CANewRN

I am currently a pediatric ICU RN. My passion is cardiothoracic critical care. I want to get my NP and become a part of the intensivist team. Because my goal is so focused, I am debating whether to do pediatrics or adults. Ideally I would do both, but for my masters track, I have to pick either acute care adult, or peds NP. Does anyonne have any advice? I am at a loss.. and am figuring out whether to apply for the 2010 class or not. thanks!!

No, havent applied. What is the application process like, and how competitive is it to get in?

I too have a post grad depression going on... but I had a job lined up 6 months before graduation! I think for me it was multifactorial: 1 Being done with school and now an "adult". School is all Ive ever known 2 New responsibility and a new career 3 Moving a few states away from home/family to take this job. When I first got here (8/08)I was sooooooooooooooooooo EXCITED!!! I had just got my licence, living in a place I had always dreamed of, and was finally a NURSE, and starting in a unit/hospital that many can only dream of. But... reality set in after the few months and the honeymoon was over. I had put this job on a pedestal and it wasnt exactly how I had pictured it. The reality of not having scheduled breaks to go home for holidays also was very very hard, and pretty much this was the first time I hadnt lived near family. So the stress and money spent trying to go home for as long as possible has been a big issue in the last few months. So Ive come to the realization that moving back home later this year is probably the best thing for me. Once I finish my new grad commitment here and have a year under my belt, I hope to be able to get a job anywhere. Though Ive been very sad the last few months and dont want to leave my job, I know it was an opportunity that I couldnt pass up :wink2:

Tay, Would you be willing to relocate? UCLA has a great new grad program, that hires groups (of about 15 or so per unit) of new grads twice a year (August and February).

Hi All, I am a new RN working in an ICU and one of my long term goals is to become a NP of Cardiology (I know that UCLA has several NPs on the Cardiothoracic team). I am looking at UCLA to get my NP... has anyone gone through the program recently? Also is anyone out there a cardiac NP in the LA area? Thanks!!

From what I understand now, pushing Dilantin doesnt require a filter because it precipitates in NS if it is piggybacked into it. Im not sure how fast it precipitates or how much NS it takes to cause it to precipitate... When I gave IV dilantin (without a filter) I diluted it to appropriate concentrations and infused it via syringe pump, not IVPB because my pt was fluid overloaded/restricted. I didnt have any problems with it precipitating, but should have still used a filter. Well, I learn new things every day...

I never heard that about lasix... but it does definatly make sense! Our lasix drips are never shielded from light.

On my own in the ICU for about 6 shifts and lets see: 1. Infusing phenytoin without a filter (but I did use a filter needle to draw it up) Infused fine. Figured this out later on. 2. Infusing an electrolyte into a piggyback setup that wasnt connected to the pt (he was laying on both tubings... one was connected to him, one wasnt. That setup hadnt been used since the shift before me) I let the next RN know that it had leaked and labs may have to be re-drawn. 3. Infusing an electrolyte into a dilantin setup (it went in fine... but Im worried about precepitate) Figured this out when I got home that night, I should have trashed that setup in case some was still in the line. :banghead: Good learning points for me... Ive definatly learned but still

Once I figured out that it was leaking, it was still infusing. So I stopped it, switched the correct line to the patient and continued the infusion. I let the next shift RN know that a portion had leaked on the bed, and that a redraw of labs would be needed. The pt who recieved dilantin that was filtered via needle not inline recieved the med with no problems.

I work in an ICU and have been off my 10 week preceptorship for about a week. When I have one patient, things usually go really well. But when I have two... I feel like an idiot. Last time I worked I had two stable (but very busy) patients. I am on night shift, and had to hang dilantin. I drew up dilantin with a filter needle as my drug book instructed me to, but didnt use an in-line filter. Was this dangerous to the pt? Also on another patient I was hanging a lyte replacement (mag sulfate I believe) My pt had two IVPB setups with just normal saline on each. He was sleeping and laying on both. I piggybacked the replacement in one of the lines, and ran it. When my pt woke up, he told me he had been laying on a wet pillow. Turns out I piggybacked the mag into the line that WASNT connected to my patient's central line, it was just laying underneath him :banghead::banghead: This was also the line I had used for Dilantin, and later realized (after being off shift for about 6 hours) what if this precipitates in line and the next nurse uses it to run more Dilantin? I feel like an idiot when I have two patients, like Im running back and forth against the clock. I always always always do my proper med checks, but its these other mistakes that make me feel like maybe Im not careful enough for the ICU... Any advice?

Just wondering.... Is ECMO done strictly in CVICU/pedsCVICU or can it be done in PICU? I am a PICU new grad RN who is absolutely fascinated by ECMO and hope that I will get to see it in action, and learn to take care of kids on it. I know it all depends on the hospital, but I was just wondering if you all see ECMO in your PICUs

It took about 4 weeks to process the paperwork and issue temp licence. However when I recieved it in the mail, it expires in over a year instead of the 6 months a temp license did. So I checked online, and I guess what I have now is my permanent (i verified myself on the BRN site) So get all your stuff in quickly!

Thanks for the tips Jan, I appreciate it!!

I am going to be starting in a week or so, and I know I will have to do some bedside assessments before I start patient care with my preceptor. So going through my notes from peds.... I just wanted to make sure I am not leaving anything out. Heres what I plan to do for my bedside assess: HR/RR auscultation and looking for presence of retractions, pulsations Skin assessment including cap refill, turgor, fontanelles Head circumference if 2 or under or if history of hydrocephalus Corneal light reflex Coma scale if applicable (lets hope we dont have to do it from pure memory) Bowel sounds Reflexes (is it routine to check primitive infant reflexes?) Assessment of hemodynamics (is the normal PAWP/CVP different in peds than adults?) Assessment of vent settings, and if lines are running as ordered. :eek: Is this a good start? I did my peds rotation a year ago

YUCK!!! Who said that to you?

At the LA hospital that I am starting at soon we make $29.50 for days with weekend/night differential and a raise a few months in

I originally started out Pre-Med, but after a year and a half of excrutiating chem classes, I decided to go to nursing school and graduated this may. I still may end up going to med school but I consider this: I have no tuition debt that I would have had if I went to med school, I have better pay now as a brand new RN than most MDs have their first few years out of school, and I can always go on and be a practicioner in the area I choose by getting my doctorate in nursing.

LA is a very very big area, so when you say how is LA... I can only answer regarding west LA (santa monica area). Yes the cost of living is considerably higher than in other cities, but it is safe, lots to do, lots of young people around, beaches, etc. What areas of LA is he/you looking to relocate to? There are many areas where you could work as a peds RN (UCLA's mattel's childrens hospital, Cedar Sinai, LA Children's, etc) All are great hospitals....

...... is a nightmare( well its a lot of things that aren't G rated enough to put on this board lol) . Not only is getting through to someone who has enough info to answer a question related to my file IMPOSSIBLE (I have never once spoken to/heard back from a licensing counselor regarding a question specific to my file) but all of the documents that were required by the BRN and sent off by me in a timely fashion are somewhere at the bottom of their PO box and not in my file :banghead:. So with that all becoming apparent, Ive decided to just suck it up and re-do the paperwork and take it up to Sacramento myself to pick up a temporary licence. I should have done that in the first place, but thought that maybe, just maybe, getting all my documents in to the BRN late June/early July would allow time to get my temp licence by mid august. Guess that isnt the case. My question is... who is INELIGIBLE to do a walkthrough and pick up a temp licence? No one can answer that question and Im slightly concerned because 4 years ago I had my one (and only) non traffic citation-- (minor in posession of alcohol and it was a very minor offense) Since it was my only offense, I completed a diversionary class which cleared my record and nothing since (except an expired meter ticket which was paid on time) That old citation shouldnt give me too much trouble, do you think? :uhoh21::uhoh21:. I am going to bring my citation documents/certificate of class completion with me to Sacramento. I sent copies of the same to my original BON which had no problems whatsoever with it. Just a little nervous.... I start working in a few weeks... Any info is GREATLY appreciated:redbeathe

I have heard on several different occasions where someone has referred to a nurse/nursing student as "Smart enough to be a doctor". To me this is an insult to the profession, because they (always someone that is not in the medical profession) are saying doctors are smarter than nurses:madface:. When I hear it, my blood boils a bit, but I dont know whether to say Hey, here is why nursing is different than medicine and why nurses are just as smart as doctors, etc, etc, or to just leave it alone. What would you do if you heard someone say this?

Hello all, I am a brand new RN looking to eventually become a flight nurse! It has been my dream for a long time, and am looking forward to a possible ride along in the fall. However, the number of recent crashes (ie the collision in flagstaff, AZ) has left me wondering... is this branch of the profession doomed to be phased out due to safety reasons? I am also beginning to have second thoughts about going on the ride along. I want to continue to pursue it, but now im not sure..... Any thoughts?

I have had a small stud for a long time before I even started school (so I could take it out if needed, but tried to get away with it . Only a few times during my first semester did they want me to take it out, and once in my peds rotation. Never had any other problems with it besides that, nor was I asked to take it out while I was working as an extern (I am starting my RN position there in a few weeks, so hopefully they will still allow it). Keep in mind my stud is very small and diamond so it doesnt draw too much attention. Being that I was one to follow dress code but not quite to the T that they wanted me to (i.e I wore crocs when I was supposed to wear all white athletic shoes----but I did that because those white shoes HURT) I would say go for it, but give it enough time to heal where you could take it out for a clinical day if needed and not have it close up on you

Averaged 68% on Q bank, got a 67% on trainer 7. Passed with 75, about half were SATA, one math. My advice is to follow their study schedule diligently. Do questions every day. Read ALL rationales. Read the book, and re-do questions you got wrong. I dont know if I passed because of Kaplan itself, but it DEFINATLY was helpful in preparing me for the questions and I learned a lot of info from it. Also if you have access to another study plan (Saunders, etc) use that as well.

I begin my new career in the ICU in a few weeks. My last semester of nursing school I made my first (and hopefully only) med error in the ED:crying2::bluecry1:. No harm was done to the patient, after some monitoring, they were released. As incredibly awful this experience was, I feel that it will only make me a more careful RN. However, I start in a few weeks and as the day approaches, the more I think about the error. It really shook my confidence and Im afraid of taking care of patients alone when I am done with my orientation phase. I replay that situation over and over in my head and I see now just how easy it was for things to get slipped up... and conditions that the error were made in WILL occur again (busy patients, busy time of day, lots of procedures, etc) Im scared. I know I am a good nurse, but am I careful enough? Any advice welcome. Thanks :nuke:

Congrats everyone who passed!! I cant even imagine the feeling you guys have... must be like 1000 tons lifted off your shoulders :) Reading your stories are (mostly) encouraging!! I test in less than 2 weeks. Took Kaplan last month and just finished the q bank (68% avg) Got a 70% and 67% on trainer 6 & 7. So now I am going back and continuing on doing 100 questions a day of the ones I originally missed and reading all rationales. Then after that Im going to re take question trainers and Q bank I got correct. Also doing Saunders and ATI each day. Sometimes I feel totally ready and just want it over with and sometimes I feel that there is no way Im gonna be able to nail all those SATAs and be in the lower range of difficulty :eek:Agggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh. I dont know what to do with myself lol I am religious about studying, even if I have to get up at 6 am to fit it into my day Hope it pays off. When it all comes down to the day I sit down at that computer station, its just me& God.