tiffmh1987

TPN and PPN (total parenteral nutrition and partial parenteral nutrition) are hypertonic. Other than that, I know that greater than or equal to 5% Dextrose is considered hypertonic (D5NS, D5LR, D10). Albumin and highly concentrated electrolytes (Potassium, Magnesium), and also blood products, are hypertonic.

An RN is an RN. A bachelor's degree opens the door to management type positions, but I have asked myself that same question. I have an associate degree and work in critical care, as do many of the nurses I work with that have been nurses for years, and don't plan on advancing at all. A registered nurse cake tastes the same whether its made with two cups of ADN or four cups of BSN. If you want to advance later on in the future, having a BSN would take less time: for example, to a nurse anesthetist. The schooling isn't any easier. But in a community college with an ADN, you will probably get more time with instructors. Think about it. :)

Hi! Congratulations on your journey to becoming a nurse. :clphnds: Usually at the beginning of nursing school, you have clinicals from 7A-3P. I always used to arrive to clinicals early (around 6:00 or so) so I could go over paperwork, talk with the instructor if I needed to, and give myself time in case I had car trouble. I could also get a cup of coffee and mentally prep for the day. I'm curious as to how far along you are in nursing school? Early on in school you take one or two patients on a medsurg floor and are an extra pair of hands to the nurses on the unit. You learn to make beds, with and without patients, give bed baths, hygiene care, medication administration (as well as info ABOUT the meds you're giving---very important!), lab value interpretation, catheters, IV's and IV fluids, and stuff like that. If you go to a specialty unit, you merely observe and LEARN! Let your mind be a sponge for the day. Take a pen and paper and your tools (stethoscope, penlight, scissors, black pen, maybe some extra bandaids and alcohol swabs, any paperwork you might need can probably be kept in backpack out of the way or a locker). How far along are you in nursing school?

You know, I just want to say that I'm a fairly new grad. I graduated May 9th of 2008. My last semester of nursing school, I was having so many doubts. I had barely passed my 3rd semester and felt like clinicals were a joke, meaning I hadn't gotten to learn hardly anything else besides paper care plans. I was ready to do the externship and first year of medsurg. On orientation the first week of my fourth semester, our small group was getting ready to go to our various floors to orient to our preceptors and the units. I was going to medsurg and was told there was an opening in the fairly new cardiac unit for a student. Part of me said no, no, stick to your comfort zone! And the other adventurous part of me said THUNDERCATS ARE GO! Well, it turned out that was the best career decision I made so far. My preceptor pretty much taught me how to be a nurse. Charley, God bless you! My first day, my original preceptor was sick. I thought, Oh crap, what was I thinking? But here came Charley, and he took me under his wing like his own daughter (who herself is two years older than me and a cardiac nurse!) He was extremely patient with me, never got mad, and taught me the most important rule of all: no matter what, we leave at 7:00pm! (Haha) But what a fantastic, extremely knowledgeable nurse he was. We started an open heart program right after I graduated, so I got to be in on it from the very beginning. Got to know the new doctor, and have seen mostly great outcomes. A few bad ones. Two horrible ones. But at this point, I have recovered more fresh hearts than anyone on the unit, next to Charley. We have trained other nurses, as well. What I'm saying is, I went with what I wanted to do. A lot of people told me medsurg was what I needed to do my first year. Boy, was my instructor, one of those very same ones that advised me to go medsurg, surprised when she was checking on this past semester's students, and here I was taking care of an open heart with a ventilator, arterial lines, chest tubes, JP drains. Virtually on my own. As for time management, I've been able to handle anywhere from one really sick patient to four patients. Our unit has 10 beds. I have also charge nursed on the not-so busy days. I absolutely love getting up at 0500 in the morning and driving 30 minutes to work. And most of the time, I've gotten out at 1900. Maybe the problem is the place you're in, my friend. It's not hell everywhere. Maybe, if you find the right ICU somewhere, with the right group of nurses, and positive atmosphere, you will discover what you went to school for.