Career Links Vol. 4 No. 3, March 2005

Nurturing a New Career:

Jeanne.jpg (80 KB) Jeanne Walsh

An Interview with Jeanne Walsh, Assistant Dean, Nursing Program

Interviewed by Kit Gorrell Frankenfield
Employment Systems Technician,
Career Services Center

Nursing is a rewarding and challenging career with an optimistic employment future. JCCC currently has three nursing programs: Licensed Practical Nurse Program, Registered Nurse Program, and the articulation program for Licensed Practical Nurse to Registered Nurse. Graduates of the LPN program are eligible to take the state examination for licensure as a Practical Nurse. Graduates of the RN program are eligible to take the state examination for licensure as a Registered Nurse.

The JCCC faculty is well qualified and experienced in the practice and teaching of nursing. JCCC's nursing programs are fully accredited by the Kansas State Board of Nursing and the RN Program is also accredited by the NLNAC (National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, 61 Broadway, New York, NY 10006, telephone: (800) 669-9656 or (212) 363-5555, fax: (212) 812-0390.)

For more information about the Nursing program, contact Jeanne at (913) 469-8500 Ext. 3678 or by email at jwalsh@jccc.edu.

Career Services Center: What do you do here at JCCC?

Jeanne Walsh: I am the director of the Associate degree nursing program, which is the Registered Nursing or RN program. The LPN (Practical Nursing) program and all of the short-term health occupation courses also fall under my direction, but Dr. Ann Hess is the coordinator of those programs.

CSC: Do you teach also, Jeanne?

JW: I haven’t taught regularly in the classroom or clinically for a while. I’m in the classroom periodically, but not full-time.

CSC: What is your educational background and career path?

JW: I started out getting my RN degree in 1971 from Illinois Eastern Community Colleges in Olney, Illinois. I stayed in my hometown, and worked in the hospital. I worked in the medical/surgical and maternal/child units. It was a small hospital where the nurses worked all the units. So, I worked emergency room, pediatrics, adult—a mixture. I worked there a couple of years. Then they moved me into management—a head nurse position. I decided to go back to school and get my Bachelor’s degree, so I went to Indiana University of Evansville. I got my B.S.N. and worked part-time while I went to school—usually in long-term care facilities or acute medical/surgical areas. I graduated from the first class of the nursing program and I was the first graduate from that Associate degree program to go on and get a degree. Someone from the community college that I graduated from found out that I had completed my B.S.N., so I was invited back to that college to teach in 1974. I taught there until 1981. I was on a 9-month schedule, so every summer I would work in different places—one summer I worked at a hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I got a lot of experience doing different things throughout the summers. Then, I received my Master’s degree in 1978 from the University of Evansville.

I worked in the college at Olney until 1981. One of my former professors who taught U.S. History had taken a position as President of the college in Pratt, Kansas. He called me and asked if I would be a consultant to develop a nursing program at PCC (Pratt Community College). I took a short leave of absence from teaching and consulted for them. I completed a feasibility study, worked with the community leaders and talked to the college faculty, and decided it was a good spot for a nursing program. On weekends, I would fly out to PCC and develop the curriculum, nursing labs, and everything required to get the program off the ground. Then they wanted me to hire the director and the staff. It came down to the point that I couldn’t let it go, so they offered the director position to me. We admitted our first class in 1981. Some of the staff I hired are still there. I was also pleased to hear just recently that one of the students in the first graduating class was like me—she went on to get her Master’s degree and is back there teaching now.

I left PCC in 1986 and went to Wichita State University and became an assistant professor there. I worked part time at St. Joseph Health Center. One day a friend faxed me the opening for the Nursing Director’s position at JCCC, and I was hired in 1989. I’ve loved being here every day since—I love coming to work.

CSC: How did you choose the nursing profession?

JW: Until I was in high school I’m not sure I had ever narrowed my focus to nursing. I was a real tomboy so I looked at going to med school—Veterinary Medicine…. I grew up in a university town—Charleston, Illinois. There were many opportunities since I went to the Laboratory school affiliated with Eastern Illinois University. I always loved the sciences and reading. But I always found myself taking care of the injuries of my friends and playmates. I would tie the wagon on the back of my bicycle and use it as the ambulance. I was the kid in the neighborhood who always cared for any animal that was hurt or injured and I buried the dead birds and animals. If I found an injured animal, I would tape them up or dolls would be the patients with braces and splints that I created. I never had a pretty doll--I would draw scrapes and injuries on them. One time when I was in fourth grade I was riding my bicycle home from school. I saw something lying in the road ahead of me. It was a squirrel that had been hit by a car. I can remember flying off my bicycle, picking the squirrel up, and unbeknownst to me, the squirrel had just been stunned. I was holding the squirrel, petting it, and almost home because I was going to take him inside and bandage him up. The squirrel “came to life” and bit me on my wrist. It was hanging there swinging back and forth. The squirrel let go and ran, and I went inside thinking very calmly, “What do I need to do…?” My mom was working so I ran my wrist under cold water, put peroxide on it and bandaged it myself. I very calmly walked to the bus stop to wait for my older sister. At that time, I thought that if I could take care of myself, I could take care of other people. As I grew up, I worked in the hospital as a candy striper and nurse’s aid. Science classes were the most fun, especially dissecting. I would go to summer school just to study science as part of an honor’s program.

CSC: What do you enjoy about what you do?

JW: There’s so much that I love! I loved being a nurse—every minute of it! I was never scared, and never lost sleep over things. Now it’s our students. They are fabulous! That’s probably the best part of my work. I enjoy the challenges of our program. People expect JCCC’s nursing program to be good. Most times health care facilities hire our students on reputation alone. We hardly have to give references. Employers know when our students graduate, they’re going to get a well prepared entry-level nurse. I think it’s the challenge of maintaining and improving our reputation that I enjoy. The nursing program does not settle for just being as good as we were the day before. There’s always something we need to do, something new we need to look at, or special situations for some of the students. It’s just not settling for what’s expected of us…it’s using the resources here at the college and in the community, meeting people who can affect in a positive way our program and our faculty that is my challenge. The education and health scenes are always changing and I never get tired of it. I try to have a broad vision of what’s expected down the road of the program and its graduates. Also, it’s just a joy to work here. We’ve got the resources here at JCCC to accomplish the things that we want to do. The faculty is just a joy to work with! If you were to ask any of them, they would all probably feel the same way—they are happy to be here, and happy to work in such a great program. We’ve got a very strong relationship in the nursing program. We communicate well and are very student-focused. Every day, as I walk into the school I feel the same as I did on my first day-happy to be here and happy to be doing what I do.

CSC: Tell me about JCCC’s nursing program.

JW: The RN program at JCCC takes at least two years to complete--a total of four semesters and 72 credit hours. Students will finish as an RN after taking their licensing exam. A lot of our graduates continue their education to complete their B.S.N. (Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing) within three to five years. In other words, they finish our program, pass their RN boards, which is the same licensing exam nationally for two-year graduates or a four-year graduates. Graduates either go out and work, or articulate into the B.S.N. programs. The same goes for the LPN program. They can either go out and work or transition in to get their RN in an associate degree program or B.S.N. program.

CSC: Where would they go if they wanted to get their Bachelor’s in Nursing after completing the RN at JCCC?

JW: Most students go to the University of Kansas, but right now there are many programs that offer advanced degrees. UMKC has a Bachelor’s completion program. Some of our students are looking into that option, and we’ve also got a number of RN to M.S.N. programs in which they literally get their B.S.N. and with a few more credit hours they earn their Master’s degree through a type of accelerated program. Our graduates have gone to Mid America Nazarene University, Park College, Avila University, St. Luke’s College of Nursing and other schools to obtain their B.S.N.

CSC: How does the Practical Nursing program differ?

JW: Practical Nursing is a 10-month certificate program. We just started a new initiative this year to address the nursing shortage—a weekend/evening part-time program. We have one or two evenings of class work per week. Over a 17-month period, students can work and come to school, and do their clinicals on Saturdays. In the full-time PN program, it’s full-time every day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. It’s very intense. We increased our practical nursing program from 30 to 75 to address the nursing shortage and help the community.

CSC: Why is there a nursing shortage?

JW: Over the years the health care system has gone through many changes. The acuity (or the severity of illness) of the patients is very high. They aren’t hospitalized as long or as early as in the past. There are more outpatient activities. Care is being given at home rather than at the hospitals and we have more resources to keep patients home. With more acutely ill patients, the type of care given is more complex and nurses must take fewer patients. Patients need more individualized care and the technology, expertise and demands of care are much higher than ever before. Nurses have always been underpaid for the type of work we do as well. Stop and think about it... they not only work very hard, but they are caring for humans! Often in life and death situations. With technology becoming more and more a part of nursing, there is more for them to do. With the change in economy, information technology, and the nursing profession starting to be a little more respected, the pay scales have gone up and there is more interest in nursing. I also think that the economy affects interest and when you look at layoffs and joblessness, it is easy to see there will always be a need for nursing and health care as long as mankind is here—the type of care may change or how we do it may change, but we will always need health care providers.

CSC: How many students are enrolled in the programs?

JW: We can take up to 127 students in the RN program, 75 in the LPN and hundreds through the short-term Health Occupations.

CSC: Has insurance also had an effect on the nursing profession?

JW: Absolutely. In the past, people would go into the hospital for tests, x-rays, etc.; now they can do those things in outpatient clinics and not be admitted to the hospital. There are even limits on the numbers of days that patients can stay in the hospital for certain diagnoses. Hospital stays are shorter than ever and reimbursement is an issue as well.

CSC: Tell me about the selection process for the nursing program.

JW: To be admitted to the RN program, students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher to apply. Grades below a “C” are not accepted. A student must have completed the ACT (American College Test) with a composite score of 17 or higher and a score in science reasoning of 18 or higher. Students also must go through a personal interview, after they are ranked by GPA and ACT scores.

CSC: Is there an internship?

JW: We don’t really have an internship, but we have clinicals every week, 16-20 hours per week in a health care facility under direct supervision of the faculty. They start clinicals after the first four weeks of their first semester, doing patient care. We have one faculty member for every eight students, because of the acuity of the patients. Each student will have one patient, so the faculty member is in charge of 16—eight students and eight patients. As they advance, students have two patients each and that continues to increase as the students progress. It’s a lot of responsibility for the students and faculty. They go to all the hospitals around the area: Olathe Medical Center, Shawnee Mission Medical Center, Overland Park Regional, Menorah, St. Luke’s South, KU, Olathe Medical Center, St. Joseph’s, Children’s Mercy and others.

CSC: What tips do you have for students who are considering the nursing program?

JW: They need to have time—lots of time. It is more time-consuming than they ever imagined. If they can only take nursing classes, and nothing else, it’s the best thing they can do. They do listen to me on that. Approximately 80 percent of the students have all their other coursework out of the way when they begin the nursing program. The preparation they have to do for their patient care takes a lot of time. The night before clinicals, they must prepare to take care of their patients and develop nursing care plans for their individual patients. After taking care of the patients, they evaluate and revise their care plan and make notes about their clinical experience. They have a lot of work to do. Students investigate diseases and research their patients, so they have an idea of the care of that patient. They have to know about the medications their patient is taking. They all take it very seriously, and know it’s a human life they are taking care of. In addition to that, they have to prepare for classroom requirements, take exams and they have to have a C or better in all of their courses. A “D” is not acceptable. It’s very competitive as well. We have such bright kids who are disappointed if they don’t get “A’s,” and they struggle if they get “B’s” and they really struggle if they get “C’s.”

CSC: If patients typically only stay one or two days in the hospital, how do students know who they will be taking care of?

JW: A lot of times they have to “spot” prepare. We’ve got books on all the hospital units. If their patient has been assigned and then released that morning, they will have another patient. We try to give them patients with the same diagnosis. The kids keep a log or notebook of all their patients. If they have developed a care plan for someone with congestive heart failure, some of the needs are going to be the same for all patients with congestive heart failure. Some of the interventions are going to be the same. That’s part of the learning process—they can take one concept and apply it to another medical situation. They keep their med cards and can reuse them with patients who have similar diagnoses.

CSC: Do the students get to select areas they are interested in, such as obstetrics/gynecology or medical/surgical?

JW: We try to work that in during the last half of their last semester. For example, in their management class they can choose a unit or area they are interested in and we will try and place them in that setting. In the program though they rotate through all areas of health care—maternal/child, pediatrics, mental health, gerontology, and other specialty areas along with medical/surgical.

CSC: What’s a typical shift or day like for a nurse?

JW: It can vary. Right now most of the nurses work 12-hour shifts. It’s going to vary from hospital to hospital, but they usually have a patient care technician or a nurse’s aid working with them. They work as a team giving care to the individuals they have been assigned. They are on their feet and on the go all the time. They deal with patients and families, doctors, other nurses, and many others. They not only need to provide patient care and support for the patients and their families or significant others who are with them, but serve as the patient’s advocate, be informative and use resources that are available. They have to look at the whole patient with everything that makes them click, from physical things to socio-economic to emotional, mental health issues, family issues—the whole picture. Take care of them, prepare them for discharge, and work with people who take care of them at home or at another care facility. They have to always consider what’s best for the patient and their families. Nurses work with different departments and resources in the hospital; they have to know about community resources that are available. Communication is a huge part of it—communication with other nurses and professionals who are coming on different shifts, their doctors, and family members. There is a great deal of charting and documentation that has to be done.

CSC: Is it stressful?

JW: It’s very stressful, but hopefully not to the point of “distress.” It’s a stress that is controlled for nurses who are prepared and accepting of the role they are in. If you don’t feel competent or capable, then it might be “distress.” But it should have a certain stress--after all, we’re taking care of people and their lives are in our hands. You have to pay attention to all the cues and subtle changes that are involved with their illness, and be prepared for any changes. For example, medications. If a nurse gives the wrong dose, the patient could die. With any illness if you miss something—a symptom they are showing-- they could get worse or die. It’s a life or death situation the whole time they are on duty.

CSC: What qualities make a really great nurse?

JW: A patient looks for a nurse who can come in and make them feel at ease with whatever is going to be happening that particular day. The nurse needs to give them a sense of trust, that while they are in the professional’s hands, everything is going to be done correctly and accurately and with respect. Communication and safety are keys to good nursing. Knowing the material is important, and communicating that they are safe with you—and you know what you are doing is essential. Also, having kindness and compassion, a caring sense, intelligence, and the ability to think logically should be innate. A nurse needs to think in a methodical, logical way to problem solve, and pull everything they’ve learned into what they do for the benefit of the patient: science, math, and communication for example.

CSC: What other professions could nursing students go into other than the traditional hospital career?

JW: Some students have been very entrepreneurial after graduation, opening their own home health care agencies. They can go into child care, marketing and sales of pharmaceutical products and other medical devices. There are all sorts of areas within nursing. With a good solid medical/surgical background, they can do almost anything. They can go into high risk, intensive care, emergency room and operating room. I’ve had graduates who have gotten into information technology in the medical field and develop software for hospitals to use. If you have two or three areas you really like, such as computers and nursing, or nursing and law, you can try and combine your interests.

CSC: Do you miss being on the nursing side in the hospital setting?

JW: I love it when I get the chance to return to the bedside—when I visit clinicals, the students and the patients. I always love it because I know I haven’t lost my touch—the patients still enjoy my being there. I do miss it, but the contact with the students helps.