Marina An has traveled a unique road to become a nurse.  She came to the United States from Russia about seven years ago.  In Russia, she had worked in a variety of fields including civil engineering, human resources, accounting and business.  Because her credentials were not valid in America, she faced a dilemma about which career to pursue. Her sister, an anesthesiologist in Russia, suggested healthcare. Marina found that, unlike in Russia where a nurse is considered a maid of the physician, a nurse in America is an independent professional who requires a broad scope of knowledge and skills.  She began working as a nurses aid while pursuing nursing education at Western Technical College in 2009. She learned about being in a healthcare setting while advancing to a nurse technician, LPN and completing her ADN in 2011.  

After becoming a Registered Nurse, Marina set the personal goal of becoming a highly qualified professional in order to provide the best and safest care to clients.  She realized with the increasing complexity of healthcare and rapidly expanding body of nursing knowledge, she needed a deeper knowledge of nursing practice, management and leadership skills.  Marina is now a student in the UW-Green Bay BSN@HOME online track seeking her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and is employed by Norseland Nursing Home, Westby, WI and at Mayo Clinic Health System Franciscan Healthcare, Sparta, WI.  She fines that the online program allows her the flexibility necessary with her busy schedule of work, family and studies.

Marina is an excellent example of the diversity of our student population that enriches learning for everyone in the program.  If you would like to be featured in an upcoming student profile, contact Jan Malchow, Manager of Student Outreach at malchowj@uwgb.edu.  For more information about our Professional Programs in Nursing, visit our website at http://www.uwgb.edu/nursing.

Below is a picture of Marina (left) with her mother, Roza Kim from Russia as they visit Rockefeller Center in New York.

One of simulation clients, Abbie Mose, underwent an exploratory laparatomy in our simulated OR.  Thanks to the help of our dedicated MSOE OR team

Often times in nursing, the patient load is divided up by the charge nurse, or some places afford the staff the opportunity to pick their teams.  The shift starts out in a hustle bustle, nurses run off in all different directions and then they are alone even thought the flow of the unit can settle down throughout the shift or be hectic.

Here is a change of ideas......look at the other industries, they work TOGETHER as a team helping one another and yet they still have their own 'team' to manage.  Why not become the team that 'whistles while you work' on your unit?

Reaching out to help others by lending a hand with larger tasks so they get done quickly, or even running the small errands when you need something from the other end of the floor and pick up a few things along the way for your teammates makes a huge difference.

Help the LPNs with their work too! 

Being the leader, the go-to-nurse, the Snow White theory, is infectious in a positive light.  It takes one person to initiate what seems like a small task but evolves into a larger effect........teamwork, cohesiveness amongst the unit.  Pitch in together, win together.  It makes work fun!

Think about it, this is a tested and old tradition....Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs did it...what has changed in our culture today that this is no longer the norm? 

The time for change has come.  Resort back to what you learned in your childhood.....work and play together.  THIS is how the hostility of the nurses 'eating their young' can and will change.

Start off small, when you run to the cafeteria ask if anyone else needs anything.  When the scrub count is low, call and order more yourself so there will be more readily available for the next team coming in.  Make more coffee when you see it is running low.......start with the little things :)

-Carmen Kosicek, RN, MSN

In today's times, it is imperative to start off on the right foot............with a ROCKIN' RESUME!!!

How important is this.............VERY!!!!!!  Could I say this AGAIN!??!!? V E R Y !!!!!!

Just to clear this up.....I do NOT suggest listing the dates of graduation by your degree (that could be age discrimination), I do NOT suggest listing your clinical rotations (the BON, Board of Nursing, deems how many hours in 'x' rotation you must have and listing a Level III facility could hurt you if you are applying at a Level I or Level II or vice versa), and I will close with stating that I do NOT recommend that you list previous non-healthcare positions WITHOUT relating those setting to healthcare positions that you are applying to.

Still not clear?!?!? Join me in a discussion where I will answer you head on!!!!!!

-Carmen Kosicek, RN, MSN