Raebeth

This is obviously bad practice by the CNA and it should be addressed, but because you are a student that makes things tricky. You should first go to your instuctor and report the issue and tell her/him that you feel that an act like this should be brought to the attention of the head nurse or nurse manager. Also if you felt that you had to confront the CNA for her actions you should not do so in front of patients or coworkers. Pull her aside privately and tell her in a diplomatic way that you felt her actions were out of line and reportable. And as much as you would like to "beat her down" you can not let that show because it is unprofessional and will not get your point across. I hope that this CNA was counciled for her actions and if she gives you any attitude when she sees you for putting in a complaint you can either ignore her or say to her I am sorry that I had to report you, but I felt it had to be done to ensure safe and compassionate care to our patients. Which is what nursing is all about! Good luck!

dilaudid, dilaudid, dilaudid!!! I am a very new nurse and I can not tell you how many times I have pushed this drug! Also a good one to know is Ativan. When it is ordered IV push you have to dilute it. A lot of my preceptors asked me what I was doing when I was diluting it in normal saline. When I told them that that is what it says to do in my drug book and not to mention it even says it on the vial its self "dilute before use" They were like, "Oh, I never do that. Whoops!" Make sure you look up IVP meds to know if they have to be diluted, and how fast or slow you can push them and what IVF they are compatible with. Good lucK!

If you look on the inside of the blood pressure cuff there should be two vertical lines going down the cuff which are about 4 or so inches apart. Within those two lines is the range. (it may even say "range" on it). When you wrap the cuff around the pt's arm, before you secure the velcro, look on the inside of the cuff to see if the the edge of the cuff falls within that range (between the two lines). If the edge falls outside the last line, you should use a bigger cuff. If you wrap the cuff on and it doesn't make it to the first line you should go smaller.

I am a new RN who would like to pursue a NP degree in the future. What is the best area to gain experience in as a RN to be prepared to practice as a NP? Critical care? Med/Surg? ER? How many years experience as an RN is necessary? Any advice would be appreciated.

you may be able to get them from the site: evolve.elsevier.com They show you how to get the score report there. Good luck!

Hi there. I have been an ER tech for the last 4 years before that I was a CNA in a LTC setting and a CNA on a telemetry unit. You shouldn't be nervous about applying for the job. I'm sure you have gotten some good patient care experience as a LTC aide. To give you a run down on a day in the life of a ER tech it is as follows. When a pt. comes in I am usually the first person to interact with them. I take their vitals (if they are abnormal I tell the RN ASAP)get them in a gown if needed and get them comfortable. Then the RN comes to do an assessment, based on what the RN and the MD think they will tell me to start an IV or draw labs, so a phelbotomy course will be helpful to you. I learned on the job and it was just an added stress on top of getting used to everything else ( but it is possible to learn on the job) Then if the pt needs X-rays I'll transport them to the department and if they are being admitted I will transport them to the admitting floor( unless they are on a cardiac monitor, in that case an RN has to transport.) There is not too much lifting or even personal patient care like bed baths and brief changes. I mean there are times these things have to be done but not as frequent as in a nursing home. You definitley will see new and different things and will learn A LOT! Depending on the hospital you work in, techs can put in Foley catheters, start IVs, spike and prep NS solution bags, take EKG readings, put pts. on the cardiac monitor, do dressing changes . You assist the nurses and doctors with procedures like lumbar punctures, chest tubes insertions, central line placement, suturing, intubations, codes. I've done chest compressions on coding patients and suctioned secretions during intubations. In my opinion you see a lot more in the ER than in a nursing home and I feel more involved in the pt's. care. If this sounds good to you then go for it! I am sure you won't regret it! Best of luck to you!

I have gone through 3 pairs of white Dansko's over the last 2 years because they get filthy and scuffed. I know if I get a darker color the scuffs wouldn't be as noticable, but I prefer white. Any suggestions on how to keep them white and clean? Any good shoe polishes out there or stain protectants?

Very comprehensive and helpful. Thank you!

I have recently graduated nursing school and my first job as a RN is in an emergency room. At first I was ecstatic, but now I am kind of worried that it may be overwhelming. I've worked as an ER tech for the last 4 years so I'm not worried about starting lines or anything else technical, but I just don't know where to start with organizing my care and doing through assessments, and doing a through intake interview. I hope these are all things I can learn quickly on the job. Is it wise that my first job be in an ER?

I'm sure it varies among institutions, but speaking from my personal experience generally BS grads will have the potential to make more. I just finished a BSN program and the position I accepted is paying me the same as a AS grad. to start. When I questioned this, they said in a few years my salary would increase because I have a bachelor's degree where as someone with an associates would not be able to advance in pay at the rate of someone with a BS. Also, don't knock going to a community college to get your preqs. and gen. eds. out of the way. Why pay more money to take the same class at a four year school? I did the same thing you are planning to do in relation to transferring and I have had no regrets and i saved cash. Best of luck to you!