UpGrace

How to Complete an MSN While Working a Full-Time Job

February 26, 2022 Grace Reyes

Completing an MSN while working a full-time job, is that even possible? The short answer is “Yes, you sure can!” How to do that, you ask? Let me share with you my experience. Nurses as Lifelong Learners One of the cornerstones of nursing is evidence-based practice. Nurses, therefore, cannot afford to remain stagnant. As much as nursing is dynamic, nurses, too, have to continue evolving and improving. Learning takes so many different forms. Nurses, for example, keep up with the…

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Five Common Reasons Why Nurses Don’t Go Back to School

February 26, 2022 Grace Reyes

Although the desire to learn is there, some nurses hit the pause button when it comes to going back to school and earning advanced degrees. To some who are not in the field, this may be baffling. However, most of us have convenient excuses. Let’s explore the five common reasons why nurses don’t prioritize going back to school. 1. Time Constraints “I don’t have the time.” How often do we hear nurses use this as a crutch? Believe me, I…

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Human Milk Safety in the NICU

February 26, 2022 Grace Reyes

It is important for our littlest patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to receive human or breastmilk as they grow and develop. With that being said, they have their own unique patient safety needs. Our organization uses technology to ensure that our NICU babies receive human milk safely. What do I mean by that? Please allow me to explain. The NICU Patients Ours is a level three NICU. We have patients as young as 23 weeks, weighing barely…

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The Best Values Inculcated by my Paulinian Education

February 26, 2022 Grace Reyes

Why Am I a Paulinian? I enrolled at St Paul College of Iloilo just to appease my mother, as it was her lifelong dream for me to become a nurse. Little did she know that I was hatching a selfish plan. I was going to flunk all of my subjects during the first term, tell her that I tried my best, and say that maybe nursing is not for me. Until one day in Chemistry, that is… Did I tell…

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Why is Nursing One of the Best Courses to Take Up in College?

February 26, 2022 Grace Reyes

So, you are considering taking up nursing in college or contemplating joining the workforce. Congratulations! In this current state of healthcare, if you are a nursing graduate there is a job waiting for you! Global Need for Nurses In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that there are 28 million nurses all over the world. Furthermore, the same report mentioned that by 2030, at least six (6) million more nurses will be needed to take care of the…

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A Practical Guide for New Immigrant Nurses in America

February 26, 2022 Grace Reyes

So you are a foreign-educated nurse and you want to come to America? Congratulations! Associated Press reports that demand for international nurses reaches up to 400% since the pandemic started. If you are ready to take that big step, this practical guide is written for you. Here is the podcast of this blog post: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3FbPs2jM9tUdmm5bMogC0s?si=100e6018d7464c6a The Immigration Process Understandably, the process of immigration is long and tedious. It requires the passing of the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), verification of nursing…

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Pediatric Patients: Tips on How to Deal with Them

February 26, 2022 Grace Reyes

Pediatric patients have unique needs compared to adult patients. With a wide age range, from newborn to 18 years old, Pediatric nurses have to be creative in dealing with kids. Read on below for some tricks of the trade that I have learned during my 15 years of Neonatal and Pediatric nursing practice. Why Pediatrics? Working in a Pediatric and Pediatric Intensive Care unit was no small feat, especially coming from a geriatrics and Medical-Surgical/Oncology background. I had shifts wherein…

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UpGrace: A Tropically-Flavored Nursing Blog

February 26, 2022 Grace Reyes

UpGrace is my personal attempt to marry the fact that I am working in the field of nursing, yet I have a heart of a writer! The tropical attribute comes from the fact that I am a proudly Philippine-educated nurse. There is no wonder then why I have a very firm foundation on which I have built my almost three-decade nursing career. And yes, I finally took that all too important first step – I am actually starting this blog!…

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