liveintheOR

Hey girl! Where are you moving to? What part of the mtns do you live in now? I grew up in Tucker co., but work in Parkersburg now.

I graduated from Regents ( now Excelsior) in 1999. There were only 6 nursing exams then and I also had to take micro. I had been an LPN for 7 years working TELE/ ICU stepdown and surgery. The CPNE exam was nerve wracking. I think it would have been very difficult to pass without the clinical experience I had. To take it without enough experience may lead to failure. The first patient I had required alot of care, including trach care. I did not learn that in LPN school, but had done it nearly every day on the floor. I had 3 adult patients and 2 Peds patients for my CPNE. There were 5 of us taking the exam at the same time. Of the 5, three had taken the exam and failed previously. I used study guides from The College Network (which I still have). They helped me alot, but they cost about $2000. I also purchased the video about the CPNE. I started the exams in Dec 1998 and finished in Oct 1999. I took my CPNE in early Dec 1999, and my NCLEX in Jan 2000. I passed the NCLEX after finishing 75 questions. I have heard a few comments about how I got my degree, but the proof is in how I care for my patients. I was a good LPN and I am a very good RN. I wish others who are in this program the best of luck. You cannot be too prepared for the CPNE.

I took my CPNE in Columbus in Oct 1999. It was at Ohio State Univ. and also at Children's. The instructors were very professional. Remember to measure I/O's carefully and chart everything! Good Luck!

The answer is NOOOOOOOOOO---that's why I'm looking for a new job after 13 years. I work in surgery now, but don't even care if I find another OR job. Sad day for me because I love surgery, but can't take the ABUSE anymore!

I have never seen the aorta punctured with a trocar. However, I have seen the iliac artery punctured while doing a laparoscopic appy on an eight yr. old. The surgeon was new to our facility and we had used his partners preference card to set up the case--as an open appy. The surgeon comes in and insists that our setup be changed to laparoscopic. He had told the patient's mother that he would not make an incision, just a couple of small punctures and about 20 minutes!! I explained to her that in any laparoscopic case that there was always the possibility of having a incision. She insisted that the doctor promised her that he would not make an incision. Long story short, he punctured the iliac artery with a 5mm trocar. Blamed us for having lousy equipment. Of course he ended up with a large incision, came back a week later with a huge abcess ( the appendix had ruptured), had to be packed open. The surgeon even bragged after the case how good he was at sewing the artery --- he does not, thank God, have vascular priviledges. What a mess!! I still worry about a lawsuit on that one. One surgeon in our hospital uses KTP laser for cholecystectomies--always. Don't know why. It's a pain in the backside. Can't see worth a darn with those dark laser glasses on. The surgeon of course won't wear the glasses.

When a doc starts demanding and blowing up I just say " Yes,sir" "No, sir" It usually freaks them out and they can't think of anything to say. I have one surgeon who wants everything under the sun opened for his cases. He then will complain how much the case is costing the patient. The other day he asked me how much telfa costs, that it was too much to charge the pt. If he sees something on the back table that he doesn't want he says "The cost of that should be taken out of your pay!!" I just say "yes sir' and give him a blank stare. He's always looking for someone to argue with, and I refuse to give him the satisfaction. Another doc said to me " I ought to slap you" My reply was "Oh please do. I have another child to send to college and I sure could use a new house. " He just looked at me then laughed. I guess no one had ever called his bluff before. He's always throwing tantrums so I just treat him like a child since he is acting like one. I have reported one surgeon who was and is always verbally abusive. Thank God he moved to Reno.

I graduated from Regents in '99 with an ADN. Before that I worked as an LPN for 7 years--5 on step down from ICU, 2 in surgery. I purchased study guides from The College Network. I CLEPed 7 classes -- Micro and 6 Nursing classes. The total cost for me was around $5,000. The most difficult part was the clinical performance test (the 3 day clinical). It cost 1,250.00. It was overseen by very professional nurses who were all MSN. I took my clinicals at Ohio State, and Children's in Columbus, Ohio. It was extremely nerve racking because perfection is expected. They leave very little room for error. I think it would be very hard to pass without alot of practical clinical experience. Anyway, I believe it is the only distance learning program for the LPN to RN that is NLN accredited. I had no trouble with the state board. I am sure there were those at work who may have said things behind my back about getting a "mail order" license. I took and passed the same boards as all other RN's in my state. I don't worry about what others say, I let my work speak for itself. I am confident in my abilities as an RN. As for those who would group all Regents grads together in one incompetant lump, please don't generalize, as those kind of comments can really come back to bite you in the rear. You may eventually have a supervisor who, without your knowledge, be a Regents grad-- be careful what you say that may be overheard! This program is not for everyone. It takes a lot of self discipline and determination. I set a goal of finishing in one year and it took me 11 months to graduate, 13 months until I had my license. I found the folks at Regents very helpful and encouraging. Every time I got a letter from the nursing department it had a handwritten note of encouragement or praise at the bottom of the page. They acted like they really wanted me to succeed, and when I did they were happy for me. Sorry to ramble on so long, send me an e-mail if you want more information. [email protected]

We do not do instrument counts at the very busy OR where I work. Several years ago they talked about it, but it never really got anywhere. In the six years I have worked there I have never seen a patient come back for a retained instrument. We did have one come back for a retained blue OR towel. They found in 6 months post op on a routine CT scan. Thought it was a tumor in her bowel. Poor lady.

The OR is a great choice for those who are truly interested in helping their patients in a whole different way than working a med/surg floor. I did not chose to work where my patients are asleep because I didn't want to deal with them. Most OR nurses miss the contact they had with their pt's on the floor. You can expect to work hard and most days long in the OR. Most of the docs are wonderful to work with, a few are pains in the rear. I was warned when I went to the OR how witchy the staff would be--and some of them were and still are, but you have that in any work situation. I'd say that 98.5% of they staff I work with are great!! There is so much to learn--I learn something new every day. As for the staff being mean to students--some are--but most, including myself, are happy to explain all they can to students. On the other hand, some students are there because they have to be--they disappear for an hour or two for lunch or break. When they are in the room it's obvious that they wish they weren't. I had two students in my room who contaminated the sterile field 3 times before lunch. They were observing (I told them to look, but don't touch anything). I turned my back, and when I turned back around one was picking up sterile instruments from the back table with her bare hands. That's why some OR nurses seem mean to students ! As was mentioned above, we like it when new people are willing to jump right in there and want to learn. The nurses are alot more willing to help someone who seems interested.