SW_07

YOU MADE IT!! Congrats. Thanks for posting I had always wondered about being able to sleep when on call. I have a hard enough time sleeping with my alarm clock set because I keep waking up thinking it's going to go off. haha. Kudos to you my dear.

I can completely understand the aggravations of dealing with patients. And even more so I can understand the need to vent about stressful days but after reading the OP, I feel that it was less of a vent and more of an attack on certain types of patients. It had a feeling of a vendetta. The truth is we can not pick and choose what patients we get. As a nurse you should be willing to assess and care for all types of patients whether you are a psych nurse or not. What about the neuro patient that feels sorry for themself and is angry and takes it out on the nurse? Is that a job for a psych nurse? That patient as you put it is "choosing" to be angry. Or what about the terminal patient who has lost hope and is refusing to bath or eat? Is that a job for the psych nurse. We need to be willing to care for patients regardless of what they have going on or the reason's why.

Our hospital provides them free but only if you want one. I got mine Friday.

I would definitely continue nursing but only per diem, or occasional.

Wow thank you for posting that video. I can honestly say I have never seen that before. Thank you to your daughter for being a sport

Well, I work in behavioral medicine so I have to be careful who I touch, it could result in a fist flying at me. But I think part of being a nurse is learning to tune in to those pt.'s who need and would appreciate a comfort measure like that. Just the other night we had a pt. who was needing an I.V and was a very hard stick. We called down for the IV team I held that pt'.s hand while they stuck her 4 times before they finally got a vein.

I think the endorphins kick in and help with the pain during a tattoo but I have heard those will only last you a couple of hours before they run out and I believe it. I have a tattoo on my ribs that starts under my armpit and runs down to mid hip. It took 8 hours and I had to do it in one sitting because I was out of state and wouldn't be back to finish it. I was fine the first 2-3 hours but after that it was agony. And like other posters have said depends on the spot. My arm piece of cake, ribs and neck ouch. I thought about it some more and maybe because during a tattoo it's continuous movement of the needle but during a blood draw its just sticking in there and I just get this overwhelming feeling of "GET IT OUT". haha.

I would suggest staying really organized or as organized as you can be. You have enough going on in school as it is. It's nice to know when all of said stuff is going to happen or should happen. Staying on a schedule that includes a break from school is a definite. That way you have a little something to look forward to. Plus, being organized I think really helps reduce stress. At least it did for me. And like previous poster said find good friends that will be a good support system. If you can afford it a PDA comes in really handy. If not Christmas is coming up thats how I got mine.

I work in a psych hospital. I see addicts everyday all day. Some are repeat offenders that stay a few weeks then leave and then come back and just cycle through. It can be the most aggravating thing in the world. We give them the tools to get better, we set them up for counseling to help them once they leave and yet they come back through. With that said, looking into someone's face and seeing absolutely no hope is one of the most humbling and saddest experiences I have ever had. Yes, the choices they have made got them to where they are but choices rarely are why they stay addicted. I have never had a patient tell me "I love being addicted to meth, why would i ever stop". Addiction whether it be to food or drugs or what have you is a sad and tragic thing to happen to someone. It is a disease. Something they can not help. No one smoked meth hoping that they lost their family, lost their job, became homeless, got raped on the streets and then sent to my hospital. We all make bad decisions in our life, not everyone has the built in tools or the know how to get help dealing with issues like self-esteem or anxiety or any other problem in life that could lead someone to be so desperate for relief that they put their own life in jeopardy with food or drugs or whatever it is. Hindsight is 20-20 and recovering addicts have the best vision.

Then you'll love blue bloater.

Yeah, I'm the same way. I am a hard stick and maybe because I knew she probably wasn't going to get it on the first try amped me up. I got a flu shot yesterday no problem. It is just that pesky blood draw. :uhoh21:

One of my charge nurses is leaving our unit to go work the day treatment drug and alcohol unit. Reason being is they work 8-5 mon-fri. holidays off , and anytime the schools are closed so is that unit. Might be an option.

I have 5 tattoos. Two of which are pretty good size. Just a couple of weeks ago I had to get titers drawn for work. I got so nervous and anxious I actually got really light-headed and had to take a minute and calm down before the clinic nurse could do the titer. I have no clue why that bothers me but getting a tattoo doesn't.

I dont like referring to pt.s that need assistance with meals as "feeders". Again reminds me of a sci-fi/horror movie. "THE FEEDERS" dun dun-dunnnn.

We had an in-service recently on pulse ox. One thing I never learned or thought about was how ambient light in the room can give off a false read. The rt told us if we are getting an iffy read to cover the hand with the pulse ox on it with a washcloth. Might be common knowledge but no one ever told me that.

Congratulations!!! I love your excitement.

"Describe yourself in three words" "Tell me about a problem you have experienced in your past work history and how you solved it" "What would you do if you witnessed a co-worker doing something illegal/unethical?" "Why did you choose our facility?"

Agreed. It always makes me think of something off of the sci-fi channel. Maybe call it "recovery of health charity"? or something like that. "recovery of organ charity"

I went to Platt. I graduated in June. I would not recommend it. First off since it is a private school it is really expensive. Secondly, there is a huge turnover with the teaching staff. We had 4 A&P teachers before we finally got one that stuck it out with us. The head lady (can't remember her name) is a really hateful miserable woman. They periodically have you fill out surveys about the school and how it is. If you fill it out negatively she comes to your campus and basically chews you out for it. The last 3 weeks of school she came in and said since the pass rate for Platt was low that they were going to try a new technique. The new technique was that you had to take the HESI and pass or they would not release your transcripts for you to take state boards. So our entire class in a panic called the BON and they said that Platt was absolutely not allowed to do that. So then the head lady came back a week later and said well you do not have to take the HESI but it is strongly advised and your transcripts will be sent out. It was a lot of hardwork to go there but I made it out and got my license. I went to the Moore campus and it was new so maybe that is why they were having such a hard time. Im not really sure. Also, they had a hard time finding places for us to our clinicals. Since clinical sites are based on a first pick system the universities get first pick then community colleges, then vo-techs, and then private schools so we never really had places for clinicals. For example for our peds rotation we did one day with WIC and then had to do a HUGE project. I have not had any trouble with the school not being accredited. I got my license and am now working in a hospital. I am also going to UCO for my RN. So no problems. I will add a note though that since my leaving they have fired a lot of the staff there that were not so great. One thing I really loved about Platt was that they offered a career development coorifice that you took right before graduation. It helped you to create your resume and taught you what to do in an interview. And then they provide you with 20 copies of a really nice resume and cover letter. I used all of that and got the first job I applied for right out of school. If you have any more questions feel free to pm me.

Im 23. This is my first year working as an lpn.

It's hard to tell you what to take. Not all schools have the same requirements and not everything you take at some schools will transfer to others. I still have the list of pre-req's for the nursing program at the university I attend. Here they are English Composition 1 & 2 Fundamentals of Speech College Algebra General Biology Chemistry w/ lab Microbiology Humanities Intro. Philosophy Government History from or to 1877 4 credit hours of foreign language General Psych Health Life Skills Intro to nutrition But this list is useless really unless you are going to attend my school because like I said not everything transfers, some of that stuff you may not have to take if you took it in high school (i.e foreign language), and not every school has the same gen. ed requirements. But I suppose it will give you a basic idea.

It is illegal to ask you if you are pregnant it is up to you whether or not you wish to divulge that information. But after you are hired you may want to tell them so you can avoid working on units that could be hazardous for you and your child. As far as the break in your work history I have filled out some applications that asked me to explain any gaps in employment. But it sounds like you have a good reason for not working during that time.

Definately report it. Whether it will or will not harm a patient doesn't matter it was still a med error. It may have not had ramifications this time but what if that same nurse forgets another time and it does.

Because of this post I got it. Thanks guys.

I think its important to remember that someone thought YOU were worth it. If you give your new nurse the time and energy and do it in an appropriate way they won't view it as being mean. I also feel that nurses have a duty to decide whether or not they should be a preceptor. Just as most nurses have their specialty and not every field of nursing is for everyone I don't feel every nurse is cut out to be a preceptor. I can honestly say I am the nurse I am today because of my preceptor taking me under his wing. I learned so much from him and I will never forget him and I often find myself asking what he would do in situations.