Anyone willing to answer a few question?

mom4josh · Mar 3, 2008

:nurse:I am almost done with nursing school (June) and have an assignment to find out what some RNs think about particular questions. If anyone is willing to answer a few brief questions, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
1)What specialty do you work in?
2)What is a typical day like for you?
3)What kind of problems do you deal with?
4)What part of the job do you find most satisfying?
5)How does someone progress in your company?
6)What are the salary ranges?
7)How well did your college experience prepare you for this job?
8)Do you have any advise for someone interested in this specialty?
9)Do you think it matters where you graduated from in the employer's perspective?
If you could answer some or all, it would be helpful. Thanks again.

1. Oncology, 7p-7a, charge nurse.

2. Get report, check charts, see patients/do assessment, pass meds, put in orders, sign off charts, answer phones, occasionally transport patients, occasionally assist physician, pass more meds, put out fires, start charting, pass more meds, chart some more, pass more meds, finish charting, give report.

3. Mostly family issues such as overbearing families that don't understand priorities or policies or dealing with time constraints. As charge nurse, I don't just deal with my patients' families, but with everyone's.

4. Helping families through the grieving process, comforting, reassuring them that their loved one is not suffering and that we will do everything in our power to keep them comfortable.

5. Move from staff nurse to charge nurse to nurse manager to director or other higher level.

6. New grad RN starts about $20.

7. Very little.

8. Make sure you can deal with death and suffering and that you are compassionate. If this is your calling, it is a very rewarding specialty.

9. Definitely no.

Good luck in your last semester!

:yeah:

RNmom08 · Mar 3, 2008

1)What specialty do you work in?
2)What is a typical day like for you?
3)What kind of problems do you deal with?
4)What part of the job do you find most satisfying?
5)How does someone progress in your company?
6)What are the salary ranges?
7)How well did your college experience prepare you for this job?
8)Do you have any advise for someone interested in this specialty?
9)Do you think it matters where you graduated from in the employer's perspective?

1)Pediatrics

2)Depends on who I work with. I'm with 2 nurses during my orientation right now (I was hired last month.) With one is hectic as all get out:bugeyes:, with the other, the whole day goes by smoothly:bow:. The "smooth" nurse is very good at prioritizing and isn't as high strung as the other one. The other one is GREAT at patient/parent teaching. With luck, I'll get the best traits from both of them!

3) Right now big time respiratory problems (pneumonia, RSV, Influenza) and others have been accidents (fingers slammed in doors, falling on ice, injuries on playgrounds, etc) or emergencies like ruptured appy's.

4)Seeing the kids go from their worst to happy, playing, etc.

5)Education, volunteering

6)Mine is $21/hr. (Not as good as other places but I feel that the security of knowing my kids can walk down a sidewalk and not get jumped on by gangs is AWESOME!)

7)I had a great school and for the technical part of the job like skills and such I think pretty good. Mind you, I graduated in Dec, passed boards in Jan and started work the next week. Now the REAL learning has begun!

8)If you don't have experience w/kids, get some. Volunteer at your local YMCA's, or daycares and church groups. The way you can communicate with kids determines how your relationships with kids as patients will go.

9) Around here yes. This hospital knows that the nursing school here is one of the best ADN programs around. They LOVE us new grads!

Hope this helps! And good luck!

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Mar 3, 2008

:nurse:I am almost done with nursing school (June) and have an assignment to find out what some RNs think about particular questions. If anyone is willing to answer a few brief questions, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
1)What specialty do you work in?
2)What is a typical day like for you?
3)What kind of problems do you deal with?
4)What part of the job do you find most satisfying?
5)How does someone progress in your company?
6)What are the salary ranges?
7)How well did your college experience prepare you for this job?
8)Do you have any advise for someone interested in this specialty?
9)Do you think it matters where you graduated from in the employer's perspective?
If you could answer some or all, it would be helpful. Thanks again.

1) I work in the OR

2) I meet my patient in holding, find out history, allergies, etc and get the room ready. I help with induction, place a foley if needed, help position the patient. The tech and I have already counted. I chart, watch the sterile field for breaks in sterility, give the tech any supplies they need. Afterward, I take the patient to pacu and give report. Sometimes, if the PACU nurse isn't available right away, I'll put the patient on pulse ox, BP and the monitor.

3) Patients can go downhill quickly in the OR. Sometimes you have to battle with the surgeon or anesthesia if they aren't following policy. You HAVE to advocate for that patient, even if the doc may yell at you. It was more of a problem when I was starting...now, I'm plenty assertive.

4) I find the advocacy part of my job most satisfying. Plus, most of the time what you have done for that patient is apparent right away, which is nice. I love the sense of teamwork-I work with a good group of people. I think surgery is cool. It's amazing, the stuff I see.

I think NS prepared me well to see the whole patient and as far as assesments etc. The OR stuff I picked up more OTJ and as a tech previously. Many schools don't have an OR rotation anymore.

If you're interested in the OR, I recommend a shadow day first and then see if you can get a student nurse intern job there. This way, they get to know you and may very well offer you a job after you graduate.

It didn't matter to any employer I talked to what school you graduated from, although my ADN program had a good reputation. They cared more about boards and if your graduate nurse paperwork was in order.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Mar 3, 2008

1)what specialty do you work in? medical imaging

2)what is a typical day like for you? calm, evenly paced, enjoyable

3)what kind of problems do you deal with? doctors who don't tell the patient they need to have blood drawn the day before, don't tell them they need to be prepped or be npo.

4)what part of the job do you find most satisfying? calming fears about the procedures. calming myself after 30+ years of floor nursing.

5)how does someone progress in your company? prove themselves trustworthy and reliable and willing to work hard.

6)what are the salary ranges? $22-30 per hr

7)how well did your college experience prepare you for this job? it didn't at all. this speciality is learning on the job.

8)do you have any advise for someone interested in this specialty? if you want it go after it and when you get it learn all that you can and always be available to help others.

9)do you think it matters where you graduated from in the employer's perspective? not in the least. in the past 32 years i've never had an employer who cared where i went to school only that i was properly licensed. they don't care about grades either but i did make straight a's.

loco_lobo · Mar 4, 2008

1)What specialty do you work in? Women's Health/Med Surg (Gyn stuff other than OB like hysterectomies and such)

2)What is a typical day like for you? Report/handoff, assess and medicate, chart/call docs/take care of patient requests or issues, ambulate patients/progress diets/assist nurse assistants/chart, I/O, take new medical or surgical patients, discharge/educate patients, medicate, chart, assess again, chart, I/O again, report and handoff to next shift

3)What kind of problems do you deal with? My patient's "problems" center mostly around adequate pain control and nausea/vomitting. Most of the time, we can get those things under control. My own problems are often taking a patient from a nurse who has not gotten her charting and other patient responsibilities fulfilled. For instance, it's a real pain in the pants to have a patient whose pain is out of control, whose IV fluid is just about out, and whose chart is not noted or reviewed appropriately and then the previous shift nurse says, "oh, yeah and you need to call the doctor about....". We all get behind our schedule sometimes, but it seems to be the same ones every time who consistently don't have their stuff together. (Sorry about the soap box. Can you tell this has been on my mind a lot lately?)

4)What part of the job do you find most satisfying? When a patient or family member thanks me for making their stay easier, and when I know I have done a thorough, competent job.

5)How does someone progress in your company? Nurses can progress in my hospital by furthering their formal education and taking administrative jobs or we have a step program for floor nurses who do not want to leave the floor but want to progress. The step program includes education, volunteering, mentoring, and serving on committees.

6)What are the salary ranges? New grads start at around $21 an hour. I think it's in line with the cost of living in this area.

7)How well did your college experience prepare you for this job? Very well. I did med/surg clinicals on this floor during nursing school, so I was already familiar with patient population, with policies, with charting, and with some staff.

8)Do you have any advise for someone interested in this specialty? For med/surg in general, I think we often put far too little emphasis on pain control. Make sure you know your pain meds, and try as hard as you can not to assume someone is "drug seeking". After surgery is not the time to be curing a person's habit. Let their body heal and if you feel it is necessary, bring in the social workers and community resources before discharge.

9)Do you think it matters where you graduated from in the employer's perspective? Not at all. There are excellent, adequate, and substandard nurses from ALL schools. And I think my managers know that well. Sometimes, however, there is different treatment of and options for BSN as opposed to ADN nurses.

nghtfltguy, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2008

:nurse:I am almost done with nursing school (June) and have an assignment to find out what some RNs think about particular questions. If anyone is willing to answer a few brief questions, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
1)What specialty do you work in?
2)What is a typical day like for you?
3)What kind of problems do you deal with?
4)What part of the job do you find most satisfying?
5)How does someone progress in your company?
6)What are the salary ranges?
7)How well did your college experience prepare you for this job?
8)Do you have any advise for someone interested in this specialty?
9)Do you think it matters where you graduated from in the employer's perspective?
ok... i will answer these for ya...
1. skilled nursing/emergency/ and psych...
2. no day is typical... it is different all the time
3. death, dealing w/ family members, counseling, pt. education, ppl trying to escape.. you name it...i deal w/ it.
4. the fact that when i have a couple of days off my pts get mad that im gone..
5. do their job well.. be punctual.. and have a senator give you a letter.lol
6. i make an A$$ load of money.. more than i need....
7. my college experince as an RN sucked... didn't prepare me very well. i was in the field before as a medic and they hated me in RN school...
8. my advice is... follow your heart.... nursing is something that you want to do.. or want the money.... do it for your heart.. not the money...
9. in most cases.. no.. it does not matter where you graduated from in the employers perspective.. unless you are @ a facility that had a bad experience from nursing students from a particullar college ... no..
i don't think it really matters....
pass your NCLEX and prove yourself... it don't matter where you graduate from!!!

weesyanne · Mar 4, 2008

:nurse:I am almost done with nursing school (June) and have an assignment to find out what some RNs think about particular questions. If anyone is willing to answer a few brief questions, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
1)What specialty do you work in? Rehab
2)What is a typical day like for you? Very hectic and busy for the first 5 hours or so, then it settles down. I work 7P-7A.
3)What kind of problems do you deal with? We have lots of patients with airways and vents. Our patients are total care for the most part and it can be very challenging to try to meet all of their needs.
4)What part of the job do you find most satisfying? I find it especially satisfying when I am able to develop a rapport with a particularly difficult patient. It helps the patient to be able to trust me to meet their needs.
5)How does someone progress in your company? By proving yourself to be a competent practitioner and working hard to meet the patient's needs. I am now a relief charge nurse.
6)What are the salary ranges? A new grad starts at $22.63/hr plus all the differentials that apply, such as night, evening, weekend, and holiday. I think the highest pay that they will start someone from the outside at is $29.42/hr.
7)How well did your college experience prepare you for this job? I am so far out from college that it is difficult to remember, but some of my experience in nursing school was helpful, particularly the hands on stuff that we had to learn.
8)Do you have any advise for someone interested in this specialty? Be prepared to work hard physically. Get plenty of rest and pace yourself. I take a pain reliever before I go to work nightly so that my joints don't hurt too much (been around for a while, LOL).
9)Do you think it matters where you graduated from in the employer's perspective? No, I don't think it matters in nursing.
If you could answer some or all, it would be helpful. Thanks again.

I hope this helps you decide if a field is right for you!

cloister · Mar 4, 2008

:nurse:I am almost done with nursing school (June) and have an assignment to find out what some RNs think about particular questions. If anyone is willing to answer a few brief questions, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
1)What specialty do you work in? Surgical intensive care, 7p-7a, advanced clinician.
2)What is a typical day like for you? Never dull! Sometimes charge, sometimes precepting new staff, sometimes resource RN, sometimes a 1-2 pt. assignment. We take post-op CABGs, neurosurgery, sepsis, med surg, and about any other critical care you can think of except transplants and major trauma.
3)What kind of problems do you deal with? Ay-yi-yi.....Crashing patients, busy assignments, communication snafus among the various disciplines, lack of experienced staff at times, grieving families.
4)What part of the job do you find most satisfying? Bedside care and acting as a resource for newer staff, rapid response, dealing with families.
5)How does someone progress in your company? By proving to be a competent, conscientious, caring nurse.
6)What are the salary ranges? New grads start at $32.00/hr. Experienced RNs make considerably more, as there is a charge, preceptor differential and a night differential.
7)How well did your college experience prepare you for this job? Not at all, really. We didn't get any ICU exeprience in school.
8)Do you have any advise for someone interested in this specialty? Work as an extern in an ICU setting, if possible. It's possible to start as a new grad, but it's a mighty steep learning curve.
9)Do you think it matters where you graduated from in the employer's perspective? Are you kidding? Do you have a pulse and a brain? Come see us!
If you could answer some or all, it would be helpful. Thanks again.

Hope this helps. ICU is a really interesting place to work. I recommend it.

SDS_RN, RN · Mar 4, 2008

1)What specialty do you work in? ER/SDS

2)What is a typical day like for you? Busy, Busy, Busy! In the ED it's never the same because the patients are so diverse. On SDS it's a bit more routine. I go through paperwork & get the pt admitted for surgery, make sure anesth. see's them b4 surg, take post-op vitals, feed them (they love that), manage their pain, then send them out the door.

3)What kind of problems do you deal with? Many1 Anything from colds to MI's to trauma of all ages.

4)What part of the job do you find most satisfying? Knowing that I was able to help someone stay comfortable and help them on their way to recovering from whatever they presented w/.

5)How does someone progress in your company? Education! Then you work your way up the ladder

6)What are the salary ranges? $18.50 starting out. Weak compared to most of the country but I feel safe here and I know my children are safe here.

How well did your college experience prepare you for this job? So-So. I think experience is the best teacher. In shcool you get core nursing basics but until you are on the floor you don't fully experience what a nurse does.

8)Do you have any advise for someone interested in this specialty? Be willing to learn because things are always changing. Be knowledgable about policy and procedures, ask a lot of questions. No question is a dumb question better to be safe than sorry. Be willing to look things up and be independant. Take all the constructive critisms you can and put it into action.

9)Do you think it matters where you graduated from in the employer's perspective? Absolutly not. I did well in NS but they were not interested in GPA. Rather they wanted to know if I passed my NCLEX, how my work ethic was, if I was competent, if I was dependable ect,ect....

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2008

1)What specialty do you work in? tele

2)What is a typical day like for you? Working from 6.45am til 19.15 four patients everything from meds to TEE's, prep for surgery, admissions, discharges, dealing with docs, social workers, family, friends, RT's, PT's and on and on

3)What kind of problems do you deal with?Disatisfied family members with sometimes unreal expectations, miserable rude staff sometimes. Screaming pts who have mental health disorders.

4)What part of the job do you find most satisfying? Solving problems, caring for the patients, education, student nurses.

5)How does someone progress in your company?

6)What are the salary ranges?

7)How well did your college experience prepare you for this job?I trained in the UK for three years of practical nursing I was very well prepared

8)Do you have any advise for someone interested in this specialty? It is very interesting and you are never bored

9)Do you think it matters where you graduated from in the employer's perspective?NO