SamHill

Empty your pockets into the nurse that takes over your group. Saves the company money! I was bad about nitro bottles and flushes.

Ankles and calves at walmart....chf...pvd...

This is just my personal opinion...If you take its personally, its on you. But to me one of the advantages of the NP role is that you have the nurse experience to guide you when diagnosing and treating a patient. Without it, its kinda like calling yourself a race car driver just because you got some speeding tickets.

LTC would be my choice then. Working consecutive days on 4 and 5 hour of sleep is not a recipe for success when you are taking your pre-reqs. If you got along with the people at the LTC...then I would do that. LTC you will be sending some people to the hospital. Take a look at discharge papers when they come back. See what they treated and how. Its the next best thing to doing it.

Working 12's? That would essentially leave you working a 14.5 shift. Does your LTC have a any rehab cases? My RN classes had some nursing home lvn's who did pretty well so don't think that is essential to work med-surg for RN school. Just an advantage.

If you can afford the difference in pay...do med-surg. It will give you a great start on RN school. Plus if you decided you wanted to go specialty straight after RN school, you would have your 'mandatory' med-surg experience out of the way.

Aviator's are pretty nice and the Landau vented sleeve tops work well. They don't restrict your movement like some other brands.

The women I work with learned quick not to spread gossip in my presence. I started telling them what the other nurses say about when they aren't around. "Christy...Diane said you always wear scrubs two sizes too small." Diane...Christy said you needed to wax your upper lip."

:up:

One Second After by William Forstchen deals with an EMP attack. The story goes into great detail about medical conditions and health care without modern equipment(some hellish nursing home scenes). Slight spoiler...The protagonists daughter is a type 1 diabetic so the lack of medical supplies and electricity to store the ones available make for interesting read.

I got my CNA and worked two years as a tech on a neuro-surg floor. I felt like I had a huge advantage in LPN school because of it. Some of my fellow students at the beginning were afraid to even touch a patient. I worked 3 years as a LVN mostly on ortho or med-surg floors. I was scared to death my first night on my own. I gradually got comfortable and finally after about a year felt like I was a decent LVN. I worked nights mostly so in down times I was constantly reading H&P's and progress notes to see what was going on with my patients and why. I also asked questions of the more experienced nurses on the floor. Most all of them were willing to share their knowledge. I just graduated with my RN. The first semester I was kind of bored and probably a little arrogant. Most of what was being taught I had already dealt with on the floor as an LVN. The last two semesters I fell like I learned a ton. On the next to last day of clinicals, I was thinking about my first night as a LVN and told my instructor "I can't believe how stupid I was back then. I'm lucky I didn't kill a patient." It was a joke but there was truth in it. I didn't really think about how much I had learned each step of the way. I'm sure two years from now I will think how dumb I was when I first got my RN. One thing I would suggest is are you studying your pt records? Are you checking the charts after the doctor writes his visit notes? Compare your assessment findings with his and study why the patient's are experiencing the symptoms. Are you challenging yourself on your CEU's or just picking something that is quick and easy?

http://www.zappos.com/new-balance-mw755-brown Got these in 11.5 4E. Only wore them a couple of shifts but they are great so far.

3 years of medsurg experience as a LVN helped a new grad ADN RN. Beat out several BSN new grads for the job.

I wore mine for a couple of years after marriage mostly to make the wife happy. I am not a ring guy. Eventually I got tired of all the gunk that gets under a band so I just quit wearing it. My wife was upset at first but we both work at the same hospital so no chance of me being mistaken for single. I will wear the ring on occasion if going out to dinner or to a club.

40 Bed Hospital in BFE. Cafeteria opens at 7:30A closes at 1:30P. No sandwich or salad made for night shift. Vending machines with cokes, candy and chips are available but no change machine. If you don't have $1's, you are SOL. None of the restaurants in town deliver.

During my postpartum rotation, a charge nurse didn't want men on the floor. My instructor asked if I knew enough postpartum to pass the test, I said I did so I spent extra time in L&D and nursery. No objections from the nurses or patients. I've had one female pt with dementia request a female nurse at work. The husband of a patient requested a female nurse one time until his wife found out and requested that I be assigned back to her.

4 males, 56 females. No clue about sexual orientation and don't really care to know.

Took the NCLEX-RN Friday afternoon. Did the PVT Saturday evening and got the good pop-up. Quick Results Sunday night confirmed I passed.

I graduate with my RN Thurday. I have worked for three years as a LVN so I've had some experience working in a predominately female setting. My wife is also a RN. She used to half joke about all the girls in class wanting me and how I would get in with one of my classmates and divorce her as soon as I got done. Apparently a guy did that in her RN school. I initially blew it off as a joke but she had some real concern. I just reassured her that I had too much time and money invested in her so I couldn't run off with anybody else, especially a student. They don't make any money. She became ok with it but still jokes about which girlfriend are you talking to now when I talk to a classmate on the phone. One of my friends did tell me that her husband got jealous about her texting me all the time until she showed him the texts. Lots of sexy talk about care maps and whats going to be on the next test.

Yes. I'm allowed to start IV's, blood draws and push most medications. LVN's cannot access portacaths, hang blood or push certain cardiac medications.

I did not attend Kiamichi but I have preceptored a few of their students(they do clinicals in my hospital) and work with one of their instructors from the Idabel campus. Instruction seems to be sold and I have been impressed with the way the instructors treat the students. They were very professional and treated the students like adults.

I graduated from their LVN program. Good school. Good luck getting the prereqs you want. Mr Stowe is great for Micro.

Another vote for Aviator Scrubs. Used to wear Landau and a set would last 4 to 6 months. Aviators last about a year and I got get tons of compliments and questions about them.

I was a PCA/Tech for 2+ years on ortho/neuro and neuro-surg floors before I became a nurse. I beleive it absolutely helped make be a better nursing student and now a better nurse. Probably a third of my current job now consists of doing things I did as a tech: pt communication, vitals, assessment/observation, basic wound care etc... What I learned on the job as a tech made nursing school so much easier. Our whole first semester was basically learning to do what I did every day as a tech. I believe that being a tech also let me go into nursing with my eyes wide open. I knew it was hard work and not at all glamorous before I spent two years of my life in school. I wouldn't trade my experience as a PCA for anything.

Started with 40 and will be graduating with 19 original and 3 we picked up from other classes. Most of the ones we lost were to grades or timing out. We did have one that died during the program.