researchrabbit

Well, I can't say that I'm 20/20 either since presbyopia set in. I see well enough to draw up meds in a syringe, evaluate rashes and wounds, but I know I'd never be able to see lice without a magnifying glass, much less pick them out of anyone's hair. Nor can I read the teeny tiny print on medication inserts (have to use a drug book). I'd think if you can drive and read, you could be a nurse in SOME capacity. Getting an eye exam was NOT part of my nursing school admission process! :)

I lived in Olathe from 1995 to 2001, pretty area, great for kids (I can't emphasize this enough; the area is MADE for families), excellent schools (but be careful picking a house; many there are badly built). Can't tell you much about the hospitals; worked child and adult outpatient psych research at KUMC and absolutely loved it. Absolutely wonderful nurses, MDs, and staff. Excellent working relationship and respect on both sides.

The opposite of helping people could be hurting people. Crime? War? Or maybe it's prevention of healing? Disease? (I liked Gwenith's ideas...that would be a fun paper!)

If they don't know the answers for class, how will they ever know when they are working??

If any one element of what's in there can degrade or change (maybe the plastic bag leeches something into the saline?) then it has to have an expiration date. They are no longer guaranteed to be sterile after the expiration date.

I completed a 2-year RN degree. Why? I already had a four-year degree (and a limited time to complete the RN), not to mention half a Master's in English and half a Master's in counseling. The university I worked for made it well-nigh impossible to join their BSN program without almost accumulating another 4 years. So I'm a BA RN (I get a kick out of that, guess I'm just a dork). I'll probably do yet more school (after I finish this hynotherapy degree) but the next round of classes will probably be in art.

I thought it was easier than Algebra. I've had it twice; once as "statistics" through the math dept (so it have the math in it), and once as "statistics" through the psychology dept (which had almost NO math in it, but plenty of concepts).

Sounds like it's pretty free form and you can say what you want. Be sincere and write from the heart. Then have someone check your grammar and spelling, just in case. :) You may want to just jot down your thoughts to get you started, as a rough draft, then revise what you've written so it flows.

My mom practiced well into her 70s!

I had a very difficult time with one instructor (YOUNGER THAN ME). It was so awful I almost quit (except that then my ex-husband would have gloried in it, so I couldn't -- yes, if it hadn't been for pure contrariness I couldn't have made it). Between my fulltime job, the stress of nursing school, the divorce and my kids, I could not have continued with the abusive comments/behavior for another clinical rotation. By the time she got done with me, my confidence was shot. And at that point, I only had one rotation left to go. So I DO understand why Bio dropped out (but I do hope you try again another place). All my other instructors were heaven to work with and I can't tell you how much I appreciate them....and BTW, THAT instructor was let go. :)

If you are unsure, you are probably best off going with your first impulse.

My first child was born back in the Dark Ages, I guess; her "bili therapy" after hospital discharge was sunlight through a window for 10 minutes 3x a day until the first checkup....no kidding, that's what the MD ordered.

Oh Sherri! I just HOWLED with laughter when I read that! I'm in OKC, grew up in Claremore! ?

Seroquel works pretty well for paranoia in adults (have not seen it in kids -- so don't know). I did have an 18 year old who was so paranoid he took to carrying around a hammer -- just in case. He was well enough on the seroquel that he got a job and then an apartment (a miracle for this guy). I think they are suggesting that 200 mg is the effective dose range, but some of our patients were on considerably higher doses (800-1000) with no ill effects other than the transient drowsiness.

We did a research study on risperdal in kids with conduct disorders. Worked (sort of) for some...but they all gained weight. Most gained A LOT of weight. The kids complained of being hungry all the time. I concur that the voices your child was hearing could have been a side effect of the adderall. It is telling that they are gone now that the drug has been stopped. Seems funny to me that the prescriber hasn't taken this into account. I agree, get a second opinion. Carol, has Seroquel been tried with your child? I haven't seen any child studies, but I can say that I only had 2 adult patients who had weight gain with that one. (although stuffy nose seemed to affect most everyone...some had sedation but it improved within 2 weeks for most).

My BIL was so certain their baby would be a boy that no girls' names were picked out...you can guess what happened. Took them almost a week to figure out a name!

My daughter and son both had warts, too. You can also use a crushed up aspirin, add a little water, and paint it on the wart am and pm. That works pretty well. Compound W works too, but you have to be careful not to get it on the surrounding skin because it will sting normal skin. I had plantar's warts frozen off my foot and that was very painful. I don't think I'd go that route for normal run of the mill warts. sjoe, I understand it is 5-7 years before the body adjusts to the warts and they go away. If my memory is correct, the person remains "infected" with that strain of warts but the warts themselves never recur.

I too am a research nurse with an ADN.

In some settings you won't encounter much gross stuff. I used to be terribly affected by "grossness", but after having children and pets, I can say that I overcame much of it. After awhile, some of it is even fascinating. That said, I know I cannot stomach the respiratory stuff.

If cheerfulness doesn't come naturally, then don't go there. People know when it's fake. I thoroughly enjoy bubbly people because I tend to be quiet. Plus I like the way patients just light up for them. But I also enjoy my coworkers who are calm, gruff, warped, shy, sarcastic or curmudgeonly...all of whom become equally endearing to their patients. I have to admit that constantly whiny coworkers irritate the heck out of me. Everyone shows caring in a different way, and there's enough variation in the world that someone needs each type of caring that there is. That's what your patients need -- your particular and unique way of showing you care. The caring is also what makes a group a team.

Do you discuss the problem with the patient/family? Letting people know where you're coming from often will clear the air, deflate an attitude problem, and you will not feel like a phony. If the person is threatening or angry enough to frighten you, then call security.

Thanks for my laugh of the day!!! :)

They don't understand. You'll make a great nurse. Every place I've worked, it's two sticks and then someone else has to try. After that, the karma just isn't there...and I have never "poked around in there". That's a great way to have a patient pass out on you. Yeah, I work psych, so mostly I'm not sticking fragile elderly people...but I do stick dehydrated smokers with no veins. And I know exactly who to go to when my two sticks don't work. I would imagine that home health is another kettle of fish...it's just you there and if you can't get it, there's no one else to ask for help in getting it. The sight of blood and awful smells may make you queasy now but I am living proof that it can be overcome (when I was younger I could faint at the drop of a hat to see blood, other people vomiting would make ME hurl). I started giving blood to help myself get over the fear...and then I had kids. They pooped, peed, bled, vomited, and cried all over me at various times. Not to mention what the PETS did...(now cat vomit, there's some icky stuff...) :) When the smells were too much in nursing school, a little alcohol or Vicks Vaporub under my nose was enough to overcome most of the smells.

Well, the classes are going well, even though the instructors walk on the wild side of scientific evidence... I got to do my first unassisted hypnotherapy session on my 6-year-old nephew (also my first child hypnosis) on Sunday. Children are hypnotized using "eye fascination" which is the technique you see where the person stares at an object (I used a penlight) while the hypnotist talks about heavy eyelids. I thought I would never get him hypnotized...and finally gave up and told him "when I touch your head with this light you will go into deep hypnosis" and then just did it. He fell back in the recliner and I thought he was faking...until I told him he couldn't open his eyes, even if he tried (this is a test to see if someone is really hypnotized)...and he couldn't! Went through all these contortions with his eyebrows, so funny. He told his mom later, "My eyes felt SO heavy, it was SO hard to keep them open!" So he was ready a lot sooner than I thought he was. Anyway, he is having surgery for a scar revision to a cleft lip repair tomorrow. So I did the therapy to get rid of negative emotions (worry and anxiety) and gave him some suggestions to improve his self-esteem, to be brave, and to feel safe. He's been sleeping better since the suggestions on Sunday, and is MUCH less anxious. So something went well! My sister wants me to put him under again tomorrow morning prior to the surgery. So more updates tomorrow.

If you need a goal to work toward, and graduate nursing school is too stressful now, how about a different degree (maybe one to challenge the other side of your brain?)...art classes, literature? Indepth knowledge is WONDERFUL -- don't get me wrong -- but sometimes you need something else to balance what you have. But if grad nursing is what you want...and want NOW...then go for it! You will only have regrets if you don't try.