Bloop41

When we started, most of my classmates were all aboard the ED/ICU train. Now, because of COVID and the resultant scramble to get enough clinical hours, most of us want to start out on med-surg, float pool, or sub-acute facilities. I think there is a lot of anxiety among my class about having poor hands-on skills since our lab times were cut down so severely. There are still a few people, especially those that were previously EMTs or techs, who want to go straight to the ED/ICU. Personally? I'm very interested in cardiac, so I'd like to try and start on a tele or stepdown unit. But quite honestly, in this economy, I'll take what I can get. I just hope hospitals and other facilities are aware that we'll need a bit more shepherding when we're hired.

I passed! However, I did spent significant time and energy doing self study on the EKG rhythms. Those are pretty essential, because the rhythm guides what algorithm you follow to treat the patient. I had a great instructor and did the two-day in person course.

So, I'm a current BSN student and I think the situation has only worsened with the COVID-19 pandemic. As a student nurse, I haven't touched a patient since March and that's even with a Summer term full of classes. I thankfully adapted well to online learning and have maintained good grades, but I am utterly terrified by the prospect of being a new grad with so little hands-on experience. We're supposed to get whirlwind make-up clinicals (for three separate specialties) this fall but have been told we may have to supplement with simulations if the situation gets bad again. I have said over and over that I wish that hospitals were allowing clinicals during the pandemic: nursing students are literally free labor for them! We can do so much of the basic care: the only real difference between my Spring med-surg clinical and my CNA gig at a SNF was that I was occasionally allowed to give meds under supervision. I was still giving bed baths and oral care and cleaning up "code browns" in both settings. I've never started an IV. I've only ever inserted a Foley into a mannequin or (I kid you not) a pizza box top with a hole bored through it. I have a solid idea of what lung crackles could mean pathophysiologically but I barely know what they sound like IRL. Sorry, I know I'm anxiously word-vomiting here but I feel so unprepared to be a nurse by (supposedly) January.

I used to work as an MA in a busy peds practice and I organized my vaccines by putting each in a kidney dish w all the needed supplies + a Post-it w the child's name, DOB + and provider name. Whenever someone was coming in for a well child visit, I would pull whatever was indicated for their age/etc, get it set up, and complete my first med check (6 R's!!) before I went and roomed them. Then, once I had finished vitals, I could go back to the lab and start drawing everything up (second check of the 6 R's). Then of course, I would do the third check with the parent and child in the exam room. Granted, this worked well because the clinic bought single use vials or pre-filled syringes; not multidose ones. But still-- DRILL yourself on making sure you check those 6 R's at least twice before you even get into the exam room. There's a reason they harp on it so much in nursing school.

Should I take an ACLS course before my fourth and final semester of my ABSN program? I'm especially interested in going into cardiac stepdown/telemetry floors after I graduate (maybe eventually CVICU or MICU?) and this seems to be a requirement on most floors. With the pandemic, all of our labs and clinicals got moved online. I'm worried about being perceived as a good "book-learner" without great skills, especially since I've barely had any supervised hands-on time. Would this give me an "edge"? I know I'd have to do a lot of self-study to understand EKG rhythms as a pre-requisite for the ACLS; this is not something my nursing school has done much of. I have a spot reserved in a course but I haven't yet enrolled by paying for it. Would greatly welcome any advice!!

As a current CNA + nursing student-- I've learned so much about both what I do want to do and what I DON'T want to do as a nurse. Yes, of course, a med pass takes priority over feeding or toileting a patient, for example. But I have seen many nurses ignore "red alert" emergency call bells when all the other CNAs are occupied and residents have fallen as a result. On the flip side, there have been nurses that listened to my spidey-sense about a patient decompensating and been able to intervene to prevent further complications, despite the fact that I'm "just an aide," without a seasoned nurse's judgement. I strongly believe that the day I think I'm too important of a nurse to help turn, bathe or toilet a patient is the day I need to leave bedside. And may God strike me down if I ever ignore the concerns of a tech or an aide at the expense of a patient.

Agreed. You may even get some severance pay if you're fired vs resign. And you'll also have more of a case if you decide to escalate/sue for wrongful termination.

Fair point. However, as a member of the LGBTQ community, with many trans friends and someone who has worked with trans patients, I can tell you that many of these folks would find these terms offensive. Some may not care, true. But I'd rather do my utmost to use language that is inclusive, non-offensive, and person-centered, and to advocate that others in this field do the same. I want patients of all genders to feel safe and understood by their healthcare teams.

It's similar to saying "a black" vs "a black man" -- it's unnecessarily dehumanizing, and considered offensive by many who hold that identity. And since transgender is an adjective, it's also just plain bad grammar. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transgender If anyone is interested, here is GLAAD's glossary of terms: https://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender

That's exactly my point-- If I had a child who was trans, I would be extremely cautious (if I didn't outright refuse) about allowing them to physically transition before they had reached adulthood. But the fact is, I don't have a trans child, and I can't in fact know what I would do in this scenario. I don't think the SD legislature necessarily has a ton of expertise on the care of pediatric trans patients. I don't think we should allow anyone but a child's guardian and their care team to make these decisions.

Personally, I think the government needs to butt out. These decisions should be left up to parents, providers (including psych/social work), and ultimately the patients themselves. As the article stated, these surgical procedures are so rarely done on young patients. Hormone regimens are reversible and could be an effective treatment for gender dysphoria, provided it's considered safe (psychologically and physiologically). Calling it child abuse is extreme, in my opinion: parents already consent to growth treatments, ADHD medications and other invasive therapies. Of course, teens shouldn't be allowed free reign for these issues, but they're not allowed that for really any medical decision. Even something as common as birth control requires counseling, education and a prescription from a provider. ** as a note: the proper terminology is "transgender person/people", NOT "Transgenders". It's a descriptor; not a noun.

Bit of a niche question-- for those of you that work in a hospital environment, do you wear different shoes/clothes to commute? I'm a BSN student, starting my med-surg clinicals this week and am wondering if I should be changing to lower infection risk. I'm planning on walking to the hospital from my apartment (15 min) and barring bad weather, was planning on wearing the exact scrubs and black clogs required by our uniform. I also recently began a part time job at a Rehab/SNF: should I be wearing different shoes for clinical and work to avoid cross contamination? Or just wipe them down at the end of each shift? I fully recognize I could be overthinking this ?

I learned this the hard way when I held my poop until after I had finished donated blood. Passed out in the bathroom with my pants around my ankles-- and I was a healthy 24yo F w/o any cardiac history! The experience really cemented the connection between defecation/rectal stimulation and vagal syncope.

I don't think you'll have any luck unless you repeat (and ace) A&P. Most people in admissions I spoke to said they look very specifically at that course because it often correlates with how well you do in Path, Pharm, Health Assessment, etc.

So I'm a current BSN student, and while I'm unsure I'll want to get an NP degree (whether MSN or DNP), I'm curious to see what y'all would consider to be enough bedside experience. I 100% agree that 6 months seems like too little, but when does that change? 2 years? 5 years? Thanks ?

I had a similar experience at a private practice -- I had one of the majority owners decide they didn't like me almost immediately and they fired me with no explanation (similar BS of "you're not a great fit") after 3 months in the position. I'm now pretty wary of private practices as a result-- I don't want to ever work somewhere without an HR department, at the very least. For what it's worth, I was only unemployed for about 3 weeks and was able to gracefully explain the situation to prospective employers. Pound that pavement and keep looking! You deserve a better work atmosphere than this one where you were treated so poorly.

Does the program you're looking at require you to finish all your courses before applying? You could leave some courses until the semester immediately before program start (i.e. take the last class Spring 2020 before entering the ABSN program in Fall 2020). If you decide to do this, I would leave the easier courses for last, because they probably won't have as big of an impact on your admissions decision. My advice: get Micro out of the way. It can be a tough course and admissions usually cares a lot about your grade in this class, along w A + P as the other big one. I would not take more than one course with this one (maybe English?).

Any lab courses should definitely be taken in person. But other than that, most nursing schools I applied to didn't seem to care where the pre-reqs were taken as long as they were within the time limit and the grades were good. I took A&P (1+2), Human Development (online) and Nutrition (online) at community colleges and I was admitted to 5 of 6 ABSN programs I applied to with no major hiccups. The one area where it can get tricky is the quarter vs. semester system.

Yup, just about to say this. As a young 20-something, it's shocking to me how many people my age are still so dependent on their parents for basics (not just financial). I have parents call my clinic to make an appointment for their 25 yr old son or daughter. If your daughter is grown up enough to be a nurse and provide patient care, she's mature enough to deal with this issue on her own.

I'm just about to start nursing school, so I can't really offer any job advice. However!! I would absolutely advocate for not talking to this jerk anymore. If you've graduated and don't need to see him for study group or whatever, delete his number/unfriend on Facebook, etc. He doesn't have any reason to be checking up on your grades or job prospects and his flaunting is not something you should be subjected to. Good luck and congrats on your graduation!

Same goes for Worcester! Feel free to PM me if you're looking to live off campus ?

I had recommendations and resume on my checklist, but I'd ask the admissions office to confirm.

So for a contrasting opinion here... I was in a somewhat similar situation and I was admitted to 4 of 5 ABSN programs, and given a merit scholarship for one (to which I'll be matriculating to this fall). Some details-- 1) I got my B.A. from a highly competitive, prestigious institution with a grade deflation policy. The school includes an explanation of this policy with their official transcripts. My GPA was 2.87 and I majored in Latin American Studies (biology minor). When my study abroad courses were factored in, I had 3.03. 2) I aced A&P (solid As) and had an "exemplary" score on the TEAS. All my other pre-reqs were at least a B. 3) I got my CNA license and have worked in direct patient care roles for the past two years, starting immediately after college graduation. The work gave me valuable insight into the healthcare industry and the role of nurses, in particular; both of which I used in my personal statement. 4) I was candid in my personal statement about my struggles in undergrad- I had an experience that led to PTSD, which led to some poor grades. I had a D in Developmental Bio (not a pre-req), for example. In the essay, I spun this as gaining empathy for the sick, physically or mentally. I also talked up my ability to maintain straight A's in the pre-reqs I took while working full time. 5) Similar to the above, I had an undergrad advisor who knew about my mental health issues and was extremely supportive. She wrote me a glowing recommendation. I hope this helps ?

Pardon my French, but if you don't "believe" in vaccines, what in Merlin's pants are you doing going to nursing school? If you're unvaccinated, you will not be allowed to participate in clinicals or be hired as upon graduation, because your unvaccinated self will quite literally be a danger to vulnerable and immunocompromised patients. Nurses operate using evidence-based practice, and there is no evidence that vaccines cause harm to the general public, including any of the malarkey you mentioned. Over and over, vaccines have been proven safe and effective. Over and over, we have seen the dangers of an under-vaccinated population (see news links below). In less privileged areas, mothers line up around the block to get precious vaccinations for their children. In the US, we are incredibly fortunate to have ready access to a cheap (often free!) safe and effective tool to prevent the spread of illness. If you go with the titers, discover you are immune for all requirements, and end up matriculating to nursing school, I sincerely hope that someone there has a come-to-Jesus talk with you. If you don't believe in vaccines, you have no business working in healthcare. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/unvaccinated-boy-almost-died-tetorifice-hospital-bill-was-more-800-n981256 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-madagascar-measles/without-vaccine-hundreds-of-children-die-in-madagascar-measles-outbreak-idUSKCN1QP0MK https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/she-was-not-breathing-ontario-infant-nearly-dies-of-whooping-cough-1.4327698

I'll be attending the Worcester campus, but I've lived in Boston for the past 2 years. Mission Hill is actually very close to the MCPHS Boston campus and is a cheap neighborhood with lots of students. Other cheap safe neighborhoods are in Jamaica Plain, Allston/Brighton, and Somerville (though this is a bit far from the area). The rents are definitely climbing in the area, but hopefully won't be too shocking for someone who's used to NY rates!