donastaci

Before I went to nursing school I worked at an assisted living facility and the only licenced nurse was the DON. The CNA's did all the hands on patient care as well as pass medication. For twenty patients there were two CNA's doing pt care and one CNA passing meds, doing glums and giving insulin shots sub-Q. I took one medication test that was mainly on medical abbreviations before I could pass meds. The CNA's were not passing meds for the nurse it was part of their job description. Not illegal in this state. SC

I started Nursing School when the youngest of my 8 children went to 4K. I've been an RN for almost a year and love it. It's never too late to live your dreams.

You must have written policy somewhere in your ER. Find out where they are and look it up. The name of the game is CYA and "I didn't know" is never an acceptable defense.

I graduated last December and was hired to work in an awesome ER. I must say that I have the advantage over most of my fellow classmates who have not had many opportunities to give IM shots or start IV's. It is my belief that every new RN should spend at least a few weeks in the ER where there are multiple opportunities to practice these skills. I have met many nurses in our facility in different classes that I have taken over the past 6 months (ACLS, PALS, Critical Care Nursing...) that have worked there over a year and have only started a few IV's and very rarely give IM shots. If TazziRn works in the ER I bet she starts IV's at least every few hours and gives IM shots by the dozens per shift. I'm lucky that our ER has its own ER booklet it gives out in orientation that fits right in my pocket that is a great reference and when in doubt shout. Ask someone who knows, most good RN's are willing to teach a newbee, at least that has been my experience.

I know the hospitals around here pay for employees to go to school if the employee agrees to work for a certain number of years after graduation. Check it out. You only have to work at the hospital to qualify. Going to a community college for your ADN is the best route. All RN's have to pass the same NCLEX exam no matter where they went to school or whether they have an ADN or BSN degree. You don't really learn to be a nurse until you graduate and are working anyway. Nursing school teaches you the language and how to pass nursing tests. If you really want to be a nurse I'm sure you can do it.