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Tripler Army Medical Center
Honolulu, Hawaii
CDT Kendra Selinsky
For NSTP, I went to Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii for about four weeks. I was assigned a preceptor and worked one on one with her on the labor and delivery floor. There is also an overall preceptor for everyone who coordinates the whole program, and that person is your point of contact if you have any issues during NSTP. When I was there, there were only five of us, whereas cadets who went later in the summer had about twelve. We all stayed in a hotel located on a hill right above Tripler, and we each get three meals a day at the DFAC at Tripler if we chose to eat there.
During the first few days in Hawaii, I spent time in the classroom learning about the procedures of the hospital and what to expect during my time in at Tripler. We ended the orientation time with a meet and greet where we met our preceptors and other staff at the hospital. Each of us works the same schedule as our preceptor. My preceptor worked 12 hour days: 2 days on, 2 days off, and every other 3 day weekend. I had not started my OB rotation in nursing school yet, so everything I was learning on the floor was new to me. My preceptor was very patient teaching me everything, and by the end of the month, I was extremely comfortable working there. Not only did I learn all about labor and delivery, I became a lot more comfortable and proficient at basic nursing skills such as inserting IVs, foley catheters, and hanging IV bags.
You are assigned to one preceptor and one floor for the whole time, but you get one day to spend in a different area with a different preceptor. You make a wish list for where you want to spend that time, and for the most part, you will get your first choice. I was able to go to the ER. Because it is only one day, I did not learn as much in the ER, but I was able to continue practicing my skills with IVs and also got to learn the routine of the ER. I was lucky and also got to spend a couple hours on the Mother/Baby floor when our floor was really slow.
In addition to working with our preceptors on the floor, we met as a class every Wednesday to discuss our experiences working at the hospital and had occasional speakers. We also had a project due at the end of the course in which we researched and presented a topic that related to the floor we were working on. We also had to do a community service project. We helped watch the children of a cancer support group that was having their annual picnic. We were also assigned jobs within our ROTC class. Since we were only a class of five, that was somewhat limited, but some of the jobs included: the leader, graduation coordinator, PT, scheduling, etc. The jobs were not too difficult to handle. Also, just like in nursing school and ROTC, we have evaluations at the middle and the end of the course. The preceptors write a little evaluation and the overall preceptor writes his evaluation.
When you are not working at the hospital, you are able to spend your time how you want, as long as you stay on the island. Accountability is key, so we always had to make sure to let our leader know where we were going. We were able to explore a big portion of the island, as well as drive through some of the different military installations.
Overall, I had a great experience at Tripler. Before attending NSTP, I was not quite sure where I wanted to specialize in, though I had a few ideas. However, I am now certain that I want to eventually go into labor and delivery. I also know that I want to work at Tripler because of the good experience I got from working there. NSTP allowed me to practice my skills, something that is somewhat limited in nursing school. Coming back to nursing school, I was a lot more confident in those skills, and when I started my OB rotation, I was already familiar with a lot of the topics in class.
Some tips for NSTP. Make sure you bring a laptop if you have one. The hotel you stay in at Tripler has wireless internet, and you will want to use it to make your power point presentation for your project, as well as use it for research. Otherwise you will need to get access to the library. Take advantage of the time you have at NSTP. If you see opportunities for learning, take them. You need to be proactive with your time. If you really want to learn how to insert IVs, let your preceptor know so if opportunities on the floor arise, you will have the chance to practice. Communication is key. If you are having issues with your preceptor or your NSTP experience, let the overall preceptor know. He will help you through it and even find another preceptor if possible. While at NSTP, you are not only learning about nursing and what it is like to be an Army Nurse, you are also networking. You will work with other Army nurses and meet some pretty high ranking officers. Make good first impressions because you will probably run across many of these officers at some point in your future Army career.