stdntograd06

On Medscape, they have CE's and LOC's. What's the difference and do the LOC's count for PA's CEU credits for nurses? Thanks!

Does the $34 Unlimited CE membership on nurse.com cover the courses or do you have to pay for the courses on top of the membership fee?

I work on a PCU unit (cardiac and stroke primarily) with 16 beds. The charge RN on days does not take an assignment unless it is unavoidable, then is only 1. The charge RN on nights takes up to 2. We make $1 more/hr. Some days I think even that is not enough for the extra work we have to do (staffing, pt/family issues, meetings, orders, admissions, discharges, transfers out, etc....).

I have to do a project as an alternative to a precepted clinical for my BSN course. It is the preferred option for those working full-time, which I do. My proposal is due tomorrow by midnight and I'm having a hard time coming up with titles for my proposal. I plan on doing the paper (a few pages) and a PowerPoint, and it's on Electronic Cigarettes. I see a lot of people: patients, family members, and even staff who are choosing "vaping" instead of smoking or quitting outright. I am trying to come up with something "catchy" like: Vaping: Are there benefits to it or is it all a smokescreen? Electronic Cigarettes: The Good, The Bad and the Truth. Electronic Cigarettes: To Vape or Not to Vape. Anyone have any suggestions to other titles for my proposal? I guess it should be what the title of my paper and PowerPoint are titled, correct? Thanks a bunch!

Thank you! This information will definitely help me in this course to understand the content!

I am taking this RN to BSN course and my current class is Trauma/CCU nursing. I have this case study to do in which I have to answer some questions about it. Now I've read all the chapters assigned and this particular case study is on Shock. One of the questions is asking me what the pt's SVR is???? I only have the HR and BP. I cannot calculate the SVR without knowing the CVP or PAOP, correct??? I've asked the instructor and basically what I got was "it's in the text". Ugh, I feel lost :***: Kelly

I recently had a patient admitted for CP r/o ACS and this pt was stable otherwise. Relatively young, good health, non-smoker, no cardiac history. History of high anxiety due to losing house and everything in fire, then Hurricane Sandy took it all away again, now trying to restart a 3rd time. Stated he had some tightness "not real bad, but noticeable". I asked this pt is they'd like something for the pain, declined it. Stated it was only a 4/10 rating. This pt was on tele and reading NSR at the time. MD visited pt and pt was just about to call for me when MD entered room. I was told about 10-15 minutes later that pt was complaining of CP and MD wanted Nitro SL immediately for pt. Note: I was currently on the phone with the ED at the time getting report on a new admit. Upon being told this situation, I went to pt's room with the Nitro and he gave pt dose #1. BP was great (120's/70's). MD started quizzing me on how many Nitro can you give and why monitoring BP while giving it, etc..I told him 3 tabs max 5 minutes apart. MD stated "wrong, that's the common sense info we give to pt's who don't know better"). Mind you, he's saying this right in front of the pt.! So...he keeps up with the dosing, meanwhile the BP reading between each dose bumps maybe....2-3 points on both SBP & DBP, still great. Pt stating pain decreasing but still there. Is sitting up in bed talking and comfortable. MD gives total of 4 tabs and when pt states his pain is now a 1/10 and most discomfort is gone, MD orders him to be on a Nitro drip! So, I go out to nurses station to start getting things ready to transfer pt to CCU since Nitro drips cannot be done on MS floor (will be able to soon, but not yet) and MD comes out and says he needs to get pt into Cath lab right away. Plus get an EKG and get him to the unit (CCU). By this time, I don't know what I supposed to do first. After all is said and done (pt transferred to unit) MD talked to me about how when a pt has CP, it means there is ischemia and that as a nurse I "need to be astute and stay on top of it because time is muscle". Let me interject here, he was speaking to the pt for 10 minutes before pt even reported CP to him and I was at the nurses desk when this occurred so I wasn't even aware he was having CP!! My question through all this is: How many Nitro SL tabs can you give on a MS floor? Everything I've read and been taught is 3 tabs MAX! MD states that as long as you are monitoring BP, you can keep giving it because it is a vasodilator and by dilating the arteries, you are letting more blood into the heart, "decreasing the ischemia" and allowing it to function better resulting in an increase in BP. Does this make sense to anyone? It does but it doesn't. (If that makes any sense to you). I felt like a stupid incompetent nurse when he was done talking to me. He didn't berate me but made me feel completely idiotic. (Sorry for the really long post but in order to get a good reply I needed to give an accurate description of the situation).

I can relate to so many of these responses. I am a relatively new RN (been one for a year now). Before that I was an LPN for 6 years. I find myself questioning a lot of what I do, asking my seasoned coworkers for assurance on things I'm sure I should be confident on. One example is when to call the MD. I'm not a "smooth talker" when it comes to talking with the docs, have never been. I'm more of an introvert than an outgoing person and I believe that is a lot of my problem, along with my history of anxiety and depression. Lately, I've found I have little desire to go to work, feel completely exhausted and when I do go to work, I feel so rushed to get things done on time. My time management has a lot to be desired and I find I have difficulty prioritizing my work. I work nights but would actually like to get on days but I'm afraid my "scatterbrained" work ethic would cause me to fail on days. I know I should see a psych doc but also afraid at the same time that my depression and anxiety would be "on my record" and reflect poorly on my ability as a nurse. Some days I feel I should leave nursing and do something else but I don't know what else I'd do. I don't really have any desire to do anything else (therein lies my problem with depression). My own PCP told me I'd be good at hospice but I'm not going there. I took care of my dying mother for 5 years (including her PEG and trache care) and have no desire to do that day in and day out again. Working in an office would be nice but most offices now want MA's or LPN's, not RN's.

Wondering if any of you cardiac/CCU nurses can tell me what this may be... My husband's coworker was found unconscious earlier this week at work and when the EMS arrived they immediately went into CPR/defib, IV drugs, etc...but they also put a device of some sort of device into the ankle and it had a little needle on the end of it.... I'm guessing it was some sort of IO IV...

Has anyone had the experience of having 6 (SIX) physicians working in the same hospital with the same name, spelled exactly the same??? (And no, they are not related), LOL!!! How did you handle this? Keep them all straight?? Wondering if this is some sort of sick new-nurses initiation hazing, LOL!!

I've had them on for about an hour and my feet do move up and down a little when I walk. I'm not sure about the "flip-floppy" feeling. I like to feel like my shoes are fit securely on my feet. Like I said in my post, the next size up had quite the gap behind my heel and flip-flopped freely.

Ok, I went and bought my first pair of Danskos today , but now that I'm home, I feel like they're pretty tight . Is it just me 2nd guessing myself after paying $108 (after a 20% discount)??? I have little feet and got the smallest size (35), because the 36's flopped up and down on my foot. The 35's fit snug. My heel's against the back, but not too tightly, and my toes have room to wiggle. Where it feels tight is where the top of the shoe fits against the top of my foot....I don't like the idea of having to take these back and return to the "perfect shoe hunt" again. Also, I noticed that they say "Made in China"....I read elsewhere that they used to be made in Italy....Any difference? Thanks!

I PASSED !!!! :) !!!!!!!!!

I couldn't stand it anymore and just tried to register to take it again and I get a pop-up box stating their records state I already registered to take that exam...is that good news???

Took the exam this morning, took my time (maybe too much on some questions)...I feel sooo sure I failed it. The computer shut off at 75 questions but I had SATA questions right after the other...! . You miss one option and you get the whole question wrong! Out of all the meds in the world, I have to get ones I've not heard of or dealt with at all- I mean....am I doomed, really??? Feel like I'm going to be sick