ceecel.dee MSN, RN

At a recent community concert, the general surgeon's pager went off, he goes to the lobby to call the hospital, then comes back through the door and begins to look over the audience. I get up and make my way back to him. 3 other nurses soon follow....

Has anyone done their ACLS recertification on-line? I just looked at their website, ACLSonline.com, and for $175 you can test on ACLS or PALS. I've always taken the classroom version, and the review is great, but I could live without all the mega-c...

Technical difficulties never happen at opportune times. I feel for the instructor and the students! Ever have to request more time to post a discussion or hand in a paper d/t slow computer or down services? Happens all the time. Sorry for your frus...

Really...it's not unusual for 1 nurse to be responsible for 53 patients?

No, I don't think you're wrong. I think that it was good of you to realize that your nurse wanted to wrap up her shift, but she should have come to you immediately after report to do your d/c if the oncoming nurse was not willing to d/c you immediat...

Another nursing instructor here...you have no obligation to share your good news with the school. Enjoy your pregnancy! It's done all the time.

I find it slightly comical (sorry to suffering smokers) when the students on our campus are "busted" by my dear office-mate smoking just outside of the doors with our office window just a few feet away. The campus was in the preliminary movement tow...

Oh yes...this has annoyed (read infuriated) actual nurses forever! Many of them have very active telephone practices barely with even physician oversight (oh, the doctors are sooo busy)!

OK...married to an engineer. I don't think there is any person more polor opposite in occupations than a nurse and an engineer. Why nursing?

Well, what's your program schedule for Monday mornings? Students rushing in late only to doze on their fist in the back row do not impress instructors.

I do not know your work environment or the type of floor you work on. That said, I would tell the charge nurse that you must leave tonight by (exactly change of shift time), and then DO IT. If the oncoming relief nurse keeps her (the charge nurse) w...

No, not unusual, but very stressful/frusterating! There may be computer training and/or general hospital orientation and/or training modules and/or background checks that the facility might require; if so, could you at least get your sessions schedul...

I wear comfortable casual-dress pants, a simple top, a white lab coat, and comfortable shoes.

Schools don't require vaccines and/or titers to disqualify students. They do it so that they know you will not BECOME infected (or that you've consciously waived the protection). Proper use of universal precautions will protect patients from anythi...

I am not freaked by blood at all, but I killed a mosquito that was attempting to taste mine in a store yesterday and splatted blood on my sleeve. It wasn't my blood....that grossed me out and I couldn't wait to get home to change!

There is a Regency, or is it Rasmussen, college with a LPN program also. Acceptance rubrics are common now with points given for GPA, prereq's completed, hands-on patient care experience, etc. Quite competitive with waiting lists for many programs.

Greater MN has lots of rural hospitals. They like part-timers because it limits benefits, but even more important, it gives staffing much more flexibility in scheduling. Census waxes and wanes, as it does in larger hospitals, but can be felt more a...

Try the VA! They are flush with $ right now, and hiring up, updating, building. Also, sometimes the rural hospitals are willing to spend time with someone "out of the business" for awhile in a kind of shadowing/preceptor way. This way, they get t...

Couldn't do without them, in my experience!

Studying the theorists just portrays how the brains in nursing work out the puzzle of figuring out how best to holistically approach/understand patient's needs...non of them are perfect, but many have some basic similarities. If studying them helps ...

You could save some of that really important quizing (pathophys, contraindications, etc.) for post-conference, and that way the whole group benefits. I have students pocket the med packages and the student quizes the others about their meds in post-...

I have the students pocket the packaging of every med they give, and they quiz the rest of the students on the med in post-conference after they speak about the pathophys, the s/sx and labs, etc. Then they all are asked about a mistake they made tha...

I worked staff development in a rural hospital setting prior to college teaching. I think that the faculty position is much more stressful as it certainly requires more than nursing skills, and I always think of myself as a nurse first.

Oh, I remember "the begining"! I suggest that you do it awhile longer before you take any rash action. It is overwhelming, and I have to admit that I did not add anything valuable to faculty meetings that first semester at all! I was the sponge in...

My favorite clinical instructor turned out to be the one I feared "getting", because she was known as tough. She expected preparation, and it turns out that is the key to success! Be prepared for anything, because "anything" is what will happen. She...