mst31

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All I can see is Carrie during prom night! :lol2:

Just recently I had a patient with a JP that needed to be emptied. I opened the door to the bathroom to get the cup, went and empied the bloody drain, turned around and walked right into the door that I had forgotten to close. Bloody drainage all over my white jacket. Humm lovely!

You will see people that have had million dollar incomes and still manage to squander it all. It happens across all economic lines. Nurses are human too...

i think the level of autonomity depends on the specialty area. for example, icu nurses have a high degree of skill sets. they have to be able to interpret what is going on with their patients, titrate drips accordingly to reach desired parameters set by physicians, and sometimes provide total care for their patients. i have seen code situations where the nurses are calling the shots to bring a patient back no doctors in site. this is why some places have standing orders or there is protocol. this allows the nurse to make independent decisions based on certain guidelines. in a lot of areas, the nurses are the ones that completely run the show so to speak. i am in critical care. we have to be able to interpret ekg changes, use our assessment skills to notify a dr if there are changes in condition, use our knowledge to know when to hold certain meds and when to give (ie antihypertensives, narcotics, insulins, etc). i know i just can't "push pills" all day. my license in on the line and i am responsible for my decisions, assessments, and actions in "caring" for my patients. i hope this helps.

Its a surgical step-down critical care floor. Not quite sick enough for ICU but to acute for a med-surge floor. So far from what I am hearing from other new grads, I feel blessed.

I too am a new grad and I can tell you that not all situations are like the one you are presently in. My internship is very structured. I spend 2-8 hour days in class each week and 2-12 hour shifts with my preceptor. The same preceptor. The classes are geared to get me to be able to take care of critical care patients and my preceptor eases me into flying solo. Right now, I am just responsible for care of one patient. Eventually I will progress to the full 4:1 ratio, but only when my preceptor and I agree I am ready. I too think maybe you should find another program. Being a new grad is hard enough without having someone trying to make you sink or swim. JMO

I just graduated with my ADN in May of this year. It took me 4 years to do. Two years of prereqs and working full-time, then 2 years of the nursing program. Also worked full time while in nursing school. I graduated with a 3.15, passed boards with 75 questions, and now working full time in critical care. Just don't let people tell you that you can't work and do a nursing program. It all depends on your particular situation. It can be done. I am proof.

I completely understand the post graduation anxiety. I graduated on the 11th of this month, got my att last saturday, and scheduled to take the NCLEX on June 19th. So now I have nothing but time on my hands to worry about what happens if I don't pass? I already have a job in critical care that I start on the 5th of June and has an extensive internship program. I even have to pass a medication exam for the hospital before I am allowed to pass meds. Great more to worry about. Also, being a student nurse is one thing. How will I handle actally being a real nurse and all the responsibility falls on my shoulders, not to mention my liscense (once I get it)! Stress! Stress! Stress! :uhoh21:

The American Heart Association should have a list of classess for both ACLS and BLS in your area. As far as starting out as a new grad and getting a job, most hospitals will offer an internship or a preceptorship program designed to acclemate the graduate nurse. This usually involves maybe some class time that the hospital provides along with having a nurse preceptor for a period of time. Usually 12-24 weeks. This is also the best way to go to get your foot in the door for ICU. Good luck!

Yes, L&D is considered a specialized area. Look for an intership or preceptorship in your area after graduation.

i will be graduating in 15 days from an adn 2 year program. what most hospitals will do when you are a new grad is do an internship, which is an easy transition into your specialty area of choice. the hiring process and internship programs can sometimes be competitive to get into depending on how many colleges are in your area. for me, i am in the houston area and there are several adn and bsn colleges that are graduating rns so the hiring process was somewhat competitive, but i got an internship working in critical care. this involves 3 months of having a preceptor and class time that the hospital provides to train you for your specialty. if you want to go into any "specialized area", i would strongly recommend you find a hospital that offers internships after graduation.

In my own opinion, you may want to go the LVN route first for 2 reasons. First, I am sure you have your reasons for wanting to become a nurse, but I had a different idea of what nursing was about before I got deep into nursing school. I had no idea how much is exactally involved in the profession. For some reason I had the impression that we give a few meds, maybe a shot or two, make the patient comfortable, and that was that. WRONG! There is lots lots more to it. So you may want to go the LVN route to get a feel for what the profession is about and see if you like it. Secondly, it takes a lot shorter amount of time before you are able to practice as a nurse. I think the LVN route takes maybe 18 months? I am sure someone could clarify. From there you can take your prerequisits and do a transition program or excelerated BSN program. But again, this is just my own opinion. Good luck in what ever you decide. If you truly want to be a nurse, go for it!

i know exactally what you are talking about. i am a senior nursing student graduating in may . last week i had a fellow coworker (i am an administrative assistant in an office) tell me that when her blood sugar is up she eats a peppermint or drink orange juice and this brings her sugar down. huh???:uhoh21: i proceeded to try to educate her and tell her that orange juice and peppermint candy makes your bs higher not the opposite. she argued with me and said she even read it in a book she has at home. needless to say the conversation got hot :argue: and we just dropped the subject. the next day the same coworker comes in and casually mention in passing that the book did say drink juice or eat a piece of candy when you are hypoglycemic! no apology or anything. i guess i take what i can get. two years of nursing school. you would think that i would at the very least know how diabetes works!

You may want to have a neutral party take a look at your resume and cover letter. By having different people critique your resume, you may be able to improve it and at least get that call back and initial interview. After your foot is in the door, the rest is up to how well you sell yourself in person. I thought my resume was great, until I had a DON friend of mine take a look at it. There were numerous areas for improvement. You want to be able to put your best presentation forward with your resume and coverletter. Sometimes recruiters only have a few seconds to look at a resume. Does your's present well??? Good luck!