Shan RN

Never get lax on your A&P knowledge. The more you can retain from that class, the better off you'll be once you start nursing school. Maybe get a dosage calculation practice book and start working on that, or brush up on algebra and dimensional a...

I listened to a fascinating podcast that featured a nurse who worked in an "awake and walking ICU." She talked about how prolonged sedation can have significantly negative psychological effects. Incredibly interesting. https://www.ncbi...

I work in chemotherapy infusion, and my clinic only requires 6 months of experience before they'll consider someone's application. I was like you - I had been a PCT on an oncology floor all throughout nursing school and knew quite certainly that I di...

Hi! I worked inpatient oncology for nearly two years (part as a PCT and part as an RN) and have recently switched to outpatient chemo/immunotherapy infusion. If you're looking for quality nurse-patient relationships, oncology is a great specialty for...

Study up on how exactly dimensional analysis works. I went into nursing school with a background in engineering/physics, and dosages were a walk in the park because I knew how to set up dimensional analysis equations with ease. If you can get that do...

I got a part-time job as a PCT during my last year of nursing school. I worked on an inpatient oncology unit at a large hospital in my city, and then went on to do my residency on that same unit after graduation. The experience I gained as a PCT was ...

Hello! I'm a new grad currently working on an inpatient oncology unit. I've been a nurse since June 2022. I have known for a long time that bedside nursing isn't for me, but I worked on this unit as a PCT while finishing school and decided to do a 15...

That's a great idea!! I think my hospital would very likely have something like that, I'm going to look into it! Thanks so much 🙂

This may be sort of an extreme tip, depending on your circumstances, but have you thought about getting a part-time job as a PCT/CNA while you're in school? That was a HUGE thing that made me comfortable interacting with patients (real or fake) befor...

I don't think it would serve you well practicing on yourself because the angle at which you hold the cannula would be totally different from how it's done on another person. Also, you'd only have one hand available to begin with. You wouldn't be shar...

I relate to this SO much. I work on a wonderful inpatient oncology unit, but bedside is not where I want to stay. I, too, and remaining where I am for another year, but leaving when my contract is finished. I love my patients, their families, and my ...

One thing that I wish I had taken advantage of early in school was using practice questions to study. Oftentimes, first-semester nursing students are blindsided by the types of questions they see on those first few exams--there's no "what bone is thi...

For the first half of my program, I worked at a semi full-time job (sometimes 40+hrs, sometimes less) at an aviation company where I could frequently get a good amount of studying done at work. Then I transitioned to an administrative role within tha...

Hi everyone! I'm about halfway to my ADN and I have an interview this week for a CNA position on an oncology unit. Aside from my clinicals in school, I've never actually worked in a healthcare setting before, so I'm trying to get some hands-on experi...

Thank you so much for the advice! I'm happy to say that I just accepted an offer for this position and I will take your words to heart. Golden rules, indeed. Have a great day!

Practice questions!! I remember information so much better when I get a question wrong and have to read the rationales. Sometimes, being able to recall a piece of information not only as it is written in the textbook but as you saw it in a question c...

I'd like to second the suggestion of calling and speaking to an advisor or admissions faculty for the nursing program. During the conversation, ask about their recent admissions statistics. They could give you some valuable information that will bett...

Hello! I'm currently two semesters away from graduating with my ADN, after which I'll be doing a one-year RN-BSN program. I'm very interested in travel nursing, but I don't want to jump into it until I've got some experience; I'd like to make sure I ...

Thank you both so much for your responses! I'll remember your advice and keep that in mind when I get to the point in my future where this is something to consider. I appreciate you!

This sounds very unsafe. There are many other tech jobs that can offer a more appropriate and educational experience; I would seek another job as soon as possible, especially if you're worried that you may hurt someone because you haven't been proper...

Hi! The wonderful thing about healthcare is that there are so many options and opportunities out there. If you feel like you would be anxious or stressed to an unhealthy level as a nurse, maybe look into something like a radiology or surgical tech? T...

Hi John. There are so many different careers in healthcare, and it can be overwhelming to be faced with a plethora of interesting options. Even as a student pursuing an RN, I still have no idea which field of nursing I want to go into because there's...

Study up on your A&P, for sure. I know this may sound trivial, but a thorough understanding of physiology/patho will really help you to make sense of nursing assessments and interventions. Looking into pharmacology will help, too; cardiac meds, r...

The first semester is rough because you're acclimating to the alien educational experience that is nursing school. You have to learn the rhythm of the assignments, tests, and material. It's a lot to get used to. But believe me, you'll start to see th...

Hello! In my program, patho is sort of integrated with our nursing coursework; the only pre-reqs were A&P and micro. That being said, I've never taken a "pathophysiology" class. But when learning that type of content, I find that drilling practic...