AmyL

Thankfully, no. So I've settled with myself that it's standard precautions with whatever extra precautions are needed if there are cutaneous lesions. I guess my hangup is that it isn't strict contact precautions for cutaneous anthrax.

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this. I haven't ventured outside of student forums, but I'm not a student anymore! I always wear gloves when assessing any vital signs with any patient -- I'm not entirely sure if standard precautions prefers it this way, but I've always been pretty phobic in the acute setting. For a patient with Anthrax inhalation, I'm of the understanding that it can be breathed in via spores, transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, or through the GI tract. But the CDC says that transmission likelihood is low. So for Anthrax patients, is it necessary to put gloves on, but not a gown (as in contact precautions)? Mostly curious about checking blood pressure and pulse, not anything invasive. Thank you.

Since you've been able to draw blood and perform these actions before without any difficulty, you have to consider a psychological component to your issue. One, dig deep. Are you afraid of failure? You ask us what God really wants for you, but also consider: what do you really want for you? Not saying this has anything to do with your specific situation, but it has happened before where a "physical" problem will occur due to a psychological stressor. Therefore, counseling is an option. Your physician may also want to put you on an antidepressant. This does not mean you are depressed or psychotic, etc. It can be a low dose which still allows you to function as a nurse, but relieves you of your heightened anxiety during your clinical situation. If you feel that your stress response during clinicals is more of a real adrenaline rush rather than an anxiety response, you can also request a trial of beta blockers, which will not make you "calm" but will slow down HR and inhibit stress response/stage fright feelings. None of us here can tell you if you should be a nurse or not. Only you know what you're capable of, what you want, and how far you can get it. But dealing with issues of my own, I want to tell you what someone told me: if you fail, you are the person who gets to decide if you try again. The worst case scenario in this situation is that you will noKt be a nurse. It's not a diagnosis of terminal cancer; the people who love you will not stop loving you. You will continue to wake up in the morning. And if it makes you feel better to be anxious/cry, then do it. Just don't do it at work. All of us has stress of varying levels... the important part is to still function in society. You can do that. So go you.

Before nursing school I was a CNA; I knew my job in and out and what was important. As a nursing student, first level included us being constantly monitored and assisted, with an opportunity to get our client paperwork the day before. This allowed me to study, study, study that client and be a pro at answering questions about that specific client during clinical time. Second level is a different story. We will be doing "nursing skills" only and are expected to function independently. There was no transition to this. We did not get the opportunity to practice numerous nursing skills, but I get the feeling we're expected to know them confidently. I don't feel confident. The faculty varies on what we need to have stored in our "head" and what can be accessed on the hospital system. Chem panel norms -- memorized or on the computer? ABG norms -- memorized or on the computer? Which conditions should we have interventions "memorized" for (I'm thinking diabetic incidents, electrolyte imbalances, MI/chest pain, CVA, what else)? I know that when I get to my first job and they orient me, I'll be able to focus and the majority of "what I need to know" will become second nature to me. However, I want to appear confident during clinicals... Our experiences are constantly changing. This semester is an acute longterm. What should I know?

I'm a second level student currently; I'm states away from my closest family member. I've always got the impression that the majority of the faculty I'm studying under didn't care for me and have experienced an immense amount of anxiety due to this on multiple occassions. That being said, I also have not always been a model student. I'm in my 4th semester and have been on probation for two of those; tomorrow I will be placed on probation for the third time. Twice for unprofessional conduct (being late without notifying prior) and once due to a medical reason. I went to great lengths to go to physicians and prove the "medical reason" would not affect my nursing ability. Some faculty were fine with this and other faculty are to this day not convinced. Monday was my first clinical experience of 4th semester, which I was late for -- I know this is unprofessional of me. I did not anticipate being late, and therefore did not call ahead. Tuesday, I had to stay home with a sick child (I called and unavoided another unsatisfactory mark, although the faculty was not convinced). So I'm in 4th semester, facing 20 days of clinical (probably less than most, I think) on probation and having to make up two days, the max makeup allowed. This semester, also, we will be performing "nursing skills" only. We will also not know anything about our clients until report that morning. While I understand that this is to prepare me for a nursing career, there has been no transition to this level of independence, and our way to learn "skills" was to read about them. On top of the stress of being so close to being dismissed, I don't know where to begin. Our program is very disorganized and one faculty member will hardcore an issue that another thinks is unnecessary. So I've never figured out exactly what I need to have memorized and what I can carry around a MedSurg Notes flip-book for. My ultimate goal is not to get the disapproving faculty to "like me" again, but to be confident in my nursing skills and pass these 20 clinical days without issue. Rant, I know. I also know other nursing programs are much harder than this. But I need helpful advice, please, or any encouragement. I've messed up, but I want to be a nurse more than anything, and I know actions speak louder than words.

I'm a pre-nursing student right now, but I'm already looking into travel nursing. I particularly like this one company, but it just sounds too good to be true. Has anyone worked an assignment for this company? http://americanmobile.com Thanks, Amy

I've done that. Part of my problem is that I know the seven or eight girls I practice with all have regular heart rates. There's a definite pattern to all of them. I think I've just memorized the pattern and am counting that, even when I don't hear the heart for a beat or two. If I just count what I hear, it always comes off about 10 beats off. Ack, I'm terrible. I wouldn't be so terribly worried, but there's a deadline coming up where I'll HAVE to get within 4 beats of my instructor's count, or I won't be able to move on. I'm terrible, terrible, terrible with deadlines.

I've got pulse issues. Everybody else that I'm studying with has got this, but I just can't seem to get the hang of getting radial pulse. I just got how to hold the wrist correctly no matter which hand I'm using - so that my thumb isn't against them. I feel so stupid. I don't know what it is, but halfway into counting, I'll get distracted. I'll lose the pulse. I'll miscount. My nose'll start itching. I glance at my watch, and I skip a beat. Whatever. I'm decent at this when it's 15 seconds times 4. Sort of. But...we're learning to count for a full minute first, and God help me, I can't keep my mind clear. I can handle the ack, the ew, the gross, the ill, the sick. This is what I want to do, so I'm pulling my hair out that I can't even do the first thing you learn after handwashing. I've heard it over and over again. Practice. Practice practice practice. NOBODY I know has had to practice for this long and still not get it.

Try to remember (or at least convince yourself) that the first test in any class will be the hardest. You're new to it, you're getting used to your professor, etc. I'm not a mom, so I'm not going to push a lot of advice out there on this topic. With younger kids, I've usually found that getting them involved helps to calm them down more than letting them do their own thing while you try to study. I have friends that use the kiddie carpool in the morning/afternoon to their advantage - they get the kids to call out key words, read sentences from the class notes, etc. Don't give up until you feel, absolutely, that letting this go is the right thing to do for you and your family.

I didn't think the book was worth the $46 I paid for it. It was a lot of nonsense compared to the test. Don't, however, think you're going to just breeze through the test. Some parts are pretty easy. Some, like science, are pretty much common sense questions. I scored 100 on the physics section, even though I've never seen the inside of a physics class in my life. Parts of the math are confusing, difficult...Think of the TEAS as similar to any sort of entrance exam. It reminded me of the S.A.T. test. I think I did pretty well on it. I'm torn about whether to pay the fee to retake it. My counselors can't really go around and tell the students what they need to do concerning this. I got an 84.6 on the TEAS alone...Anybody else remember their scores?