Kristen Mauk, Author at Senior Care Central

About Kristen Mauk

President/CEO - Senior Care Central, LLC

Tips for Nursing Students: The Successful Interview

The National League for Nursing and the National Students Nurses’ Association (NSNA)(2012) stated that “although there is a shortage of registered nurses, the economic recession has flooded the RN market with experienced nurses who were retired, planning to retire, or went from part-time to full-time employment. The need for RNs has declined due to low hospital census”. Nursing students graduating today face a competitive employment market. Much of your success at getting the position you want will depend on how well you interview for the job. Follow these steps to be better prepared and increase your chances for a successful interview.

Be prepared

Submit your resume and application in advance, but do not assume that the person interviewing you has read them carefully. Before the interview, think about how you can highlight important aspects of your experience or education. Do some background research on the organization or place to which you are applying.

Familiarize yourself with the key people in authority, especially focusing on the person who will interview you. During the interview you can use this information to establish some common ground. Consider some key areas such as: How large is the organization and/or the unit where you are applying? What population and geographic area do they serve? What expertise do you have to offer that might be valuable to them? For example, if you are applying for a job on an inpatient rehabilitation unit, did you have a course in rehabilitation or do clinical rotations in rehab? If so, be sure to mention this during the interview.

Look professional

Paul Walden, writing on the NSNA website, stated, “appearance and attitude are everything. Dress in professional attire and smile. Make sure you arrive promptly”. Although professional attire may be more casual than it has been in years past, employers still expect an interviewee to look his/her best. This means no blue jeans, shorts, cut-offs, flip-flops, low-cut blouses, miniskirts, overbearing jewelry, or other extremes in attire. Business casual is usually acceptable, but when in doubt, err on the side of dressing more formally in business attire than casual.

Start with a good beginning

Introduce yourself and offer to shake hands with the interviewer while making direct eye contact. Do not sit down until directed to do so. The interviewer controls the interview. Express enthusiasm for the interviewer taking time to speak with you and make a positive comment about the surroundings or reputation of the facility. Smile and convey friendliness, approachability, and confidence. Most nurse managers are looking for a “good fit” in a new employee with their existing staff and unit milieu. Your personality may be as important to the manager as your skill set. Listen for comments made by the interviewer that suggest he/she is seeking someone who will be a team player and then be sure to share ways in which you have successfully blended with similar groups in the past.

Ask thoughtful questions

Have a few thoughtful questions ready to ask. For example: How does the open position fit within the organizational chart? Is there opportunity for gaining additional education? What type of orientation or mentoring do they provide for new nurses? Are there opportunities for advancement? These types of questions show that you are interested in a long-term relationship with the organization and are willing to learn and increase your professional skills. Asking deliberate questions can also help you assess whether or not this job is the right one for you.

Be memorable

You want the person conducting the interview to remember you in a positive light. What sets you apart from others who might be applying for this job? Answering that question in advance will point you in the direction where you need to shine. This might be your engaging personality, strong evaluations from clinical professors, your flexibility or willingness to learn, your experience in another country with service-learning projects, or your good academic performance.

End the interview well

If you were fortunate enough to be given a tour of the unit or facility, be sure to take advantage of any opportunities to greet or interact with staff or patients. The interviewer may be watching to see if you display positive interpersonal skills. Before you leave the interview, be sure that you know how you will be notified if they wish to hire you. Thank the interviewer and shake hands again (if appropriate), expressing your enthusiasm for this wonderful opportunity. If possible, send a follow-up email or thank you note to the interviewer for his/her time and attention. Be sure to continue to display warmth and cordiality as you leave the facility. You never know who may be watching.

Save

By Kristen Mauk|2023-06-30T10:37:45-05:00July 9th, 2023|Dr. Mauk's Boomer Blog, News Posts|Comments Off

Differentiating Dementias: Alzheimer’s, Vascular & Lewy Body: Teepa Snow, OTR/L, FAOTA | MedBridge

By Kristen Mauk|2023-05-30T11:55:38-05:00June 25th, 2023|Dr. Mauk's Boomer Blog, News Posts|Comments Off

Background

This type of cancer occurs mainly in older adults, with an average age at diagnosis of 73 years, with 9 out of 10 cases of bladder cancer diagnosed in persons over age 55. The American Cancer Society (ACS)(2012) reported that over 73,000 cases were diagnosed in 2012 and that this diagnosis rate has been relatively stable over the last 20 years. Men are three times as likely to get cancer of the bladder as women (American Foundation for Urologic Disease, 2008) and the incidence increases with age.

Risk Factors

Risk factors include chronic bladder irritation and cigarette smoking, the latter contributing to over half of cases. Male gender and age are also risk factors.

Warning signs

The classic symptom of bladder cancer is painless hematuria (blood in the urine). Older adults may attribute the bleeding to hemorrhoids or other causes and feel that because there is no pain, it must not be serious.

Diagnosis

Assessment begins with a thorough history and physical. Diagnosis may involve several tests including an intravenous pyelogram (IVP), urinalysis, and cystoscopy (in which the physician visualizes the bladder structures through a flexible fiber-optic scope). This is a highly treatable type of cancer when caught early. In fact, the ACS (2012a ) estimates that there were more than 500,000 survivors of this cancer in 2012.

Treatment

Once diagnosed, treatment depends on the invasiveness of the cancer. Treatments for bladder cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy (ACS, 2012). Specifically, a transurethral resection (TUR) may involve burning superficial lesions through a scope. Bladder cancer may be slow to spread, and less invasive treatments may continue for years before the cancer becomes invasive or metastatic, if ever. Certainly chemotherapy, radiation, and immune (biological) therapy are other treatment options, depending on the extent of the cancer.

Immune/biological therapy includes Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) wash, an immune stimulant that triggers the body to inhibit tumor growth. BCG treatment can also be done after TUR to inhibit cancer cells from re-growing. Treatments are administered by a physician directly into the bladder through a catheter for 2 hours once per week for 6 or more weeks (Mayo Clinic, 2012a). The patient may be asked to lay on his/her stomach, back, and or sides throughout the procedure. The patient should drink plenty of fluids after the procedure and be sure to empty the bladder frequently. In addition, because the BCG contains live bacteria, the patient should be taught that any urine passed in the first six 6 hours after treatment needs to be treated with bleach: One cup of undiluted bleach should be placed into the toilet with the urine and allowed to sit for 15 minutes before flushing (Mayo Clinic, 2012a).

If the cancer begins to invade the bladder muscle, then removal of the bladder (cystectomy) is indicated to prevent the cancer from spreading. Additional diagnostic tests will be performed if this is suspected, including CT scan or MRI. Chemotherapy and/or radiation may be used in combination with surgery. When the cancerous bladder is removed, the person will have a urostomy, a stoma from which urine drains into a collection bag on the outside of the body, much like a colostomy does. Bleeding and infection are two major complications after surgery, regardless of type, whether a TUR or cystectomy is performed. Significant education of the patient related to intake/output, ostomy care, appliances, and the like is also indicated.

For more information on Bladder Cancer, visit National Cancer Institute at:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/bladder/

Adapted from Mauk, K. L., Hanson, P., & Hain, D. (2014). Review of the management of common illnesses, diseases, or health conditions. In K. L.
Mauk’s (Ed.) Gerontological Nursing: Competencies for Care. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Used with permission.

Save

By Kristen Mauk|2023-03-31T19:33:41-05:00April 26th, 2023|Dr. Mauk's Boomer Blog, News Posts|Comments Off

My not-bucket List

Some people, when they get to be my age, make a bucket list – that is, those activities they would like to do before they die. Well, I decided to make a list of the things I don’t ever care to do and am happy that I haven’t done…so here is my short not-bucket list:

Go sky diving. While this might be one many people’s bucket list, I have no desire to go skydiving. I just can’t imagine that the euphoria at having survived jumping out of plane and relying on a parachute for my life would ever override the sheer terror of the falling feeling. In fact, I would probably have a heart attack and die of fright on the way down.

Own a snake. I hate snakes and would never call one a pet. I would always be worried that it would escape and I would find it in my shoes one day all dried up, or worse yet, that it would curl up in the shower or hide in my closet. A big snake might eat my little dog or cat. Snakes seem like tricky creatures that would give me nightmares. Nope, no snakes for me.

Smoke a cigarette. No, I have never smoked a cigarette. In fact, when I was about 8 years old and my Dad was once smoking a cigar, which he did only occasionally (being more of a pipe man himself), I wanted to be like him and try a smoke. Dad said okay, and told me to take a big deep breath to inhale that delicious cigar smoke. As you might imagine, the fitful coughing after that one drag, combined with his laughter, cured me of ever wanting to smoke anything – thus Dad’s lesson. He did, however, teach me great technique in stuffing his pipe, though not smoking one!

Go bungee jumping. Even if we set aside all the health hazards of having your hips and knees nearly yanked out of their sockets, your pelvis twisted and jolted, or the risks of having a stroke from all the blood rushing to your brain as you hang upside down, this is not appealing at all to me. Those with hiatal hernias or GERD should not put this on their bucket list. Similar to my feelings about sky diving, I just would not trust that the bungee cord would be strong enough or short enough to make it worth the thrill. Even with a go-pro camera to record the event, I’m sure that my screaming would overshadow any future comedic home movies that would come from it.

Get drunk. I can’t see the attraction of getting drunk and not remembering what you did the night before. I guess that it makes for funny big screen movies, but vomiting all over the carpet and having to clean it up the next day when sober just doesn’t make it onto my list of anything remotely resembling fun. Besides, if I ever got inebriated, I would probably be found dancing on a table in a nightclub, make the evening news, and embarrass my kids to death.

Get a kidney stone. I have already had one kidney stone and they are definitely not fun. I don’t care to have another, so I drink plenty of water throughout the day. It is true what they say, that the pain can be excruciating and intractable. Kidneys stones should be on the “avoid at all costs” list of everyone.

So, what’s on your not bucket list?

By Kristen Mauk|2021-11-30T16:27:39-05:00December 12th, 2021|Dr. Mauk's Boomer Blog, News Posts|Comments Off

Resolve To Be A Healthier You

Most of us have New Year’s resolutions. One of my new goals for 2020 is to age better. Andrew Weil, MD, in his bestseller Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being (2005) said, “to age gracefully requires that we stop denying the fact of aging and learn and practice what we have to do to keep our bodies and minds in good working order through all the phases of life” (p. 7). You may well ask, “how does one do that”? For me, it means actually practicing what I preach. We are fortunate today to have so much research and information on aging that we can pinpoint some specific areas that are common to successful aging. I have taught these to numerous students and groups of older adults, but it wasn’t until I joined the over 50 age group that this knowledge seemed more personally applicable. So, let me share with you five keys that both scientists and the oldest old persons in our society have found contribute to healthy aging.

Have a positive attitude towards life. This includes having good coping skills and being able to deal with grief and loss appropriately. Most centenarians will say that you should always having something to look forward to. Make a list of places you want to travel this year, vacations to take, people you need to visit, or things that need to be fixed around the house. Then start to cross them out as you do them, and bask in your accomplishments.

Maintain key relationships. These include having a stable marriage and/or being involved in a religious or social community. In George Vaillant’s book Aging Well (2002), he reported the results of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. Generativity, or selfless investment in others (including the next generation), was found to be the best predictor of a long and happy marriage. Likewise, studies show that older persons who affiliate with a religious organization, such as attending church regularly, report better health and better social support systems, and tend to remain independent longer.

Maintain a healthy weight through proper nutrition. Eat a diet with plenty of fiber, fruits, vegetables and water. Limit saturated fats, salt, processed foods, and less useful calories from alcohol or sugary drinks.

Stay active. Physically, do some moderate exercise on most days of the week. For persons who are older and unable to do strenuous activity, remember that regular daily chores that include continuous motion such as doing laundry, gardening, or cleaning house can count as exercise and can also be spread throughout the day to accumulate the recommended 30 minutes of activity. If able, brisk walking is highly recommended. Keep your mind active as well. Resolve to take up a new hobby such as a craft, learning to play an instrument, or studying a foreign language. Working puzzles, playing cards, and reading are also good ways to stimulate your brain function and keep your memory sharp.

Avoid negative behaviors such as overeating or drinking too much alcohol. Adopt an attitude of “everything in moderation”. Don’t smoke, and if you do smoke, stop. Sadie Delany (1994) at over 100 years of age wrote in her book Having Our Say, “so you want to live to be 100. Well, start with this: No smoking, no drinking, no chewing” (p. 11).

Resolve with me to age more gracefully during 2020 and let’s see how we do. Do you have any secrets of healthy aging that have worked for you or your parents/grandparents? Please share them with us.

By Kristen Mauk|2020-12-23T13:47:08-05:00December 24th, 2020|Dr. Mauk's Boomer Blog, News Posts|Comments Off

Previous 789 Next