littlemissbookworm

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1. Tell me about nursing, and what you are expected to know/do

   littlemissbookworm replied to hopefullblue's topic in General Nursing

   -First off, I would love to hear about what your average day is like. And if you have a specialty, what are the pros and cons of your specialty? I work on a thoracic/general surgery unit. My average day starts at 7 am. The doctors are usually in the ...

2. How do you get your first nursing job?

   littlemissbookworm replied to stnurse2016's topic in General Nursing

   Some qualities that they look for in a new grad is an eagerness to learn, that you'll seek out opportunities on the unit, and you won't be scared to ask for help if you need it. They know that as a new grad you won't have the experience, someone that...

3. Always being told to "ask questions"

   littlemissbookworm replied to kater_92's topic in General Nursing

   My first piece of advice: Take a deep breath in and release. I'm from Canada, so the nursing schools might be different here depending where you're from. Typically students aren't thrown to the wolves. In my experience, you start with one patient an...

4. chest tube assessments

   littlemissbookworm replied to Studentpn1's topic in Pulmonary

   Emphasize to assess from patient to chest tube or chest tube to patient. I would look up subcutaneous emphysema. That's a complication that you can get. Also, pain management is important in these patients. We want them deep breathing, coughing, usin...

5. Prioritizing

   littlemissbookworm replied to Zooey72's topic in General Students

   For answering prioritizing questions, the best way to learn the "best answer" is to do practice questions. Do as many as you can and you will begin to pick up on the trends. Prioritizing is an important aspect of nursing. If you have three patients ...

6. Taking a Position as a Float Nurse as a New Grad

   littlemissbookworm replied to ColleenT's topic in General Nursing

   I was a float nurse as a new grad. It was challenging at times. Some advantages is that you can list the units you've been trained on and worked on your resume (I got to put three different units on my resume after), you get to learn a variety of ski...

7. Working in crisis mode all the time!

   littlemissbookworm replied to freckles23's topic in General Nursing

   We've recently had staff cuts as well and on nights we have 8 patients each. I found that I had to find a new system since the staff cuts. Short cuts are tempting, but can add to your work load. I work surgery and I find that going through a five min...

8. New grad and experience

   littlemissbookworm replied to Cdnbscn's topic in General Nursing

   I had a similar experience. I wanted to work on the unit I did my final practicum on, but I didn't have seniority. I had to work in the float pool for a little bit (my first job). I got to learn new skills, add to my resume, and I kept applying for a...

9. Help! Scared New Grad RN. Did I make the right career choice?

   littlemissbookworm replied to jpRN51's topic in General Nursing

   Just take a deep breath and take it step by step. Every hospital and unit has politics, but politics are everywhere. They also say the first year of nursing is the hardest. Find out what coping mechanisms work for you. I have a couple of friends that...

10. My dream of becoming a nurse has became a nightmare

    littlemissbookworm replied to NurseKJ5's topic in General Nursing

    There has been some good advice, so I will just add a tip that I have found successful when having a preceptor. Right off the bat, I ask my preceptor to give me feedback, good or bad. I also ask them for feedback every once in awhile during downtime....

11. How do you decide what unit is the right unit?

    littlemissbookworm replied to adorkable8605's topic in General Nursing

    I worked in a float pool for a few months when I first started. I was able to see how the different units worked, learn various skills, and get to know the people that worked on each unit. One of the units I floated to was one that I did my final pla...

12. I just had surgery and now I don't think I have what it takes

    littlemissbookworm replied to 2soon2beOTC's topic in General Nursing

    It's always different when you're in the hospital yourself or your family member is. I love doing wound care on patients, but one time I had this deep cut that I got camping. It freaked me out, which I found so strange. Or I had a family friend have ...