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MARCH 2016

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CNSA - SACRAMENTO STATE CHAPTER

VOLUME 26, ISSUE 3

Taking Action Against Human Trafficking

By Melissa Byrne, RN
CSUS Nursing Alumnus

What do you think about

when you hear human trafficking? Some think of the headlines they see about forced prostitution in Thailand, or photos of
I Dream of Ellison Way children holding guns acting as
soldiers in Africa. So, why did I
Page 2
submit a resolution in California
to present in front of nursing
students from across the state?
Changing my mind
Sacramento and Los Angeles are
about what to pursue;
two of the most common cities
Combining my two pasin the world for human trafficksions
ing to occur. This is one of sevPage 3
eral facts that nurses need to
know.
This is a local, national and
Nurturing is nursing;
international problem that is
Future ICU nurse
likely happening in your city. It
includes, but is not limited to:
Page 4
movement of persons by threat
or use of force, of abduction, or
Learning from each oth- other methods to gain control
er in nursing school
over another person for the purpose of exploitation that includes
Page 5
sexual exploitation, forced labor/services, slavery, and/or
Photos
removal of organs. Trafficking
affects over 20.9 million people.
Page 6
On average, 28,000 people
are trafficked into the United
Photos;
States annually.
Up to 50% of reported vicImportant Upcoming
tims
are seen by a health care
Dates
provider at one point while unPage 7
der the control of their trafficker
and are not identified.
Nurses are potentially the
first line of defense for these

Melissa speaking to a CNSA resolution on the issue of trafficking

victimsperhaps even their CNSAs convention was Why

only defense during a hospitali- are these patients getting missed?
First off, most nurses have not
zation.
Victims can present in any received education on how to
unit. Most victims are women identify a victim and there is no
and children as young as eight standardized screening tool. Secyears old with an average victim ondly, traffickers present as
age of twelve years old. Inter- family members which can be
viewed survivors emphasize deceiving to health care providers.
that anyone can be a victim, These family members typically
regardless of age, gender, sex- speak for the patient and position
uality or race. They are usually themselves between the nurse and
admitted into a hospital when the patient in an effort to mainthey are at their worst- in critical tain control. Third, victims recare, emergency rooms, and psy- ported that they were never isolatchiatric settings. Women victims ed from their trafficker during
of sex trafficking present in ob- their stay, so there was no opporstetrics and clinics for unplanned tunity to call for help. Finally, hupregnancies and recurring sex- man trafficking victims have terrible issues with trust. They are
ually transmitted infections.
One question I received repeatedly hurt by people who
during the resolutions hearing at TRAFFICK: Continued on page 2

THE MONTHLY SHOT

TRAFFICK: Continued from page 1

claim to love them. Some survivors

report that they were not reassured that
their initial interview would be confidential, and if they had, they would
have spoken up sooner.
In order to combat human trafficking, this requires not just our attention:
this needs our action. As nurses, it is
our duty to serve as an advocate to our
patients. This is a human rights violation and we must do our best to keep

PAGE 2

victims safe from harm. The first barrier

of this issue is awareness in our communities. January 11 is National Human
Trafficking Awareness Day, and this year
I watched the city of Sacramento recognize it at a Not My City, Not My State
campaign. This is something that people
can do across other cities, states, and
nations. Once this is widely recognized
as an urgent issue, I hope to see mandatory educational sessions for health care
providers on how to identify a victim
and what to do next since this has shown

to be effective in research. In addition, I

hope to see a standardized screening tool
and legislation listing human trafficking as
a mandated report. I believe that partnering with the American Nurses Association
and other nursing associations across the
nation will create a huge impact on our
patients and communities. Ultimately, I
hope to see this action take victims and
turn them into survivors.
[Editors note: Melissas resolution was
adopted by the NSNA at the National
Convention.]

I Dream of Ellison Way

that so many minorities are falling
through. To carry out my dream, I hope
to create a nonprofit organization which
will specialize and cater to the health,
Every time I leave a lecture my
wellness, and empowerment of those
heart sinks a little more. Every class of
affected by health disparities. The Ellison
nursing school has
Way Settlement is someinvolved a statement
thing I envisioned from
that stood out like a
what my grandfather
banner announcing,
stood for. Ellison Weathbeing African Ameriersby was able to live to
can puts you at risk for
his fullest potential and
this particular condibecame one of the first
tion or disease. This
black police officers in
has molded into a rouJackson, Mississippi. He
tine. First I sarcasticalwas able to make a difly think, what a surference and pave the way
prise. Then, I survey
for generations to come.
my family and loved
The Ellison Way Settleones to investigate if
ment will prevent minorthis statement holds
ities from falling through
any validity. The prothe health disparity gap
cess usually ends in my
while raising them up to
surprise as I have idenallow them to continue
tified Mom, Dad,
to fulfill their purpose
Grandma, or other
and live to their fullest
family and friends who
potential. Now, at times I
currently or previously suffered from one From left to right: Juanitas aunt Maron Diane, grandfather Ellison, father Brian think my dream may be
of these conditions or Ellison (on Ellisons lap), grandmother Maggie Juanita, uncle Aaron Duran, and too challenging and too
absurd for a young Afriuncle Marshal Earl
diseases. I dwell in
can American woman to
worry wondering when I am going to a strong passion of mine, but the solution
carry
out,
but
I
came
across a quote from
suffer from one of the many diseases to this problem has not been as definite.
the MLK Dream 50 campaign that stated
that affect African Americans and other Without your health, what do you have?
grown ups who dream are the best kind
minorities. This has become a norm. You do not have the ability to live to your
of grown ups, so I will continue to do
There is a minority group in which the fullest potential and you are not capable
just that.
majority are suffering from poor health of serving your purpose. So, like Martin
and fighting to continue their lives in- Luther King, I have a dream. I dream that
stead of living life to the fullest.
my purpose in nursing is to close the gap
By Juanita Weathersby
3rd Semester

My future in nursing will include

many adventures, to which I look forward. However, one goal set in stone
involves closing the gap health disparities
create. From the beginning, this has been

THE MONTHLY SHOT

PAGE 3

Changing My Mind About What to Pursue

By Shereen Haddad
CNSA Vice President
4th Semester

There are days when I go home

from clinicals with a feeling of warmth
and of pride because of the impact I was
able to have on my patients. This can
come from being the first to notice subtle signs of decompensation and intervening, advocating for patients when the
care plan is not in their best interest, or
receiving expressions of great gratitude
for something as simple as taking the
time to shampoo their hair. As much as
I love being a nurse in the acute care
setting, there are also days when I come
home feeling defeated because there is
so little in these patients lives I can help
with and powerless because I cannot
address the core of their problems.
We take care of patients in the hospital for such a brief window of their
lives. We do our best to care for them

and educate them during their limited

time in our care. But we have little understanding of the circumstances that sent
them to the hospital or what the circumstances are that were sending them back
to. We stabilize them, deal with their immediate needs, and get ready to discharge
them.
Using the limited time and resources
we have, we do our best to provide them
with the tools they need to care for themselves once they leave. We give them a
prescription for medication, but dont
necessarily know that they have a way to
regularly get to the pharmacy. We provide them with educational materials, but
have little idea what their health literacy
level is. We educate them on a healthy
diet, but have no clue if they can afford
these healthy foods or if they live in a
neighborhood where these foods are
even accessible. We advise them to visit a
healthcare provider regularly rather than
waiting until they are sick enough to go

to the hospital. While they may understand the importance of doing this, they
may be undocumented or have other
barriers to attaining health insurance.
Even if we are able to learn about our
patients obstacles to health, there is
often very little we can do about it.
Thats where public health nursing
comes in. The more I think about my
desire to make a difference as a nurse
(clich as that goal may sound) and the
more I learn about the healthcare system, the more I think that practicing as
a public health nurse might be where I
can make the greatest impact. Our profession tends to place acute care nursing
on a pedestal and devalue other areas of
nursing, discouraging us from pursuing
anything else but acute care. However,
in order to truly reach problems at their
core and affect change on a wider scale,
the valuable contributions of public
health nursing and upstream thinking
are not only valuable but essential.

Combining My Two Passions: Writing and Nursing

By Michelle Wooten
CNSA Monthly Shot Editor
3rd Semester

When I started nursing school, I

decided to maintain an open mind. I
have done just that, waiting until I expe-

rienced something in clinical before

forming an opinion on whether I liked it
or not. I have found that I enjoy each
clinical experience more than the last. I
only have had one shift in pediatric clinicals so far, but it has been my favorite of
them all. I could see myself working in
pediatric nursing, but there is something
else that I might pursue in the future
nursing research.
I have always been an avid writer, but
I pursued nursing for the patient care
aspect. I want to be a patient advocate,
and being able to work with patients and
give the best I can to make their day better means a lot to me. However, last semesters nursing research class sparked
something in me. It is an integral facet of
nursing, and it greatly interests me. I enjoy reading research articles to learn the
latest in nursing research so that I can
provide evidence-based care to my patients.

Over the last few months, I have

had the opportunity to write an evidence-based practice article with my
faculty advisor, Dr. Parsh, for the journal Nursing 2016. I enjoyed every part
of the process. It showed me that nursing research is something I could truly
see myself doing. Not only would I be
doing something I love, but it would be
for the benefit of nursing. I dont know
any of the specifics, like what type of
research I would go into, I just know
that it is something I would enjoy.
There are aspects of nursing research that seem difficult, but there are
challenges to all aspects of nursing and
the challenges are what keep it interesting. After I graduate, I hope to get experience providing bedside patient care.
However, there is a great chance that I
will continue my education to pursue
this area of nursing.

THE MONTHLY SHOT

PAGE 4

Nurturing is Nursing
By Diana Christensen
3rd Semester

I entered the field of Nursing because I had the perception that nurses
were very nurturing. In my clinical experiences, I have seen some
very tired and burned out nurses. I hope I can be an inspiration
for nurses and future nurses to
reflect on those idyllic days before
we all decided to become nurses. I hope that when we have
rough days, that we can remember
what inner fulfillment we once
received or that we hoped we
would receive from nursing.
This semester, I have been
working in pediatrics. I have been
struggling with the idea of taking
care of children with stage 4 cancer. I have found comfort in looking in the eyes of these children,
knowing they don't have much time
left on this earth, but hoping that I can
make them smile or laugh on my shift.
Trying to make every second count,
must be the new goal for these precious little souls.
A whole new level of empathy has
arisen within me, for the parents of
these little cancer warriors. I simply

can't imagine knowing that your child

now had an expiration date set on
them. I hope their hearts will heal and
hope that they will receive joy and comfort when they can sit back and relax for

spent doing actual patient care and charting takes up the remaining of our
day! I think this is where we lost the nurturing! Because, we are required to do all
the paperwork and taught that if we didn't
chart it, then it didn't happen! So,
how do we bring back the nurturing?

Diana and daughter Xena, 5

a few minutes and watch me give their

child a wagon ride down the hallway.
I recently heard a joke that sums up
the current nursing dilemma. How many
minutes does it take for a nurse to
change a light bulb? Answer: 20
minutes. Five to change it and 15 to
chart it. Unfortunately, in our modern
world of nursing, only of our time is

Touching
Actively Listening
Giving Advice
Caring
Encouraging
Hugging
Smiling

Do these take a little more

time? Yes! But, you will fit in the
charting. Your patients should take
priority over the charting. And, I
promise you, your patient will NEVER forget the genuine connection
they felt from you. Maya Angelou
once said, I've learned that people

will forget what you said, people will

forget what you did, but people will
never forget how you made them
feel. And, I promise you, you will fin-

ish your shift with a sense of fulfillment

you haven't felt in a LONG time. You
will feel a connection with humanity again
and remember why you became a nurse.

Future ICU Nurse

By Andrea Howlett
4th Semester

As we all move through nursing

school clinicals, we hope to find our
niche. Some of us come into nursing
school with a general idea of what we
think will interest us pediatrics, emergency, labor and delivery. I was one of
those. I started nursing school with an
interest in intensive care nursing and
second semester clinicals definitely solidified that interest and goal. But even
after second semester, I tried to keep an
open mind through OB and Pediatric
clinicals. Then came time to submit

preferences for my fourth semester preceptorship and again I realized that my

focus and love was still Intensive Care. I
eagerly submitted my preference for
Trauma ICU hoping to get my first
choice, and I did. And now, after five
shifts in the Trauma ICU, I am positive I
have made the right choice. Although my
patients have been difficult and complex
and their injuries have been severe, the
ability to focus on just one patient and
provide one on one care to this patient
and his or her family during what is
probably the worst time in their lives is
an experience that I cannot explain. So
now, almost two years after starting my

journey, my dream is still the same after

graduation, I want to work as an ICU
nurse. I know that I may need to begin in
a medical-surgical unit first but my goal is
to move up and into an ICU department
within a few years.
Watching the Trauma doctors and
seeing Nurse Practitioners in action during
these years of nursing school has solidified
my desire to at some point return to obtain my Nurse Practitioners certification,
hopefully in trauma or critical care. Returning to school for my doctorate is the
goal with the understanding that I want
ICU: Continued on page 5

THE MONTHLY SHOT

ICU: Continued from page 4

and need a few years of work experience, which will help me feel comfortable as a nurse first before I move for-

PAGE 5

ward with my education.

I am sure there are many nursing
students who do not know yet where
they want to be once they graduate.

Keep an open mind, enjoy and learn

from your clinical experience and trust
me, you will find your niche, your
forte, your dream along the way.

Learning From Each Other in Nursing School

By Karen Isak
2nd Semester

where I had enrolled in over 75 units.

The topics ranged as widely as the student population. I often took classes at
multiple campuses in one semester because of impaction. Some of my classmates were my age, or younger, others
had children my age or were in the begin-

to amaze me. Throughout my studies

in college I have made some really
important connections that have
helped me to question my own beliefs
It was the orientation for my first
and form new ones. Classmates and
semester of nursing school and explainprofessors have offered knowledge
ing my current mood as nervous was the
and understanding when I needed it
understatement of the year. It was not
most. However, my new conneceven the first day and already I was
tions in nursing school have
being bombarded by previous firstcompletely altered my previous
semesters telling me that my section
beliefs about how my education
members were my new bestshould look. Today I am surfriends. We all attempted to form a
rounded by people who remind
circle and learn each others names
me every lecture, every clinical
but I was just happy to remember
rotation, and every patient intermine at that point in the morning. I
action what nursing is all about.
felt like I was on a blind-date with
Before nursing school, the majornine other people who I would
ity of my education was done
have to spend five days a week with
individually. Today I learn more
for the next 16 weeks. As if dating
from my peers than I ever
isnt difficult enough.
thought to learn before. The lesEveryone told me that I would
make life-long friends in nursing From left to right: nursing students Erika Bezdecheck, Kayla sons they teach me go beyond
school. They told stories about be- Mumpower, Jen Miller, Karen Isak, Lauren Nishida, Janet their notes from the last lecture
or reminding me about a deading bridesmaids, and watching the Juten, Marcy Buckner, and Jenna Hall
line I have yet to reach. Every
birth of babies. I heard my nurse
ning
stages
of
starting
a
family.
Varying
time
I
hear one of their experiences
preceptors in the hospital talk about
economic
backgrounds,
work
experiencwith a patient, or the latest story from
how they met all their close friends in
es, and future plans existed in one classclinical, or they share another situation
nursing school. My clinical instructor
room. When I started at the School of
from their life that has pushed them
during my first semester would point
Nursing I found that same aggregate of
towards this career, they show me the
out which of his co-workers were previeducation.
We
all
have
various
life
experikind of nurse I want to be. I want to
ously classmates thirty-something years
ences
and
each
one
of
our
roads
to
Sac
be a nurse who collaborates with her
ago. So, all-in-all, I had better get along
State was unique in its own way but
peers for the benefit of her patient,
and enjoy these people because they are
among my classmates today I find somewho questions how her practice can
pretty much going to follow me around
thing special that I struggled to find bebe better developed, and who never
my whole life. No pressure!
fore:
the
heart
of
nursing.
forgets how much she has left to
I transferred to Sac State from the
My
friends
in
nursing
school
continue
learn.
Los Rios Community College system

Are you man enough

to be a nurse?
Join us for our next meeting of the Spring
2016 semester on Friday, April 29th at
4:30pm in Folsom Hall, room 1050.

THE MONTHLY SHOT

PAGE 6

Alligator and turtles in the lake at Disney

Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Fl

Submit pictures for the

Monthly Shot!
Sac State representing at NSNA Convention in Orlando, Fl! Dr. Wall, Dr.
Sampson, Shereen Haddad, Rachelle Mojado, Krystal Scott, and Dr. Parsh
Bottom Right: Sac State Nursing students represent at CNSA Membership
Meeting North! Remi Curley, Shereen Haddad, Amy Gore, Krystal Scott, Ryan
Robertson, Leicia Williams, Leah Martin, and Andy Liss
Below: View of the lake at Disney Coronado Springs Resort

For each issue, it is nice to see pictures of

you and/or your nursing school buddies
doing awesome nursing-related activities!
Become a celebrity and submit pictures
for the March issue! Send pictures today
to:
csus.cnsa.monthlyshot@gmail.com

THE MONTHLY SHOT

PAGE 7

Important Upcoming
Dates
April 5 (Tuesday):
Mental Health Fair
2:30pm-7:00pm
Sac State WELL
April 8 (Friday):
CNSA Meeting
4:30pm room 1050

Thuy Nguyen, Juanita Weathersby, Oliver Corpuz, April Nation, Ivan Dzyuba, Nicolette Clark, and Mary Kate Sarte with Dr. Sampson in Peds lab

April 11 (Monday):
RN Day at the Capitol
7:45am-5:00pm
State Capitol in Sacramento
April 29 (Friday):
MIN Meeting
4:30pm room 1050
May 6 (Friday):
Last CNSA Meeting
4:30pm room 1050
May 19 (Thursday):
Pinning for 4th semester students
May 20-21 (Friday & Saturday):
Graduation Commencement

Students waiting to donate blood at this years BloodSource Blood drive

RN Day at the Capitol

ALL California nursing students are invited to join ANA\C for the
"RN Day at the Capitol", held on April 11th, 2016! Annually ANA\C
presents a dynamic educational conference in Sacramento to open the
world of politics and legislation in a friendly and easy to understand
venue. The goal of this conference is to "open up new avenues of
thinking as to how nurses can participate in the legislative process and
support the nursing agenda throughout the state of California." For
more information on "RN Day at the Capitol", click here. Or contact
Krystal Scott, Legislative Director at csus.cnsa.legislative@gmail.com

Contact Info
California State University, Sacramento
School of Nursing
6000 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95819-6096
http://www.hhs.csus.edu/nrs
Phone: (916) 278-6525
Fax: (916) 278-6311
Monthly Shot Editor: Michelle Wooten
Email: csus.cnsa.monthlyshot@gmail.com
Faculty Co-Advisors:
Dr. Denise Wall Parilo & Dr. Bridget Parsh
CSUS CNSA chapter:
cnsaatcsusacramento.weebly.com

Write articles for the Monthly Shot!

Each article is one CNSA event and is great
for your resume! Articles should be at least
250 words, and can be about anything nursing- or school-related. We want to hear from
all semesters!

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