LiveZen

First, let's figure out what "Orientation" means in this case...Are you talking about Hospital Orientation where you sit in auditorium for a few days worth of safety lectures, mission statement talks and be a part of the team videos, followed by weeks of on the floor training then sure, that's normal. If you're talking about actual on the floor with patients orientation as a one week thing? No way. It takes an experienced nurse a few weeks at least to get comfortable in a new place.If the second one l is the case, I'd seriously question whether you want to work for a company that refuses to set its new employees up for success. You deserve better. Keep looking!

I honestly wouldn't worry about reading ahead. You'll get plenty of time reading the stuff you'll need to know for class. Take this time to just get yourself ready...make sure you have a good support system of people (and you'll meet some along the way through school, too!) and identify some ways that you can relax/destress (are you a bubble bath kind of person or more the kind who likes to go run 10mi to blow off steam?) when nursing school gets to be stressful. That will happen, but you can get through it! If you'd really like to brush up on something, you could always work on some math review. Math for Nurses was the book my school had us buy, it provided great explanations and practice problems for med calculations, but the answer key was riddled with wrong answers (I talked to the instructor because I was confused about how they got some of the answers and she confirmed that the key was just off). You'd probably be fine just looking up exercises online (and it's free that way!) As far as supplies go....there's not a whole lot you really need. You'll eventually want a penlight (mine was a freebie from the veterinarian!) and a stethoscope. I bought a Littman Classic II (our school's recommendation, your school may have a discount program) which is a nice piece of equipment. Currently, it's sitting on my shelf, as I'm now out of school and working at a hospital that provides a stethoscope in each patient room for infection control purposes. I'm glad I got a quality one for school, but I'm also glad I didn't go all crazy and get the Cardiology III ($$$) that some of my classmates were drooling over. We had specific requirements for uniform/lab coat, but they really didn't care that much about shoes. A lot of people just wore tennis shoes/gym shoes. I used to do that too...but once I got out of school I realized that mesh/cloth on shoes isn't a great combo in the hospital. Very hard to clean. So, I bought a pair of all leather shoes to leave at work and just be my "work only shoes." My feet always used to hurt when i wore the regular gym shoes....but I had this great cheap little pair of Asics I bought on clearance and threw some Dr. Scholl's thin insoles into....made all the different in the world. After two years, the Asics fell apart, and I picked up this pair of $20 New Balance All leather (including the tongue) shoes from Finish Line...all white, with a pink N, and pink soles. It comes in a bunch of other accent colors, too. Love them! A lot of people swear by Crocs (easy to wipe off, relatively cheap), but they just aren't my thing. Several of my coworkers have Dansko clogs ($$$), they look really classy but they're a very firm shoe, so they may or may not be your thing. Other than that, just basic school supplies are really all you need...folders, notecards if that's your thing, lots of pens, access to a library for printing, or lots of extra paper/ink for your home printer (you'll print lots of handouts/powerpoint slides for class at most schools!), a good lunchbag (packing lunch saves so much time when you're on a busy clinical...you get more time to eat if you're not waiting in a cafeteria line)

I was scared when I started my psych clinical, too. I'm a pretty small woman, and after the safety lectures our school gave pre-clinicals that quarter I had convinced myself that I was going to end up getting beat up by a patient. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Psych has a lot more "sad" than "scary" in it. These people are at crises in their lives, and many of them are just dying for someone to sit down and listen to them. I learned a lot from the experience...saw people from all walks of life (including a few near my own age...wow!) and just listed to their stories. You definitely need to be aware of safety issues, but there are precautions in place to help ease the fears- most units have "panic buttons" or something similar you wear, and the units/rooms are often video monitored. Take this experience for what it is...a chance to learn some communication skills that you can carry with your for the rest of your professional (and personal) life. Best wishes!

Yes, definitely take advantage of volunteer opportunities at your local hospitals (any one you'd consider working for) I volunteered at a hospital, that eventually turned into a Tech/PCA job for while I was in school, and then an RN job after graduation. My classmates who made connections with hospitals (volunteering or working) prior to graduation also had a much easier time finding a job after graduation! Good luck!

I'd also like to know what kind of dressing change takes "a team four hours"....even a large percent head-to-toe total care dressing seems to take about 90min or less if you've got 2-3 people working together (nurses/techs)

DIV, Wright State has an awesome program! The profs are top-notch, and the program definitely prepares you! The clinical sites are indeed varied enough to give you plenty of perspective...I had placements at (and this was a pretty typical WSU experience): an adult trauma center, a large adult psych inpatient unit, a large OB/GYN unit, a smaller hospital with an adult cardiac unit, a peds inpatient unit, a low-income elementary school, an adult MRDD facility, an upscale nursing home....learned so much even on the rotations that I didn't feel like were "my thing". Keep an open mind and you'll probably be surprised at what you learn about yourself along the way. You're at a great place to make connections because you are just getting started! I would highly recommend finding a job/volunteer position at an area hospital. I volunteered at one of the area hospitals and then ended up getting on staff as a PCA/Tech...that turned into my first nursing job. It makes a big difference to come out of school having ties with a hospital already (any hospital!). Because of my connections, I was offered my top choice of job after graduation, and actually secured a position months before graduation actually happened. So, it's definitely possible. Several of my classmates accepted positions in the same department as the same time I did. My friends who were in similar setups with connections also ended up with jobs offers of their top choices, while those who didn't have ties with hospitals had more of a challenge finding jobs right after graduation. Also keep in mind that one year of experience is kind of the golden number in nursing. So, even if you don't end up with your ideal position for your first year out of school, having a year of experience in anything will help you get your foot in the door that second year. I, as well as a lot of my friends, did one thing the first year out and then switched jobs after a year. Each of us had our own reasons for doing so, but mine was basically just because i was still figuring out the right specialty, even after graduation. Two years out, I've found a very niche specialty that I absolutely love...and couldn't imagine doing anything else! Best wishes for your schooling! If you have more detailed questions I'd be happy to answer them over PM! I'm not actually on this site a whole lot, but i get reminders in my email when i get a posting response/email so I'll try to respond in a timely manner.

I work peds burn unit, when we do our admission dressing for a deep 2nd/third degree, we wash with hibaclens/sterile water then slather on about 1/4 inch thick layer of Silvadene right on the wound (no Xenoform/Adaptic at this stage) and then cover with clean burn dressing (basically a thin sheet of gauze, I think it's like 12x12 or something) and wrap with Kerlix or other dry rolled dressing. For a superficial 2nd degree , we we wash with hibaclens/sterile water then cover with adaptic gauze (Xenoform) that has been coated with Bacitracin, then the layer of burn dressing, then Kerlix. The families do this same dressing at home, but they will be using regular antibacterial soap. The Parkland formula is essential! We see so many over fluid resuscitated kids that come from outlying facilities and that causes all sorts of issues for these patients. We use Normosol as the initial fluid for these kids. We also promote early feeding and try to get tube feeds started on the big burns immediately.

Currently working as a peds burns nurse....never did a rotation in school (a few of my classmates did Adult Burn ICU during our critical care rotation...I ended up in Adult Trauma ICU, just a luck of the draw kind of thing). Honestly never seriously considered burn nursing till I was out of school. Did a my first year in nuring in a of Peds ER and was looking for something that was more patient/family focused and nurturing. I did see some minor burns in the ER, but never thought I'd want to do that all the time. The city I wanted to move to happened to have a peds burns job available. Observed one large dressing change, sat for an interview, and two weeks later started the best job I could ever ask for. So happy I "took the plunge" and gave burn nursing a try! I couldn't imagine being happier anywhere else!

I second the OP: RR first (while they're sleeping or just "checking you out"...gives them a minute to adjust to a new person in the room) HR next (while they're still calm) BP next (because they're usually ticked after their temperature and less likely to hold still) Temp last (especially if it's going to be a rectal temp) With older/cooperative kids, I don't think it matters as much the specific order, but you want your numbers to be accurate, so you want them as calm as possible. Remember that kids are usually much more cooperative if they can look at/touch/play with (if appropriate) your "tools" first...let them strap a BP cuff on their leg, or show them how to feel their pulse in their wrist.

While you're in prenursing, take advantage of the more flexible class schedule you have now and get into the hospital to learn. Volunteer at a hospital in your areas of interest. NICUs sometimes having waiting lists of people who want to "rock babies" but you can go ahead and get in line. Be around the babies and the nurses and see if this is an environment that works for you. You'll see some success stories and some tough stuff, and this can help you figure out if this is the right spot for you. I love babies and kids and found my niche in peds (not NICU) through trial and error (a summer externship in peds hem/onc after volunteering there for a couple of years, a year working peds ER, and now peds inpatient care at a specialty-only hospital). Each of those experiences taught me a lot about what kind of nurse I want to be. You never really know unless you've been there firsthand. You might fall in love with another specialty or know for sure that NICU is "your thing". Best wishes as you start your journey!

heh, i know a bit about taking some time to figure things out. I started at UD, had four various majors (education, psych, etc), became and EMT and fell in love with medicine as a career. Took some time to explore PA school, med school, and nursing school and ended up deciding on nursing school because of the higher amount of contact with patients and hands-on nature of the job. Took 6 years in all, but I don't regret it. Took a bit of (good-natured) flack from friends and family...but now it turns out the friends who "knew exactly what they wanted to do" are questioning their careers now that we are out of school!

Graduated from WSU Nursing in June (2009). Get ready to work hard, learn a lot in a very short amount of time, and start an awesome career that really does "save lives every day." I'd recommend that you think about what it would take for you to get organized (when will you study, how will you keep track of assignments, how will you maintain a school/social life balance) before you get started. A lot of the organization is trial and error as you go, but I found that keeping a regular social life going was vital to my success (and sanity!) throughout school...feel free to PM me if you have questions.... :)

May I recommend using Amazon.com? I just listed a Saunders and an Evolve book on there last night and they both sold already, with payment on the way. Some Amazon.com tips: I used it to sell some regular textbooks, made about $250 on six books- current-ish (as in most recent edition or maybe one edition back if the new one just came out) books often sell for $30-50/piece. If they are older editions then you will probably only get a couple of bucks...and shipping would be more than that so it's really only worth it for newer/good condition books. You can see the prices of books people have already listed. I priced mine towards the lower end of whatever category they fit into "Very good", good, etc and they all got snapped up very quickly. You are responsible for paying the shipping charges but a certain amount ($3.99 for standard shipping, more for othere types) will be added to your final selling price to cover that. It comes close...I think my Saunders book was $4.50 to ship and the Evolve was like $3.50, so it all evens out. Make sure to read all the details about amazon.com payment, you have to set up a payment account that will then feed into your checking account but there are processing delays that you will want to be aware of, esp with your first payments received. Doesn't it feel good to be done with those books! :) Don't worry, if anyone who is still waiting to test is reading you will be soon, too!

I just took my NCLEX Thursday August 20th in Ohio. I've discovered a few things along the way that might be of help to those still waiting to test or waiting anxiously for results. 1. PearsonVue results do not always take 3 business days. I checked the website Sunday morning (Only one business day after my test since it was a Thursday test) paid my $7.95 and got some relief! 2. The Ohio Board of Nursing does NOT process results on the weekend. I had been told multiple times by school, classmates, etc. that they did. Not true. I talked to a live human today and she told me they have 3 business days to process the results...so for my Thursday test they could have taken up until Tuesday to process. I got my approval online at 1pm today (Monday) (Tip: very hard to get a real human on the phone at OBN...your best option is to choose option 4 "speak to a receptionist" but even that sometimes dumps you into a voicemail). 3. You cannot verify licensure status via the Ohio Board of Nursing phone number if it is outside their business hours, despite what the website says...at least i could not figure out how to...all I could get was a voicemail. Hopefully this helps relieve some stress...realize that the systems run very slow, and more than likely it's the systems and not your failing that delays your licensure. Best Wishes to all soon-to-be RN's! -LiveZen

The lab values book was most useful for understand what high/low labs meant and what treatments would be used to fix them. Each hospital sets their own "normal" lab values, so knowing a ballpark is good, but if you try to memorize them all from your book it may not match what you see in the clinicals where you will be using it.

I too, used the NCLEX book (Saunders) for studying, but not until the last year of nursing school, cause that's when I got it. I was mainly trying to caution the OP about trying to do too much too fast. I graduated last weekend, and I've been studying NCLEX books hardcore since March. (Thanks to the OP for doublechecking me on this! :) I definitely think there's value to the books, but while you're in the classes I'd recommend focusing on what your instructor focuses on. The books are good for general knowledge/test-taking practice but you may find yourself overwhelmed if you're trying to learn all the book content on a topic plus what your instructor wants. There's a lot of content for each topic and you don't have to know it all! Just don't pressure yourself too much. If it works for you, great, if not, reevaluate and see what does! Math could be something to review, Check out Math for Nurses. This book can be found for as little as two dollars on amazon: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=math+nurses&oe=utf-8&hl=en&cid=13350610167586065609&sa=title#ps-sellers This book provides a review of basic algebra as well as more nursing specific problems like the IV ones referenced earlier. I will caution you that the answer key does have a few errors (the author confirmed this). I say this not to deter you from buying the book, but just to suggest that if you keep getting a "wrong" answer, try another one of the same type instead of frustrating yourself with a possibly right "wrong" answer.

I also would suggest relaxing and enjoying this summer. If you're motivated enough to even think about studying before school starts, then you're ahead of the curve. Enjoy this time to see friends and family, maybe take a mini vacay if you can swing it and generally getting yourself into a relaxed and happy lifestyle. I didn't study anything before I started school. I just graduated with high honors. These books are usually for use after you're all done with your classes and getting ready to take NCLEX in a couple months time (you have to get approval from the State Board to take NCLEX and this happens a few weeks after your graduation). You'll learn the content as well as test-taking strategies during the course of nursing school.

Great idea about keep extra copies of care pages! People really do forget these all the time. I've been both the giver and receiver of extras. As Martha Stewart would say.."It's a good thing." :) The $ in your backpack/name badge are also a great idea. Would be a huge help if you forgot your lunchbox or your wallet. And it really is true about making friends. Everyone's in the same boat that you are. Enjoy getting to know other people. A fun icebreaker question is to ask what type of nursing people are interested. People are usually very excited to have the chance to talk about themselves, and you just might find you have something in common. A lot of people are figuring out what specialty they want the whole time and that is fine too. I went in thinking Peds, tried lots of things with an open mind and ended up still loving peds .My two best friends are both all about labor and delivery...I think that's interesting too...but they both hate peds! That's ok, they understand that I love it and totally support me, it's just not for them. Don't let differences in opinion separate you from potential friends

Child Life is a dept in many hospitals that provides emotional support and recreational/educational activites for kids. I volunteered with them for 18 months and loved it. I played video games with bored teens, fed and rocked babies to sleep, played with the cancer kids who are in isolation, escorted Santa Claus around the inpatient units, helped with homework. A wide variety as you can see!

I graduated yesterday with my BSN! I did my summer externship on a pediatric oncology floor. An externship is a 10week experience offered to BSN students during the summer between jr. and sr. years. You are considered a senior at that point and can do all nursing skills except chemo. During my 10 weeks I learned that peds oncology is not for me. We lost three kids that summer. One night, I left from the hospital and we all knew that this one little boy most likely wouldn't make it through the night. I couldn't shake the terrible feeling all night. He died that night. He was 8 years old. I'd had the chance to bond with not only him but his entire family. I went to his funeral with the nurses and his family handed us each a white rose at the burial. Summer also tends to bring a lot of new diagnoses, so we had new kids including a 9 month old baby. I finished the summer, and accepted a nurses' aide position on the same unit. By Christmas , I knew that I'd had enough and couldn't be a nurse there. It was just emotionally too much. I knew I had to put some space between myself and some of those situations, so whenever the unit wasn't busy, I'd pick up shifts on other units. I tried surgical inpatient unit, 23 hour observation unit, and ER. I fell madly in love with ER. That's where I got my first job for after graduation. Do you have counselors at your school that you can talk to? Definitely use the people in your life (spouse? SO? parents? friends?) but recognize that they may not understand or may be overwhelmed with your experience themselves. A neutral party to talk to and perhaps a unit transfer could really help.

Working is school is definitely doable. PCA/CNA/Nurses' Aide: can be hard to get into until you get a clinical or two under your belt (like i worked at a ped hospital and you had to be done with your peds clinical. a lot of adult hospitals just want one med surg done) but a great way to get your foot in the door (pick a hospital you'd like to be an RN at!) for post-grad jobs. I worked as a PCA (patient care associate) on the peds oncology ward at a pediatric medical center for the last year of school and loved it. I picked up a lot of extra shifts in the ER and fell in love with that and got an RN job there. The techs that were hired into ER got trained in EKG and phlebotomy.

I graduated (BSN) yesterday! I second the posts about taking care of yourself and putting your ducks in a row, so to speak. I can't say I've lost any friends because of being in nursing school. I've made time for my boyfriend, family, and friends. It wasn't always as much as I wanted to, but that is a priority for me. My planner is my second bible. (the real Bible is my first Bible. lol). I used it to keep track of clinical days, exams, group meetings, count down the weeks/days in the quarter and also used it to schedule fun things too. Be open. You will meet lots of different people (nurses, profs, classemates, patients) and can learn from each of them. I made some amazing friends during my microbiology class. Once you find "your group" at school, start some fun traditions with them. We were not the study group types, we studied on our own and played together! Our favorite destress/celebration event was to go to Olive Garden for lunch at least once a quarter. We had real food and then each ordered a different dessert and all shared. What fun! We're getting ready to take our graduation celebration trip this week! Don't get into the drama/politics. There will always be drama in any large group, especially one with a lot of stressed out people. Stay as far out of it all as you can!

Great question! I just graduated (BSN) yesterday! Some thoughts for you: Be approachable! The teachers I enjoyed the most and learned the most from were open to talking to students after class and answering questions. Be on time. The teachers that showed up consistently late for class or took well over a week to answer emails (or just never did answer them!) frustrated many a student in my class. Be upfront with your expectations. One teacher introduced mandatory case study questions week 5 (out of a 10 week course) without mentioning them at all up until that point. On week 6, Another teacher was still trying to decide which day of finals week (maybe wed afternoon, maybe friday evening, maybe something else) she would give our final exam! Be creative Just the other day, my classmates and I were reminiscing back to last year when our med-surg teacher passed around a urinal full of apple juice with cups and a bedpan full of hershey's kisses (clean, of course!) as she introduced the syllabus- what a fun way to help nervious students have a laugh and relax! Another teacher insisted that we must have candy before each exam and brought a delightful assortment of fun size candy bars, mints, etc. My OB prof made a cervix hat out of paper plate and pretended to be the fetus in different presentations/lies/etc.

I know you already got your question answered, but I want to recommend a resource to you. Math for Nurses is a book that my school required, and it was a great help! I have strong algebra skills (it does review those a lot if you need the help!) but found it very helpful for the multi-level conversions and the problems that involve drops (gtt) and oz to ml. http://www.amazon.com/Math-Nurses-Pocket-Calculation-Preparation/dp/0781753724 Amazon has it for $22 but also has used copies for about $2.50. Well worth it! Just a heads up, I did find a few errors in the answer key. (I let the author know and she was surprised and thankful to know!) I say this not to dissuade you from buying this book, but just to say that if you keep trying a problem and get the wrong answer a bunch of times in a row to try another one of the same type and see if you can get that one right instead of beating yourself up trying the same one over and over since the key may be off.

Pen light, watch, and stethescopes are must haves. I think you should go with what works for your price range and preferences. On the Littman Classic II. Love it. You may want to see if your school has a special discount on it, because compared to my school's prices, I couldn't find a cheaper price online once you added shipping. I think mine was $60ish. I got pink, which apparently half my class also got. We managed to pick up each others accidentally at clinicals sometimes, but we always got them back to each other! lol I did clinicals at three hospitals (many units), a summer externship, and have worked as a nurse's aide since August and haven't lost mine yet (I've laid it down and wandered off many many times and it's always been right where I left it. We don't really have big problems with theft of stethescopes at my hospital, though (medium pediatric medical center) Penlight. I have a random penlight that my mom got free when she worked at a veterinary hospital. I also got a cool little keyring flashlight that i wear on my badge clip from walmart auto dept for like 3 bucks. Looks like this, but mine is pink. The kids love playing with it, I just wipe it off with alcohol before they do. Pens. cheap but functional. They get lost, residents borrow them, etc. Watch. I love my cheap Timex digital. It's got a rubber strap that I can wash or alcohol swab and it doesn't matter. I will caution you that my preceptor for my final quarter told me i needed to break my habit of using the timer feature to alarm and remind me of frequent vital recheck times and such, as i couldn't do that for more than one pt at a time. I'm glad I broke the habit. I just write the times on a paper now.