Exciting, New Chapter- Nursing

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Hello Everyone,

So I was recently accepted to an Accelerated BSN program and accepted a position as a Nurse Assistant (med-surg/per diem) in a local hospital and honestly I am looking on insight to what I can expect.

i was laid off from my call center job in the Summer of 2013 and since then have embarked on this amazing journey! I began volunteering at the same hospital I'll be working at, but I was in the NICU while was also taking my prereq classes (and working full time).

I can't believe that the time has come so quickly, but I am so excited to start Nursing school (it's for 1 year and I start this May) and my new position (I start Feb 2nd). I just have no idea what to expect.

So.... some of my questions:

1. What can/will I be expected to do as a Nurse Assistant in Med-surg? I have been told that this is a good place to start for Nursing students. I have no Nursing background other than my less than 2 years of volunteering in the NICU.

2. What can/will I expect as a Nursing Student? I can't even fully wrap my mind around the fact that I will be going, lol! I have been reading posts on NCLEX, Nursing School Acceptance, and etc.

I know that there will be stress but I am trying to reassure myself that I will be fine and will be able to balance my self/life as needed.

Thank you in advance for reading!

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1. VS, bed baths, ambulating patients, cleaning up patients, sometimes helping patients eat, multitasking.

2. I also went to an accelerated program. You can expect to learn alot, make some lifelong friends, and prepare for some stress for a year. Everyone deals with nursing school differently. I honestly didn't think it was difficult, but your mileage may vary. The thing that caused me the most stress was trying to manage everything in such a condensed period of time (I also worked throughout nursing school).

Best wishes!

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Ok, thank you!, but what is VS?

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Specializes in General Surgery.

Vital signs.

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Thank you!

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Specializes in General Surgery.

1) Direct patient care as delegated by the registered or licensed nurse. You will provide daily cares to the patients such as: baths, feeding, walking, dressing, changing briefs, brushing teeth, and so on so forth. These daily cares are also called ADLs or Activities of Daily Living. As the tech you may also take and record vital sings, urinary output (fr a void or from a urinary foley catheter), and so on so forth. You may also empty and record colostomy bags, urostomy bags, iliostomy bags, and empty Jackson-Pratt drains.

2) As a student nurse be prepared to be under a microscope. You will be observed and expectations will be high. We're talking crisp clean uniforms, clean short/cut nails, neat brushed hair in a bun, easy light makeup, and generally excellent hygiene. You'll be expected to show respect and allegiance to the OCBS. That stands for the Old Crusty Bat Society. These are nurses that have nursed since the dawn of Ms. Nightingale. These Crusty Old Bats usually have your and your future patients best interest at heart.

As a student nurse you'll learn so much that by the time you graduate you may have a slight ego that will be shattered by the realities of nursing (which are that nursing school only taught you enough to get a licence to finally learn). If you are smart your broken ego will burst and in its place new skin will grow that will be tougher, resilient, and will get you through the hard times. If not, your ego will destroy you. But ..... back to nursing school. It will vary school to school but it's usually a bunch of paperwork, reading, learning concepts, critical thinking, and a couple of tears here and there.

Stay away from the Drama Queens ... these will be the ones that will go to be the annoying dramatic nurses that make a big fuss about everything and act like they're on a caffeine drip and can't calm the heck down. Please stay away from these people, go with the lax go with the flow people.

Number 1 nursing advice for school and real world: Roll with the punches and if it gets done it gets done, if not it doesn't and in the end the only thing that matters is that you tried and that you can prove it in a court of law.

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