PDXSammy

How old would you be if you didn't go to nursing school? ;-) I didn't start pre-req's until I was 47, and got my RN license the same year I turned 52. Like you, I wanted to be a nurse after I graduated from hs, but that didn't happen, and regretted it almost every day. Go for it - the sooner you start, the sooner you'll realize your dream.

I had to get 9 Arts & Humanities credits, so I signed up for Ceramics, Photography and Abnormal Psych summer term. Ceramics was WAY fun, and photography was a breeze - it was a list of subjects to shoot (a thin blue line, a yellow circle, a reflection of yourself, etc). The abnormal psych prof creeped me out, but that's a whole new post. I highly recommend ceramics. Do something fun and artistic that won't require a paper or reading.

I have a t-shirt that reads "That's MR. nurse to you", and wear it to work regularly. The only problem I have is correcting people that automatically assume I'm a doctor. What you do in the bedroom has nothing to do with your chosen career. Unless you're a prostitute.

I feel sorry for the students who didn't study and/or blew off clinicals and still passed. Karma will catch up with them when they're suddenly faced with test questions they can't answer (or even guess at an answer), or are asked to do a procedure they *should* be semi-proficient at, but will stumble through. The positive in the situation, though, is that the slacker professor isn't taking care of patients. If she's short-changing students paying big bucks for a quality education, how well would she treat people who aren't intentionally sick? Her license should be yanked.

I got addicted to pretzels and choc milk while studying. Anybody know how to turn a stack of 33x36 501's into a quilt?

i was immediately curious about your professor's fact and found this at the new york-presbyterian the university hospital of columbia and cornell website. she's partly right, but i'd be very careful to not make waves while in ns. being of advanced age, it was glaringly apparent very soon that a huge part of ns is learning to deal with politics. choose your battles and let go of the bs. ns will be a mostly wonderful memory before you know it. sometime in the future, when you're writing rn (or lpn) after your name, you'll realize how very insignificant this professor was. what foods most often cause food allergy? approximately 90 percent of all food allergies are caused by the following eight foods: milk eggs wheat soy tree nuts fish shellfish peanuts eggs, milk, and peanuts are the most common causes of food allergies in children, with wheat, soy, and tree nuts also included. peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish commonly cause the most severe reactions. nearly 3 percent of children have food allergies. although most children "outgrow" their allergies, allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish may be life-long. [color=#2200cc]food allergies - new york presbyterian hospital

I know this is slightly off subject, but I had to tell it after I read about the male chauvinist pig resident. During one of my med/surg rotations, I was alone in a private room doing vs and morning care on a patient in 4 point restraints. This arrogant, egomaniacal very young resident walks in with his clipboard, totally ignoring me and going over the patient like he was a pot roast, rather than a human being. The doc didn't introduce himself to me, make eye contact, or say a word to the patient, until he barks "BRUSH HIS TEETH". I'm on the other side of the bed, leaning against the wall just watching this jerk and his dynamic with the patient. I look around and think to myself "Who's he talking to like that?" A few minutes later, the doc barks a 2nd time, "BRUSH HIS TEETH" and walks out. I follow him out to chart what I had done so far, and he spins around and says to me "DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME THE FIRST TIME?", which made everyone in the common area stop and stare at us. Being as this doc was young enough to be my son, all I could do was start laughing and say "YOU brush his teeth!", then walked away from him. Two of the staff nurses thanked me in private for standing up to him, then my advisor pulled me aside and attempted to rake me over the coals - but had a grin on her face, or had to put her hand over her mouth to muffle the giggles the whole time. Apparently, everyone was afraid of this doc because of his "in your face" attitude. My dad once said something to the effect of "Everyone is equal. The only time you should consider someone better than you is if they can stick their elbow in their ear." But his saying used a different body orifice. Good words to live by.

I would call the person that offered the job and let her know you haven't heard from HR. She can let you know if HR's swamped and haven't gotten to your paperwork yet, or (gawd forbid) if the offer fell through. I was recruited by the unit where I did my preceptorship, but not only did my position get eliminated, but the entire nurse internship program for med/surg/acute care/womens health all got cancelled because of the economy. I think your case is a simple matter of a departmental communication snafu. Keeping my fingers crossed for you. MAJOR congrats on your accomplishments this far and best of luck to you in your final term. I can't describe the feeling of walking into the packed gym for the pinning ceremony with my fellow grads, and the entire audience is on their feet cheering and waving.

1. What is your title and what kind of unit do you work in? RN and Community Health Nurse, working at a county health clinic 2. How long have you worked in this unit/department? 2 months 3. What are your nursing responsibilities? advice nurse calls, walk in adult imms, triage provider paperwork 4. What continuing education and/or certification are required for your position? none 5. What advice would you give a new graduating nurse? Nursing school is for the true basics...real life is very different 6. What was the most difficult adjustment you had to make from nursing student to graduate nurse? Accepting the realization of the responsibility involved with being an RN 7. What has helped you the most in making the transition from student to graduate nurse? The awesome nurses I work with and my supervisor. They encourage me to ask questions and want me to be involved in their procedures. They're complimentary but don't sugar coat anything. As a new hire/new RN, I'm required to have tasks witnessed and 'checked off' before I'm given a provider schedule. Because the MA's do most of the walk in IM's and the lab does the draws, my supervisor volunteers to let me do injections and phlebotomy on her to get the tasks done and approved. I couldn't ask for a better first RN job! :offtopic::Crash:

What helped me pass on my 3rd try was NCLEX for Dummies. I tried Kaplan and Saunders the first two times. Please don't give up. You've invested too much time and work to let it all slip through your fingers. If you passed nursing school, you WILL pass the NCLEX!:scrm::sfxpld:

It might be easy to say something like, "Suzie, your tone of voice really sounds angry, so if I did something to set you off, let's talk. I really don't want you upset with me." I think she's running down the pier to hop on the Titanic. As long as she goes unchecked, it's only a matter of time before the percentage of her unprofessional conduct will overtake the few positives. Keep doing what you love to do...now sit back and watch her self destruct.

Or how about, "Are you messing with me, or are you really that stupid?"

I know what you mean about forgetting material right after the test! As far as keeping track of 6 patients - get organized now! Use your favorite patient organization sheets and keep lots of notes as you go. If you don't have a favorite sheet yet, use a variety and by noon you'll know which ones you like and don't like. The basic stuff will come back as soon as you need to do vs on the first of the 6 patients. Ask for help if when you start getting backed up. I had a tough time keeping track of med times with 4 patients, but what finally helped was to actually write out the meds and times on the org sheet, and keeping the org sheets stapled together in order of the patient rooms. I caught myself wasting WAY too much time shuffling loose papers, post-it's and index cards. Do you graduate in June and take the NCLEX asap after graduation? Much congrats on getting as far as you have. Nursing school is brutal!! It took me 3 tries to finally pass the NCLEX. The first go around I studied Kaplan, the second time Saunders and the third time NCLEX-RN for Dummies. I came out of all 3 attempts feeling as though the test wasn't that difficult, and was shocked and devastated when I got the no pass letter a few days after testing 2 times. Try to relax, TOTALLY DISECT every word of every question and don't read any more into the question than what's actually being asked. Keep in mind Maslow's hiearchy, ABC's, and patient safety at all times. DO NOT go with what you think is the obvious answer...your first choice....unless the question is something like "What color is an orange?" What I did differently on the last attempt was to think about the consequences of each of the selections before choosing one. You'll do fine...and know you aren't alone if you don't pass the first or second time. Best of luck with juggling 6 patients and the NCLEX. It'll all be a memory before you know it and you'll have that license in your hand.

I'm repeating myself here, but it's easier than getting into the "read up" thing. I started pre-req's at 47 and passed the NCLEX last month at the age of 53...but a young 53 :chuckle Go for it, Sistah!!!

I'm having a tough time getting a job, too! Either the positions are being cancelled or someone more qualified is hired. It's totally frustrating to keep running into 'we're looking for someone with more real nursing experience''. How am I supposed to gain the 1 year of experience if I don't get hired? There needs to be more trust out there, employers!!!:mnnnrsngrk: