lynswim

Hi, all - I will be taking my nursing competence assessment in Halifax in a few days (I'm so old that my BSN program in the States didn't have good syllabi for my NNAS score) - and I'm getting confused on the different lab values between the US and Canada. I know that K+ and Na+ are similar - can anyone list some Canadian lab values that would be good to know for my assessment? Thanks!

Hi, Missy - I'm a course instructor at WGU :) I love being able to teach in my sweats, messy hair, etc. On the flip side, I do feel like I'm tied to the computer/phone, and I'm bad at not keeping my work life separate from my home life. Some of pros of WGU include academic meetings (used to be 2x year, now 1x year), the annual bonus if the metrics are met, the flexibility. Some of the cons of WGU include the constantly changing environment and the emphasis on meeting metrics. Hope this helps and feel free to ask more questions! lyn

Kathleen - We use the textbook and the textbook resources to go by what to teach...Potter & Perry has checklists that can be printed; I'm not sure if they have online videos the students can watch on their own time - Medcom has good videos that students can watch before lab and then print out a certificate verifying that they have watched the video. It will be interesting to see what others do for their fundamentals lab! lyn

nursjoy - I am considering it...looking into loans, etc. May be starting in Oct - are you considering ASU? lyn

Nursjoy - I haven't been through their online DNP, but I have heard good stories about their faculty - and this is the only school that I've found that offers the DNP in nursing ed. lyn

Find out how many of your colleagues are ADN nurses, and use that statistic to take to management. Also, get the statistics for the state/country nursing shortage. Good luck!!

Usually, places that hire online educators require some sort of F2F teaching experience in addition to MSN. Definitely get your MSN, you can always be an OR educator!

Thanks for the replies!! I'm glad to know that I was correct in not recapping - but sad that these nurses have been doing this. When I got a vial of NS to mix with the powder, one of the scrubs said, "that's an interesting way to mix it up". ACK!!

Hi, all - I have just started working in a small hospital OR after being away from the OR for several years. The way staff at my new hospital adds bacitracin to irrigation is to empty the bacitracin powder into a bottle of saline, RECAP, shake the bottle, and pour onto sterile field. I thought we weren't supposed to recap bottles?? I mix powder drugs with saline from a vial and squirt that into saline that's already been poured. Am I missing something here? Is this the new accepted practice? I don't want to be considered old-fashioned :) Thanks! lyn

Should nursing instructors be ACLS certified? We are having this discussion where I work (ADN program). My thoughts are that ACLS is not necessary to teach; however, I can't find any data either for or against this. Any help/input appreciated! Thanks :)

One big topic is required reconsideration of DNRs - ORs need specific policies/procedures about DNR patients that come to the OR

Your benefits will depend on if you're a 12 month or 9 month employee - I have worked in the NCCC system for over a year now and love it.

I did my online MSN in education through St. Joseph's and really liked it - learned alot, it was affordable, and it seems to impress employers.

thanks for the validation :) lyn

We had a camper fracture her ankle at camp - went to the local hospital and had an ORIF on Sat. Today (Sun)she is back at camp (mom, camper, and directors want her here). She has crutches and a walker - is to have no weight bearing on the repaired ankle. The nurses (2 of us for a camp community of 300+) are expected to drive her to the activities she can participate in, to meals, etc. etc. She is now living in the infirmary and watching videos in the front part of the infirmary. The other nurse I am working with has experienced a situation like this before; I think this is asking way too much of the camp nurses - part of the reason I come to camp is to enjoy camp!! What are some thoughts on this?? Has anyone run into a situation like this before? Thanks! lyn 12 yrs. experience camp nurse

At my community college, we either have to have an MSN/education at time of hire, or complete it during employment. Of course, the college pays for classes. I didn't have any problem finding preceptors, either, even though my husband and I were moving around at the time :)

I worked in the share-the-care program (prn) at McLeod - also in the OR. Loved the neuro floor, 6th east, stroke unit, ortho. Marion is a very small town. I don't think the school systems are the best down there, my neighbors had their children in private schools. lyn

I don't know about the school systems - but we lived in Marion, SC, for several years and loved it. I worked at McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence and it was one of the best hospitals I've been to :) Pay was outstanding, management was supportive, and coworkers were great. The closer you get to the ocean, the less hospitals are going to pay. Good luck on your move!

I'm currently teaching at a rural community college and love it. I have taught at several schools and truly enjoy doing it. Just wish, like you, that I had done it sooner! My advisor said, when I was first thinking about going back for my MSN, that no matter how long it took, I would still be getting older; better to be getting older working on my MSN than not. Have you decided on a school yet? lyn

I have an MSN - nursing education from Saint Joseph's College in Maine - it is an accredited online graduate school, and I have had no problems whatsoever finding a job :) BTW, the NC BON requires that by 2010, nurse educators that teach in a program for initial licensure have preparation in adult teaching/learning principles, curriculum development, etc.; this requirement may be met in several ways - by 45 CEU hrs., a certificate in nursing education, 9 semester hours of education coursework. I just figured it would be easier just to go ahead and get my MSN in education :)

Murphy is a very small town; Haywood recently lost their Medicare funding (I think it has been reinstated), and many of the top managers "resigned". That's all I know :)

Columbia is a nice town - but it gets HOT!!

Boone is north of Asheville, and is a college town (Appalachian State Univ.), so it's fairly progressive. I don't think living expenses are too bad for the area. The OR has 6 rooms, 1 cysto room, and 2 endo rooms. Surgeons are some of the nicest I've ever worked with (of course there are 1 or 2 that are not the nicest). They are working on having a permanent 11p-7a team and a permanent weekend team, so supposedly the call will be decreasing. I had to quit working there because I helped move my mother-in-law to assisted living in Nashville, but it is definitely worth checking out. Hope this helps!

At Watauga Medical Center in Boone, you can scrub and/or circulate. Great people to work with, too!

I have worked in about 6 hospital ORs, and every time I start in a new OR, the staff tells me I'm doing things wrong, why do I do it that way, etc. etc. etc. I just smile, nod, and do it my way once I'm off orientation :) Hang in there, I think it's a territorial OR thing, once they see that you're not going to back off, they should leave you alone.