natrgrrl

There are lots of different opinions but ultimately the right answer is to follow policy (IMHO). Our policy is to separate each med and flush with 30cc between each different med given. That can be extremely time consuming considering how long it takes for J tube to empty by gravity, which is also our policy. I agree with these policies.

We have 6 units with approx 20 residents to each unit. 1 nurse and 1-2 CNA's per unit for days and eves.

I had an interview a few days ago for L&D. There were no scenario questions. But I have had other RN interviews that did ask those questions. Most of the questions asked were about out how I deal with stress and problems with others, do I like nursing and why. And of course what about me will make a good L&D nurse. I wouldn't hold back saying that you have children but being a pt doesn't give much info on your nursing skills or ability. I don't know how things work where you live but out here L&D jobs are few and far between. And if you don't have some experience... Good luck to you. My advice is that you can't really go wrong in over-preparing.

I have the same story as so many other new grads. I started applying for jobs in march, graduated in may. Still no hospital job. BUT...I got a job as an LPN in a nursing home the summer before I graduated with my Associate Degree. It is not my ideal job but it is a good job and I like it and I am so very happy to have a nursing job while I wait for a hospital job. The pay is not good. I have applied for approximately 100+ jobs and got 1 interview. Recently I got a call about an on call home health nurse position. I would be so so so happy to have that job but I am not holding my breath for an interview to happen. Every time I think I am going to give up and go back to school for something else I get a little shimmer of hope from somewhere. It's not that I don't have patience but I do have loans to pay and kids to provide for.

I am lucky to have gotten an LPN job last summer at a nursing home and they will keep me on as an RN when I pass my boards. I hope to encourage other nurses applying to places that aren't hospitals. SNF have a bad rep for whatever reason but not all of them are bad places to work. I really do like my job. It's not med/surg or PEDS or whatever you might want to do, but it is a good place to be if you can't get to the area you are hoping for. :tinkbll:Good luck everyone (and me, too)!

Well, I wish I had better advice for you but I don't. I live in Nebraska and was hoping to find where to look for a job in Colorado since I have applied just about everywhere here in Nebraska. I hear Arizona and possible Texas have jobs for new grads. I thought my LPN experience would help me but, just like you, I have been applying for months with not a single interview. BTW, congrats on your license. I have faith that sooner or later you will find a great job. But sooner is always better than later, isn't it?

I am in a nursing home not a clinic, if that matters. Start with clean gloves: 1. Look for finger with no or few marks from previous finger sticks or injury. Prepare glucometer. 2. Swab with alcohol wipe and let air dry. 3. Lancet to finger and throw away lancet. 4. Squeeze finger for blood. 5. Wipe away blood with cotton. 6. Squeeze finger again to obtain enough blood needed. It is sometimes necessary to massage entire finger to get enough blood. 7. Collect sample. 8. Cover area with cotton and apply pressure to site. 9. Dispose of cotton and sample strip. 10. Stay with pt until reading registers on glucometer. My skills book in nursing school says alcohol swab is unnecessary but I always use it. I believe it is policy where I work.

Good job! School is tough and now you have to reprogram your brain not to worry that an assignment is due or that you should be studying for a test. Relax and enjoy your baby.

I would choose something that will help you in the future, like blood circulation throughout the body or cranial nerves and their functions or where hormones are produced and what they target. If you are worried about 5000 being too many words just start writing and don't worry about the words. You can always go back and elaborate on something if you are short. HAVE FUN!

I think it will be ok. I was worried about something like that when I took the NCLEX-PN and there was no problem at all. Congrats on getting to this point and good luck on the test.

Thanks! That is exactly what I'm looking for. I hope you don't mind but I will probably copy yours exactly. And thanks for the hug you sent in my other post!

Are there hiring freezes all over the country? Am I the only one who thought nursing was one of those magic careers that the economy couldn't hurt? I think I need a hug! When I started nursing school, there were so many positions open for RNs. I used to read the paper and dream of the hospital I wanted, on the floor I wanted, great benefits, etc. Now, I just pray that I can get a hospital job so I don't have to stay in LTC. Thank goodness I enjoy my job and my residents and I can stay working as a nurse there as as long as I want.

http://www.mccneb.edu psyc 1120 is the online class i took. it was great. i didn't have any papers to write and the homework was only about half an hour each week plus logging on to the site. i think non resident tuition is like $65/cr hr. and the class is 4.5 (quarter) cr. good luck finding a class!

I am looking for advice for my finals. I am making flash cards for each disease we studied. What should I include? I don't think I will need to put down the definition. So far, all I can think of is meds for treatment, s/s and labs/tests. If you know of a different or better way to study, PLEASE reply. My brain is so stuffed full of information...now if I could just find it when I need it!!!!

Are you twisting your body at the knees when you are caring for your pt or making beds? I found out that when I was making beds, I was leaning forward with my knees locked somehow. Don't have any idea why I would do such a dumb thing but once I started paying attention to my knees and back, I figured out what was making my body ache so much. And ditto with the good NEW pair of shoes. I'm sure you will figure it out. Good luck.

You said you wanted to do a trial run for kindergarten, right? Homeschooling is about teaching your kids how to learn in any environment. Why don't you start homeschooling now, while you have the time? Homeschooling isn't about recreating the school environment in your home (although that might work well for some families). It's all about learning. Two and 3 year olds love to learn. Are you teaching your boys nursery rhymes and ABCs? How to count? How to be creative? How to sing? How to play games? If you are, then you are homeschooling right now. Congratulations! Ok, I could go on and on but what might be most helpful for you is finding a good homeschool guide for parents so you can learn about the various ways to homeschool. Then you can see which ones will work best for you while you are in school. Here are a few links to books that might help you out. I loved these: http://www.amazon.com/Homeschooling-Early-Complete-Successfully-Year-Old/dp/0761520287/ref=pd_sim_b_4 http://www.amazon.com/First-Year-Homeschooling-Your-Child/dp/0761527885/ref=pd_bbs_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222953231&sr=8-9 http://www.amazon.com/Homeschooling-Handbook-Revised-Mary-Griffith/dp/0761517278/ref=sr_1_37?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222953544&sr=1-37

There are countless different careers available in the medical field. Why don't you see if you can job shadow in different areas of the hospital? Nursing, X-ray, lab, physical therapy, and blood bank are all in healthcare, and there are many others. If you aren't sure about what you want to do, go check them out. I'll be honest, nursing isnt' what I thought it was going to be but I really love my job. I thought nursing was about taking care of people who are depending on me. That is true, but most of my job is about following rules and regulations, and doing various forms of charting and it all has to be done within a certain timeframe.

For right now, focus on your BSN. And work as hard as you can on getting the best grades possible. My kids call me a school-aholic but I pulled off mostly A's with 2 B's, so far. My husband helped soooo much with the kids. If you have a support system and you are willing to neglect your children (just a little bit) you will be able to do it. As far as the puking thing :imbar ...One day, when you're a nurse, someone is going to unexpectedly vomit for whatever reason. You might vomit right along with them, you might have a panic attack, or you might realize that you have to take care of the pt first and then puke or panic or whatever later. No matter what happens, your first experience will probably be horrible but then you will know how to handle it in the future. :heartbeatWith any luck, it will happen while you are in school and another nurse or student or instructor will be right there to help you out!:heartbeat

I am in my last year of Associate Degree. I got rid of everything except my Pharm book because I have a book that is much easier for me to access info and learn from (Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice). You should have a good skills book available, though. When I sold my books back to the bookstore I got enough money to buy the wound care and documentation books that I wanted from Borders (almost $100). The bookstore even bought my NCLEX-PN book that wasn't a required text.

Are you willing to move somewhere else for a few years until you finish school? I know there are programs available but I haven't seen any that are online. I hope you find something.

I can understand how EOW interferes with life in general. I have a husband and 4 kids. My DH also works shifts but has to work EVERY w/end. My kids are getting the raw end of this deal because with both of us working w/ends no one is available to take them to their bday parties and extra curriculars. Not fair to them but the only job I could get was EOW. If I want to pick up extra shifts, it will be weekend shifts. It's not the ideal situation for many of us but nothing in life is ideal. I do think that seniority should have something to do with the amount of w/ends you have to work. Once you have worked on your floor for 4 years or so, you should only have one w/end a month. If you move to a different floor, you should have to start over.

I imagine it depends on your state. I had to pay the testing fee and the license fee. If you have sent money to the testing center and to the state BON, you should be fine. Where did it say something about an additional fee?

Thank you to all of the nurses who go to work with the mindset of doing the best job they can. You are not only taking care of your pts, you are taking care of us newbie nurses who are watching how you act and react, and we are soaking it up. I am a brand new nurse and I am learning from you. Even if you aren't training me today, I am watching you because I can tell that coworkers respect you, and your patients know that you are there to help them. That is the kind of nurse I want to be. Last night, I had the first real test of my nursing ability (and I was terrified). When I looked down the hall to see if there was anyone who would help me, I was relieved to see that you were still here, 4 hrs past your shift. I thought to myself, "Thank God, I'm not alone!" You guided me and sent me on my way. And then you came back to check up on me. What would I ever do without the help of experienced nurses like you? I hope everyone has a role model nurse to work alongside. :prdnrs:

I'm going to remember that one!

Did you tell someone that you quit or did you just not show up for work and assume you were fired?