BoopRN

It sounds like your patients didn't have any specific complaints and you seem so caring, so I am guessing it was a language barrier. We have had parents request not to have a certain nurse back where I work. This woman is a wonderful, kind nurse. The parents said that they were already so overwhelmed with all that was going on with their baby and the ICU environment in general and the nurse's accent just made it more difficult to comprehend everything. They said they thought she was a good nurse and even seemed a little embarrassed at their request. Some people just have a hard time understanding foreign accented English; others have no problem. I wouldn't take it personally. Keep your head up! At 8 months in I am sure your supervisor's would have let you know if you weren't cutting it!

I am sensitive to the soap and to the contact isolation gowns on our unit. Our soap is chlorohexidine gluconate based and we have no alternitave that I am aware of. I get a light red burning rash up to my elbows on days that I wash more than usual (like when I have a baby that requires frequent attention). When I wear the contact isolation gowns for 2 or more days in a row it looks like I have a farmer's sunburn. Our CNS checked and there is no latex in our gowns. Our hand sanitizer is CalStat and I don't have an issue with it that I know of. I'm sorry you are having this reaction...crossing my fingers that mine don't progress!

I'm 5'9" and I don't have a problem with the isolettes. The cribs and bassinets make me ache though!

I got my license in June of 2008 and it expired in December of 2008. In Oklahoma RNs renew in their birth month on even numbered years, LPNs renew on odd years. My birthday is in December.

I don't think you should feel bad at all...its not like you planned to burn yourself. I was scheduled to work this Christmas Eve. My Grandpa passed away on the 23rd. I called within a few hours of his death to say that I would like to take a bereavement day the next day (Christmas Eve). I was dreading making the call already but knew my head wouldn't be in the game to work the next day. When I called and talked to the charge nurse. (17 hours before the scheduled shift) she said "Oh! You're killing us!". It was so inappropriate. I was already feeling sad about my Grandpa and guilty about calling in. She just made it worse! I told her that I was sorry that the timing was bad. I shouldn't have apologized. Anyways...my point is that you shouldn't feel bad about a situation that is out of your control. I hope your hand heals nicely and that the rest of your holiday was joyful.

Good luck! I hope the wait for results is not too long for you!

Oklahoma BON allows certain military medics to challenge the LPN boards.

My father had this 2 years ago. He ended up being in a burn ICU over Thanksgiving and Christmas. He had a spinal fusion at a small orthopedic hospital on a Thursday. On Saturday he started developing blisters over his body. Monday he was moved to the hospital across the street in the morning then to the burn icu about 15 miles away in the evening. They were not able to pinpoint what caused his. He had a angiogram a couple of weeks prior to the surgery and he had antibiotics and pain meds and of course anesthesia for the surgery. He was also treated with IGG initially which caused his spinal fusion not to fuse. It was such a horrible time, I remember hearing him scream during dressing changes. He truly looked like he had been in a fire. There were several times that they told us to be prepared for him to pass...but he has no lasting effects now other than some very slight skin scarring, needs glasses, and a need to have the back surgery repeated. He is now so weary about taking medications. They said that it could have been caused by antibiotics or even something as simple as ibuprofen!

On our unit if the kiddo has feedings ordered (PO, NG or OG) then they are either 8,11,2,5 or 9,12,3,6. If they are not on feedings then they are scheduled for hands on at 8,12,4.

NewYorkGirl, I just came across your thread. Sending a prayer up for you and your family. Bobbi

Oh my!!

I am a new grad in a very large (80 bed) NICU that usually has 3-4 Unit Clerks on per shift (one front desk and 3 others). Our clerks are so smart and several of them have been there for 20+ years. They can be a little cranky, but I totally understand. The last couple of months before I graduated I filled in as a clerk a lot when one was out on maternity leave. I HAD NO IDEA HOW STRESSFUL THAT JOB WAS!!! We recently got a new clerk that is sooo quiet and sweet. Everyone is taking bets on how long it takes for her to get crabby. God Bless Unit Clerks! We couldn't survive without you! Bobbi

I got dinged for not calling a fire code when a mattress was on fire! I guess that's not too bad since it wasn't nursing related.

I have a small (1.5" x 1.5") tattoo on the back of my neck and sometimes the one on my upper back peeks out of my scrubs. It is not a problem at my hospital. I wear my hair up about half the time and I am not required to cover it. I work in Neonatal ICU at a university hospital. Bobbi

I graduated May 2nd and I do not have an ATT yet. One of our instructors took our transcripts to the board on the 21st and was told we should have our letters within 2 weeks. I can't imagine why they waited 19 days! I wanna get this over with already!

At my hospital a Nurse Tech is someone who has graduated nursing school and is orienting to the RN position they were hired for, but they have not sat for or passed the NCLEX yet.

Hi there! I am wondering if there are any nurses on here working in a hospital near Beale AFB. I just graduated from an ADN program less than 2 weeks ago. I already have a job lined up in a NICU that I am very excited about. I have worked there as a Nurse Partner for several months, but I am starting nursing orientation next week. The problem is, my husband just got orders to Beale AFB yesterday with a report no later than date in September. I know nothing about the area and was curious to know if there are many hospitals in that area. I have heard that it is in the middle of nowhere. My husband may be able to turn these orders down, but then he would not be allowed to re-enlist. What a situation!!! Thanks for reading and for any replies. Boop

I am graduating from an ADN program tonight. There are at least 3 people in my class of 60 who failed a semester and repeated it. Now they are done! Good luck and hang in there. You'll finish!!!!!

I think they have changed the rules about Army medics for the state. I also tried to challenge the board as an Air Force medic and I paid the $40 for the equivilancy evaluation. I got a letter back saying that they needed more info about my training. I called and they we rude and about as unhelpful as they could be. I asked what info they needed and they would basically just say "more". They said that my education office on base should know and they didn't know. The instructors at my tech school (which was in another state) didn't know. I asked the board what type of info was submitted in the past that was sufficient and could not get a straight answer. I finally gave up since I was in the LPN-RN bridge anyways. Here is what I copied from the BON from a document called Instructions for Practical Nurse Equilivancy today: 2. Army medics trained in the U.S. Army Practical Nurse Course (91WM6, previously known as 91C) are eligible to apply for PN licensure. Because this program is an approved practical nursing education program, the equivalency evaluation fee of $40.00 will not apply. An official transcript must be submitted and all requirements for practical nurse licensure must be met. Here is the link if it will work: http://www.state.ok.us/nursing/nclex7.pdf

In case you don't know... Rose State College is in Midwest City (basically OKC). also, I think the waiting list is much shorter for career ladder track students than for beginning track students. I applied in Feb 07, got accepted in April 07, started in Aug 07.

You might check into Rose State College. I was able to do the LPN-RN bridge (prereqs + 2 semesters) because I was an Air Force medic. They allow LPNs, Paramedics, Air Force medics, Navy medics and certain Army medics (I guess there is more than one kind) to enter the program in semester 3 of 4. I started in August of 07 and I graduate next month. http://www.rose.edu/students/hsdiv/ns_prog/progadv.asp Follow the link to read the advisement materials. If the link doesn't work then go to www.rose.edu. Click on students (on the left), the click on health science (in the academics box to the right), then click on degree programs (on the far right), then click on nursing science, then click on program advisement (far right). Then click on Career Ladder: LPN/Paramedic Track. Good luck!

OU Children's NICU does not hire nursing assistants, but they do have clerks and nurse partners. To be a nurse partner you need to have finished at least 1 semester of clinicals in an RN program and be in current good standing with the school. The pay is $10 an hour and you make your own schedule, but right now it is only possible to get about 1 shift a week. It is a good way to get your foot in the door. I started as a nurse partner in January and have a position for after I graduate (1 more month) as an RN. There is also a Cuddler Volunteer program if you are interested. You come and cuddle babies whose parents aren't able to be there. Integris Baptist Medical Center in OKC also has a NICU. It is smaller than OU's and they don't keep the super sick babies, but I hear it is a nice place to work. I have no idea about wether or not they hire aids or students. I have heard that it is really hard to get hired on there as the turnover rate is low and they like to hire people with NICU experience. Good luck with your search, maybe I'll see you soon at OU!

One thing they always remind us of is that you have to assess first, so be careful not to go right for that intervention. Keep your head up...you're almost done!

I saw something similar to what Eliza Bells mentioned... I'm not a nurse yet, but on a peds floor that I work on there was a babe recently that had most of the fingers on one hand and part of the hand itself amputated after a bad IV infiltration. I don't know how long the IV was in place after it infiltrated, but after seeing that I think that once I become a nurse I would pull the bad IV immediately.

In my state (Oklahoma) an Air Force medic (or prior medic as long as it was within a certain timeframe) is eligible to take NCLEX-PN and receive a LPN license through the state BON. The other option is that you can challenge the school to test out of fundamentals and med/surg (class, lab, & clinicals for both). You might check the BON in your state to see if the same rules apply. I did not go the LPN route myself but did opt to challenge the school. It has saved me a lot of time! Good luck to you!