New Grad...On Neuro Unit. need advise.

[jesxoxo11]

i'm a new grad. i've been a nurse since april. i am now working in the neuro unit. most of my pts are in with tia, altered mental status, and post laminectomies. i beg and plead to you experienced neurology nurses for advice. i'm looking for tips on my assessments, and any bits of info that you think i need to survive neurology.

[Dolce, RN]

I wish I could offer you advice but I don't have a lot of neuro experience. When I was a brand new grad I felt I had so much to learn too! I think the best thing you could do would be to ask your experienced coworkers to allow you to watch them perform assessments on their patients. It wouldn't bother them and it would give you the opportunity to see a variety of assessments in the first person. Good assessment skills come with time and practice makes perfect. Do you have a physical assessment book from nursing school? Reread the section on neuro assessment to familiarize yourself with common assessment techniques to fine tune your skills.

[Purdue_Nurse]

i'm a new grad. i've been a nurse since april. i am now working in the neuro unit. most of my pts are in with tia, altered mental status, and post laminectomies. i beg and plead to you experienced neurology nurses for advice. i'm looking for tips on my assessments, and any bits of info that you think i need to survive neurology.

ahh the good ol' neuro unit! my previous position was on a busy neuro floor. i agree with the above poster, watching experienced nurses do neuro assessments is a great learning experience. the assessments you perform will be varied based on why the patient is there. i'm sure you will be certified in the nih stroke scale as part of your orientation, the stroke scale will be a big part of your assessments with tia and stroke patients. with your new back surgeries, denny browns and assessing your extremities for sensation are big pieces. back and neck patients often get a support device to wear such as a lumbar corset or miami j collar. the easiest way of learning how these devices are put on is to have an experienced nurse talk you through it and help you. i don't know about you but i learn best by doing so i never really felt comfortable with a device unless i actually applied it myself a few times. good luck and feel free to pm me with any questions!

[swatch007]

I wish I could help, but the only thing I can think of is the standard of nursing practice. Nursing assessment that we learned in school and nursing text books is the same skill that we are expected to perform.

In addition to what others' recommended, it might help you alot to review the neuro part of nursing assessment in a text book like med-surg or you may want to buy a video like "Expert Nurse: performing head to toe assessment" from Barnes and Noble Bookstore.

Although you are lacking of experience compared with other nurses around you, you have the ability to absorb knowledge faster and be able to apply it in your practice because your brain is still in state of faster learning mode, the after effect of your grueling years in nursing school.

[gdelrosa]

i'm a new grad. i've been a nurse since april. i am now working in the neuro unit. most of my pts are in with tia, altered mental status, and post laminectomies. i beg and plead to you experienced neurology nurses for advice. i'm looking for tips on my assessments, and any bits of info that you think i need to survive neurology.

i work on a neuro/tele floor. if you want, pm me and i can give you some pointers.