sellen1972

I keep my med-book available. Your duty is to your patients - not the other nurses. As you look your meds up, you'll start to learn them, or at least the classifications of your meds. Some you'll see over and over. So forget the eye-rolling. Keep your book handy and do as you are doing. sellen1972

I'll never forget it. And I'll never make the same mistake again. I double-dosed a patient with phenobarb. The nurse who was orienting me made me call the MD. All he said was, "She'll get a good night's sleep." But I went home and wrote my letter of resignation, convinced I would be terminated the next day. The DON refused my letter, asked me how it could have been prevented and told me I had the makings of a good nurse. And the spiteful side of me says this: I would rather write myself up for a med error than have someone beat me to the punch. Med errors happen, hopefully not any time soon again to you. sellen1972:imdbb:

I have 4 Littmans I don't know the model, only that two have two sides and two don't. Does that tell anyone anything? And they're all different colors. Sellen1972

I always wore Nike Airs until I tried on a pair on Danskos. Now I'm sold and have them in black and white. They took a little getting used to, but now you couldn't pay me to wear anything else. sellen1972

My advice is a little different from others. I started as an LPN in long-term care and switched to acute care because I wanted to learn more. The fact is, acute care MADE me learn time management, prioritizing, and efficiency. Maybe you should find a smallish hospital with a good mentor/preceptorship/orientation. What I learned in the hospital made me a very effective nurse when I returned to long-term-care. sellen1972

No. I'm not satisfied and am in RN school now - done in May. Where I work, being an LPN doesn't mean less responsibility; it means less credit for the responsibilities you take on or that are put on you. God knows we need LPNs and if that is where you feel you belong - cool. Be the best LPN you can. I just know that after 10 years, it's not for me. sellen1972

It sounds trite, but you've gotten this far. First exams are always tough until you figure out how your instructors ask their questions. Keep going. I'm done in May, too. We'll make it. And just in case, although it's not what we strive for, as one of my friends said, "Cs get degrees." Sellen1972

They're not that costly -less expensive than a law-suit from a med error. I buy a new one every year. Sellen1972

Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY has an excellent reputation. I go to Maria College in Albany, NY. Because I've been an LPN for 10 years, it's okay. But since it is SO self-directed, the student without a medical background tend to struggle. I also can say that the Hudson Valley Community College nurses have some of the strongest clinical skills. That might be a good bet for you, but act quickly; there is usually quite a waiting list. Good luck. Sellen1972

I just posted asking about ATI and here I find the answers I was looking for - like 'em or not. Our tuition covers the ATI materials. I tend to do very well on them and hope the Boards are similar. But like someone else said, it's hard to find the time to study from those when it's all I can do sometimes to get my assigned reading done. Sellen1972

My school has purchased a program called ATI Testing that is supposed to prepare us for the NCLEX-RN. Has anyone used this program and is it an effective study tool and predictor of Board succes. (This is what our instructors have told us.) Thanks for your input. Sellen1972

I'm an LPN who is an an RN program and I work 12 hour shifts on the week-ends only. Frankly, it's the only way I could go back to school. At my facility I work 2 twelves every weekend and am considered full-time so I can keep my medical benefits. I look at some of the other students who don't have that option and many of them are struggling. It's hard to do justice to both your job and your intenive studies. I don't know if you're asking for a suggestion, but the week-end thing has worked really well for me. Good luck:up: Sellen1972