Im Soo New! I Have ?????'s!

PiPhi2004 · Jul 21, 2008

HI THERE!!!
I start my first day of school August 19th, at Crafton Hills in Yucaipa California.. They have a nursing program and then I believe I will go to Valley where my Stepmom went.. She now is a RN at Loma Linda...
OK.. soooooooo I have LOTS of questions!
First.. OK, im scared, but I know deep in my heart, this is what I am ment for... (I come from a family of medical everythings! LOL).....
WHat should I expect, in my first 2 years, before I even hit the nursing program? Can anyone help.. any info would be just great, and I would appreciate it more than anything..
I DO know I want to be a ER nurse... Can I ask, if this is the most, on your feet, demanding nursing position in the hospitial??
thanks soo much!!!
Pinnie

First, Welcome to the world of nursing, we are glad to have you! :yeah:

Next, the first 2 years before nursing, just try to concentrate on your studies as much as possible. You wont learn a whole heck of a lot about nursing itself during your prereqs (at least I didn't). Once you are in the program you will really get to have a glimpse of what nursing is all about. Try to have an open mind and learn as much as possible about every area you are exposed to. Just because you want to be an ER nurse now means you wont change your mind once you see different areas in the hospital. After your junior year is up you will (in most cases) be able to extern if you would like. You can extern in the ER if you think this is still the area you would like to pursue. You probably wont get a lot of experience in ER during your nursing school clinicals so this is a good way to see what an ER nurse does everyday. As for if it is the most demanding, well I think every area is demanding and most areas require being on your feet most of the time. I work in ICU and I find my work to be extremely demanding as I care or extremely sick patients and I am constantly on my feet. I am sure a med-surg nurse would say the same about their job as well.

Hope this helps!!!

ponderosa · Jul 21, 2008

No, The OR is the most demanding on your feet and body. You do have down time in the ED and can sit and you have to sit to do your charting. Nursing is a physical profession. I have been been practicing 35 years, and I am doing fine. Good luck in school .

Pondeorsa in Md

er&obrn · Jul 22, 2008

welcome to nursing! your fear is healthy. the new grad without fear is the dangerous one. you can't have possibly learned and retained everything in school so be observant and learn as many valuable lessons as you can on the job. these are the ones that will always always stick out in your mind. remember your abc's and ALWAYS listen to your patients. you may not always like what they have to say, but i've never regretted this motto. and re: "drug seekers" this is a big er issue. one of my seasoned elder nurses once said to me (and i try very hard to live and practice by this) "i would rather give someone medicine they didn't really need than to with hold it from someone who did". even your most frequent flyer may actually present w/ real pain that needs attention. also...i've seen this a hundred times. multiple complaints. whether or not it is trauma. it's not unfathomable for a patient to have 2 major issues re: 2 different body systems...or even more than 2. an old doc i used to work with told a patient " you can only have one complaint per visit". he missed big things more than once and for some reason never learned. don't be that person. advocate for your patient. a family friend lost her stepdad yesterday. he fell 4 ft. from a ladder and severly broke his wrist which required surgery. he was c/o abd pain throught the ordeal and since he couldnt tolerate the po contrast, the abd ct never got done. he died the day after surgery from a lacerated spleen that bled out. like i said..."LISTEN TO YOUR PATIENTS!!". best wishes for a long and happy carreer.