pooshx2

What type of job is this?

There is a position open at a VA CBOC near me. CBOC = community based outpatient clinic. The position requirements are 2 years RN with medical surgical experience. I only have ICU experience. What kind of patients do you see in a clinic, what are your duties, etc? I am interested in this position but I have to have everything turned in within 7 days and would like some feedback about pt's and acuity/illness things you deal with daily. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Don't know if this is what kind of thing you are looking for, but this is a doc I got when I started as a new grad. Hope it helps. ~Erica Common Continuous Drips Used in the CC Setting.doc

Hi all! Hoping to get some info about the different Carondolet hospitals and TMC. I can't apply to UMC as I only have 10 months experience as an RN and I spoke with recruiter and she said I need one year or start as a new grad and that is competitive (per UMC Recruiter). Carondolet and TMC websites indicate that I could start with my 10 months (ICU program done as a new grad). I am relocating d/t spouse's job so between Tucson to Sierra Vista area. I am looking at Sierra Vista and Tucson both, but these two hospitals are the only 2 that I have been able to see open jobs for. I am not stuck on staying in ICU, it would just be an adjustment to go to tele/medsurg and get used to higher pt loads. Thanks for any input!

I am attaching the one that I use. There is a front and back side to this and I am able to fit my 2 sheets of paper for my 2 pts easily in my pocket. I cannot take all the credit for this, I actually adapted a sheet I found on allnurses that I used when I was on med-surg and then modified it when I went to ICU. I circle the pertinent info and write other things in the blank. Example, circle NGT and write LIS. Often I circle what I am told in report and then put a check next to it during my assessment if I agree or if there is a change I write it down in the report section. Under admit info - I put outlying facility they came from, ground air etc. My back page is the details and I circle the hours I have meds scheduled and accuchecks scheduled and this is where I write down temps and if titrating what their VS's were. Hope this helps! ~Erica daily pt detail sheet for back of report sheet.doc ICU report sheet by Erica.doc

this is a decision that i struggled with too. i have a ba and ma in another field. what ultimately made my decision was when i applied to an adn and bsn program in my community the adn started in jan and the bsn didn't begin until june. i was secretly hoping to only get in to one so that i wouldn't have to make a decision, but getting through my adn with no debt was a wonderful thing!!! i also was able to get scholarships for every semester but my first (which i didn't apply for any) which helped tremendously. i have worked for a hospital the entire time i was in school and they also did tuition reimbursement, but they don't pay you until the end of the semester when you receive a passing grade, but that $ helped pay for the upcoming semester. books were the biggest up front expense i encountered. i have already enrolled in a rn to bsn program and with only one class at a time, will be done in 18 months while working full time. i feel that this was the best for me, you have to decide :innerconf what will be best for you though which is the hard part. good luck to you! ~erica

i whole heartedly agree with the previous poster! how i wish i could have remained anonymous during my 2 year nursing program. unfortunately, the week before nursing school began, i was the medic that responded to our first year instructor's car accident. i do feel that it gives you a unique perspective and adjusting from a trauma assessment to a full on head to toe assessment to meet the needs of my skills lab instructor was a nightmare for me! the best thing that happened was in my second semester when one of my instructors was also a paramedic and she would just put her arms around me and squeeze me tight and say that when you are in clinicals think like a nursing student, it does not matter that you are acls/pals, you are a nursing student!!! you cannot do anything regardless of your training. you are a nursing student! i just heard her voice in my head all the time and it kept me out of trouble from going beyond my scope. honestly, the hardest time was during a few codes in the ed during clinicals when i was at this small hospital and i felt like i was watching a three stooges episode. but i was a good nursing student and just stood in the back and observed as was expected of me. it was also a challenge on many test questions. my beloved paramedic nursing instructor would come in and write rtfq (read the f>>>> question) on the board for me. it is very hard to isolate the answer but remember in perfect nursing test question world that you have all the time, resources and what not available. do not pull in your outside experience because you will get the question wrong my friend! pretend that you have never been in that situation and even though you know none of the answers would ever be done in the real world, read the question, discover what the question is actually asking you for, remember abc, maslow and you will find the perfect nursing world answer. good luck in your endeavors, it was hard, it was entertaining and at times it was really fun. enjoy it! ~erica

David, What is stopping you from applying to FMC if you want to move back to Flag? I work at FMC now as an extern and graduate in Dec. and am beginning their new grad program for January. If you have at least 1 year of experience down at Tuscon then you don't have to apply as a new grad (that is my understanding from HR). FMC is a level one trauma center and has a great critical care training program (from what I have heard from people who did it). Good luck. ~Erica

Hello, I am using the GI Bill to help me pay for school. My advisor said that I was eligible for financial aid loans as well, but I have gotten scholarships throughout school and have used my GI $ for living expenses. There are tons of scholarships available to vets - just go to military.com and they have a list there. Don't be afraid to go out and ask within your community too. My local American Legion and Masonic lodge give out scholarships that I thought were just for the younger high school kids, but no it applied to me and I was able to get some scholarships that paid for books up front and then others that sent a check to my college to cover tuition. It is well worth the time to fill out the paperwork to do it. Good luck! ~Erica

At my school we have to take ProCalc exams to prove we are competent. This is our equivalency info.... ProCalc Equiv Revised 9-1-08.pdf

BUMP! Awesome post, I graduate in December and really needed to read this as I too am feeling ashamed as I saw some "newbies" the other day and thought, thank goodness I am done with that.

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I attended the open house and was very impressed with their dedication to the new grad. Can you tell me anything about their interview process? Is it one on one or a panel interview? Also, do they ask situational questions or just standard interview questions? Thank you for any info you can provide!

I am interested in any feedback on hospitals in the Phoenix area also. I graduate in December with an ADN. Are there hospitals that are more geared toward BSNs over ADNs? I am looking to start on a Med-Surg floor or Med-Tele floor. Area of town isn't a big concern of mine at this point. I would be willing to drive to a hospital that has a great new grad program that doesn't expect you to take 6 or 7 patients right away. Unfortunately I see that happening with some new grads where I work. After one week on the floor they are being pushed out with a level patient load. Thanks for any input! ~Erica

Depending on where you are coming from, I suppose "high cost of living" is a subjective term. For the economy locally here in Flag, it is difficult for the "average worker bee" to make ends meet. Purchasing a home here is costly. The housing survey that the city put out in Jan 08 stated that you need to make $59/hour to purchase the median priced home in Flagstaff. It is difficult with costs rising everywhere. The city here considers itself a tourist attraction and that unfortunately often prices out the people who actually support the town. It can be "iffy" about prices on apartments too, because you don't know the area that you are getting a great deal on could be meth central. I guess it depends on what is important to you and what lifestyle you live as well as whether or not you come from a higher cost of living area, then it would be comparable. Other surveys to note, 1 in 9 people that live in Flag are trust fund babies and there are 1 in 90ish millionaires per group of 90ish people. (does that make sense?) OK, well hope that helps some. ~Erica