greenfaery

I didn't use a pump here, it was gtt/min. I guess maybe I should have just grabbed an extra pump. Next time I'll do that because the MAR did have the ml/hr, I guess that's easier. I couldn't piggyback it because it wasn't compatible with the heparin drip (which I could not hold either). Thanks for all your advice, I'll try to do what is right and not listen to others when my gut says it's wrong!

I'm a new nurse on a busy progressive care unit but I am posting this in this area because I don't know where else to post it. My problem is that I'm having some difficulty with nursing school vs. real world nursing, and a recent problem I've had is that I had to hang an IV without a pump and as I was calculating the gtt/min a nurse looked at me like I was crazy and said "you just open it all the way, there is no need to calculate that!!!" So my question is, what drugs is it acceptable to just open the line all the way, and what drugs do I need to be more careful about calculating the correct gtt/min for? Any help is appreciated.

Most facilities require staff and students to go through training courses related to unit policies before doing clinical practice, therefore It was totally inappropriate for her to ask you to take the vital signs.

1. When did you graduate? May 2010 2. Do you have a BSN or ADN? ADN 3. Are you still looking for work? No. 4. If not, how long did it take you to find a job? 4 months (but I'm picky and only applied to a few places) 5. If you don't mind my asking, those who are working, what type of job or floor do you work on. Progressive care unit at a community hospital

Thanks! I found one not to far (40 min. drive each way).

I was offered a full-time job this morning on a progressive care unit at a local hospital. I have a couple of things to say. First, I want to thank all the wonderful people on allnurses.com for such great advice and feedback. Especially Daytonite (spelling?), I don't think I would have made it through nursing school without her(?). I will continue to look here for support throughout my RN career. Second, I want to tell all the new grads who can't find a job that there is hope! I read many posts here about how hard it is to find a job for the past couple of years and it can be quite discouraging to say the least. In fact, I didn't even get around to applying to very many places due to my negative outlook. I think the KEY is: don't rely on corporate HR to call you back about an application. If you are interested in a job, apply for the position online as instructed, but you also need to figure out who the manager of that dept. is, get their contact info, and send your resume with a nice cover letter to them as well. That is why I got the job, while I'm sure many others didn't get interviewed. Hope that helps. Oh, I also have no healthcare experience besides nursing school. I come from retail! And this area of Virginia is known to be over-saturated with new grads as well. So it CAN be done! Good luck out there. Stay positive!

Thanks for all your advice. I just got a call this morning with job offer, full-time in a progressive care unit I'm so happy! I will probably learn the ropes here first, then later on look into ER. Thanks again!

GreyGull, again thanks for the insight. Critical care transport sounds awesome! I love the idea of being an RN but working outside of the hospital. I will also look into the EMT-B volunteer thing, that is just the sort of thing I'm looking for. :)

Huh, I haven't seen this hospital in my search for some reason, thanks Lunah! :)

If I could go back in time I would have gotten a job as an aid on the hospital and floor I was interested in after my first semester of nursing school. The main reason for that would be to network, get on the managers good side, and let them know what your plans are after you graduate. If they like you, that's an easy hire. Also, you don't technically get your CNA license after your first semester, but most hospitals will accept nursing students who have completed the first clinical semester in that role. My problems was that I didn't have to work, and I was so busy being a mom and nursing student that I figured I'd just wait to get a nursing job. BIG mistake on my part. The ONLY people who got new grad jobs at my school were aids on the floor during nursing school, or friends and relatives of managers. Also, you can apply to summer externships.

Lunah, my college (PVCC) offers an RN-to-paramedic program, but it's not something you can just get into, they require a certain amount or experience first. I love the idea of being a paramedic and RN, it seems like a good opportunity to escape the hospital setting every once in awhile.

The limited number of positions for new grads is the problem. I am not competitive because I have no healthcare experience. If I could go back in time, I would have become a tech first, then went to nursing school. Now I can't find a job doing either because I"m either over qualified or under qualifed. I can't move to DC either. So I'm trying to find anything I can do to gain some experience in health care. I'm even volunteering in the meantime. I applied to the the Mollen flu clinic but they did not respond to me (that was weeks ago). I'm in the Charlottesville, Virginia area. I would be willing to move as far as 1 hour away (Lynchburg, Richmond, Staunton, Culpepper) but I still can't find anything to apply to in any of those areas. Now that I understand more about how EMT works, I am planning on going back to school to get my BSN. Also, I will look into more LTC's around here and find out what the staffing ratios are, I was put off by the ones I looked at so far. I would love to work in the ER one day, but I can see from other posts that working in the ER as a new grad is not the safest way to go. Thanks for all your help :)

Wow, thanks for the insight GreyGull. And I do appreciate your positive outlook.

Thanks, New Mexico would be my first choice if I had the luxury of moving, but I'm kind of stuck here And I don't even want to start in the ER, but I can't find a job willing to hire new grads in any dept or physician's office in this state! I was thinking I could possible get my EMT and at least find a job doing that in the meantime, but If those jobs are also scarce for new grads there's really no point Sorry to sound negative, I think the job hunting is starting to depress me. I wish I could move.

Thanks Lizzie. I'm actually surprised you got hired in a float pool, as the hospitals around here don't hire new grads to float, or even part-time or PRN. I'm willing to do anything besides LTC (I refuse to start my career with a 1:38 Rn:PT ratio), but unfortunately this entire region is VERY over-saturated with new grads. Some have been looking over a year now (for ANYTHING). Congrats on finding the job, that's awesome! And I hope you can make it to the area you want soon :)

Hi, I graduated from Nursing school in May (ADN) and passed my boards but I still can't find a job. I'm interested in working in emergency nursing one day and I'm thinking of going back to school. I could either 1) Continue my nursing with an RN-BSN program OR 2) Become and EMT (intermediate or paramedic). So I was curious what you all think? Is it as hard to find EMT jobs as a new grad as it is to find a nursing job? Any advice is appreciated!

I just looked it up and found out that to do do the RN to Paramedic bridge program at my college you need 2+ years of RN experience. However, I have always been interested in EMS and perhaps I will do it anyway after I get more RN experience. Lunah, I like that you still volunteer for EMS! That is another reason I think it would be useful to get certified.

Way to go Siego! It sounds like that EMS experience has definately paid off :)

I appreciate all your responses. You all have good points. RN1980, I suppose you are right about the lack of experience still being the main issue for me. I even thought of applying to some aid/tech jobs in the ER but I was very surprised to find that both of the big hospitals in town have zero positions open, not just in the ER but on any floor. I thought last years new grads had it bad, but it seems this year is even worse. I guess it would look better for me to have any kind of real clinical experience rather than just degrees and certificates. But that's OK, I can work from the ground up if that is what it takes!

I just graduated from nursing school (Associate's degree) and plan on taking my NCLEX soon. However, due to my lack of experience I am having a VERY tough time finding a job. I only have retail management experience, no health care experience besides clinical. I have always wanted to be an ER nurse, I love the idea of always being on my toes, and the fast-paced environment. Of course, I am willing to do any kind of hospital nursing as I start my career. But I was thinking that since I want to work in the ER, perhaps I should get an EMT certification? I don't know much about the different levels of EMT certifications, but I need something to boost my resume and experience. I was wondering what you all think. I would greatly appreciate any advice you can give me to help me on my way to becoming an ER nurse.

Thanks for your insight llg. I actually wasn't going to "play" this summer, I have told someone that I would help take care of them in another state while they are dying. Do you think it would benefit me to tell recruiters that is why I am applying so late?

Not that it makes a difference now since interviews have come and gone for the season, but I'm wondering if I made a really bad choice to wait until August to apply for RN new grad jobs? I was recently told it might make me look like a "slacker". But I wanted to wait until passing the NCLEX, and then go on a trip before applying this summer. Does anyone know if that is really seen as a bad thing by nursing recruiters?

I feel the same way. I think feeling unsupervised/unguided during clinical is the norm these days. Nurses are very busy and often don't have 1 minute to speak to a student, and some don't really want to teach students anyway. Clinical instructors are pulled in 10 different directions and can only do one thing at a time. So in my program it was expected that we "acted like real nurses" and had to be 100% prepared for anything that we may be responsible for, that includes all skills, meds, teaching, etc. I am now about to graduate in May, and I feel like overall it has been a bloody nightmare and I honestly don't know if I want to be a nurse anymore. I still feel unpracticed in many basic nursing skills and scared to death that I will not get any help IF I get a nursing job. I love nursing, but I hate that things in the hospital are not the same as what you read in your textbook. I just wish nurses and instructors would understand that we are not exposed to so many things on the hospital floor that we have never seen or heard of in our textbooks or skills lab and not accuse us of being incompetent if we are confused about it! IT IS SO UNFAIR AND FRUSTRATING! Sorry, I really needed to vent... All I can say is it helps to be very self-motivated and to bring a skills book with you to clinical in case you need to look it up. You can buy little clinical versions of skills books, I have one by Potter and Perry that I carry with my "clinical kit". Also, don't forget to ask other students for help, they are often very supportive if you are too. Our groups have become very attached to each other and always back each other up if needed. Good luck!

This is a great chart, thanks DolceVita!

Thank you so much for this link, it is very helpful to me! I'm also trying to figure out the difference between a large (5ml) heparin flush to maintain line patency and heparin that one would receive for preventing systemic coagulation. Is it just a different drug concentration?