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Nursing Students’ Association of New York

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Stat Newsletter
Winter 2018 Issue

Letter from the President

In This Issue:
L eadership isn’t about where you end up, it is
about where you take other people because
of your inspiration. Being a leader entails work
Leadership 1

and dedication that can’t be given a value until Internships 2-3

you experience it yourself. I have SUNYPSNA,
Student Life 4
NSANYS, and NSNA to thank for my leadership
success and professional development. Over the 4
Contact Us
course of three years I’ve been School President,
State President, and National Board of Director Community Health 5
Member.
Nursing Specialty 6
If you asked me then if I would be where I am now, I would say
yes. If you had asked me then if I would be where I am now, or if I 7
STAT Flyer
thought I was already a great leader and I had answered ‘Yes’ to them,
then I would be wrong. With leadership comes willingness to listen to Board of Directors 8
others, to openly communicate without stereotypes or prior judge-
ments, and to always be able to take criticism—good or bad—with
stride. If you asked me three years ago if I had these qualities— if I
was being honest—I would’ve said no. My involvement in student run
nursing organizations has created a different person in me. Someone
I am very proud of. I’ve become the leader that once inspired me.
NSANYS was and is my chance to be that leader.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our Annual Convention

on February 24 th in New York City, where you’ll learn how tomor-
row, begins with you.
Sincerely,
Annie Nelson
President, Nursing Students’ Association of New York State
 Internships

SICU Experience at Stony Brook

Written By Lindsay Roblyer

Stony Brook University

D uring the summer of 2017, I was fortunate enough to

partake in a nursing internship in Stony Brook Univer-
sity Hospital’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU). Through-
out the 10 weeks, I worked under an experienced Registered
Nurse for 3, 12-hour shifts a week. Due to the extensive time
I was afforded, I was able to gain both an understanding of
the nurse’s aid role as well as the role of the RN. This experi-
ence was beneficial in practicing my skills learned in nurs-
ing school, but it also shaped the way I look at patients and
their families. These patients were often brought in due to
some trauma they’d experienced and were in a great deal of
pain. One traumatic case I remember was of a young kid
who ended up passing away right in front of me, with the
whole family in the room as well. This was the first death of
a patient I had experienced and taught me how as nurses,
we are not just taking care of patients, we are taking care of
their families.
When a family member’s loved one is sick or injured, it hurts them too. Therapeutic communica-
tion, and just being present with the families is just as important in nursing as our clinical skills.
I would highly encourage anyone who is in nursing school to apply for an internship if they are
able. The lessons learned are invaluable, and I know I will take what I have learned into my future
career as an RN.

2 STAT Newsletter Winter 2018

Student Nurse Program At Bellevue Hospital
Written By Evelin Gonzalez
Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing

T he Margaret Whitehorne Student Nurse Program at Bellevue

hospital is an amazing opportunity to practice our clinical
nursing skills. Bellevue’s staff is very welcoming that they allow
students to keep participating in the clinical experience. Nursing
students work under the supervision and alongside a registered
nurse on the unit of their choice. Students have the chance to
pick from the variety of specialties and units offered at the facil-
ity. I volunteered in this program in the summer of 2016 on the
pediatric intensive care unit and in the labor and delivery unit in
the summer of 2017.

I definitely enjoyed volunteering at Bellevue because I felt like I

walked away with a real-world nursing experience that increased
my knowledge about certain conditions the patients presented
and how to properly respond to those situations. The amazing
thing about this program is that you have the advantage of ob-
taining more hands-on experience, the ability to ask questions,
teach clients about their medications, and express therapeutic
communication with the patients. I encourage all who are seek-

STAT Newsletter Winter 2018 3

 Student Life

A Leader, But Also a Mentor

Written By Melinda Alvarado
Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing

M elinda Alvarado is the President of Hunter Bellevue

School of Nursing’s student nurses association. She
provides students with valuable mentoring, as well as tutoring.

As part of Hunter Bellevue School of Nursing, I see my role as

a tutor as multifaceted. I am not only providing my peers with
information but I am able to guide and advise them. I tutorthe
material for Fundamentals and Medical Surgical Nursing
using clinical scenarios and NCLEX style questions in hopes
to prepare them for the future.
My ultimate goal is to give them the confidence they need to take on the challenges that
nursing students face. It is rewarding to see your peers succeed. The only disadvantage to
tutoring is the fact that the preparation is time consuming. This can be stressful around
midterms and finals but I find that as long as I have a plan it is manageable.

Follow us on:

Instagram: @NSANYS

Twitter: @_NSANYS

Facebook: /NSANYS

Our Website: www.nsanys.org

4 STAT Newsletter Winter 2018

 Community Health

Molloy College’s Sigma Theta Tau Chapter

Handwashes with Children
Written By Julia White
Molloy College

O n November 29, 2017, three members of Sigma Theta Tau International went to Lindell Elemen-
tary School in Lido Beach, New York, to give a presentation on handwashing to the second grade
class. STTI members, Brighitie Verastegui, Ana Olivero, and Julia White emphasized the importance of
handwashing, provided demonstrations, and handed out informative packets. The students were highly
interested in the presentation and were very attentive during the demonstration. As part of the Sigma Theta
Tau chapter, the members decided to exercise their leadership roles and educate children within their com-
munity. They decided to focus their teaching in preventing communicable disease in children. Such focus
starts with proper handwashing technique.

T heir first stop took place at Lindell Elementary School in Long Beach with the second grade class con-
sisting of seventy-one children. Brighitie shared her experience by stating, “The students were excited
and participated throughout the entire presentation by asking questions. They were also reinforcing the
information that was taught by teaching other children. We were so pleased to be there and have decided
to continue our teaching presentation with Lindell Elementary’s third grade class on January 19, 2018.”
When asked about her experience, Ana Olivero said, “The students asked questions such as, ‘Where do
germs come from?’ I loved how the children were engaged and raised their hands to participate. They also
provided feedback on our handwashing teaching. The experience enhanced my learning skills by adjusting
my communication skills to a level where the children can understand the message we want to get across. I
hope that the teaching provided the necessary information for the children to practice good hand hygiene
and prevent diseases. I am so grateful for the opportunity provided by Lindell to allow us to share our
knowledge of handwashing.

STAT Newsletter Winter 2018 5

 Nurse Specialty

Perioperative Nursing
Written By Elizabeth Gambo
Molloy College

Who Are They?

Perioperative nurses are involved in preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care of the
patient. They are the patients’ advocates from pre-operative care to post-operative care. The
perioperative nurse can work in hospital surgical departments, ambulatory surgery, clinics, and
physicians’ offices. They act as the liaison between the surgical team and the patient’s family.

Qualities of a Perioperative Roles of the Perioperative

Nurse: Nurse Include:
Team player
Resilience *Circulating Nurse: manage the overall nursing
GREAT assessment skills care in the operating room and help to maintain a
High energy and great attitude safe, comfortable environment
Self-reliant
Good interpersonal skills *Scrub Nurse: select and pass instruments and supplies
Fierce patient advocacy used for the operation
Quick critical thinking skills
*Perianesthesia Nurse/ Recovery Room Nurse: monitor
patients who are recovering from anesthesia and medi-
cal procedures

*RN First Assistant: directly assist the surgeon by con-

trolling bleeding and by providing wound exposure and
suturing during the actual procedure

*Pain Management Nurse: help patients ease and man-

age their pain

For more information:

https://www.aorn.org
http://www.aspan.org

6 STAT Newsletter Winter 2018

 STAT Newsletter Winter 2018 7
 NSANYS 2017-2018 Board Of Directors

Annie Nelson, President

Erica Debobes, Vice President
Paige Denney, Vice President
Alexa Vines, Treasurer
Kezia Varughese, Secretary
Juliet Kim, Communications Director
Helen Pham, Community Health Director
Patrick Wlodkowski, Breakthrough to Nursing Director
Katy Chen, STAT Editor
Elizabeth Gambo, Policy and Education Director
Lindsay Roblyer, Nominations and Electons Chair
Michele Nardi, Regional Director
Paige Michelle, Regional Director
Evelin Gonzalez, Regional Director
Giselle Melendez, MS, RN, Presidential Advisor
Larry Z. Slater, PhD, RN-BC, CCRN, Professional Advisor

STAT Newsletter Winter 2018