curetheworld

Ok.... so I understand why aPTT would skyrocket for patient with Hemophilia A and Factor VIII level of ....!!! How does this same patient have a normal PT/INR? I know some patients with mild-to-moderate Hemophilia can have normal PT/INR levels... but this guy has practically no Factor VIII... how is he clotting?

When choosing ND, keep the following things in mind: 1.) Prioritize Dx. Think of the patient. What is (or should be) the main focus of your care? 2.) Actual Dx always take priority over potential e.g. "impaired skin integrity"--- does the patient already have this or is it a potential? If latter, find something more important for that particular patient. Also, I'm not sure I understand your question about stages. If you're talking about cancer stages, make sure the ND fit the patient's cancer stage. Good luck!

I have heard many comparisons b/w critical care nursing and Med-Surg nursing. Here's my preceptor's POV. I started on a Med-Surg floor to get some experience before transferring to cardiac ICU. During weekly evaluation, my Med-Surg preceptor said...." this (med-surg) is a acute care floor, things change fast and people come in & out all the time. You need fast-pace and high-level of expertise to work at such a place. You have FIVE patients, not like ICU where you have only 1 or 2. ICU is much easier !!!" while I do agree with her partially -yes, you do need to be organized and have excellent time management skills in Med-surg -yes, you have 5 patients and people come in and out. BUT -ICU is not exactly "EASY" The ratios were made after much consideration. In ICUs your 1 or 2 patients are much sicker and need constant care/monitoring. Tell me she was wrong in making that statement. I was irked even more because she is one of those people who're not only stubborn but refuse to even listen to another person's argument. How do I deal with her? BTW, this is not the 1st time she has made such a statement. She says things like... "ICU nurses could NEVER work on this floor." "I'm the best on this floor, even better than nurses working longer than me." I really dislike her.

How long did you have to wait before landing 1st job after graduation? It's been 4 months for me ,:stone, no job, passed NCLEX in Jan.

Oh, that's sad! I saw Michael Moore's 'Sicko' recently. Despite the theatrical presentation, I appreciated his effort in making people aware of the flaws of health care system. There are some great parts in the movie. Who can explain why we don't have free healthcare? Is it one of the Basic Human Rights? right....

No, I don't know. Please elaborate :)

I'll share something. This happened in my final semester of nursing school (preceptorship). Seems like pre-nursing school was so long ago, I can hardly remember. Here we go: I precepted in Medical ICU. My assigned preceptor was totally awesome. One day she had to float, so I worked with a temp. Him: "Do you know the difference b/w novice and expert nurse?" Me: "other than the obvious.... no I don't. please share" (I was expecting to hear some secret) Him: "expert nurses can HIDE their mistakes REALLY well. novice nurses don't have that SKILL yet." (emphasis intended) umm.... really? I was so glad he wasn't my preceptor.

Why is tet-toxin prescribed to someone with 'frost-bite' :typing searched online, no help. thanks!

Thank you. I'll check with UCSF. Apparently, Stanford doesn't hire new grads in Med/Surg/Trauma ICU, ED, CVICU and Intermediate ICU. Do most new grads start in Med/Surg?

You're right, location may be the issue here (in CA). The market is saturated with experienced nurses from all over the country and new grads like me don't stand a chance... That makes me very sad.

When I got into nursing school a couple of years ago, there were articles in the news almost everyday about nursing shortage.... how we desperately need more nurses and what not. After graduation and 2 months of searching and applying for jobs, I wonder..... Is there really a nursing shortage?? If so, where? Ready to work---->>>