gwendelyn

I graduated from the TCC nursing program in 2007. Wow, the program has gone down hill-- 67% pass rate in 2013. Clover Park was only 55%! Click the link below to learn the NCLEX passing rate of every University and Community College in Washington stat...

Update on my situation. I ended up leaving the OR. Not for me. The OR is NOT for sensitive people. You have to be a fricken robot. Sorry. My opinion.. Now I'm back in a unit where compassion is a virtue and not something that costs money.

I'm an older nurse (don't know how old you are), but I'm 44. I've spent most of my nursing career in med-surg and pre-op nursing. About six months ago I started an OR residency at a major hospital. Wow, it's been the most difficult thing I've ever d...

I miss not being under a microscope. I miss getting to know my patients. I miss starting IV's. I don't miss crazy family members. I don't miss getting to know my patients. I'm glad the anesthesiologist is there to start the IV's. My point is: Nothi...

I'm in peri-op 101. New OR resident here (4 years of med-surg)... For my case study I chose a patient I had recently. His diagnosis was Avascular necrosis of the left hip. He received a posterior total hip replacement (uncemented). My research is sta...

I'm a new OR nurse in the OR residency. I learned that Chloraprep can't be used in mucous membranes..Gyn, ENT.etc. So far I haven't seen a problem with it used in ortho.

I'm a med/surg nurse with 3 years experience. I will be applying for a perioperative residency. What relevent med/surg surg skills should I include in my resume? What are OR managers looking for besides the obvious, experience? Any input would be muc...

Thank you very much for the great advice.It's true med/surg is a very crazy environment and I sure did learn how to multitask and deligate.

Sometimes you'll come accross nurses whose only goal is to go home at the end of the shift. I admit I feel that way sometimes but my nursing instincts kick in when a patient has problems. You were right to be concerned about your pt who had audible w...

My patient has a left hip fracture and is scheduled to have a hip replacement in two days. I decided not to put him on a turn q2 hour schedule because: 1. His hip wasn't immobilzed as it would be after surgery 2. It caused him excruciating pain to mo...

I've been in this situation once before. My pt had scheduled NPH 15 units q pm in addition to a Novolog sliding dose scale. I checked her blood sugar at 9pm and it was 130. I felt uncomfortable with the idea of giving the NPH. I asked my charge nurse...

I've been in med/surg for 2.5 years. I am ready to move to a new specialty area, but how will this effect my pay scale? Will I have to start at the bottom again? What is the most common practice in this situation?

I wouldn't say that I love med/surg...some days are better than others...like any job.But it's the perfect place to develop your nursing skills.

When I was in nursing school most of the nursing instructors told us to start out in med/surg. So I took their advice. It's been a great learning experience in med/surg. I've gotten good at starting IVs,inserting caths,etc. My critical thinking skill...

Last night I was informed by tele that my pt had a run of V-tach. I went to go check on him and luckily for me and the pt, the doctor was already in there rounding on Mr.P. Long story short--the doctor ordered a STAT 12-lead EKG. The results came bac...

Workplace psychology is a strange thing. Funny, it is a lot like high school sometimes. "I hate her/him"..."he's/she's a jerk"..."shhh, she/he did what!"..bla bla bla. I just go to work everyday, work hard, and yes, even have fun. I'll listen to what...

Actually, I did hear the cardio/pulmonary therapist--the guy doing the strip--say it looked like a BBB. I didn't put 2 and 2 together until getoverit mentioned it. This has to be what happened. I doubt the doctor and the techs would have brushed thi...

Write to your state nursing board and encourage others to do the same. This is flat wrong. The people running your hospital should be ashamed of themselves.

I will be relocating to Olympia soon, and I'm considering a couple of RN positions at St. Pete's. Why on earth do they not use CNA's? This seems like a dangerous situation. Anyone out there work at St. Pete's?

Last night a coworker of mine accidentaly infused a patient's lipids at 250 cc/hr instead of 10 cc/hr. Luckily the new nurse starting the next shift discovered it when the lipids were about half empty. I was wondering if this would cause the patient ...

If I could do it all over again, here is how I would better prepare: 1.Becoma a nurse tech or CNA before becoming an RN 2.Don't be so hard on myself when I make a mistake 3.Truly understand that I will be pretty darn good in about a year

It sounds like you do get a lot of help so that's nice. I just know that sometimes it takes two people to do a lot of the more physical stuff. Do you think you get the assistance you need? What is the nurse to patient ratio on the surgical unit? ...T...

Thanks for the reply:) I wouldn't mind giving primary care to my patients if I only had 3 patients, but I hear the patient load at St. Pete's is like any other hospital. This seems like an unrealistic expectation for nurses.Not only do i need to star...

I'm a new RN in a residency program. I've been on the floor taking up to 2 patients under the watchful eye of my preceptor. So far it's been a very uncomfortable experience for me. I just have no confidence, and I'm worried that I'll make a dumb mist...

For those of us who have already taken boards, please answer a few questions that might help ease the minds of those who are still waiting to test or for results. I know reading as much as possible about other people's experience helped me feel a lit...