Need feedback for an assignment.

SDS_RN, RN · Feb 13, 2008

1 - Where did you go to school? Dakota Wesleyan University, SD

2 - What is your job title? And what are your responsibilities?

A.) RN

B.)Triaging patient's, rapid assessments, carring out Dr. orders, taking VS, charting, stabilizing critical pt's, giving meds PO, IV, IVPB, IM, entering orders, answering phones, starting IV's, transfering pt's to another floor/facility, admitting & discharging pt's, educating pt's, cleaning rooms after d/c, running non stop for 12hrs at a time, ect,ect, ect...

3 - How many years have you been in this profession? Almost 2yrs

4 - Any prior positions? cashier in HS, CNA for 4 yrs pre-nursing school

5 - What tasks do you perform in your job? See quesiton 2

6 - Tools used (computers, books, etc.)? Computer, Medication books, policy and procedure manuals, call other departments if needed for necessary information (RT, lab, pharmacy,ect.)

7 - Any future career plans? Hopefully to get BSN then possibly MSN

8 - Are you satisfied with your job? Yes

9 - Any advice to someone just starting out?

Ask a lot of questions and get in on anything and everything you can while still in school. Take full advantage of your orientation and request to shadow for a day in areas of interest. Build up a strong bladder and always have finger food available for those busy days!

Good luck to you!!! :up:

Ashley752 · Feb 13, 2008

Thank you so much for your answers :)

Have a great weekend!

-Ashley

nyapa, RN · Feb 14, 2008

1 - where did you go to school?

charles darwin university, darwin, australia (bachelor of nursing)

2 - what is your job title? and what are your responsibilities?

registered nurse. primary care, involving full nursing process of my patients

3 - how many years have you been in this profession?

now in my 2nd year

4 - any prior positions?

enrolled nurse. similar to us lpn. 17yrs

5 - what tasks do you perform in your job?

i float to different wards. i have my own patients. tasks include vital signs, recording fluid intake etc, preparing and accompanying patients to ot, medication administration via all routes, adls (we do not have cnas), dressings, administration of nasogastric feeds, insertion of ng tubes, transferring patients between wards, liaising with allied health professionals and medical staff, assessment, problem identification and expected outcome, identification of methods to solve problems, and evaluation etc. etc. checking blood results, printing of labels and lab results, ensuring xrays are on ward, and that medications have been collected/ordered from pharmacy, handing over patients to next shift, moving beds around ward in order to ensure that patients admitted from other wards are placed in the appropriate bed eg ppl who are infectious should be in a single room with barrier nursing. oh and making beds, cleaning up messes, and being general dogs body. this list could truly go on forever.

6 - tools used (computers, books, etc.)?

sphygomanometer - mostly electronic these days, thermometers - same, oxygen saturation meters, stethescope, tape measure, many different forms, pen - cannot live without that, computer for meds, labchecks, medication information, registration\location of patients on ward, dressing materials, scissors, forceps, tapes, gloves both sterile and non sterile, measuring jugs, again the list is endless

7 - any future career plans?

plan to consolidate knowledge, confidence and reputation for a year, then maybe move to a different hospital

8 - are you satisfied with your job?

lately, yes.

9 - any advice to someone just starting out?

ask, ask, ask. read, practice. don't expect too much of yourself. make sure you create some 'me' time for yourself. nursing can be demanding psychologically as well as physically. your emotions cannot help but be involved, as professional as you appear to your patient.

Ashley752 · Feb 14, 2008

Thank you so much!! That was a great help!

darius000 · Feb 14, 2008

1 - Where did you go to school?

Griffith Univeristy, Brisbane Australia

2 - What is your job title? And what are your responsibilities

Senior Registered Nurse, Emergency Department. Responsibilities vary on a shift by shift basis. Can either be running the resus room, working triage, running assessment, or coordinating the whole shift.

3 - How many years have you been in this profession?

12

4 - Any prior positions?

After Hours Nurse Manager

Remote Are Nurse

Ambulance Officer (EMT)

Anaesthetic Tech

5 - What tasks do you perform in your job?

Multi tasked depends where i am allocated on a shift eg

Triage - self explanatory

Resus - in charge of the resus area 2 medical bays and 3 trauma bays

Monitor - 4 x medical bays mostly cardiac and OD's

Assessment - just basically moving minor pts around to be assessed by nurse and drs

6 - Tools used (computers, books, etc.)?

EDIS - Emergency Department Information System - basically gives time of arrival, triage score (1=serious 5 =wait all night). tells us which dr sees the pt diagnosis and where they go etc.

Also have access to MIMS which tells us about every prescription drug in Australia. We also have a computer based system of which wards (floors) carry certain meds.

Another system gives us lab results

All x-rays, CT scans and MRIs are also available on computer

7 - Any future career plans?

After hours management of a large hospital

8 - Are you satisfied with your job?

overall yes

9 - Any advice to someone just starting out?

take your time, listen, ask questions and do not put up with other nurses that bully you

darius000 · Feb 14, 2008

forgot to add that if I am the shift co-ordinator, on dayshift we allocate meal breaks, organise teams to respond to disasters or the chopper coming in and in addition on night shift, the co-ordinator allocates the nursing staff in ED for the next 24 hours - 19 in the mornning, 22 from 12-1300hrs and 18 at night.

hope this helps you

Patrick

darius000 · Feb 14, 2008

1 - Where did you go to school?

Griffith Univerisity, Brisbane Australia

2 - What is your job title? And what are your responsibilities?

Senior Registered Nurse, Emergency Department, Royal Perth Hospital

3 - How many years have you been in this profession?

about 12

4 - Any prior positions?

remote area nurse

Clinical nurse

ED manager

After Hours Hospital Manager

5 - What tasks do you perform in your job?

depends on where i am allocated

triage - self expalnatory except we have a senior triage nurse, a triage nurse and in the arvo a triage liaision nurse who cannot triage but deals with relatives

resus - normally in charge of 2x medical bays and 3x trauma bays

monitor - deal with chest pains and overdoses

assessment - if in charge of assesment it is moving patients from cubicles etc for drs to see and moving them to the wards (floors) or home etc.

Co-ordinator - in charge of the ED 19 nurses in AM, 22 in Arvo and 18 at night. Organise the disaster team, helocopter retrieval team, meal breaks and on night shift the coordinator allocates staff to ED for the next 24 hours.

6 - Tools used (computers, books, etc.)?

MIMS - a pharmaceuticle guide to meds

EDIS - Emergency Department Information System, basically the triage sheet, time triaged, triage score (1 - 5 in Australia) time seen allocated area, allocated nurse, Dr, diagnosis and disposition - where they went, it also alerts us to frequent flyers, trouble makes and people with medical alerts

we have CARPS which is used to call the orderleys to take a patient to the ward etc

A system that tells us where meds are located in the hoapital

Sunrise which is for lab results

and PACs which is for all x-rays, CT and USS and MRI etc

- Any future career plans?

After hours management

8 - Are you satisfied with your job?

love my ED very busy by Aus standards but I am very satisfied here

9 - Any advice to someone just starting out?

Listen. Look. Learn. Ask questions. It is not always as it is in the text books. I guess we are lucky where I work because most of the Drs really appreciate our input (some of us have been in ED since before they started med school). Do not put up with abuse from patients, relatives or other staff!!!

deeDawntee, RN · Feb 14, 2008

1 - where did you go to school?

minneapolis community and technical college

2 - what is your job title? and what are your responsibilities?

staff rn in an ed and also icu

3 - how many years have you been in this profession?

ten years

4 - any prior positions?

telemetry, ortho, tcu, home care, vent house, nursing home

5 - what tasks do you perform in your job?

advocating for my patients. assuring all ordered tests, therapies, medication and treatments are delivered in a timely manner. being the liaison for all the specialists and disciplines involved in my pt's care. being in a relationship with my patients that assures they receive the best possible outcome available.

6 - tools used (computers, books, etc.)?

computerized charting, personal pda with references loaded.

7 - any future career plans?

eventually pursue nurse practionership.

8 - are you satisfied with your job?

for the most part, yes. the further one gets into this career, at least for me, the more the 'big picture' of health care in this country can become disturbing. nursing administrators can be very difficult to deal with, sometimes one wonders if they have any idea what it is like to be a bedside, direct care nurse.

9 - any advice to someone just starting out?

always give and demand respect. don't act like you know it all, even if at some point, you know a lot. expect the honeymoon to be over, (when the reality of nursing hits you)...but then please give yourself time to find that deeper meaning, to find your humanity in spite of sometimes overwhelming stressors. nursing is a lot like life itself, you will love it and hate it. you will see humanity at its best and worst. allow yourself time to find that more profound satisfaction beyond the honeymoon and beyond the 'reality'.... it is all worth it.