JT RN

ah yes, those damned bed corners. and even worse, the overly zealous teachers who swear that your patient's blood pressure will sky rocket in direct correlation to the number of wrinkles on their sheets. yes, cleanliness and organization are very important in our profession, after all we are caring for people. but after doing the "check-off" at school, i don't remember ever mitering a corner. well... at least in ICU that is. i'm pretty sure a mitered corner is the last thing on everyone's mind... well either that or why Casper is such a friendly ghost. he's probably got ulterior motives.

well I'm a new grad who just started in ICU/CCU, so I can understand the "being lost" feeling. All the nurses say you'll feel like that for at least 6 months, if not 2 years. There's a nurse in our orientation group who was on oncology for a few decades, and she says it's like starting all over again also. So you're definitely not alone in it. I keep my pharm book at the desk, as well as my Kathy White Fast Facts book, that's a great quick reference. And my Thelan's Critical Care textbook is in my backpack. To me, it's just being pro-active in your learning. If I'm helping out with a procedure, emergency intubation, code, etc. I'll jot things down, like new meds I see/hear, to look up later. And I'm always asking "why?" just like a kid. It's not enough to know "what" we do as ICU nurses. They always talk about critical thinking, and that means knowing why things are being done. Anyway, good luck to you. I love being an ICU nurse.

At my school we practiced bathing fully clothed, and it was more going through the motions than actually manipulating limbs and wiping/washing. Breast exams, I don't remember having to do any on my colleagues.

Good for you for finding a new job. It's absolutely appalling that a manager, AND those above her, would take this kind of attitude. Ultimately, it comes down to patient care, and the trickle effect of this policy is guaranteed disaster. I hope you find yourself in a better environment soon.

With about 1 1/2 years of use I've had my coils snag a cord twice, so yes it is possible. But you can buy covered coils, I think they're about $40 for the pair. You can also get your coils rotated, because each side of the coil has a different stiffness. And there are also soft, medium, and hard coils; I think when you buy the shoes they come with the medium coils.

Maybe it's because of the S. California life-style, but I just wore some dark khakis, black fine-knit sweater, and black dress shoes. If you have "odd" piercings, take them out. If you have congenital BO, a dab of something that smells better than your armpit doesn't hurt. Just try to make sure that you and your words are the focus of the interview, not the tribal arm sleeve tatoo that looks so kick-ass when you wear a muscle tee.

check out the thread "ICU interview help," there were 2 replies there with some info, including my response. most of your concerns are covered in there. some general questions you may consider asking. RN/new grad turn-over rate (most hospitals keep track of this, it's fairly important to them.) Magnet status, if you care about that. Availability of intensivists (the place I work has on-unit intensivists 24/7, makes a big difference.) Utilization of multi-disciplinary rounds (rarely seen, but quite useful.) Staffing of RN's, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, etc. (again, the hospital I'm at has ICU-specific pharmacists, RT's, dieticians, etc. very helpful.) # of beds, patient population. Basically anything and everything to help you paint a picture of the environment. as I stated in my other post, give them every opportunity to "sell" the facility to you. ICU positions are highly sought after, but even as a new grad, nurses are in high demand. Interview at multiple sites and take your pick. Good luck! edit: one more thing, do some research on the facility to show that you've invested some time and are genuinely interested in the site. look at the history, the mission & values, the specialty areas unique to that facility. i.e. if they have a dedicated cancer center or burn unit, doesn't hurt to ask about it.

I'd say teaching hospitals are probably the way to go, however, don't completely rule out non-teaching hospitals either. I just started at a non-teaching hospital and the orientation program is great, the education department is very on top of things, and the physicians are very open to discussion and teaching. It all depends on the hospital. Also, before I started as an RN I worked at a teaching facility, and there are always those residents who are... difficult to work with, although they are few and far between.

Depending on what part of the country you're from, you can try getting an EMT certification and as omermero said work as an ER tech. You can also do pre-hospital work as an EMT, but again it depends on where you live. In S. California I got my EMT cert in 2 weeks, got hired on the spot for an ambulance company, and started running fire calls with medics within a month. Great experience, and the schedule works well for students. as far as classes, there's always things like ACLS/PALS or reading EKGs, but I hardly think that'll help you get hired over another candidate. What really counts is work experience. If you have a specific hospital in mind, doing anything within that facility may increase your chances. I've heard of secretaries in the ER being hired, almost without question, once they got their RN, 1) because of union (straight out of the managers mouth, I kid you not) and 2) they know the facility already. They say once your foot is in the door, it's pretty easy to move around.

HAHA well i doubt anyone is making a fashion statement with z-coils. it's all about function before beauty. you find me a $20K vehicle that goes 0-60 in 2.7, runs on tap water, and gets 160MPG, but looks like a pile of dog vomit, and i'll be all over it. (i'm not comparing z-coils to dog vomit.)

some things I focused on for my interview 1) teamwork - a lot of collaboration with other staff (PT, dietary, RT, pharm) and physicians, codes, emergency intubation, stat CT scans, etc. you MUST know how to work with other people. 2) taking in the big picture - ICU patients rarely have just ONE problem. it's almost always multiple systems interacting (and crashing) together. This is where critical thinking comes into play. 3) like you mentioned, having 2 patients allows you to focus your care, get to know your patients, and personalize their emotional/spiritual care. Here you can tie in your reasons for going into ICU with the generalized reasons for going into nursing. 4) this is up for debate, but... remember that the hospital is investing in you. If you have plans to go into anesthesia that's great, they want to know you have future plans, but don't make it seem like you're only there to get your 2 years of experience and get out. 5) another item up for debate, personally I don't think finances should be discussed at the first interview. Once they called me back and offered me a position I would then ask about signing bonuses, night diffs, etc. 6) as far as issues you're not comfortable with, my advice is to 1) be honest IF they ask about it and 2) try to put a positive spin on it. So for example, you like to get to know your patients and personalize their care, but a lot of ICU patients are ventilated and/or sedated, can't really respond to you, which makes it difficult. But even though they can't respond, and probably more so because of it, they require even more emotional/spiritual care simply because they are human beings with inherent needs who are completely relying upon your skills and compassion to care for them. One big piece of advice that not everyone follows. Come prepared with questions! It lets them know you're interested in their facility, and gives them an opportunity to brag about their hospital and they love that. You're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you. Nurses are in demand, so let it happen. I think I spent the majority of my interview asking questions and letting my interviewers "sell" their hospital to me. It can be hard to choose between two hospitals, so some things to look for in case you get offered positions at both. 1) ask your interviewers how long they've been at the hospital, how they like their jobs, why they're still working there, and how they get along with their own manager. Before you even finish asking the question, you'll get an idea of how they feel about the facility. 2) for me it was all about the new-grad orientation program, so I focused a lot of questions on this area. Were they going to train and teach me, or just let me sink or swim. 3) give as much opportunity for them to brag about their facility. I guess you have to be able to read people, but I absolutely love the hospital I'm working at now, and a lot had to do with the interviewers convincing me to work there. Well, good luck with the interview.

richwv, we all know where you're coming from. I just graduated from 1 year of accelerated hell on earth. I'm now working, still have not done a proper dressing change, or put in a foley catheter, or put in an NG tube... here are some things I've learned since starting work. 1) working as an RN is 100 times better than being a student nurse 2) school emphasizes paperwork, and while it is very important (don't wanna get sued or lose your license), you'll find that it isn't as bad once you start working 3) once you graduate, find a good hospital with a good new-grad orientation program, you'll learn EVERYTHING you need to know there 4) every school is different, but personally, the majority of nursing instructors suck ass. don't let their attitudes bring you down so the bad news, nursing school is lame and the instructors are tards, especially the fast track programs. the good news, the passion with which I hated nursing school is equal to the passion with which I love being a working RN. Hang in there, buddy. Becoming a great nurse takes a life-time of experience and dedication, it's okay to make mistakes, that's what rotations & internships are all about.

Hey Dino, first, of course most of the stories on this forum are the horror stories, a lot of people come on here to vent and ask for help. Anyway, I haven't read the other posts, but your background is somewhat similar to mine, so I'll share my thoughts. I have a BS in Biology, was pre-med, took the MCAT, applied to med schools nationwide, even went to an interview in San Francisco before I decided that medicine just wasn't what I was looking for. Graduated, took some time off, started working as an EMT & ICU Tech, and found in nursing what I had been looking for in medicine (the all-too-cliche "wanting to help people" profession.) Went through a 1-year accelerated program to get my BSN (btw, nursing school is absolute hell. Especially with a biology degree, you'll feel like you're wasting your time. It's not hard... just... lame.) I just started working in MICU/SICU and every week at church when people ask how my new job is I tell them "I love it." I don't know too many people who look forward to going to work, have a good time at work, and come home from work feeling satisfied. It is tiring, it is challenging, you're learning a million new things every day... but I guess that's why I love it. Not only that, I've talked quite a few of my church brothers to go back to school and become RN's as well. I don't think you'll be making as much money as a pharm rep, but personally, nursing is rewarding in many ways beyond the finances. Good luck to you.

As far as nursing school is concerned, I have heard that being a male applicant gives an edge for acceptance, but that's probably just rumor. Also, because grades for rotations are somewhat subjective, standing out from the crowd can be beneficial if you have a cool teacher who wants to see more males in nursing, or it can bite you in the ass if you get one of those "nursing should stay a female profession" teachers. I've seen both, and it not only affects your grade but your overall experience in that particular rotation. As far as working as an RN, I've heard things about physician preference and faster promotions, but so far I haven't seen much, but I only just started.

Z-Coils go to http://www.zcoil.com and you know they work because nobody would wear (and spend 2 bills on) such ridiculous looking shoes if they didn't. otherwise go to a specialty running store, get your arches checked out, and try on 10+ pairs of shoes before buying. every brand has a different feel. Personally, I've never found a pair of Nike's that felt comfortable, and this is coming from a runner.