Hazel11

Thank you everyone! My coworkers and I are concerned with the fact that this was not talked about with us first on how to prepare and some of the questions you all are asking are ones that have been left unanswered. We don’t know who has been in the building since the college was shut down in March. It was also the approach of it all that left us a bit confused. Thanks again!

Hello all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying as safe as possible during this time. I am writing today because I am struggling morally with what to do. I work for a nursing school and we are being asked to come in the beginning of May to clean the nursing lab (mannequins, linens, etc.) This is being done before they “deep clean” and was also sprung upon us by leadership in time before our contracts expire at the end of the semester. I am struggling because I don’t feel comfortable doing this and my co-workers are on the same page. The Summer semester will be on a virtual basis and I don’t understand what the urgency is. I am scared to say no and am looking at this place in a whole different light because hospitalizations of COVID have increased in our state, no one else has been on campus, and the president advised for the university to say closed. I don’t want to expose myself or my family. Any advice would be appreciated.

You can always ask your program director as well. For example, my state does not allow students to do IV pushes because they are operating under an LPN license most of the time so the school just has a policy to not pursue IV pushes at all. There should also be an online policy resource that you can look up on the facility's computer system. Maybe have one of the staff members at the facility show you where it is. Some places won't allow students to hang blood transfusions, but thankfully it can still be a decent learning opportunity for them to observe and you ask them questions (transfusion reactions, how blood types correspond with the blood, religious considerations, etc.). Hope this helps! ?

There are lots of schools now that hire remote nursing faculty that are classified as PRN positions and you don't have to relocate. There was a job recently posted on LinkedIn for an ATI nurse educator where you help students with NCLEX review. Hope this helps!

Sorry-very long post!! I work as a CNA in a nursing facility. I have been there for almost two years and haven't had any problems with the ladies I work with (other CNAs) and we work well together as a team. Two new girls have started working with us recently. The one is very hard-working, honest and a team player. The newest girl I am not sure about, even though we continue to help her out with her work and be respectful. Whenever there are new aides on the unit, my co-workers and I try our best to help them out with patient care and getting them oriented to our unit (I work on a dementia unit). I remember when I was new and scared, so I try to make the girls feel comfortable. I ended up finding out the first girl complained to HR that our unit was "cliquey." This was the first we had all heard of this situation, and the rest of the aides and I couldn't understand where this was coming from. (The girl ended up apologizing to us and explaining that she was new and didn't feel like she belonged, even though we talked to her and helped her out whenever she needed it.) So now word is going around about our unit and we are starting to get a reputation, even though our residents really do appreciate us, as well as their families and the nurses/nursing supervisors we work with. We found out later that the newest girl went to HR with more complaints. Some of these included: "We don't give the residents any rights, we don't sit down and talk with the residents, we take our residents to bed too early, and that we are not very nice to them." All of this is not true-everyone is hardworking, professional and kind. This is coming out of left field, and my unit coordinator was very upset that the Director of Nursing called her up and asked what was going on with her unit. This has never happened to us before. My co-workers and I can all say that we try our best to treat our residents with the utmost respect and provide them with the care they need. Sometimes the residents don't feel like having a bath, so we nicely encourage them to come take a bath with us and that they would be nice and clean for the next day. Once we encourage our residents to take the baths, they are okay with it and actually enjoy it. And sometimes our residents WANT to go to bed early-we never force any resident to do what they don't want to do. I have learned with the dementia residents it is important to encourage-not force-them to eat their dinner, take their baths, and socialize with others. I am just kind of confused about what to do with this situation. I feel like the aides need to have a discussion with our unit coordinator about this because now we (the aides) constantly feel like whenever there is a problem, that someone is not going to use the chain of command and talk to either HR or the DON about things they have problems with on our unit. Like I said before, everyone on our unit has built up a great reputation of providing great care for our dementia residents, but now I feel like it is ruined because of a misunderstanding. I'm just in shock. Any comments would be appreciated.

I am a senior nursing student at Ursuline College in Cleveland Ohio. It is a great school and requires a 2.5 to get into the BSN program. As long as you have taken the right classes and meet their requirements, you are admitted.

I'm in my junior year of a BSN program. Here is what my schedule looks like: Monday: Psych nursing lecture 8:30am-11am Tuesday: Psych clinicals 7:30am-2pm Wednesday: Psych clinicals 7:30am-2pm Thursday: BioEthics lecture 10am-12:30pm Friday: Psych lecture 8:30am-11am Culture class 11:30am-2pm We have a different rotation every 7 weeks, and I like it because you can focus on one nursing specialty at a time. I also work Thursdays or Fridays and every Saturday and Sunday as a nursing assistant on the 3pm-11pm shift. I don't have any kids-my schedule can still be busy-but I've been able to manage it okay (so far). Next semester I'll have the second half of my med-surg portion in Chronic nursing, and the last seven weeks are OB.

I am a nursing student in my junior year of a BSN program. I was diagnosed with depression when I was 14. I was very young, but my family provided me great support through the hard times. Since then I have been able to manage my condition with antidepressants and a great support system. Nursing school has been going great so far (and I hope it continues that way!) Just remember that you're not alone, and it's okay to ask for help. :redpinkhe

I just started passing meds two semesters ago. I usually keep my meds in the packages they come in, just in case the patient refuses or wants to know more info about the meds. (I don't want to mix up which color each drug is.) Always check the patient's name band, even if it is your only patient. Start learning good habits early! :)

I am loving it, but of course, it isn't perfect. I enjoy taking care of patients and learning how the body works-it just fascinates me. But then again, I don't get to see my friends or fiance as much. I work as well. That's why I try to give myself "me time", otherwise I wouldn't know how to handle my time effectively. I have to keep telling myself that there is a reason why I am doing all this. I'm halfway there!

Always ask questions..I can't stress that enough. Like others have stated, the first day is always the craziest. If you run out of things to do, you can always ask your clinical instructor or the nurse you are working with if you can watch certain procedures. Last semester we got to watch a man receive a wound vac. Good luck! :)

I'm a junior in a BSN program now, and at times, I still feel overwhelmed! All of the skills end up coming together..yesterday was my first day back and we had to demonstrate the skills we learned last semester on the school's mannequins. These skills included IV push, IM, giving meds through an NG tube, and a foley catheter insertion. When I first learned these skills, it was awkward and it took me some practicing to figure out my technique and become comfortable with what I was doing. But yesterday, I was able to finish these skills quickly and efficiently-just because I have been practicing so much with the mannequins and my trusty practice syringe and vial. Also, remember that we are all in the process of learning. Ask questions-that's what the instructors are there for. Some days I still doubt myself, but it's good to vent to friends who are going through what you are going through. Good luck in your endeavors! :redpinkhe

There are people at my school who are double majoring. They take their nursing courses during the year and fit in the Biology stuff during the summer. Doing both is a LOT of work...or at least it sounds like it.

We have ATI too. I have a love/hate relationship with it as well. Our university started using it, and it really has helped determine who will pass the NCLEX. I really like the books though; they are straight-forward and a good review!

Nursing school can get intense. My instructor had this to say: "If nursing school were easy, everyone would be able to do it." Even though it can get hard at times, I found that it is important to keep a support system around you. I am very glad that I found two very good friends who I study with each week. We all know what the other is going through, and we have helped each other a lot. You just have to stay motivated, disciplined, and positive. I don't have any children, but I do have a job so I have learned to really manage my time. Good luck. :)