sweetyjen

I graduated from UCO in 2005. WONDERFUL program, and I can tell you that now, after working for almost 2 yrs in Med-Surg. Compared to my fellow coworkers that graduated the same time I did from other schools, I caught on super fast and felt and appeared very prepared. I highly recommend UCO's nursing school.

ok...scenario.... a patient of yours comes to the floor after surgery with a pca pump. policy is that the pacu nurses hook it up prior to leaving recovery room then once to the floor, pacu nurse and floor nurse check it together. ok...so your pt has a pca pump...you check it with the other nurse, everything's fine and you go about your business. 2 hrs later the pacu calls and says to check your pump b/c they think it may have been programmed with the wrong concentration. ok so you go check and it is programmed for 1 mg morphine/1 ml. You look at the syringe and it is morphine 5mg/ml. The pt has used 8mg. remember that is what the pump "thinks" is 8 mg...in reality it is 40 mg!! ok so tell me what you would do first, etc... what is your policy with everything going on here.... i want to know everything you would actually do in a situation like this. i'll tell you a story after i hear some responses!!

Wow, this thread came at the perfect time!! I had the weirdest dreams last night! I dreamt I overslept and called into work at about 7:30 and asked to speak to our charge nurse. she wasn't there, so my coworker talked to me and told me it was ok, just come in when I'm ready. So I get there at about 9. No one had even seen my patients yet and all their meds were late and some were waiting to be discharged. Then my charge nurse and nurse manager showed up and I had to pray that they wouldn't find out what happened and wouldn't figure out the patients hadn't had their meds yet, etc...It was so real!!! I can still remember every detail!!! This was by far the weirdest, yet most real, dream I've had yet about work! Oh and I have been a RN now for almost 3 months!!!

Hi! I'm a new graduate, have been on my med-surg floor since june. typically our ratios are 5-6 patients per nurse. On a great day, it's four, bad day 7. We get lots of abdominal surgeries, such as colon resections, hernia repair, appys, choleys. we get gyn such as hysts, post partum hemorrhage. anything really! uncontrolled diabetes, pneumonia, n/v/d. Our wing has about 20 rooms. we normally have 3-4 nurses on our side plus a charge nurse that does not take patients and helps out whenever needed, plus makes assignments, deals with payroll and our schedules. usually have 2 techs, and a unit secretary that puts in all new orders and prepares the new charts when new patients come in. As of right now as a new grad that just finished orientation, I am actually not TOO stressed out. I am lucky to have some wonderful nurses that work with me and are willing to help out anytime, which seems like all the time!! :) I am constantly asking questions but they haven't told me to shut up yet so I guess it's ok! :) I like the fast pace of med-surg...patients constantly coming and going. yesterday I sent 4 patients home and got 3 new post op pts within the hour. I'm slowly getting the hang of things. I think I am lucky to have such a great group of nurses to work with. My nurse manager also makes sure we are taken care of too. So I pray that I feel the same in 6 months!!!! :) This could likely be the "honeymoon phase" of my career!!!!!!! I'm trying to prepare myself for the possibility that I may become extremely overwhelmed soon!

Hi! I am a new nurse working in Med-Surg. I had a patient today that had a picc in her arm...I noticed slight swelling when I did my morning assessment. Pt said it has been like that.She left the floor for a while and when she came back it was much worse. I called the Dr and he ordered an US of her arm. Results came back...blood clots in her arm. So I dc'd the picc. Started her on Lovenox. What is this caused from?? She had a double lumen, iv fluids infusing at 30/hr and tpn @80. She has had this picc line for about a week or so with fluids infusing constantly. Except she mentioned today that they did unhook her so she could put her own shirt on...but that shouldn't have anything to do with it, should it? I am just trying to think of why this would have happened since I don't have any experience with this. I just pray that I did not somehow do this to her!!!! Her arm is about 4 times the size of her other arm. Very scary to me. I will go back to work in the am and find out more of why and what is going to happen now I guess. But I'm just curious if anyone has any answers for me!! :) Thanks so much for your help...

Hi! I'm a new grad and yes, we learned that demerol is pretty much being "phased out". HOWEVER, I just had a post op patient today on a Demerol PCA! Very interesting. I have had demerol IV before and honestly, it worked for about 5 minutes tops...i think it is a horrible drug for pain control and all alternatives should be done first!

Hi!!! I graduated May 6, took boards June 7 and have been actually practicing as a RN since June 9!! I started full time on the Med Surg unit of my hospital this week! What a wonderful feeling to know that a dream has been accomplished!!!!

This same thing happened to my daughter a week ago. The bite on her leg got very swollen, red, hard, and hot. Looked like an infection. The back of her leg was swollen 2X normal. I took her to the Dr. and she said she has been seeing about 2 kids a day for a few weeks now with the same thing. She said it should be fine but gave me an antiobiotic just in case it got worse and told me to use benadryl for itching prn. So apparantly this is normal!! I've never seen anything like it so it scared me. I thought it was a spider bite or something. It did look bruised a few days after the swelling and everything went away. Very weird.

HI! Well my computer shut off at 75 and I did pass. Of course, I couldn't tell you at that time that I did or not. Very hard test. A classmate of mine also had 75 questions and failed! So you really never know. Good luck to you!

Hi! Well I started looking for jobs a little before spring break of my senior year and actually applied during spring break. I had a job that week. The hospital said that their new grad positions fill up soon after spring break. I took the NCLEX last week (& passed!!). My new job started yesterday. So it is definitely a good idea to get a job before graduating, in my opinion. Especially if you want L&D. If you have a certain place you want to work, I would let them know that you are very interested as soon as possible!! Even if you have a year left!! The sooner the better! :) Just look at all your possibilities. I'm sure it is possible to not find a job before graduation too. But you might have a better selection to choose from before. Good luck!!

Hi! I just took the NCLEX and passed with 75 questions. :) A lot of the questions were almost identical to Kaplan's review questions. Kaplan's tests, were, in my opinion, hard. You feel like you're doing well and come out with a score of 60!! I think their scoring is just hard. But definitely, i think that as long as you are taking the tests, answering the questions, and then looking at the rationale afterwards, you will be fine!! I know after taking Kaplans review tests, I was so scared!!! Before that, I thought I was doing well. Kinda hurt the self-confidence I guess. But I will say that a lot of questions were very similar. I had lots of priority questions...which patient would you see first, or call first, some disaster responses. Look over herbal remedies also. I think you will do great!!

congratulations!!!! :balloons:

Hey!! Sounds like you have prepared very well. I took the NCLEX on Thursday and I also took the Kaplan review course. I will have to say that the majority of my questions were very very similar to those from Kaplan. I swear there was one exactly word for word with almost exactly the same answers to choose from also. I had a lot of "priority" questions, like which patient would you see first, or call back first. Sounds like you're doing a great job preparing, try not to stress out so much. Get the ear plugs at the testing center and then just relax in your own little world!!! Good luck!!!

HI! I got my results this morning (Saturday) on Pearson's website!!! I passed too by the way!!!! :) Finally a RN!!! I took the NCLEX on Thursday at 9 am. When did you take yours? Good luck to you!!!

Start Monday, June 13 , med surg floor. lucky to get day shift!! well i guess, lucky for me since I have a 2 yr old (single mommy) :)

It probably would not be appropriate to actually tell her she shouldn't get pregnant again, however it would've been ok to tell her she is lucky she's alive!! PP hemorrhage actually happened to me 2 years ago after giving birth to my 1st daughter. VERY SCARY experience. Life changing for sure. It really scared me and made me think about having any more kids. I asked my physician what the chances were of that happening again and he said about 1 in 10. I almost didn't make it, and I can't say how scared I am that it could happen again. I am so surprised that this woman did not even mention it beforehand, I don't think she understood how serious the situation was!!! Probably just thought "whatever happens to me they will fix!". I don't know. I guess you got some good experience anyway. :) Sounds like you did a good job. Oh-just curious, but what interventions were done?? Did she ever receive a blood transfusion?

Thank you! Congrats to all of you too!!! Our graduation was Friday and pinning was Saturday! I can't believe it's all over already!!! Good luck to you all with the NCLEX!!!

Hi!! I just graduated from nursing school over the weekend and my new job will be in Med-Surg. I actually like it, while about everyone I talk to hates it and thinks I am crazy... so hopefully I won't end up hating it!!!

Just to add that lots of women do start showing a lot earlier with their 2nd, 3rd,etc. pregnancy!! Good luck!!

I highly recommend doing an externship if at all possible!! I am in my last semester and I did this over last summer and it was wonderful. You do learn sooo much more, you will do and see so much more than in clinicals altogether. It was one of the best things I could have done to help prepare myself for what it's really going to be like as an RN. If you have the chance, do it. You will also be more valuable to your future employer. Most of the other students in my class did something similar. The ones that didn't came back last semester and seemed so much farther behind than those of us with the externships. Good luck!!

Hi! I just got home after working tonight as a tech on a med-surg floor. I am a senior nursing student and saw something tonight that I am questioning! I have done a couple of foley's before and I swear that I thought that if you "miss the hole" then you are supposed to get a new one because it is then contaminated from being in the lady parts. Well the nurse that I was helping missed the urethra SEVERAL times and just kept fishing until she finally got a return. No wonder this woman has an infection!!! She has to be cathed every pm. So anyway, I am right on my thinking or can you really do that? Thanks!!!

Hi! I am a single mom of a 2 year old and I am in my last semester of nursing school! It has been SO hard, but it has gotten easier the further along I got. It was soooo very hard in the beginning and then we just learned to adjust to things and now I am so glad I did it. Needless to say, I am in debt big time because I took out the max on student loans. But if there's one thing to go in debt for, it's education. I did get pell grants and other scholarships and grants. I actually don't have to work very often. I live in a town 1 1/2 hrs away from any family or friends at all, but I have managed by making a few friends down here that can help out from time to time if needed. I have rarely needed help honestly. It may seem impossible at first, but you just have to set your eye on the goal and sacrifice some things. You just have to have the mindset that you CAN and WILL do it. It can be done!!! Good luck!!! Jen

I know this would be a hard decision to make. I think you should do both. Another question though, is there no one supervising over the things you do? I am in my last semester of nursing school also and I know that anytime we do anything that has to do with IV's, meds, or anything invasive at all we are to have an RN or our instructor with us. I think you should tell your instructor if you have any doubts that this person is doing anything that is unsafe and could put someone in danger. I think you should also talk to this person about what you saw and encourage him/her to ask for help if needed. I know it is a tough position to be in though, I encourage you to do what you think is necessary. Set up a private meeting with your instructor and ask that you not be named if you want to remain anonymous. Hope this helps some!!

Hello!! I posted earlier about having to come up with projects for school student nursing for an alternative high school. i have been able to come up with great ideas for the past 2 weeks and now I am drawing a blank!! I am teaching about tattoos/body piercing (per student request!) next week and I cannot think of what format to use!! I am sooo not creative at all. About all I can come up with is making a brochure to hand out about risks, etc. and discussing it. I was going to try to find some pictures of infected piercings, etc. but have not been successful at finding any! So if anyone has any suggestions for me, I would GREATLY appreciate it! I need help brainstorming!!! :) Thank you all in advance... :) Jen

Well thanks for the suggestions. My partner and I did a survey last week to see what the top topics were. This coming week she is going a teach on parenting and I am doing one on alcohol/drugs. Then I think my other topics are diet/nutrition, tatoos & body piercing. She is doing std's, relaxation & stress management. Those were the top pics, oh besides just "sex"...they added that one themselves. I just have a hard time being "creative" and coming up with presentation ideas. For drug/alcohol I have a video along with some good handouts/brochures I got from the Oklahoma Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. They were really helpful. But for the other topics, not sure yet!! :) I appreciate your help though very much!!! Thanks again Jen