F2231


 * //Professor Matthew Barrett //**
 * //Human Growth and Development. //**
 * //April 23rd, 2013 //**
 * // __Jennifer Haley: A Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse__ //**
 * // For decades now there have been many career opportunities to work in a field associated with Human Growth and Development. Whether the field handles the foundations of human growth and development, infancy, early or middle childhood, adolescence, early and middle adult hood, or lastly late adulthood to the end of life, the options are endless. Jennifer Haley works in a field that deals with the most fragile members of the Lifespan Development, Premature babies. //**
 * // Jennifer is an ideal example of everything it takes in a person to work in such a field as demanding as the Neonatal Intensive Care. Jennifer’s journey began into the Nursing Career when she was eighteen and just graduated from High School. Jennifer lost her mother at a young age, so because of this she had to pay her way through college. “I had a real determination to get through college and become a nurse, to provide my future better opportunities that I wasn’t provided with growing up, I knew I wanted to help people, and this was a career opportunity that would allow me to do so.” (Jennifer) She began her education at Conestoga College in Ontario, Canada. Here she received her Associates of Science within the course of three years. //**
 * // The next step in her journey to fulfill her goal of becoming a nurse was to get her certification and license as a Registered Nurse. To do this she had to take her Nclex, and had to also test to receive her Florida Nursing License. The NCLEX is an examination that is administrated by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. On the website, __www.ncsbn.org/nclex.htm__, it has stated the reasoning why this examination is mandatory, “To ensure public protection, NCSBN member board jurisdictions require a candidate for licensure to pass an examination that measures the competencies needed to perform safely and effectively as a newly licensed, entry-level nurse. ”(NCLEX Examinations, n.p., n.d.) Also this website states this, “ NCSBN develops two licensure examinations, the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) that are used by boards of nursing to assist in making licensure decisions. ”( NCLEX Examinations, n.p., n.d.) Jennifer took the National Council Licensure Examination first (NCLEX-RN) first. When asked about her thought process on taking the NCLEX-RN, Jennifer states “ I think that the examination is a good thing, though it’s a pain to take and what not, it still is an extra step in ensuring that the nurses whom take care of patients and everyone one in general are completely prepared and up to standard.”(Jennifer)//**
 * // In addition to receiving her NCLEX-RN, Jennifer had to also receive her Florida Nursing License. She went through the website, [|www.floridanurselicenses.com] . “There are many ways to receive this license, but as stated on the website, its quicker to do it through this company, it takes weeks verses months.”(Jennifer) As quoted on the website one customer says, “"My colleagues who applied for their Florida Nurse licenses on their own were receiving them in 8-12 weeks and sometimes even longer. I contacted Florida Med and received mine in 20 days. This process in not as simple and easy as you would think. Do yourself a favor, contact Florida Med and let them handle everything for you. You won't regret it. Thanks Florida Med!" (Joe Biggs RN)(Florida Nursing Licensing Service, N.p., n.d.) Jennifer also says that when going through this website, “The fees are cheaper; I mean they are more money now than they were when I originally took the test the first time, but $125 for an RN/LPN applicant, not bad.”(Jennifer) //**
 * // After doing all her certification and licensing, she went back to online classes at Athabasca University in Alberta Canada. Taking online classes were due to the fact that she moved from Canada, to Orange Park, Florida. Where she was currently had begun working as a Labor and Delivery and Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse already. She graduated in 2009 with her Bachelors in Science and Nursing She currently works at Orange Park Medical Center. When asked about the process of becoming a nurse, and how she feels about her job, Jennifer responds, “It was a long process, paying my way through college and certification and my licensing and just everything on my own defiantly wasn’t easy. It took an extremely long time, but it was all completely worth it. I love my job but sometimes it can be tough on you, and it cans a toll. Dealing with premature babies, you have to be extremely aware of everything. They are so fragile and small and some of them come in really sick because they have parents that smoke, drink, and do recreational drugs during the pregnancy which causes a premature birth. Were a Level 2 so we deal with anything 30 weeks and older, anything under that we have to transfer to Shands.” //**
 * // When asked to go through the Lifespan Development book, and find something she relates to within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she turned to Chapter 3, Page 77, Title heading “Low Birth Rate and Preterm Birth.” In the book it states “All neonates below 2,500 grams( about 5.5 pounds) are classified as having a low birth rate(LBW). Most LBW’s are preterm, or born before the 38th week of gestation. The proportion of LBW infants is particularly high in the united states, where 12.3% of newborns are preterm and 8.3% of newborns weigh less than 2,500 grams.”(Lifespan Development, 6th ed., 2012) “All the babies we get into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, all have a Low Birth Rate, and with that come a strict set of procedures that have to be carried out. We start with blood work to check the complete blood count (CBC). We do a blood culture which checks the bands in the blood. There are more risks for infection with babies whom mother’s water had been broken for more than 18 hours before they were born, or say if the mother had a temputure of 100.4. We have to watch them a little more closely. We do a culture that is watched for 48 hours, most of those usually come back clean but either way we start the premes (premature babies) on antibiotics immediately to prevent infection, because of the fact that they are so tiny and weak we can’t risk waiting till there is an infection to give them the antibiotics, by then it could be too late.”(Jennifer) //**
 * // When asked what departments and other professionals does The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit works alongside with, Jennifer responds with, “ We work with Audiology a lot. They come when the new babies are come into the unit, to test they hearing of the infant, we also work with the doctors that come in and preform tests when required with certain babies. Not often but sometimes a Physical Therapist comes in to help with a baby who has been in the Neonatal unit for over five weeks, they move the baby around, and just make sure everything is going well developmentally. We also have Echotechs come in to preform echocardiograms on the infant, along with some N.P’s and P.A’s. Aside from that sometimes my unit assists in regular Labor and Delivery if it’s a high risk delivery, and in cesarean sections.”(Jennifer) //**
 * // If an infant is checked into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, they usually are there for about five weeks until they are allowed to leave. When asked what the toughest part of her job was, Jennifer stated, “ Because of the unit I work, as I said before most babies are in there because their parents used some kind of drug, smoked or drank during their pregnancy. It is tough to watch these babies because they are born with an addiction and longing for whatever substance it was that there parents used. The worst are alcohol babies, and drug babies are just wild and they cry and cry and cry. It is sad because we have to wean them off of the stuff, and watch them suffer through something so terrible while being so tiny, but the worst part is watching their parents whom did the drugs or drank come and visit them, and eventually take them home with them. We call DCF( Department of Children and Families) but most the time they never follow through with anything though in our opinions they should. It is terrible, but at the same time, it is amazing and rewarding to watch these babies grow, get better, get healthier, get bigger and stronger and to know that you helped make that difference, that you helped that baby. Rarely but it has happened, have we had some babies to sick and they die, or we can’t save them during the high risk deliveries, and psychologically that can be draining and heart breaking, but we have to know we aren’t saviors and we can’t save everyone, that’s pretty tough, but overall it’s a rewarding job, making a difference in those babies lives.” (Jennifer) //**
 * // Though the process too become a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse was a long one for Jennifer Haley, she states, “I wouldn’t change a second of any of it.”(Jennifer) Over twenty years of working in the profession, paying her own way through college, certification, and licensing, dealing with sick babies, life and death, split second decisions, long shifts, consistently renewing her education 2 years, being flexible and constantly adapting, Jennifer does it all. She makes a huge impact and difference in the lives of babies whom get a rough start of the beginning of what is to become an incredible life span and journey. If it weren’t for people with her determination and dedication, life would be different, if not nonexistent for those helpless babies. Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses are crucial to the Lifespan Development and Human Growth and Development field and the world would be far different without the field. //**

[1.<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">"About NCSBN." //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">NCLEX Examinations //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <https://www.ncsbn.org/nclex.htm> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">2.Boyd, Denise, and Helen Bee. //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Lifespan Development //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">. 6th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2012,2009,2006. Print. Lifespand Development. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">3"Florida Nurse Licensing Service - Located in Tallahassee, Florida's Capital City." //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Florida Nurse Licensing Service - Located in Tallahassee, Florida's Capital City //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.floridanurselicenses.com/?gclid=CKazk9Df3rYCFa5QOgodCxEA-Q>.]</range id="425428708_1">

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">***By the way this essay is 1,673 words!!!*** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">.

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