into their RN intern program. Some time later I applied to Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center and they hired me for the mental health campus and trained me to give care to patients with psychiatric problems. I have worked for Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center since 2004.

Well, I am also working on my Master’s Degree in nursing right now, so typically I study in the mornings and then sleep from noon to four before preparing for work. My telemetry shift at Glendale Adventist begins at 6:30pm and ends at 7am the following day. I do this three nights a week. I also work Saturdays in the psych unit at Glendale Adventist. Then, on Sundays after church I head to Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center, their Hawthorne campus, to work at the psych unit there.

I assess my patients, monitor their cardiac status, administer medications, educate the patients and their family members regarding the patient’s disease process and treatment plan, call doctors if necessary regarding changes or patient concerns, and document every abnormal event or any changes in the patient’s condition.

What do your daily tasks involve on the weekends in the psychiatric units?

I assess patients. I talk and listen to them to establish their mental condition for the time they are being assessed. I administer medications. In addition, I lead a support group where patients can discuss issues like depression or simply talk about the other groups and treatments they have attended and how each patient is feeling at the time the group meets.

What challenges do you face in each type of nursing?

In my telemetry specialty and work at Glendale Adventist, the primary challenges I face are related to language barriers and communication issues. The hospital has a heavy concentration of Armenian patients, making it sometimes a challenge to communicate and give the excellent care that the patients deserve and expect without knowing their language. For psych nursing, the challenge is often working with the unpredictability of patients themselves. The patients can have wide mood swings and being prepared for anything when working with psychiatric patients is an important yet challenging aspect of the job.

What are the personal rewards as well as challenges in trying to balance two different specialties at two different hospitals and a very full schedule of nursing and schooling?

I enjoy the diversity of care; I love the idea that I am helping patients on their journey to health restoration whether it is physical or mental. I truly love learning. Being in school just seems like a natural part of my personal journey to improve my skills as a nurse. The challenge is trying to balance school, work, and family. I’ve learned I must implement effective time management skills in order that no area suffers.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

In both specialties and at both hospitals, one of my favorite aspects of the job is the people I work with. I have a great team of coworkers—very nice and caring people. Glendale Adventist also offers some interesting “extras” with the job. I can use my badge to shop at the thrift store and at the gift shop, and to eat meals in the cafeteria.

What can you say about each of these specialties in recommending them to other nurses?

Telemetry nursing makes you a very marketable and valued nurse. It is a versatile specialty. You can float to the ICU or you can float to the medical-surgical units. Being able to float up or down allows you to virtually always be able to find a nursing job or work registry. Psych nursing is rewarding and exciting. The concentration level is quite different from the medical units, but the care and concern for the patients remains the same. With mental illness on the rise, the field of psychiatry is becoming wide open in its need for nurses.

What advice do you have for nurses trying to juggle dual specialties?

Keep a copy of your schedule in your car, home and your locker; get plenty of sleep when you can; eat healthy to keep your energy level up; and do your best at all times.

 

FURTHER REFERENCE

 
Books:

Cardiac Nursing, by Susan L. Woods, Erika Sivarajan Froelicher, Sandra Adams (Underhill) Motzer
Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Understanding the Client As Well As the Condition, by Lawrence E. Frisch and Noreen Cavan Frisch
Basic Concepts of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, by Louise Rebraca Shives
Psychiatric Nursing: Biological and Behavioral Concepts, by Deborah Antai-Otong