SNA Meeting Minutes

We had such a great turnout for our Survival Tips SNA Meeting. We hope to see all of you again for our next SNA meeting.

SNA Meeting Minutes for March 24th

Meeting began at 1305
I. Continued research on fundraising and community service projects
II. NSSP – Robin Shum and LaShonna Parker–
a. Stress Management – time is a big factor
i. I’M SOR
1. Identify goals in life, what do you like? (*if you enjoy what you are doing, your stress will be lower. Have a positive attitude!)
a. Don’t get too worried about details. Look at big picture.
b. Don’t wait until the last minute to complete assignments/study.
2. Modify
3. Simplify
4. Organize – split up your time accordingly
a. Planner
b. Look at one week. How much time did you spend on different activities? Analyze it.
c. Modify your lifestyle to make best use of your time and reduce stress.
i. Grocery stores not as full at night (time saver!)
ii. There is always a solution to things that happen in life. Don’t let stress affect your health. J
iii. Planning doesn’t mean anything unless you take action.
5. Recognize
**I LIKE NURSING!!
**Knowing and not doing is like not knowing. (I like that!)
ii. Relaxation and Health
1. eating habits – eat breakfast
2. get exercise
3. emotional health is important
4. schedule time for yourself to sit still or do something you enjoy
5. relaxing music
III. Danielle Mathias-Lamb
a. Don’t study more, study smarter
b. Nursing 4 very important!!
c. Know how theory applies to real world
i. Ask questions to instructors and nurses
d. Keep pamphlets that can and will come up again in later classes
i. Organized into body systems or what will work for you
e. grasp the concepts, everything else will follow
f. Books that helped Danielle
i. Critical Care Nursing Care Plan, 2nd Ed. - Delmar
ii. Study guide for Medical-surgical Nursing; Critical thinking in client Care, 3rd ed. – Lemone/Burke
iii. Nursing Diagnoses reference manual, 5th ed. – sparks/taylor
iv. Illustrated Study guide for the NCLEX – RN exam, 6th ed - Mosby
v. Memory notecards – pathophysiology and fluids and electrolytes (Mosby’s)
IV. Erin Shelby
a. Use your resources/study guides!!
b. It is very beneficial to study in groups
c. Prioritize
d. DON’T STRESS!!
e. Theory is only a few hours a week vs 12-20 hours of clinicals.
i. Get through theory and focus your learning on clinicals.
V. Ana Hernandez
a. Study smart!! – article, “Undergraduate Medical Education is NOT Rocket Science: But that does NOT mean it’s easy!
VI. Questions
a. Nursing 4?
i. Romena’s lectures follow the textbook
ii. Use study guide that goes with Lewis textbook.
1. It is a guideline for what to study
2. Why are the answers in the study guide wrong (not just right)
3. You may not get to all reading, doing questions, look at tables is good
4. Taking tests in nursing skills lab
b. don’t wait until you are failing to speak with the Nursing Student Success program
c. Everyone learns different, so find the person who learns how you learn.
VII. Nominations for SNA Leadership Award
a. Majority vote for Danielle Mathias-Lamb and Nicole Porter to be given award
VIII. Raffle
IX. 4th semester students, Nicole Porter and Danielle Mathias-Lamb requested funds from SNA for graduation flowers. TBD at next SNA meeting
Meeting adjourned at 1435

Test Taking Tips for Nursing Students

Sue Barnes has been so kind as to put together some test taking tips for the March 24th SNA meeting.

Test-taking tips for nursing students

• The key is to move quickly but carefully through each question. If you miss one important word, the whole meaning of the question could be changed.
  Don't spend too much time on any one question -- skip the hard questions (or take a guess, and mark them) and then come back, if you have the time.
• Before you look at the answer choices, try to understand what the question is asking – is it an assessment question? Does it relate to another stage in the nursing process? Is patient safety an issue? Indentify key words in the stem that may set a priority, indicate negative polarity, etc.
• Also – before looking at your choices – try to think of what YOU would do, THEN look at them. Maybe the one you thought of is there.
• There are many people who will advise that your first choice is usually right. If you find that you're second-guessing yourself, and going back to change answers, only to discover that you've changed to the wrong choice, this one may apply to you!
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a good guideline, where basic physiological needs come first.
• Remember your ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation). Anything related to oxygenation is usually the #1 priority.
• Positioning can be big, too. Especially if the patient is at risk for aspiration.
• Therapeutic communication is also an area you'll encounter again and again. Be sure you recognize the hallmarks of therapeutic communication. The answers that sound client-centered, respectful, and promote maximum client independence are usually your best bet.
• Practice doing NCLEX-style questions every day (Bonnie Boss recommends a minimum of 10 a day). For starters, do the questions in your textbook, accompanying study guide and using online resources from the publisher that relate to the chapters you're studying.
  

Other good resources for test-taking:

• Test Success – Test-Taking Techniques for Beginning Nursing Students (authors: Patricia M. Nugent and Barbara A. Vitale). The whole book is good, but Chapter 7 (Test-taking techniques) is especially good for helping you to analyze questions.
• Top Ten Test-Taking Tips (Evolve student development videos) with Linda Anne Silvestri
  http://evolve.elsevier.com/staticPages/s_student_development.html
• MEDS Successful Problem Solving and Test-Taking for Beginning Nursing Students
  (This tutorial software is available on the medspub.com site or free in the computer lab)

Survival Guide to Nursing School!!

Whether you are 1st semester or 4th semester, we can all benefit from tips on how to manage the semester's classes. Come to the next SNA meeting to find out HOW!

Agenda for Monday February 25th

SNA Agenda for February 25th

I. Approval of last meeting’s minutes
II. Voting on the amended by-laws
a. Article III, Section 2a
b. Article IV, Section 1f
c. Article V, Section 1, Secretary b, c and d
III. Nominations for SNA Leadership Award
IV. Voting on Instructor Lab coats for clinicals
V. Richard Meza presents PDA information
a. Different types of PDAs
b. Different websites available
c. Different types of programs?
VI. Skyscape – this company has not confirmed yet
a. Programs
b. How to
VII. ICC Report
VIII. Q & A Session
IX. Goals for next meeting (survivor tips)
X. Raffle

Keep SNA alive

Because there seems to be some confusion as to what is happening with SNA, I wanted to address the priority issues for retaining our club charter.

1st - General membership meeting on Feb 4 @ 1pm in Locke 229 is scheduled. EVERYONE interested in SNA should attend. The priority agenda item for this meeting is getting new officers elected and in place. Until new officers are elected nothing can be accomplished.

2nd - Once we have new officers, a new club application must be filled out and new signature cards submitted to Student Activities.

3rd - For the SNA to retain it's charter we must commit to one Club Rush Day time slot. Club Rush is NEXT WEEK. That means one or several people must be set up at a table in the Quad between 9am and 11am to talk to students and promote the club. All items necessary for this event are on hand in the locked cabinets, but we can not schedule our Club Rush time until the signed club apps and signature cards are completed.

4th - ICC mtgs are scheduled for the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month at 1:30pm. The first mtg was not held as scheduled, so that leaves the meeting next Thursday that an SNA member MUST attend.

I am willing to help fill in these gaps as this is short notice, but we must get new officers elected, in place and up to speed re: our obligations and requirements to the ICC/Student Activities Office.

Please contact myself - Danielle Mathias-Lamb, out-going SNA President, Lisa Newbold - past Treasurer, incoming Vice President or Ana Hernandez, faculty advisor for questions or concerns. Feel free to email me or to comment/discuss SNA issues on the SNA blog. http://sjdcsna.blogspot.com/ There is a link to this blog on all semester blogsites. Please feel free to use it for SNA related discussions.

It is critical that SNA have an interested and involved membership, but until we seat officers, nothing may move forward.

Many thanks
Danielle Mathias-Lamb
Fall 2007 SNA President
kdaniellem@yahoo.comgoshblogit@gmail.com
209-834-2111 home
209-914-6312 cell

Jan 28 SNA mtg cancelled / rescheduled

Ana Hernandez is ill and will not be able to attend. Per our charter, an SNA mtg can not take place w/out the faculty advisor present.The meeting is rescheduled for the following Monday Feb 4 at 1:00pm in the skills lab rm 229.The agenda will continue to be focused on new officer elections and transfer of club charter information.
Many Thanks

Fall 2007 SNA Leadership Award recipients

Congratulations to Jenifer Williams and Sandra Harding who are sharing the SNA Leadership Award. Certificates of Appreciation were presented at the December pinning ceremony and their award checks placed in the mail.