Nurse George Bullard has a ready reply when patients at Munson Medical Center tell him fear of falling makes them reluctant to get out of bed and move around, a standard pre-release recommendation.
“ ‘You’re a piece of cake. You’re not going to fall,’ ” said Bullard, a 2013 graduate of NMC’s nursing program and, most recently, qualifier for 2017 U.S. Strongman national competition.
The muscles and tattoos beneath Bullard’s scrubs initially belie his profession. But he says patients love hearing stories and seeing pictures of his competitive weightlifting life outside the hospital. And their roads to recovery and his own in the gym actually run parallel.
“It’s all about achieving goals,” said Bullard, 30. Patients have the goal of getting better, and he helps them achieve it. In doing so Bullard earned an achievement himself earlier this year, winning the Daisy Award, a national award for nurses who provide extraordinary, compassionate and skilled care.
At Munson Bullard is also a preceptor — teacher — for both nursing students and newly hired nurses. They shadow him to get a better understanding of how the general medical floor works.
“The biggest thing we have to teach them is how to advocate for the patients,” he said.
In the case for which he received the Daisy Award, Bullard argued against a physician’s discharge recommendation, believing the patient wasn’t strong enough yet. The doctor agreed to a walk test. The patient didn’t fall, but did become short of breath and his oxygen level dropped. Subsequent tests revealed two liters of fluid on the man’s lung. Had he been released, Bullard said, he could have drowned.
“It’s one of the biggest roles we have as a nurse,” Bullard said of the advocacy role. “Sometimes, I spend more time with the patient than the family does.”
Bullard’s floor at Munson sees the most patients with the most varied conditions of the entire hospital. He says his NMC education equipped him well for the challenge.
“I had such a variety when I was a student. I was confident when I got there,” said Bullard, a Flint native who was drawn to a nursing career after moving up north to take care of his aging grandmother.
Next year, in addition to training for the national strongman competition, Bullard plans to advance his career by enrolling in Ferris State University’s BSN program at the University Center. He ultimately hopes to become a nurse practitioner.
Nurse George Bullard has a ready reply when patients at Munson Medical Center tell him fear of falling makes them reluctant to get out of bed and move around, a standard pre-release recommendation.
“ ‘You’re a piece of cake. You’re not going to fall,’ ” said Bullard, a 2013 graduate of NMC’s nursing program and, most recently, qualifier for 2017 U.S. Strongman national competition.
The muscles and tattoos beneath Bullard’s scrubs initially belie his profession. But he says patients love hearing stories and seeing pictures of his competitive weightlifting life outside the hospital. And their roads to recovery and his own in the gym actually run parallel.
“It’s all about achieving goals,” said Bullard, 30. Patients have the goal of getting better, and he helps them achieve it. In doing so Bullard earned an achievement himself earlier this year, winning the Daisy Award, a national award for nurses who provide extraordinary, compassionate and skilled care.
At Munson Bullard is also a preceptor — teacher — for both nursing students and newly hired nurses. They shadow him to get a better understanding of how the general medical floor works.
“The biggest thing we have to teach them is how to advocate for the patients,” he said.
In the case for which he received the Daisy Award, Bullard argued against a physician’s discharge recommendation, believing the patient wasn’t strong enough yet. The doctor agreed to a walk test. The patient didn’t fall, but did become short of breath and his oxygen level dropped. Subsequent tests revealed two liters of fluid on the man’s lung. Had he been released, Bullard said, he could have drowned.
“It’s one of the biggest roles we have as a nurse,” Bullard said of the advocacy role. “Sometimes, I spend more time with the patient than the family does.”
Bullard’s floor at Munson sees the most patients with the most varied conditions of the entire hospital. He says his NMC education equipped him well for the challenge.
“I had such a variety when I was a student. I was confident when I got there,” said Bullard, a Flint native who was drawn to a nursing career after moving up north to take care of his aging grandmother.
Next year, in addition to training for the national strongman competition, Bullard plans to advance his career by enrolling in Ferris State University’s BSN program at the University Center. He ultimately hopes to become a nurse practitioner.
The City of Traverse City will be closing part of East Front Street off Munson Avenue between the main entrance to NMC’s main campus and the Hawk’s Nest for road construction several times during the next few weeks. A detour will be available via Indian Woods Drive, east of the road closure.
The planned closure dates are:
Thursday, September 29
Friday, September 30
Tuesday, October 4
Friday, October 14
Please note these dates are subject to change depending on the weather. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Grand Valley State University — Traverse City Campus
NMC University Center Building Room 09
Learn how you can pursue a degree in primary care and how to make money to pay for your degree. The presentation will focus on how students can get money for loans by putting their skills and abilities to work in communities in need. Topics to be discussed will include the National Health Service Corps and the Michigan State Loan Repayment program.
October 20, 12:15-1 p.m. Location: Founder’s Hall, room 110
The Passport Student Lecture Series is a chance to explore other cultures through the experiences of NMC international students. Bring your lunch and hear Jettarin (Jay) and Jitpanu (Joe) Issaravanich speak about their home country of Thailand.
If you are a Global Endorsement student, please bring your GE passport so that it can be stamped and earn your GE event points!
Nurse George Bullard has a ready reply when patients at Munson Medical Center tell him fear of falling makes them reluctant to get out of bed and move around, a standard pre-release recommendation.
Nurse George Bullard has a ready reply when patients at Munson Medical Center tell him fear of falling makes them reluctant to get out of bed and move around, a standard pre-release recommendation.
Monday, October 3, 2016, Noon to 1 p.m.