Over 750,000 Americans are living with an ostomy (a surgically created opening to allow for the escape of body fluids).

People with an ostomy come from all types of ethnic backgrounds, social classes and age ranges, from infants to the elderly.  They could be the person standing next to you in line at the store, your next-door neighbor, your child’s teacher or even your coworker. Ostomies are hidden under clothes so while the person with an ostomy knows it’s there; most other people are unaware of its presence.

There are many misconceptions about having an ostomy, so let’s clear up some of these and get to the facts:

• Ostomies can be temporary or permanent.

• They can be located in the small intestine (ileostomy), colon (colostomy) or urinary system (urostomy).

• Having an ostomy is not the end of the world as many people believe. Most people with an ostomy adapt well. There are problems that can occur but most of these are very manageable.

• Having an ostomy can often save lives and almost always improves quality of life.

• People with an ostomy can still do things everyone else can do: get married, work, attend school, be physically active and swim.

• Body fluids from the ostomy are collected in a bag, called a pouch. An intact pouch prevents leakage and odor.

• People with an ostomy are still people; they just have an altered digestive and/or urinary system.

Having an ostomy is an emotional adjustment. What people with an ostomy need the most is support and understanding from their families, friends and community. Support comes from becoming knowledgeable about ostomies, being available to listen without judgment and treating the person with an ostomy no differently than anyone else. Support groups are available across the nation and are extremely helpful for people with an ostomy. A Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) nurse, a.k.a Enterostomal Therapist (ET), is also an invaluable resource for ostomy problems, education and questions.

*Having an ostomy shouldn’t be taboo. Models are now showing off their ostomies in photographs on social media. Changing this stigma starts today with increased awareness, so go spread the word.

Resources

OstomyLife http://www.shieldhealthcare.com/ostomylife
United Ostomy Association of America www.ostomy.org
Living with an Ostomy (Video) http://www.ostomy.org/Ostomy_Living_Video.html
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Society www.wocn.org

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Here's Gwen's Tens favorite websites for information on Skin Cancer Prevention and Awareness (not in any particular order):

1. CDC
   
2. American Cancer Society
   
3. The Skin Cancer Foundation
   
4. Melanoma/Skin Detection
   
5. Melanoma Monday
   
6. Mollie's Fund
   
7. Skin Cancer Prevention
   
8. SunSmart
   
9. SunGuard Man Online
   
10. Skin Cancer Awareness on Pinterest
    

A bonus handout: May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month

These are Gwen's Tens favorite general books or book series for nurses:

1. Made Incredibly Easy - series of nursing books with great graphics, very easy to read. These are my favorite books for learning and reference. There are many topics in the series and a must for visual learners.
   
2. Mosby's Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing & Health Professions, 9th Edition or Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary -  a medical dictionary is a must have for the reference library of any nurse or healthcare professional.
   
3. ACLS Study Guide by Barbara Aehlert and PALS Pediatric Advanced Life Support Study Guide by Barbara Aehlert - these are well written and easy to follow guides to help you study for ACLS and PALS.
   
4. Just the Facts, 4th Edition A Pocket Guide to Basic Nursing By Veronica Peterson, BA, RN, BSN, MS - this is a nice pocket guide that covers all of the nursing basics. It's my personal favorites of the general nursing pocket books.
5. Mosby's NoteCards - these are great spiral bound cards to help you study or to use as a reference. They come in many topics i.e. Assessment, Pharmacology and Fluids & Electrolytes.
   
6. Nursing2014 Drug Handbook by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
7. BarCharts Quick Study Guides - these are wonderful quick guides in 2-4 laminated page layouts  and comes in many health and nursing topics. 
8. Mosby's Pocket Guides Book Series - offers many topics i.e. Pediatric Assessment, Nutritional Assessment, and Nursing Skills and Procedures.
   
9. The Notes Series -most of these are spiral bound and they offer many topics i.e. MedSurg Notes. IV Therapy Notes and LabNotes.
10. Core Curriculum Books - if you work in a nursing specialty there should be a Core Curriculum that is usually associated with your specialty's nursing organization. Check on the organization's website to see how you can purchase the book. It will be one of the most comprehensive reference books for your specialty.
    

Bonus: Best Summer Reading for Nurses


Resources:

• Amazon
• Elsevier
• Majors Bookstore

Here's Gwen's Tens top 10 picks for nursing CEUs (in no particular order):

1. Nurse.com
   
2. Medscape Nurses
   
3. Online CEUs
   
4. MyFreeCE
   
5. Western Schools
   
6. CEU Professor Online
   
7. Nursing Center
   
8. Advance for Nurses
   
9. RN CEUs
   
10. Nurse CE4Less
    

Here's a bonus site that has nursing apps, games and more:
Learning Nurse

There are many wonderful nursing websites and resources online. Here's Gwen's Tens Top 10 list (in no particular order):

1. Donna Cardillo 
2. Nurse.com 
3. Nursing Center
   
4. All Nurses
   
5. Medscape for Nurses 
6. Nurse Zone 
7. NurseTogether 
8. RN Central
   
9. American Nurses Association
10. Nursing Blog/Websites on Pinterest
    

For those who want to be nurses, this website is a must:
Johnson & Johnson Discovery Nursing: The Future of Nursing
See my blog " So you wanna be a nurse?" (coming soon)

In my experience as a nurse educator I see two main groups of students. Those who love to learn and want to soak up all of the education they can. They will read more than they have to, sometimes before they have to and education motivates them. The other kind of student is almost repelled when they hear the words "educate", "learn", "class" and "exam". You know the ones. You can spot them easily by the annoyed or stressed  look on their faces and the repetitive eye rolling.

People don't realize that they are continuously learning. We learn from many sources outside of the classroom every day. We learn from other people, we learn from museums and television among a plethora of other places. Learning is not limited to the inside of the classroom.

I think the trick for those repelled by learning is to get them to learn without knowing that's what they're doing. They'll be less stressed and more likely to learn. That’s where educators have to become creative and where games can be so useful. Most everybody likes some kind of game. Television is full of different types of games and several are ranked high in the ratings. Many people play board games with families and friends. A lot of people go to Casinos to play games. So maybe for those who don't love the idea of learning we just need to hide the learning inside of some games. It’s kind of like hiding vegetables under a glop of melted cheese so your kids will eat them. They get all of the benefit without the constant battle. To me it’s a win win situation.
 
What do you think? Is concealing learning inside of games beneficial or deceitful?

Hi everyone!

This blog is part of my connect activity for my Instructional Strategies and Assessment Methods course.

I started this program with a passion for education. For most of my nursing career I have loved learning and sharing what I know with others. I learned about educating patients and staff on the job but the information I received was mainly informal bits and pieces scattered over several years. Like so many others I did not realize that education did not have to take place primarily in a traditional classroom setting. I had no clue that I was surrounded by learning opportunities every day, in so many places. What I have learned from this course has changed how I view the world. That might sound over the top but it's really true. I am more aware of what's around me now and I see learning possibilities everywhere. Here are just a few examples:

• Museums are not just for art lovers. Now there are more museums than ever devoted to educating visitors about science and history.  One example is the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, TX. This museum does a great job of involving all of your senses. It has something for everyone, young and old. It inspired me to create more learning activities that take the learner to places outside of the work environment.
  
• Movies can be educational especially if they are based on historical facts. Many theaters often display trivia before the start of a movie. I went to see a film recently that was a narrated tour of an Edouard Manet art exhibit in London. Before the movie began there were several multiple choice questions about Manet that popped up on the screen. This happened during the week we studied assessment activities. Upon seeing these questions I immediately thought about their value as a form of assessment, one few  audience members probably realized. The wheels in my brain started spinning as I was thinking about how to incorporate assessment into my project.
  
• Television is one of the most captivating mediums we have. It could be argued that there is too much education on T.V. often providing details that you wouldn't want your children or even yourself to learn. There are a variety of shows that educate us, sometimes without us even knowing it. Documentaries, medical talk shows, investigative shows and news shows are only a few types of educational programs on the air. One reason I like to watch The Dr. Oz Show is because I really enjoy how he teaches his audience. During this course I have been able to see even more value in those teaching methods and I am motivated to integrate some of those ideas into my own teaching

There are many more examples of ways to learn in the real world, outside of the typical instructor-led classroom.  I challenge you to open your eyes and your ears and become aware of how and where you learn. Seize every  opportunity to grow. Who knows, you may start to view the world in a new way too!

"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives."  ~Clay P. Bedford