icu26RN

Thanks everyone for all your responses . I definitely wish we had more a-lines in our icu, it would make things so much easier. I find that a lot of patients in our unit that are on multiple pressors do not have a-lines!!! I am not sure why and I will definitely try to advocate for one if possible.

What do you do if your pt has a picc line or central line and you need to get AM labs from the line but they are on high doses of levophed or any other vasopressor? Are you supposed to put all IV fluids on hold while you draw labs so they dont dilute the lab sample.. what if your pt is very sensitive to the vasopressor and drops their pressure right away? But what if you leave the pressors on will it mess up the lab results? Please help..I need advice.

I have been in Mcallen for a few months now. There is a lot of growth in Mcallen and there is not a lack of restaurants and depending what you like to do Mcallen's downtown is growing a lot and they have nightclubs, jazz clubs, and restaurants downtown. I work at Doctor's Hospital at Renaissance and interviewed at a few other hospitals in the area. Doctor's Hospital has the safest nurse to patient ratios I have heard of in this area, although they do not have HUGE sign on bonuses like some of the other hospitals. I personally feel safe in Mcallen but I don't really go outside of Mcallen's more populated areas very much. The cost of living is very low, the winter weather has been wonderful in the 70's-80's. South Padre is about an hour away. If you have any other questions message me :)

Hi, I work on a medical telemetry unit. My day definitely depends on the acuity of my patients. But here is what I try to shoot for. Get report Check labs Assess patients Report to CNA's, get vitals from CNA's Administer medications Educate pts and family regarding meds, labs, procedures, teaching Follow up on tests, call Drs if necessary, Check off orders throughout the day Documentation, check on telemetry strips Chart checks to make sure orders were completed Report to the next shift Sometimes your day gets busier when you have several admissions/discharges. You have to do pt history, admit assessment, discharge teaching. There is also a lot of documentation to do and it can be difficult if you get behind. let me know if you have any other questions.

Hi just wanted to give you a few tips, I have also been interviewed for new grad positions and offered two. Be prepared for an interview by knowing what your strengths are, as well as weaknesses. Reflect on your nursing clinicals and be ready to give examples for different questions. Most interviewers are trying to get to know you better through your experiences. Many interviewers will ask why you want to work on a specific unit- be ready to answer what your interests are and what you like about a certain specialty,etc... Always have questions to ask about the hospital, the unit, scheduling, patient ratios, nursing practice, orientation- this can really show an interviewer that you are interested in a specific unit. Make good eye contact and smile- (smiling always helps me relax) I cannot stress the importance of asking questions because it really helps the interview feel more like a conversation and gives you some time to relax To my interviews I will usually wear black pants and a nice suit jacket with a colored shirt under the jacket. Maybe even just a dressy button up shirt. I always like to give myself extra time to find a restroom before the interview and make sure everything is still decent looking :) I had a neat handout about interviews I will try to find it and post it.

Hi, I graduated from UCHSC. Overall I was pleased with the program. What I liked most is that you can still have a life and work outside of school. A lot of classes are offered online so sometimes you only have to be on campus 1-2x a week. When you do clinicals there is a "lottery system" so you rank the hospitals and usually you will get your first of second choice. Most of the professors are great. Nursing school is hard work, but definitely worth it. The school also offers several scholarships to students. I think the first semester of nursing school was the busiest. I did not really have any healthcare experience when I applied. I did have a previous bachelor's degree. My advice is that your grades and the essay are very important. If your grades are not the greatest, make sure you have a great essay that shows who you are and experiences that have molded you and your desire to become a nurse. There are no letters of recommendation for applying. So it really boils down to essay and grades. Let me know if you have any more questions.

I am interested in Denver Health and would like any info from nurses (especially med/surg/onc nurses) about the work environment, patient ratios, or any other information you would like to share. I would really appreciate it, I am considering employment there as a new graduate nurse. If you would like to PM me also that is fine, also what is scheduling like and differentials? THANKS SO MUCH!

Your test sounds a bit like mine, there are a lot of us on here that got 75 questions and feel confused right now. I hope we all did a lot better than we think. Don't try to look back and find the answers because you mostly remember the harder questions that you might've gotten wrong and it is disappointing. I had a ton of prioritization and discharging questions. Good luck

Is there a conspiracy or what...just kidding, but I also had 75 questions. At first I was relieved, but as I walked away I really started getting nervous. There were so many random questions and I kept narrowing it down to two answers. I almost felt like crying because I felt like I either passed or failed pretty bad. I had about 6 select all that apply, which I did not feel very confident on. Tons of prioritization, a few delegation, a lot of infectious disease, safety and prevention questions, meds and teaching. The test took me 2 hours. I guess all I can do is wait and pray for myself and everyone else and hope I dont have to pick up these books and stress out again. I hope we all find out we are RNs this week. :monkeydance:

I'm right there with you! I am taking the NCLEX exam tomorrow at 2pm. I don't feel like I am ready, but I have to take this test already or I will go crazy. I am just tired of studying and putting life on hold for this test so I figured I just need to do it. I am just going to go over a few things today to refresh my memory. I feel like I've had to study more for this test than my entire nursing school Mostly I have studied from Saunders, Mosby and Lippincott CD-roms, books, etc. I hope these have prepared me well enough.... Best of luck to everyone taking there nclex, hopefully by the end of this week we will all be able to be RNs!:balloons:

I am so glad to hear that you have passed. I also have mostly studied with Saunders. I studied with a friend who has been studying using Kaplan and started freaking out! Many of the questions are very difficult, I just hope I studied enough to pass!!! I take my NCLEX on Tuesday and I am soooo scared right now!! How many questions from the Saunders material did you do? I dont even know what to study anymore, I am so nervous and I feel like I could have studied more even though a few days I felt like my head was going to fall off with all the material I have been studying.

Does anyone know the starting pay rate for a new graduate RN at Exempla Hospitals or Centura Hospitals? I am also interested in any other info you have about new graduate programs in the Denver area. Here is what I have found: Denver Health: 23.50 Health One 20.00-21 University 20-21.50

New graduates in Denver, Colorado start anywhere from 20-23.50/hr, differentials differ at the different hospitals. University Hospital offers 5.00 night differential. Other hospitals offer lower differentials.

I definitely suggest becoming a CNA and working at a local hospital first. Most hospitals will reimburse you for tuition to become an RN. While you are a CNA you can work on taking your pre-requisites for nursing school. I don't think the CU Bethel Nursing school has a wait-list, but it is more expensive than community college programs.