belle005

You'd feel the exact same way heading into Med/Surg, ER, oncology, peds, OR, etc. etc. New grads are always going to feel inadequate, scared, and like they suck! Don't worry... you'll get a good, long orientation in a specialty like OB and the fact...

Thank you for the responses! I am soooooooo nervous.... I think I'm most afraid of missing something with the babies. I had one newborn where my preceptor called the doctor and was very concerned and another newborn that looked EXACTLY the same to...

Ok, I just came off orientation in OB (first RN job). I work L&D, PP, and Nursery on a rotating basis. I'm sick to my stomach with worry and fear and dread and I want to quit so bad I can't even stand the thought of going back one more day. I ...

As an LPN, I once drained 1500 all at once and got yelled at. The RN said I should never drain more than 1000cc at one time because the fluid shift can be dangerous for the patient. So is that not true then?

Mamabwana - Your post here sounds EXACTLY like how I'm feeling right now. I'm two months into my first nursing job. I'm always so scared, unsure, and if anything bad happens, I'm afraid it will be a huge disaster because I won't have a clue what to...

I have been reading through old threads about single moms working weekends, but can't really find what I'm looking for. I'm a single mother to 3 young children. They go to their dad's house out of town every other weekend. Other than that, they ar...

I read Saunders NCLEX review book. It's an easy read and the strategies outlined are really really helpful on NCLEX. All the other studying I did wasn't wasted (learning about your field is never a waste of time), but it sure didn't help on NCLEX - ...

That's true!

I wouldn't mind home care at all. Or working in an office or something with kid-friendly hours... however, I'm being told that you need to have the experience and knowledge base before you will be successful in those types of jobs. I'm not sure if ...

If you still need help understanding abg interpretation, this site will give you problem after problem until you really start to understand it. This is how I learned it. http://www.vectors.cx/med/apps/abg.cgi

I'd have to get him to switch weekends with me once a month. He will not be into that at all. I always heard that nursing had these great flexible hours and wonderful schedules.... not so much. All I could get is nights which I never wanted, 12-ho...

Hmm.... I'm no expert, but I'll try! It's not terribly clear because the pCO2 is normal. Any chance you wrote the values incorrectly? 7.33 is acidic. So the patient has acidosis. It's not fully compensated or the pH would be back within normal r...

Is it a good idea to take a position as a new grad working nights in a birthing center? I just graduated and have limited nursing experience. I've never worked nights before and don't know what to expect as far as nights in a birthing unit (PP, L&a...

Well, I debated to the point of making myself sick for days!! I then thought I need to just DECIDE! So I chose OB and have refused to let myself go back and rethink it at all. So, right or wrong, I'm specializing in OB right out of school! I'm bo...

WOW!!! Talk about perserverance!! Good for you!! You should be proud of yourself.

I (FINALLY!!!) got two job offers. One is nights in OB (PP, L&D, Nursery rotation), 8 hr shifts (11-7:30) and this entails a 6 month full-time orientation with a staff of "mature nurses" - managers words. This is a .5 position, so 5 8-hour nigh...

Thank you for the replies. If anyone else started as a new grad on nights in OB and did just fine or would advise against it, I would welcome your opinions.

In the interview, it was mentioned that I would also circulate during c/s deliveries. I bet they would let me go to days occasionally if I wasn't getting that experience at night. It seemed like they really wanted me to get the full range of experi...

I'd be interested to hear the differences between day/night shift when you make the switch. How far in to training are you? It sounds like you like it so far, so that's encouraging. I hope I can do this! Have you ever worked nights before? This...

It's at a large hospital. OB has it's own floor. The orientation is 6 months long and I was assured I wouldn't be working alone with patients for at least 3-4 weeks. The atmosphere seems supportive. I love OB, I definitely want to work there. I ...

I had a similar thing happen, but I put the extra narc in the locked patient drawer instead of my pocket. I just got a verbal coaching from an RN on the floor. I just took it as education and next time I'll definitely return it to the proper place....

Apply for nurse intern or CNA positions while you're in school. They are usually only a one day or so per week commitment. They are also good practice to see what areas of nursing you like. I got a job as a nurse intern and it's a great foot-in-th...

I need some guidance on PRN pain medications. How do you decide what to give, when to give it, and what you can overlap? I get confused if they have several pain medications ordered as to what to offer them and when to do this. Coworkers all seem ...

Everyone I have ever worked with says "orientated". So, we agree that's wrong then? I thought maybe it was just me! I learned A&O (alert & oriented) in school. But I'm the only one using the word oriented. I was starting to doubt myself.

Everyone has their strengths/weaknesses. I have a nursing school friend who was so great in clinical... confident, could do any procedure like it was incredibly easy, she seemed to know everything when talking to her... but had her in an online clas...