杏吧原创

(Butler, PA) 杏吧原创 registered nursing students from eight western Pennsylvania counties will present to the public and to employers their findings about 14 health care topics Dec. 6 on 杏吧原创鈥檚 main campus in Butler Township.

Sixty-five students who expect to graduate in May from the two-year , career program instructed on 杏吧原创鈥檚 main campus will discuss their evidence-based practice research from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the lobby of the 25,000-square-foot .

Presentations in 杏吧原创鈥檚 17-month-old state-of-the-art facility are part of the college鈥檚 70-credit selective-admissions program and are free and open to the public.

Health care topics will include prevention methods for reducing anxiety in children for medical procedures, the effects of hypnotherapy during labor and pediatric obesity.

Employers 鈥渁re going to walk around and they are going to want to see what type of speakers the students are,鈥� said Dr. Jessica Bronder, director of nursing in 杏吧原创鈥檚 Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health. 鈥淎ll students are required to speak during their presentations. We realize this is the first big project they may have had in which they have to speak before people. We want to see them think outside the box and not just use a poster or read from a paper.鈥�

Alarm fatigue among presentations

Students began to research topics in September, Bronder said.

鈥淭he main purpose is to determine whether there was a problem in health care,鈥� Bronder said, 鈥渁nd what has been done to fix it.鈥�

The 鈥渟ystematic approach to problem-solving鈥� may appeal to employers, Bronder said, 鈥渂ecause it takes the clinical experience mixed with critical-thinking skills, appropriate and efficient research, proper documentation and intertwines everything together.鈥�

Additional topics include how pet therapy can improve mental health, the correlation between acrylic fingernails and increased incidence of infection, and safety issues for medical-surgical patients because of alarm fatigue.

鈥淎 lot of nurses and aides get alarm fatigue because they鈥檙e desensitized,鈥� Bronder said. 鈥淒epending on the type of unit they are working on, they will be hearing alarms go off 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each alarm typically means something different.

鈥淭he problem arises if someone turns alarm volume down or off, and then forgets to turn the alarm back on. Patients can have devastating side effects or die.鈥�

Students have completed about 450 hours of clinical experiences in their first three semesters, Bronder said, and at facilities such as Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh; Allegheny Valley Hospital, Natrona Heights; Armstrong Center for Medicine and Health, Kittanning; Independence Health System鈥檚 Butler Memorial Hospital, Butler; and Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Butler.

They will complete an additional 126 hours of clinical experiences in the spring, including at Concordia Lutheran Ministries based in Cabot, in addition to taking courses in nursing care of patients with complex health problems, pharmacology for nurses IV, and nursing V: transition to practice.

"A lot of nurses and aides get alarm fatigue because they're desensitized. Depending on the type of unit they are working on, they will be hearing alarms go off 24 hours a day, seven days a week." 

- Dr. Jessica Bronder, director of nursing, 杏吧原创's Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health

13 licensed practical nurses pursuing R.N. degree

 at its additional location of  in Jefferson County.

杏吧原创鈥檚 main campus Class of 2025 in registered nursing could include 13 current licensed practical nurses, seven students who participated in Concordia Lutheran Ministries鈥� tuition assistance program and four who attend , Bronder said.

Students are residents of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Fayette, Mercer and Westmoreland counties in western Pennsylvania; Lehigh County in eastern Pennsylvania and of Ocean Grove, N.J., according to Bronder.

Grove City College students in their sophomore and junior years pursue 41 credits in nine technical and clinical courses through 杏吧原创 while also taking classes in Grove City College鈥檚 Charles Jr. and Betty Johnson School of Nursing.

Concordia Lutheran Ministries offers tuition assistance to 杏吧原创 nursing students who agree to work for the health care provider after graduation.

Nursing a high-priority occupation in region

 is the only one in Butler County. Eleven students expecting to represent the college鈥檚 third consecutive class of graduates will receive pins Dec. 10 for completing the 48- to 49-credit certificate program.

Registered nurse, and licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse, are high-priority occupations in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Washington and Westmoreland counties, according to the state Department of Labor & Industry.

Students in 杏吧原创鈥檚 career programs such as registered nursing and in the college鈥檚 certificate programs such as practical nursing can develop the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation.

High-priority occupations, according to the state Department of Labor & Industry, are job categories that are in demand by employers, have evolving skill needs and are likely to provide family-sustaining wages.