Cultivating Care in sid e th e l if e of a n u rs i n g st u d e n t BY SUZANNA LOURIE p hoto g ra phy by matt ma rc in kows k i
Andrea Simms is in her element.
Taking a break between clinical rounds at St. Louis Childrens Hospitals inpatient surgical unit, she looks calm and composed in navy blue scrubs. Youd never guess that shes in the final stretch of one of the most demanding years of her life. Last March, she enrolled at the Goldfarb School of Nursing at BarnesJewish College. What does my life consist of? Andrea says. Work, studying, class, sleep, work, studying When youre not working, youre sleeping. Earning a nursing degree is a major pursuit for any student, but Andrea is being modest. Shes on the fast track, working through Goldfarbs accelerated program to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in just a year, about four times faster than most undergraduates manage it. I expected the worst, so I was prepared, she says. When I told people I was doing the accelerated program, everybody was, like, Youre crazy! I knew it would be tough, and its lived up
to those expectations. But on the whole,
its only one year of your life. Its worth it. Medical jargon is nothing new for Andrea. Ive always known medical stuff, I like science, and I like how the body works, says the Normandy native, whose grandmother was a nurse and whose aunts worked at hospitals. I didnt want to be a doctor, so I just knew Id be a nurse. Yet its taken time for the 26-year-old to decide to pursue a nursing degree. One of the reasons? Im absolutely terrified of needles! she exclaims. I just didnt want to stick people! When Michael Bleich, the dean of Goldfarb School of Nursing, hears about Andreas initial fear of needles, he chuckles. Sometimes people have this stereotypical image of a nurse, which can really diminish how complicated the profession is, he says. A lot of students come in and think they cant do it because they hate blood. But you may never see blood.
They get here and understand, Theres
so much more to this. For Andrea, who does sometimes have to deal with blood and needles, experience certainly helped. We practiced millions of times on mannequins in the simulation labs before I ever stuck a real person, she recalls. Those things are really, really lifelike. Shes referring to a key piece of Goldfarbs nursing program: clinical simulation labs, which are equipped with high-tech medical dummies that feature auto-reacting pupils and can be programmed to display realistic convulsions and bleeding. But Goldfarbs nursing program goes well beyond needles and antibiotics; it focuses on whole-person care. We deal with a lot of biophysical, which ties to the disease, but then we talk about the psychosocial pieces, explains Bleich. Its extremely important to look at family dynamics. Theres also palliative care and end of life, hospicethats not only psychosocial but also spiritual.
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excellence in nursing
Weve actually learned that there is a right
way to die, in terms of how to help people let go, how to talk to families in various stages of bereavement, how to provide support at special times, how to create memories and bring the family together. Dealing with patients and their families during such emotional times can be challenging, but Andrea knows the importance of considering their situations. You have to step back and say, What circumstances does this person come from? Andrea says. What are they dealing with? Its something shes experienced firsthand. On a breezy afternoon in 2006, two days after her high-school graduation, Andrea received a phone call. It was a random lady calling from my dads number, she recalls. She said, Your familys been in a car accident, and hung up. I tried to call back, but nobody answered. When Andrea arrived at the hospital, she saw her brother. Ive never seen him cry, but his eyes were bloodshot red, she recalls. All my family was there: my
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grandparents, my aunts, my uncles, my
cousinseveryone. Then I saw my mom in a wheelchair near a room. I walked in, and my dad was just lying on the table. I looked around and realized, Oh my God. Hes not hooked up to anything. Then I just broke down. Michael Simms had been driving
back from her brothers graduation
ceremony when he suffered an acute heart attack. We had no idea he had heart problems, Andrea says. He was just the guy who never went to the doctor and always put things off. Michael lost control of the car and crashed into a pole. He died in the car, Andrea says quietly. My mom heard his last breath. At the time, Andrea was beginning classes at Saint Louis University. I didnt really have time to let reality sink in. Then one day I had the most realistic dream, where my dad was like, Hey Im coming to pick you up to go shopping. We always went shopping and got lunch. When I woke up, I went to call him, and thats when reality set in: I would never talk to him again. She called her mom the next day. I just said, I need you all to come pack me up. Im ready to go. Michael had worked hard to provide for his family, working the night shift at a chemical plant and then driving the kids to school. He only averaged a few hours of sleep each day. I understand having to take care of your family, but its so important to take time to decompress and take care of your body and your mental health, says Andrea. After Michaels death, Andrea worked full-time, eventually earning enough to pay for courses at St. Louis Community College and later Fontbonne University,
where she earned a degree in psychology.
Then, in 2013, another phone call altered her life. This time, it was from Goldfarb School of Nursing. They said I received a scholarship, she recalls. It was the best day of my life. Losing her father had changed Andreas outlook on healthcare. My dad never went to the doctor, she says. He didnt think it was a priority. Sometimes, if you have bad habits and dont go in, by the time you get there, nothing can be done. You never know what mightve happened if youd just gone in a little earlier. For her, the decision to become a nurse was eminently personal. just outside Goldfarb Halls oversized windows is a medical metropolis. What better place to browse a medical textbook or chat with others committed to learning? And need I remind you, this is the penis? And here you have the rectum, and this is the prostate The professors voice rings out from the front of the room. Andrea and her friends are sitting You cant treat a person like theyre in Room 340, a lecture hall with seats something from a textbook, she adds. surrounding a central podium. The class It requires a little something extra to is Adult Health, and the professor is become a nurse. pointing at a screen with an image of the Tara Herron, Andreas academic male reproductive system and lecturadvisor, has watched her come to ing about benign prostatic hyperplasia, embody the sentiment. At first, an age-related condition that involves she was very quiet and shy, Herron enlargement of the prostate gland, which says of Andrea. Then, second term, makes it difficult for I started seeing her a student in the accelerated men to urinate. It makes more around campus bachelor of science program at life challenging in other and noticed she was goldfarb school of nursing at areas as well. coming out of her shell. barnes-jewish college, andrea simms spends her days in class and When we talk about Shed stop in to see me interacting with patients. Its hard, psychological, this and became a lot more its exhausting, and its a challenge, outgoing as she gained stuff is important to she says. but on the whole, its only confidence in her abiliguys, the professor one year of your life, and its worth it. ties and her studies. says. They can be Andrea became a really embarrassed and scared. student ambassador, networking with The takeaway: Theres more to nurs- nurse managers and hospital leaders ing than biology and vitals. and occasionally representing the proNursing is a lot different than other gram during recruiting events. Shes also medical jobs, Andrea says later. It grown accustomed to interacting with doesnt just look at the person as a dispatients. Shes gentle, mild-mannered, ease. A nurse looks at the person as and nothing really gets to her, says Herron. Shes a peaceful person. When she a whole. You look at how you can help them, how you can support themnot walks into a room, she brings that peace just physically but also emotionally. with her and is able to calm everyone.
This March, Andrea began her preceptorship, an intense work-study in
which she works with a nurse practitioner for 192 hours during the month before graduation. At press time, she was serving at The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis, located near Goldfarb, before graduating this April. Andrea realizes that earning her degree from Goldfarb is just a starting point, though. Id love to work in neonatal, once I get more experience, she says. She plans to eventually return to school and earn her doctorate in nursing practice. She also hopes to one day start a family and possibly move to Kansas City. Her fianc, Markwhose mother and grandmother are also nursesplans to graduate from the accelerated nursing program at the University of Missouri Columbia this May. For now, though, Andrea is enjoying her time at Goldfarb. Im in no rush, she says. Its challenging, but its fun. And Andreas finally over her fear of needles. Its definitely easier to stick people now, she says with a laugh. I dont know why I freaked myself out about that so much! May 2015 stlmag.com