Maryland Association of Nursing Students

Myth: Nurses just do the“dirty work”

Truth: Nurses do very challenging work requiring analysis of their patients conditions. Nurses provide education on treatments and disease processes to patients and families. Nurses complete and monitor treatments such as medications, to ensure that patients are responding therapeutically to the interventions. Nurses as members of the health care team, provi...

Myth: Nursing school is easy

Truth: Nursing school consists of high-level thinking, hands-on skill competency, effective communication, and evidence-based practice training. Students are taught detailed information about pharmacology, pathophysiology, research, and informatics. Nursing students must learn to hone their critical thinking skills. Nursing programs are rigorous and are very competitive to get into.

Myth: Nursing is a female profession

Truth: The majority of nurses are female, but male representation has steadily increased since the 1970’s. The U.S. Census Bureau found that the percentage of male nurses increased from 2.7% in 1970 to 9.6% in 2011 (latest data). The goal of the American Assembly of Men (AAMN) is for 20% of the nursing workforce to be male by 2020. Nursing is...

Myth: Nurses want to be doctors

Truth: Nurses want to be nurses because they wish to spend most of their time providing direct care to their patients and their families. The role of the nurse requires that nurses critically think all day everyday and are on hand to manage patient deterioration and to handle crises immediately. Nurses are able to connect with patients and their...

MNA and the Nursing Foundation of Maryland extended the due date for 2016 scholarships. There are 7 scholarships to choose from. Deadline is now September 23d. For more information go to: http://www.marylandrn.org

I graduated nursing school 5 months and 3 days ago (but who's counting?) and if there's one thing I've learned to be true during that time, it's this: Nursing school does not really prepare you for the reality of being a nurse. It's true that nursing requires a lot of medical knowledge and technical skills, but it is also an art form to be perfected over time. For my final blog post as MANS MNA Student Liaison, I want to share some wisdom I’ve gleaned from my first half year in the pr...

     As the Spring semester comes to an end, the next group of graduate nurses is preparing for pinning, and yours truly is among them! While the excitement, fear, anticipation, and all out joy of finally finishing nursing school is more than I can bear at times, it also reminds me that soon I will be like one of those nurses that I have worked alongside as a student. As I look back over the last several years of school, and all my interactions with nurses of all levels, f...

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your patient load? And made an error or forgot to complete a task as a result? You are not alone! Nurse-to-patient ratio has been a hot topic of conversation for a while yet continues to create issues. This topic area perked my interest upon researching evidence regarding its safety implications on patient outcomes for a school project.

Working in an acute setting, nurses are surrounded in a stressful environment as they meet the needs of...

After completing an assignment for my environmental health class, I decided to write a blog sharing my knowledge gained on an environmental health issue going on worldwide. As a part of my assignment, I was required to watch the film, Gasland 2 (2013). After watching this film, I found a new love for environmental health and decided to cover a unique topic, different from what posts are usually found on this site.

Gasland 2 (2013), is a documentary created by Josh Fox, a Pennsylvanian h...

You did it! You have worked hard throughout nursing school and now that you are approaching the end, it is time to start thinking about how you want to start your career. During nursing school you have experienced a number of different nursing specialties through your rotations – L&D, med/surg, pediatrics, psych, public health, and maybe even more. Some of your peers undoubtedly had a moment in nursing school when everything “clicked” and they knew they had discovered...