RNMeg

When I started nursing school, I wanted to be an OR nurse, just like the aunt who inspired me to become a nurse in the first place. Then, in advanced med/surg, I discovered cardiac nursing..and haven't looked back. I'm now working in telemetry/step...

I'm a brand-new nurse, still on orientation, and I have come across this type of patient. I realized as I was reading your article that I let the general attitude towards these patients get to me (spend as little time as possible with them, eye-roll...

If you want non-see-through and durable, I can't recommend Smart Scrubs brand S.C.R.U.B.S. enough, especially the 100% cotton style. I've had 3 pair of their pants, and they're super thick, breathable, and have lasted at least 3 years. They're a li...

I just have a sticker from my college of nursing on my car's back window. You could have your stethoscope engraved with RN after your name Congrats on passing boards!

There's actually a Forensic Nursing forum on this website, under the "Specialty" tab. I'm sure they would have some good information for you :)

I'm a new grad with a BSN in a medium-sized city in the southwest. I'm making $24/hr base plus a night shift differential. According to the hospital, I'm budgeted to make around 45k/year. I think it's unrealistic to expect to make 80-100k in your...

Mine just involved a blood pressure screening, TB skin test, brief medical history questionnaire, color-blind test, and urine drug screen, and fitting for an N-95 particulate mask. I think these are very typical of clinical jobs.

My hospital uses Alaris as well, and they seem really easy to use. I'm a brand-new nurse (just finished my 3rd day on orientation) and I caught on really quickly. I like that you can program drugs in and it double-checks you if the dose or rate are...

During my peds rotation, I had a huge family bring Olive Garden takeout meals for everyone into an NPO child's room. I felt terrible for that kid

The sound of a really wet cough gets to me. Just imagining it, I can feel a lump rising in my throat :barf01:. Like others have said, though, mind over matter. I've never vomited in response to it, just felt like I wanted to :)

At my hospital, new grad orientation to critical care areas (ICUs and ER) is 6 months. That seems more reasonable to me..I would be wary of 8 weeks for ER.

In some states LPNs are not allowed to give IV medications due to license restrictions (in other states, they must pass an IV certification course first). It sounds like this is the case in your facility.

The advice I was given when I considered taking ACLS the summer before I graduated was that it wouldn't make much sense to me and wouldn't be applicable until after I'd been working for at least a little while. I'm now working on an ICU stepdown/tel...

I was lucky enough to have signed a contract with a local hospital to have my tuition paid during school. They hired everyone they sponsored for a BSN as far as I know, I suppose in order to get a return on their $17k investment. They also required...

I've seen certain IV medications spontaneously develop bubbles, especially amiodarone. It gets "foamy" where the pump is pushing the med through the line, and when enough "foam" builds up it senses a bubble. There doesn't seem to be any way to avoi...

My mom was in the hospital after a total thyroidectomy, and she wound up staying in the hospital 3 days due to a massive migraine from the morphine because she's really opiate naive. I got a huge lump in my throat, couldn't talk, almost cried when I...

I'm no expert on visas, but that sounds kind of illegal to me. If you choose to take the job (I wouldn't) talk to an immigration or labor attorney about the employment contract first.

My school specified white leather, non-clog type shoes. Your school may be different, so check your dress code. I used Zappos.com for buying shoes, they have a huge selection, cheap next day shipping, and their customer service is unmatched.

What a bummer, you can't transfer before your contract is up? I have a 4 year contract, but I can transfer in-house after a year if I choose (I could transfer before that, even, if there were some major reason to, but they discourage it). Anyway, ...

My understanding of what the OP is saying is that there wasn't an orientation. It sounds like the OP's first shift is Saturday, and s/he will be the only RN in the building, in charge of 3 LPNs and several CNAs. Not to mention, this is a long-term ...

I was offered a job in my first choice area, tele/stepdown. Many of my classmates also got placed where they wanted to be, including ER and NICU. Sadly, one of my classmates really wanted Peds, and even worked as a tech on that floor, but wasn't hi...

Does your stethoscope have a bell (sort of a cup shape) on one side of the head, and a flat diaphragm on the other side? If so, you should be able to see a little hole in the center of the bell. When the hole is open, by twisting the head at the en...

I'm a brand new BSN grad, and the hospital that hired me wanted a copy of my diploma for my HR file :grad:

In order to be a successful new grad, you must first graduate First and foremost, I would put as much effort as possible into doing as well as possible in your classes. I'm convinced that membership in Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Theta Tau helped me ge...

Do you have any specific issues with clinical nursing? Is it the intervention/pharm-heavy medical treatments, or the lack of time to get to know and treat your patients holistically? All of the above? Maybe you could look into one of the many natu...