piperknitsRN

Report Sheet for General Medsurg/Tele 1) Name 2) Age 3) Code Status 4) Allergies 5) Primary Physician and or Teams involved 6) Chief Complaint and Diagnosis 7) *Pertinent* Medical Hx 8) Isolation for Contact, Droplet, etc. Extremely brief, succint n...

This is off topic, and perhaps deserves another thread of its own, but I've been reading the vent comments here, and wonder just how on earth students conspire to cheat in nursing school? How is it even possible? And do they generally "succeed" at c...

I'm all over the board on my answer to this one; I can see the validity of many different opinions proffering different views on this subject. Personally, I wear plain, sold colored scrubs in muted, conservative colors. My scrubs mirror my generall...

I'm guessing part of so many viewers' perceptions of this nurse's "rudeness" had to do with editing, as many have suggested already. I probably wouldn't have gone as far as she did--I personally find the "tough love" role not my own to take on, esp...

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I wish to address the statement made by GEPDAR: "Many nurses do not deal with life or death on a regular basis in a hospital and the ones who do are paid even more, so to pull that card out is not going to work with me." I respectfully disagree w...

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Call Facility A and say you are very interested in the offer but you are waiting on another facility's decision, and ask them how long they are willing to wait for your response. Call Facility B and ask for a time frame in which they anticipate f...

I keep it simple, and the number of things I carry around while on the floor has dwindled since I was a student. Since I work in an ICU, most of the supplies are (in theory!) supposed to be stored in the pt room, my scrub pocket invariably contains:...

Katy: You sound like a conscientious student who wants a good clinical experience, and I do not take umbrage at your statement that you feel as if you are there to "take the load off of staff nurses." You are a student, and I believe you mean well; ...

Bless you. Yes, I completely understand where you're coming from. Completely. There have been great suggestions on this board as to how to deal with your burn out, including transitioning to another specialty or going back to school, and/or renewi...

To Liles: Registered Nurse would probably be your best bet if your goal is to become a travel nurse; there may be some LVN positions out there for travel, I don't know, but my guess is most hospitals--and acute care hospital needs make up the bulk of...

p.s. Another suggestion when you speak to your manager and/or preceptor is to ask for feedback on your performance, "It would be helpful for me to have feedback on my performance in orientation so I can improve my skills." A statement like this show...

I think you are taking the right steps, and would suggest you also try to make an appointment with a mental health counselor or EAP to help "talk it out" and devise strategies for you to cope with your stressors. I agree that speaking with a physici...

I sympathize! I cannot tolerate nights, since I cannot sleep during the day when I have been up all night. I felt exhausted after a night shift, but once my body "caught sight" of daylight, I couldn't sleep properly. And I tried everything under th...

Do not worry about being "behind the curve" or "not finding your niche"--some nurses hit the jackpot straight out of the gate... but honestly, I think most of us end up doing several different specialties before finding one that "clicks." I have been...

"LPN's are not RN's and shouldn't be allowed to pass meds while doing clinicals, either" Perhaps the poster who stated "LPNS are not RNs"(quoted above) and the response (I'm assuming) that followed re: LPN training in regards to meds conflated two s...

Hospitals do not generally offer per diem to new grads; it costs a great deal of money and time to train a new grad, and some hospitals even require new grads to sign a contract stating they will be responsible for committing to at least a year of fu...

While acknowledging your frustration and the "rant" carte blanche, I would like to take the opportunity to gently redirect your frustrations with what sounds like a deeply unfortunate situation. I have been in your shoes (well, similar shoes, any wa...

Congratulations on your successes; we welcome you into the nursing profession! The nervousness is completely normal. I have been a nurse for almost five years in different hospital capacities, and I haven't had it disappear completely. You will ha...

To the OP: What you're feeling is normal. In time, you will have the necessary experience to feel comfortable in most situations that occur routinely on your unit; it's just a matter of consistent exposure. This is not to say you will never feel ov...

Many of the other posters have addressed the techniques used to obtain a blood pressure cuff, and I'll let those stand on their (considerable merit). I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in feeling this way! I remember having the exa...

I wanted to post this question on the general forum, where I thought it might get a little more "publicity" than on the ICU forum. I have job opportunities in a CVICU (open heart recovery and medical cardiac/interventional cardiac) at a smaller br...

I have job opportunities in a CVICU (open heart recovery and medical cardiac/interventional cardiac) at a smaller branch of a teaching hospital, and one in a large, level one regional trauma center/teaching hospital in their SICU/TICU (trauma ICU). P...

Thanks, guys. What do you like about CVICU?