Nursing teacher writes book to assist students

Nursing teacher writes book to assist students

A teacher in the Middlesex County Magnet Schools’ adult nursing program has written a book to help her students succeed.

Jennifer Kean, who teaches in the licensed practical nursing program on the Piscataway Campus of the Middlesex County Magnet Schools, has authored “NCLEX Prep Boot Camp” to prepare students for the National Council Licensure Examination.

“I love my students; they’re very special people,” said Kean, a resident of Edison. “Teaching is what I was meant to do, giving back to the next generation.

“We need people to be LPNs,” she added.

LPNs provide hands-on nursing care in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and surgical centers. The course teaches concepts and skills that allow them to assist patients by performing dressing changes, administering medications, monitoring intravenous therapy, collecting data and evaluating patients’ needs.

The Middlesex County Magnet Schools program is conducted during the day over 15 months. Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED.

Kean spent 10 years as a registered nurse after six years as an LPN before going into teaching. She has a master’s degree in nursing.

“Jennifer is a very hard-working, dedicated instructor who wants all her students to succeed,” said Dawn Lystad, director of adult education for the Middlesex County Magnet Schools.

In addition to teaching the adult classes, Kean offers exam prep classes via Zoom and has a part-time job doing home care for pediatric patients.

She said the idea for the book came to her when she had difficulty sleeping during the pandemic shutdown.

“I stuck with my basic vision I had when I couldn’t sleep,” she said, explaining that the text covers the basics of practical nursing and goes into the various specialties.

The book, at $49.95 for a hardcover and $9.95 for an e-book, is available on Amazon.com.

The Middlesex County Magnet Schools, formerly the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools, the first full-time county vocational school district in the nation, has campuses in East Brunswick, Edison, Perth Amboy, Piscataway and Woodbridge, offering 33 career majors.

The Adult School offers a daytime program in practical nursing, and evening programs in electrical technology; heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology; plumbing technology, and skin care, as well as apprentice training in business and office occupations, construction trades and manufacturing industries, and customized training that can be developed to meet the needs of employers.

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