It's Time to Take the "Us" Out of "Uterus"

Now hear me out – I think it’s time to take the “us” out of “uterus”.

I know this sounds strange, but I think I understand now why there is all this confusion about who gets to manage what goes on inside the apparently troublesome organ currently known as the uterus.

I believe I have found the root of the problem. The problem is there is no “i” in uterus.

The Strength of the Letter “i”

The letter “i’ seems to help with the clarity of ownership related to anatomy. Think about it - there is an “i” in “penis” and “testicles”, and there seems to be no doubt about who gets to manage what happens to those.

During my career as an ED nurse, I have many times tried to tell patients with penises what to do with them with very little success. I have tried to help people with penises stop putting things up them that should not be there, remind them of the often infectious repercussions of placing their penises in holes without protection, and request them to stop touching their penises in front of myself and other ED staff at inopportune times (AKA all the time). Each time I make recommendations or assertions about a penis attached to another person, I have been reminded in strong, colorful language that the owner of the penis can and will do what they want with it. I can always ask, but ultimately, the person that penis is attached to is in charge of what happens to said body part (at least, in some cases, until the cops arrive).

And don’t get me started about trying to get someone with “testicles” to do anything with them. As soon as I ever mention an idea or procedure having to do with the testicles, a hand goes over them like a vice. It is often a moot point before it is can even be verbalized. 

Furthermore, there is an “i” in both “fallopian tubes” and “ovaries”. And while there has been comments from people without either with thoughts on how to manage biological processes that occur in and around fallopian tubes and ovaries, there does not seem to be as much fuss about these organs as with the “uterus”. I really think it has to do with the letter “i”.

The Problem with “us”

The biggest debates right now seem to be around two things with names that contain “us” – the uterus and the fetus.  It seems that certain parties feel entitled to telling humans with a uterus how to manage it and once a fetus is involved, to take ownership of said fetus even if – 1) it is not quite yet a fetus, 2) it is not housed in their bodies, and 3) they do not seem to quite understand how the process of pregnancy works. Their entitlement claims to have been founded in the name of numerous causes – religion, ethics, the law. I feel that the presence of “us” in the name “uterus” makes them feel as if they are a part of that organ, even when they are not. “Us” seems to imply a collective ownership of a uterus to others. And I really think people might be confused because of the “us”.

I cannot otherwise understand why someone else would feel the right to tell me, the person with the body that contains an organ, how to manage it. Organ trafficking is definitely illegal, at least the last time that I checked. Organ donation and procurement is HIGHLY regulated in the United States. Consent dealing with anything having to do with organs in the hospital is a complex system of legal paperwork with signatures and witnesses. And as the uterus is an organ, there must be some big misunderstanding about the ownership situation around it.

(And I want to take a moment to be very clear on a certain point – this is not just an issue for me because I identify as a “woman”. The issue of who gets to dictate what happens to the organ called the uterus will affect all kinds of humans who identify all kinds of ways. I know that this will be confusing for some people, but this is something that I want to emphasize. I am speaking out as a human with a uterus - not just as a woman.)

The Difficulty of Adding an “i" 

I really love languages, but English is a hard one. The letter “i” is often used, strangely to me, to make singular words plural. This is one challenge with my thought of taking away the “us” and adding a letter “i” to the word “uterus”.  “Uteri” does not work for this reason, talk about confusing.  And other variations are just plain bad. “Utire” is terrible as it will make every nurse (and most humans with a uterus) think of infection or a gross outfit. “Iteri” sounds like a snobby word for a place to get lunch (EW). These won’t work, but I have another idea.

The Power of “me”

I have come up with this solution: I think that we should now rename the “uterus” with the new moniker - “uterme”.

A “uterme” definitely makes ME feel that it is an organ in me and when I say “My uterme”, I feel it is doubly stated that the organ is inside of me and MINE. When I say “uterme”, the listener is reminded that me and myself are going to be navigating the events of what goes on inside my organ and most importantly, there is no implied group ownership of my uterme.

It even gets down to an almost primal level of communication that Tarzan enthusiasts might enjoy – “Me human. Me uterme.”

It definitely seems like everyone can understand that – even the most primitive humans.

And as a human with a uterme, I am going to go two steps further in declaring my ownership of this organ that resides inside me:

1. I am first going to say here, in plain words, that I and only I will ever make decisions about my body. No other person, law, or religion will ever dictate what I decide to do with it. And that should apply to ALL humans. Your body is YOUR body.

2. I am personally renaming my own uterus/uterme – my “utermine”.  Other humans should feel free to use this nomenclature if they so wish.  #uterminesunite

For more information on how to support humans with a uterus, uterme, or utermine:

Planned Parenthood

Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, & Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Source: https://www.acog.org/About-ACOG/News-Room/Statements/2019/ACOG-Statement-on-Abortion-Bans?IsMobileSet=false

These opinions are my own and do not reflect those of my employer or other affiliates

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About the Author - Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an educator, speaker, blogger and owner of New Thing Nurse, a professional and academic coaching company for the nursing world. New Thing Nurse is organized to provide support and guidance to aspiring nurses, newly graduated nurses, and veteran RNs looking to make a change in their life.

Whether it’s a new school, new job or new idea,

New Thing Nurse wants to help with your new thing!

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New Thing Nurse visits the Athens Nurses Clinic

“If you don’t get your blood pressure under control, you could die.”

I was in school in 2009 when I met Paige M. Cummings, the Executive Director of the Athens Nurses Clinic. I was volunteering at a homeless resource fair when I overheard these firm, direct words coming from the booth next door.

I craned my neck to look over to see Paige taking a blood pressure cuff off of one of the fair attendees, a gentleman in his 50s. She was looking him in the eye and telling him in plain words that his blood pressure was too high and that he needed to take steps to bring it down.

The gentleman was not looking away or deflecting her words. He was listening intently and seemed to be really absorbing the information. In my short time in nursing school, I had not seen any medical professional speak to a patient so honestly about their condition. And it seemed to be working! I had to meet this woman.

After Paige finished with the gentleman, I not-so-coolly rushed over and introduced myself. I also may have thrown myself at her feet and asked (AKA begged) to work with her. Paige calmly listened and then told me about volunteer opportunities at the Athens Nurses Clinic.

What is the Athens Nurses Clinic?

The Athens Nurses Clinic (ANC) is located in Athens, Georgia and has its roots planted in providing healthcare to the homeless, indigent members of Athens-Clarke County since 1988 as the Georgia Nurses Association Foundation Clinic for the Homeless. In 1993, with the help of many local nurses and volunteers, The Athens Nurses Clinic moved to Reese Street, opening its doors to not just homeless members of Athens-Clarke County, but also to the uninsured, indigent members of Athens-Clarke County and Northeast Georgia.

In 2014, ANC moved to North Avenue and collaborated with three other agencies as a part of the Athens Resource Center for Hope. ANC is now open five days a week providing healthcare services and medications to patients at no cost. Services include the treatment of many chronic conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, gastric re-flux, asthma, allergies, and arthritis. ANC also accepts walk-in patients Monday-Friday for the treatment of acute conditions, such as colds, flu, UTIs, rashes, or tooth abscesses. ANC also provides laboratory testing, free mammograms, pap smears, vision screening, dental care, and Hepatitis C treatment.

The mission of the Athens Nurses Clinic extends far beyond providing medical treatment to patients, focusing heavily on education and disease prevention. ANC provides a year-long CDC approved Diabetic Prevention Program for the community, encouraging diabetic patients to bring family and friends to tag along. Nutrition, exercise, and smoking cessation classes are offered to patients who want to lose weight, improve their health, and decrease their stress levels. Recently, the clinic has partnered with SNAP educators, UGA, and the Athens Farmers Market to implement what is called the FVRx program. Through this program, enrolled patients attend classes focused on healthy lifestyle choices and receive prescriptions for free fruits and vegetables from the local Farmers Market. Equipping patients with the knowledge needed to improve or prevent acute and chronic disease is a key function to the standard of healthcare ANC provides.

Source: www.athensnursesclinic.org

With over 6,000 individual patient encounters in 2017, ANC is not slowing down anytime soon. The staff and volunteers are making a difference every day and saving lives along the way.

My Experience at the Athens Nurses Clinic

Soon after meeting Paige, I became a regular medical volunteer at the Athens Nurses Clinic. It was overwhelming how much direct-patient care experience and knowledge that I was getting each day that I was there.

I also was so confused because I was the ONLY nursing student volunteering at the Clinic. Where was everyone? Had I  stumbled upon the last, unsaturated volunteer location in the city of Athens, home of over 30,000 students all vying for volunteer experience?

I started talking to my classmates, trying to recruit a few to help out at the Clinic. Then I started talking to the other colleges in town trying to see if there might be other students out there who might want to come volunteer from the pharmacy or public health schools. This work evolved into me being the first Volunteer Coordinator at the Athens Nurses Clinic!

Today the Clinic continues to be a clinical site for dozens of students each semester from multiple local colleges and partners with the educational organizations, like the University of Georgia (my alma mater), to offer free educational programs to the Clinic’s patients. The Athens Nurses Clinic is a holistic center of healing and treatment to its patients and community.

What the Athens Nurses Clinic Taught Me

I continued to work at the Athens Nurses Clinic throughout nursing school and when I became a new nurse. The Clinic is where I learned to be a patient advocate to everyone, regardless of their SES or cultural background.

Annabella Uhde, ANC’s Office Administrator and Interpreter for the many Spanish-only speaking patients that receive care at the clinic, helped teach me how to best address the cultural and language needs of patients from other countries. Her positive energy flowed through each patient interaction. I learned the importance of a smile and kind touch from her.

ANC is also where I learned to be a strong, nurse leader. Paige was (and still is) always juggling a million tasks and wearing too many hats to count. I would watch Paige find the funds to support the clinic, manage the staff and army of volunteers, orchestrate the clinical service lines, sit on a slew of boards/committees and still dabble in patient care when needed. An ex-military nurse, Paige always gets the job done. Paige was one of my first nurse mentors and taught me that you can be a great nurse leader no matter what kind of clinical setting you may find yourself in.

How You Can Support the Athens Nurses Clinic

The Athens Nurses Clinic is able to provide all that it does to its patients because of generous donations and financial support from the community. The world of non-profit healthcare can be brutally hard, but great people every day are out there in the trenches, fighting to increase access to care for many marginalized patient populations.

And YOU can help the Athens Nurses Clinic in their work! There are several ways that you can donate -

Tomatoes at Terrapin

Tomorrow is the 9th Annual Tomatoes at Terrapin fundraiser for the Athens Nurses Clinic. This is the largest fundraising event that ANC puts on each year. It is a great day of outdoor music, tomatoes sandwiches and beer, all held at the Terrapin Beer Co. brewery in Athens, GA.

Check out the details >> http://tomatoesatterrapin.com/

Volunteer

If you want to be more hands-on in your help to the Athens Nurses Clinic, they are always looking for qualified volunteers to help out!

Volunteer at ANC >> http://athensnursesclinic.org/wp/get-involved/volunteer/

Donate

If you have some spare dollars hanging around, you can make an easy, online donation on the Athens Nurses Clinic website. This money goes directly to providing free care to the patients who need it most in the Athens-Clarke County community.

Donate to ANC >> http://athensnursesclinic.org/wp/donate/

I continue to be amazed at the excellent work being done at the Athens Nurses Clinic. If you are in Athens, Georgia, go by and check them out! If you are not nearby, look in your own community to see if there are other non-profit clinics. I guarantee that they are out there, working to provide the same magic to patients in your area.

Go see how you can get involved. You never know what you might learn by helping out.

- Sarah @ New Thing Nurse

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About the Author - Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an educator, speaker, blogger and owner of New Thing Nurse, a professional and academic coaching company for the nursing world. New Thing Nurse is organized to provide support and guidance to aspiring nurses, newly graduated nurses, and veteran RNs looking to make a change in their life.

Whether it’s a new school, new job or new idea,

New Thing Nurse wants to help with your new thing!

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FOLLOW NEW THING NURSE ON INSTAGRAM - @NEWTHINGNURSE

When the Shift Hits the Fan.

It is inevitable. It will happen to you.

No matter if you are a new graduate or veteran nurse, there will be that shift that will almost break you. Staffing is short. Your patient is crashing. Maybe it’s downtime to boot. The stress is overwhelming. You are heading to the med room to cry.

I have been there and shed those ugly tears. You feel like you’re drowning, and there is never enough help. I wanted to write a quick post with some advice about stress-management strategies that have helped me cope during those really hard moments when the shift is really hitting the fan.

Remember - You can’t do it all.

That moment when you start to feel like you need to clone yourself 10 times, stop and remember that you cannot do it all. THAT IS OK. You are a single human with a maximum capacity to take on tasks. Luckily, nursing is a team sport. Reach out to others and throw up the S.O.S. signal. Get some help. This is not a sign of weakness. This does not mean that you are not a good nurse. You are recognizing your limitations in the moment and putting patient safety first. It is appropriate to ask for assistance. If you try to do it all alone, you are putting yourself and your patients at risk. Don’t do it. That is never OK.

Take a deep breath. Try counting to 100 by threes.

Victor Lipman wrote for Psychology Today – “Get your body in hand first, and the mind will have a better chance to follow.” By using distraction techniques (like breathing and counting), you start to take control of yourself physically. This will help slow down your racing heart, help you avoid hyperventilation and allow you to think clearly. Nursing is a high-stress job. We are asked to do an impossible number of tasks (see the previous section) as fast as possible with less and less support. And not to mention, we are responsible for human lives. It’s normal for you to physically respond to that kind of stress. To succeed in a time of crisis, you will need to calm the body as well as the mind.

Triage. It is time to triage.

I am 100% an ER RN, so I am going to preach the importance of triaging your situation. It is time to get organized. You need to sort out what are the tasks that need your immediate attention, what you can delegate out to others, and what can go on the back burner. We already established that you cannot do it all. By triaging the urgency of your duties, you will complete the super STAT things quickly and figure out a way to get the other things finished without losing your mind. There is the possibility that you might not get it all done. And that is also OK. If all your patients are alive, your documentation is done, and no one is yelling at you, then all that extra stuff probably was not as necessary as you thought.

Don’t buy into the crazy.

When it’s busy, everyone gets stressed out. Emotions will be running high and sometimes, logic starts to fly out the window. It is SO important to not start down the road to Senselessville. Medicine has standards of care. Hospitals have policies and procedures. There is always structure to be found, even when it seems like the walls are crumbling around you. Let those rules guide you in the times of chaos. It can be very comforting (not to mention extremely helpful) to tap into those policies and procedures when the shift is blowing up. If you’re not sure if what is happening is kosher, take a minute and check the rules. You may be surprised at what you find.

Thank your coworkers.

Gratitude works magic. If you had someone come help you in a pinch, find them later and give them a “thanks” and a high-five. Nurses and other healthcare workers do not appreciate each other enough. We do some amazing work in ridiculous conditions. Find a minute to tell your colleagues that they did a good job. I find that appreciated coworkers are more apt to help in the future. 

Take time to decompress.

This is for after the shift-show has calmed down. You need to take some time to process. Whether it is in the car on the way home, in the shower after your shift or during a run the next day, find some quiet and let yourself go through the stress of the day. When we carry around too much stress, it can manifest as physical symptoms. By allowing yourself to work through the bedlam of your nurse life, you will find better balance in your personal life.

Have a great shift!

-  Sarah @ New Thing Nurse

About the Author - Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an educator, speaker, blogger and owner of New Thing Nurse, a professional and academic coaching company for the nursing world. New Thing Nurse is organized to provide support and guidance to aspiring nurses, newly graduated nurses, and veteran RNs looking to make a change in their life.

Whether it’s a new school, new job or new idea,

New Thing Nurse wants to help with your new thing!

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FOLLOW NEW THING NURSE ON INSTAGRAM - @NEWTHINGNURSE

Nurse Advocacy: Using Our Voices for Change

‘Tis the Season to Advocate!

Spring is busy for many nursing organizations as their members head to their local, state and national government agencies to advocate for the nursing profession. I personally went to Sacramento, California with the California Emergency Nurses Association (Cal ENA) this month to knock on our state legislatures’ doors so that we could voice our concerns about the evolving face of healthcare and what those implications mean for emergency room nurses and the patients that we serve.

Using Our Voices

Nursing is a hard job that leaves many frustrated and burnt out due to the many working and health system conditions that seem so out of nursing control.  Nurses can sometimes feel like just a small piece of a giant healthcare machine that is about to run off the rails. However by taking part in nurse advocacy events like Cal ENA's Legislative Day in Sacramento, nurses get an opportunity to meet face-to-face with lawmakers who can make a real difference in how our healthcare system works.

How Do I Become a Nurse Advocate?

First, you need to find a cause that you feel passionate about. Whether it is working to decrease violence in the workplace, implementing nurse-patient ratios or expanding nurse practitioners’ scope of practice, pick a topic that gets you EXCITED.  There are multitude of issues that can be supported. Look around. Talk to colleagues. Do some research. Find a cause that speaks to you and gets you fired up.

Next, find a group to advocate with you. Advocacy work can be wildly exciting, but also it can be really hard. You are often in the trenches, knocking on doors, making phone calls, passing out fliers and collecting signatures. It normally takes a very long time to see results. Find a professional or other volunteer group that is working on the same cause as you. These groups help support not only your work, but also help sustain your passion when the going gets tough.

Make some new friends. Frequently organizations that support causes that you are excited about will be filled with like-minded, engaged people. Get to know them! These are people who are supporting the same issues as you. Get their contact info. Make a coffee date. Swap stories. I have made some incredible friends through my work with the Emergency Nurses Association (SHOUTOUT TO MY EASTBAY ENA & CAL ENA FAMILY). You never know who you might meet when working with a new group.

Be an advocate of change. While a lot of advocacy work is small steps to the big goal, know that you are working to make things better. What you say to government representatives at all levels can shape policy and legislation that may have a direct effect on healthcare.

I have said it before, and I’ll say it again. Nursing is hard.

Nursing is hard. It is so easy to get lost in the minutia of healthcare that nurses forget why we ever got into this crazy career in the first place. I find that advocacy work helps re-ground my nursing perspective and helps me remember that nursing is a powerful and meaningful profession. Nurses are regularly rated the most trusted profession in the United States! We need to use that position to advocate for changes that will improve our working conditions and outcomes for our patients. Being a nurse advocate helps me as a nurse, but also as a person.

Remember: What is good for nurses, is good for everyone.

- Sarah @ New Thing Nurse

Here are just a few nurse organizations who have "Advocacy & Policy" platforms -

American Nurses Association

American Association of Critical Care Nurses

Emergency Nurses Association

American Organization of Nurse Executives

American Association of Colleges of Nursing

World Health Organization - Nursing Now Campaign

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About the Author - Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL is an educator, speaker, blogger and owner of New Thing Nurse, a professional and academic coaching company for the nursing world. New Thing Nurse is organized to provide support and guidance to aspiring nurses, newly graduated nurses, and veteran RNs looking to make a change in their life.

Whether it’s a new school, new job or new idea,

New Thing Nurse wants to help with your new thing!

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FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM - @NEWTHINGNURSE

The Blog is LIVE!! - Now, What Is New Thing Nurse?

The New Thing Nurse Blog is now LIVE! WOOT!!!

Hello!!!

For those of you who know me - HOWDY!!!

First, thank you for reading & following New Thing Nurse! Our #newthingnursetribe is an amazing community of veteran nurses, new nurses & aspiring nurses - plus so many more in the medical field - that come together to create a supportive platform to help each other with their new things!

For first-time readers to the New Thing Nurse community - WELCOME!!

My name is Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL. I am the Owner & Head Coach at New Thing Nurse & the main writer at our newly launched New Thing Nurse Blog.

What is New Thing Nurse?

New Thing Nurse is -

1. The academic & professional coaching service company made by a nurse for the nursing community to help with your new nurse thing! Whether you are thinking about applying to a new school, looking for your new job or have a new passion project that you need help getting off the ground, New Thing Nurse can help!!! New Thing Nurse offers an array of coaching, document preparation, writing editing & mentoring services to meet your professional & academic needs. Check out our Services page to see how we can help you. 

2. An inclusive & supportive online community for the nursing community who are trying new things. It is a forum to discuss ideas, get motivation & gain insider tips on how to succeed. No haters here. New Thing Nurse was created to lift each other up & fight against nurse bullying & nurse burnout.

3. A blog!! New Thing Nurse is now live with its blog! On here I (Sarah) & occasional guest authors will be diving more deeply into topics & trends that explore the great, big world that is the field of nursing. Many people think that nursing is just working at the bedside. However as you follow our social media & blog accounts, readers will quickly see that the world of nursing is a wide & wondrous world of diverse roles & crazy adventure! 

I created New Thing Nurse after seeing too many smart & talented nurses voice frustrations of the limitations of nursing. Many were burnt out. Others were uninspired. Most did not know the many options that are out there. New Thing Nurse is here to help fix that. I want to create a world of successful & fulfilled nurses and hopefully, this nurturing & collaborative nursing culture will extend beyond the healthcare setting for an enhanced professional & personal experience for all.

Thanks for reading & have a great shift!!

- Sarah, Owner & Head Coach @ New Thing Nurse

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