Nitfree

I am currently in the RN to BSN program at WGU. I've completed 2 classes in 8 weeks. I've been reading a lot about the difficulties of community health. And that the hours required are outrageous. I feel like quitting and transferring now before I am too involved at WGU. Any suggestions?

I agree. I have been an RN for 6 years. I didn't want a BSN until recently,because I am 63 and felt like enough was enough. However, I've been in a BSN program for 2 months now and can honestly say I have learned a lot that I didn't know. My genetics class and care of the older adult made my critical thinking skills sharper. I went back because I wanted to learn more and be the best I could be. In Florida few hospitals are requiring a BSN. It's preferred but ASN's are still clinical leaders in the hospitals here.

I plan on throwing the reviews away when I get them. I refuse to take part. Rarely can something good come out of this. I'm just too old, and I have too many other options should it become necessary to keep my job.

In ED you have to trust each others decisions. I appreciate the comments . It helps me to my move on

I just had my first ever peer review. Thought I had the best job ever but now I discovered that several of my coworkers don't trust my decision making. I've worked other jobs and always got high reviews and offers to come back. Believe me, these reviews aren't anonymous. They told me exactly who said what. I'm so hurt that I don't know if I can get over it. Considering leaving the profession altogether. I also have numerous critical care certs and over 30 years of nursing experience.

P.S. Remember ICU and OR are controlled environments. In ED you have less control because you don't know what kind of thing you'll be dealing with until after the enter the door. Give yourself one full year to decide if you really like this type of nursing. It's much different than floor nursing. We have to know something about everything and intervene quickly. It took me about 6 months before I was half way comfortable with what I was doing. I felt so inadequate many times but now I wouldn't think of doing anything else. Make sure you know normal lab values inside and out ,and which Xrays and Ct's need to be ordered for what type of injury, etc.

Some of the most common things that I encounter on a daily basis are abdominal pain, chest pain, respiratory difficulties, appendicitis, muscular skeletel complains. Brush up on the hospital's protocols for each. Try to master your skill and knowledge for one problem a week and then move on to the next complaint. Utilize co-workers knowlege and skill. Do focused assessments and memorize questions that you need to know from the patient to get the most info you can quickly. If you are uncomfortable with doing a certain thing in a code, then get comfortable by doing that one thing every time a code comes in. For instance, I hated doing the meds and apparantly everyone else did too and I got stuck in that duty with every code. But I learned the meds quickly and I became very comfortable with assuming that role in a code. Ask co-workers alot of questions . I am fortunate to work in an ED with superior nurses with tons of knowledge and I am always picking their brains.

Littman Cardio III. Heavy but well worth it.

Thanks to "Nurseonamotorcycle" for the info on running the bolus as a secondary line. That's so cool. I plan on doing that from now on.

I've been enjoying reading the posts. Hats off to Guttercat who stated things so perfectly! I tried hard to get a "specialty" unit after school, especially ER which I loved, but I kept finding myself in Med Surg. I put in for a transfer and was granted a choice of 2 different units, but as I watched what their nurses did and observed their patient load I decided to stay in Med Surg. I was afraid my hours would be cut, and I felt I would be too bored. Don't have to worry about that in Med Surg. Now I'm charge and do some managerial duties. I couldn't be happier! I thrive on the constant challenges and the crazy-buzy. I agree that years ago (35 to be exact) it took me only one minute to do what now takes me 5 minutes. Over the years, I've worked in every area of the hospital plus LTC and Med Surg is the hardest. We really do have to know everything about every thing. AMSN will celebrate Med Surg Nurses on Nov 1-7...I thank God for the crew I have now!

Thanks, I did find that link by accident and think I have made a good presentation using keypoints from that site.

I am a nursing student in need of a presentation topic for the ED where I am doing my preceptorship. I plan to go into psych nursing and your post intrigued me. Could you please point me in the right direction to learn more about handling the psych patient in the ED? Help...I need the info fairly soon. Thanks.

I found the the ATI tests have most of the info in their books, but alot of the info from the DVD's. Unfortunately, found this out just one month before graduation. If you have an ATI exam, then only study ATI literature. At least that's what I've discovered too late.

I am taking the NLN for the second time...actually third. I was given the wrong test the first time and had to come back and repeat it a couple of days later when personnel discovered the error. I scored low on the NLN acceleration but high on the RN NLN. I am going to retake it to see if I can improve my score to get into the LPN transition program. It's been 32 yrs since I took LPN training but have been working all along. The test really blew me away because it asked for nursing diagnosis which I was not trained to do. How can I prepare for the test again and brush up. The NLN pre-entrance practice book didn't help at all because nothing was on the test that was in that book. South Florida Community College used to have old tests you could go through to practice but they don't anymore. Someone please tell me how to prepare. I have until April 22, 2010.

I am a student at SFCC doing the LPN to RN transition program. It is extremely competitive and often unorganized. I applied already to get into the program and 75 others were ahead of me. They have also a night program for those who have to work but it is almost impossible to get in. The teachers are superb, and they offer A.A.S. and also partner with Florida Gulf coast for the BSN. Their prereqs are less than surrounding colleges as currently they do not require Chemistry or Alegebra. The exspense is lower than other colleges too. I have attended all campuses except Lake Placid and they are really nice and low key. They have a good pass rate on boards. I think you would like it but if you are use to a larger university type setting it is a bit of a culture shock.