I need help from an RN!!

BOOYARN · Sep 9, 2011

I am a RN BSN I work in telemetry and bariatric surgery

1. i was 21 and hadnt taken many college credits, and my mom asked me what i was gonna do with my life and she told me she had connections to an LPN program so I got in and the more I did it the more I studied it, i found it intresting and saw lots of possibilities at the time

2. Money influenced YES, But personally i just wanted to do something and i was 21 without a degree at dead end jobs... and to do something good plusget paid well sounded GREAT!

3.coworkers other nurses, doctors, mostly just the hierarchy in the medical. field.

4. my specialty chose me. i work for the best hospital with the best benefits. so i was just happy to get in the door.

5.not very important its usally all done for you , just with some drips , there is a formula and if you know how to use a calculator you'll be fine

6. after LPN Nursing home and the day of graduation i had three offers as a GPN, not even licensed... it was 2002 and the jobs where endless, i would get hired in flip flops and shorts,

after RN Hospital nevers worked as a GN being that i was a LPN prior, but i was hired as a RN right away too. again 2005 and the jobs where everywhere too

7. i had a patient die in nursing school the fist time. i was in shock i had never been around that i looked around took it all in and said a quite little prayer in my head for the patient , and moved on.

as an LPN i was working at a nursing home and a coworker a nurse started crying when a patient had passed away, i asked her if she knew him how long had he been admitted here , 2 weeks .... so it shows everyone reacts differently, i keep it at work and professional. there is other things in nursing that will shock you much more than death! you will learn thaT! ;O)

8. like i said i work at the best hospital i get a nurse to patient ratio and i get a mandatory 1 1/2 break on a 12 hr shift. its non profit unionized hospital, they may not be as pretty but they treat their staff MUCH BETTER. you'll learn that too....

granted if your having a bad night you dont take the break, but for the most part you could.

9. when you do your rotation there be the best you can be , try to get connections with nurse managers and maybe even volunteer there. thats the best advice i can give you... jobs are far and few in between. goodluck

hope this helps

your lucky its a slow night for me!

GHGoonette, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2011

Now that Booyarn's given you a serious response, I can now exercise my mischievous tendencies....

1.How do you know nursing was the career for you?

Sado-masochistic tendencies

2.Did money influence your decision to become a nurse or was it based soley on your passion for nursing?

Neither, I wanted a nurses uniform so I could play doctor/nurse with Hubby

3.What is the most difficult part of your work day?

Getting out of bed.

4.What is your specialty, and why did you choose it?

Slapping people awake after surgery. As for why, see answer to #1

5.How important is Math in nursing, and what would you say to students who struggle with the subject.

The only prayerth we thay during work hourth are thingth like "Oh Lord, pleath don't let thith patient crash.

6.How long did it take you to find a job after graduating, and where was it? ( hospital, nursing home, etc... )

Didn't look for a job. Was so frazzled, didn't want a job. Eventually, the job found me....

7.Death is a part of life and is most often the most feared. Have you ever had a patient die and if so how did you handle it?

Now this one I get serious about. I've never lost a patient in PACU (says she, running to the nearest wooden artifact and squeezing it so tight it almost breaks) and those deaths which I have seen were, for the most part, welcome releases for people in pain for which living was a daily hell. Although sad, you are relieved and grateful that their suffering is over. For someone who wishes to specialize in pediatrics, be warned-children, too, can die, and this can be soul-destroying if you don't have either particularly thick skin OR a level of faith that can carry you through that particular grief.

8.One negative thing I've heard about nursing is you don't get breaks. Is it true, and do you agree with the practice?

Nonsense, you get plenty of breaks! Broken thermometers, broken dynamaps, pulse oximeters - you name it, nothing is nurse-proof!

9.Currently I am student pursing my ADN. How important is it to continue on to get a BSN?

Currently I am pursing my lips while considering the question :coollook: Those with ADN will probably tell you it's not important, while those with BSN will tell you it's vital....

10. I want to specialize in pediatrics or labor and delivery. What advice to you give to reach my goal?

Sorry, can't offer much advice here - your training programs are so different to the one I did, I have no idea whether you get any peds experience during your training. Now, the first ward I worked back in 83 was pediatric surgery, and I did a stint in pediatric medical later; all in all I did three months, one of which being night duty when I was the senior student, running the ward under supervision of an RN. Same applied to gynaecology, but obstetrics was a separate course, and only those actually doing the course got to work in that dept.

love-d-OR · Sep 9, 2011

Looking for positives? A great sense of humor! Just look at the above post for supporting evidence :lol2:

bmathis · Sep 9, 2011

1) The feeling I get when I walk out of work knowing I truly helped someone and made a difference that day.

2) Honestly, money did influence my decision. I wanted to help people. I was stuck between teaching or nursing. Money and better schedules, along with being able to help people and interact with them won nursing over.

3) Worst part of the day is usually the morning med pass at 0900. At 0900 you are trying to pass your scheduled meds on time, family members are calling, doctors are making rounds, labs are comming in and you are trying to get a good idea of your patients status. Stressful :)

4) I work on the surgical unit. There was an opening on it while I was still in school as a tech. I applied and got the job and got my foot in the door. I had clinicals there before and liked it so I applied there for my GN/RN after school and got the job. I like the flow of it. You get a patient with a problem, fix the problem, help them recover and send them home. It's awesome seeing someone come in with, say, a femur fracture. They are in pain when they come in and you are keeping them comfortable and reassuring them. You set them up for surgery. They go to sugery and get their leg fixed. They come back to you and you monitor their progress and teach them how to do things again. Then in a couple days they are ready to go home. I guess I just like seeing people get better faster.

5) I say math is pretty important in nursing, and if you are not to good at it to practice some med calculations pretty often. You use it every for meds.

6) Like I said earlier, luckily, I got my foot in the door as a tech first. So I had a job right after graduation. It was in the hospital.

7) I have not had a patient die while under my care yet. I have had several patients who were end of life care and it was very emotional. The family is at the bedside watching as the patient deteriorates. I handled it the best I could by talking with the patient (even though they were not talking back to me) and telling them that her family is here and I am here for her also, to keep her comfortable. Another time, a patient looked my in the eyes, grabbed my hand and said "I want to go." Very hard to deal with.

8) I pretty much always get my lunch break. I work 12 hour shifts. There has only been like twice in the past year that I can remember not being able to get my full lunch break b/c it was so busy. But that can be with any job depending on how busy it is. Remember, you have to take care of yourself so that you can take care of your patients!

9) I would say pretty important if you want to advance your career past a staff nurse.

10) Volunteer in the department, apply there as a tech, and do as much clinical time there as you can to make sure you will enjoy it. Study, study, study in that area also.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2011

I need help from an RN!! I am writing a paper for english and I need to interview someone who works in my major, if you could please, take time from your busy schedule and reply to these 10 questions, and allow me to msg you if I need clarification it would be awesome!! I know all of you are busy but I really need this help.. Nurses in peds or ob/gyn preferred, but all answers appreciated!!! My e-mail is [email protected], you can e-mail me or respond in the post, and I can either reply to this post if I need clarification or you can e-mail me your e-mail address!!!
1.How do you know nursing was the career for you?
2.Did money influence your decision to become a nurse or was it based soley on your passion for nursing?
3.What is the most difficult part of your work day?
4.What is your specialty, and why did you choose it?
5.How important is Math in nursing, and what would you say to students who struggle with the subject.
6.How long did it take you to find a job after graduating, and where was it? ( hospital, nursing home, etc... )
7.Death is a part of life and is most often the most feared. Have you ever had a patient die and if so how did you handle it?
8.One negative thing I've heard about nursing is you don't get breaks. Is it true, and do you agree with the practice?
9.Currently I am student pursing my ADN. How important is it to continue on to get a BSN?
10. I want to specialize in pediatrics or labor and delivery. What advice to you give to reach my goal?
Thanks in advance to anyone who replies!
:) Brandi :)

I think when nursing students are asked to interview nurses it is meant to be face to face. Face to face interviewing is a vital skill in the nursing process of caring for a patient. Tons of information can be gleaned from body language in a face to face interaction that as a nurse you need to read to best care for your patient. In this electronic age we exist in, face to face interactions are rarer and rarer but remain vital to the assessment process.

Go to CVS and talk to the nurse practioner running the clinic, make an appointment with your PCP to speak with his nurse, talk to your local board of health in your town and their nurse practioner, check the health stop on campus, go to a local urgent care, call the local school and ask for an appointment with the school nurse. I really think perfecting interview skills is vital to the nursing assessment process. :heartbeat

Good Luck.....:redpinkhe

Mrs. SnowStormRN, RN · Sep 9, 2011

I think when nursing students are asked to interview nurses it is meant to be face to face. Face to face interviewing is a vital skill in the nursing process of caring for a patient. Tons of information can be gleaned from body language in a face to face interaction that as a nurse you need to read to best care for your patient. In this electronic age we exist in, face to face interactions are rarer and rarer but remain vital to the assessment process.
Go to CVS and talk to the nurse practioner running the clinic, make an appointment with your PCP to speak with his nurse, talk to your local board of health in your town and their nurse practioner, check the health stop on campus, go to a local urgent care, call the local school and ask for an appointment with the school nurse. I really think perfecting interview skills is vital to the nursing assessment process. :heartbeat
Good Luck.....:redpinkhe

I agree. No offense to anyone here, but this is the internet and the people answering your questions could easily not be nurses (not saying they aren't. I mean theres a 50/50 chance they are). GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!

Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2011

I think when nursing students are asked to interview nurses it is meant to be face to face. Face to face interviewing is a vital skill in the nursing process of caring for a patient. Tons of information can be gleaned from body language in a face to face interaction that as a nurse you need to read to best care for your patient. In this electronic age we exist in, face to face interactions are rarer and rarer but remain vital to the assessment process.
Go to CVS and talk to the nurse practioner running the clinic, make an appointment with your PCP to speak with his nurse, talk to your local board of health in your town and their nurse practioner, check the health stop on campus, go to a local urgent care, call the local school and ask for an appointment with the school nurse. I really think perfecting interview skills is vital to the nursing assessment process. :heartbeat
Good Luck.....:redpinkhe

I agree, also. This is the internet and you never know who you are really chatting with. I don't understand why students don't just ask a real live person for an interview. When I had to interview a nurse for my community nursing class, I didn't even ask any of my co-workers. I made a point of interviewing a nurse I don't know socially, just professionally. Just my :twocents: