Fourth semester peeps weigh in!

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Specializes in Emergency; med-surg; mat-child.

How's it going? Second week down for me, and my first test, too! It seems like we have so much more to do this semester than last, which is what we thought last semester. I'm doing my best to get all the little things done early so I don't have them pecking at me when the big stuff is due. Time management, right?

No one knows where they'll be doing their capstone yet, and there were several sites that quite a few people wanted. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. I think I would like any of my choices.

See anything cool in clinicals yet? I met a guy who came in coding after a massive stroke; he wasn't expected to live, let alone function, but he can read, speak slowly, and move all four limbs. I want half his stamina and strength. I'd also take a quarter of his sense of humor.

Are you drowning in work? Have you thought about quitting yet (I have)? Do you know where your capstone will be (if you have one)?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hey week 2 down for me. They started us out slow but we are ramping up now. It does not seem too bad so far......I have done all my clinicals at the VA and my capstone will be there as well. I love veterans!! God bless you and thank you so much for your service.

I would do anything to get on with the VA as an employee so I can spend the rest of my life serving you guys!!!

Cheers

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics and Med Surf Float.

just finished week 3 (of semester 5 actually) but this and capstone left!!!!! we do 4 rotations of clinicals-community, resp, cardiac and ID, 3 weeks in each besides cardiac (my group got the short straw and have it for 2 weeds). next week i'm doing home visits with a partner, and it might be w/o the instructor which is the scary part. we also do VNS acute care one day where we follow the VNS nurse for the day. resp is a vent unit, cardiac i believe is a monitored unit and ID has e/t from soup to nuts but there the instructor may give 3 or 4 pts (eeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!)

capstone is too far away but i really want peds-but right now there are only 2 day and 2 night shifts for about 85 students. according to the course coordinator, if there are alot of ppl for one place they look for the most qualified but if e/o is equal she gets a hat and picks names. i really want peds. do you think an A- will be good for that?

and today i think we had the worst lecture in all of nursing. the prof had a ppt but what was on the ppt she didn't say and what she did say didn't make sense! i read (scanned) the book over the weekend, read the slides in class, read the magic notes after class and still didn't get the dif bet ARDS and ARF until i went on mayoclinic.com! i was ready to pull my hair out which is rare for me. on the bright side, i have all weekend to study for my exam next week. yippee! NOT :mad:

wow i should vent more often lol

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm one week into my fourth semester. Today was my first clinical day on the floor, in a new hospital. It was rough to say the least. I spent the last eight weeks of the prior semester in mental health where we virtual did no patient care. My medical surgical skills were a little rusty. I noticed I was having a hard time getting organized for the day. It was also difficult just orienting to the unit. All of the RN's were swamped with 5+ patients each! Nobody had time to teach us anything, or even talk to us for that matter. It was a little intimidating. But, on the bright side, I am now more familiar with the new way of charting (at this hospital) and where the dinamap and glucometer are located : ) Passing med's is very different at this hospital too. I'm crossing my fingers that next week will be better. By the end of third semester I was feeling so comfortable, but I feel like the break put me back a few steps. I'm sure we'll all come out of this knowing a lot more than we think though. As far as a preceptor, I'm not sure where I am going or who I will be with. From my understanding, we are only allowed on medical surgical units. We are covering respiratory and cardiac this week : )-

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Flight.

Week 1 done! Getting signed off on IV's tomorrow but thats it.

im drowing in the amount of pure busy work and crap they gave us to do over the next 15 weeks.

i want to burn it all in a pile.

that is all.

goodnight

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Do you guys have to do the IPA? Its where you have a conversation with the patient, are supposed to remember every word, then document it and say if what you said was therapeutic or not and then provide the rationale for your position......

Of course I can never remember every word, patient does not feel like talking so of course these always end up being works of fiction.....

What a horrific waste of time

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency; med-surg; mat-child.

We call the process recordings, but yep. We did them 1-3rd semester but not now, thank dog.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics and Med Surf Float.

We only did Process recordings in 3rd semester which is psych rotation. This semester we need to do 2 care plans, complete with a PERSON assessment, corrolation map between ndx and 6 complete ndx as well as a med grid.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We don't start again until monday but I'm already reading. I am SO glad this is the last semester, but I am still burnt out from the 3rd honestly, and NOT wanting to do this. Anyway, we have a good 8 chapters to read just for the first week. First 2 weeks are lab, then we start clinicals. 1 test every 3 weeks (4 all together) plus ATI's. The last 3 weeks we have our last regular exam, then our final, then our cumulative ATI. We are on a regular med-surg floor but also will rotate to ER, OR, cath, dialysis and resp. We also have to run a group on the psych floor one day and have a hospice day this semester. Our capstone includes a regular medsurg nursing dx with 3 interventions and scientific rationale for each, and also a psych nursing dx with 3 interventions and rationale, a huge concept map and presentation. Oh, we also have a 2 credit leadership class to take that I have NO idea how much work is involved, and we also have to take the NCLEX course. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! This is one time I would definitely fast forward my life. We are done May 8th and I cannot wait!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm exhausted after a week of lecture. We start clinical next week. I'm going to need a lot of coffee. Haha.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My last semester was a nightmare. I honestly did not think I was going to pass. My first 3 semesters I had never been written up in clinical but in my last 6 weeks I was written up twice (3 and you are gone). I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I cried almost every clinical day and felt sick going in there. I had the toughest clinical instructor in the program. She did have a reputation for failing students out in the last few weeks. I just kept hanging in there. My life was all studyng, skills lab and mounds of paperwork. And she did fail one girl out in the last week. But I did make it. Just stay on your game and you can do it :) Also get your NCLEX paper work done asap. I wish I would not have waited because now I can't test till 3rd week of Feb. Everything filled up fast!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am going into week 2 and trying not to have a panic attack. We had clinicals on the first week back and it was super tough. I take forever doing prep sheets. Anyone have suggestions how to do it in shorter amount of time? It is not feasible to do prep sheets on 5 pts taking 3 hours each especially since we pick pts day before.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment