some-RN

I had a similar experience for my first nursing job. After 'resigning' from a small-town hospital (I was not from the small town), I took a job as a private duty RN for a quadriplegic for about 3 months in the same small town. The beauty of private duty night shift is they train you how to take care of the ONE PATIENT and SAME PATIENT every night. I put a lot of skills under my belt and on my resume from this experience (tube-feedings, vent care, etc.............). The skills from this job allowed me to apply for another New Nurse orientation at another hospital in a big town where they were more willing to actually train (& mentor) the new nurses. What you need to know is two things: 1) Apply within the first year for another orientation as you are still considered a NEW NURSE if it is under 12 months. 2) If you fail during orientation, it is generally not a reflection on you but rather more a reflection of a failure of the training process. I am very thankful that I left the small town (we also have no children, which is what small towns are all about!) where I was going to: 1) have no support, 2) have no friends, and 3) dealing with the "old boys club" (clicks which I didn't fit in with because I was not from there). Count your blessings that you get a new start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overheard terms "gating the horse" = action when putting on nasal canulla tubing on patient's nose & around ears/neck to provide supplemental O2 "litter box" = bedpan "turtle" = Toradol (= anti-inflammatory IV med used to decrease swelling/pain, i.e., the "magic bullet" if pain meds are ineffective) "hush puppies" = plexi-pulses on feet