I just started nursing school this month and all the info I am learning about disease pathology, acid-base balance, etc. seems overwhelming.
I am wondering what is the role of the nurse exactly when she/he finds out that a patient has a problem with acid-base balance or a lab value that is abnormal?
Are we supposed to know by memory most of the pathologies associated with certain abnormal lab values..(ie if a pt. has high CO2, they can have resp. acidosis which can be manifested in various diseases, etc)...or can we look up info we don't know while we are working?
I guess I am wondering how much info we really have to memorize or 'know' what to DO when we see an abnormality..or do we always call the doc, etc?
Do nurses carry PDAs with info they can pull up about diseases, etc. or procedures to do in certain cases?
Or are we supposed to know Most of this stuff by graduation. It just seems like so much info to me.
How do first year nurses know exactly what to do in emergency situations..if it's something they didn't encounter in nursing school clinicals..do they always need to ask a superior..if they are available?
I guess I'm just a bit nervous of how it will actually be when I start nursing.
suzy253, RN
3,815 Posts
exactly my question.