Nurse SMS

I have used ChatGPT to ask AI about the impacts of AI and the potential benefits and downsides. Ethical questions abound. Yes, it definitely has the potential to keep patients safer, to improve documentation (especially for physicians) and to level the playing field for best practices. It also has the potential to make grave, grave errors, to be a huge question mark for patient privacy and to negatively impact marginalized populations and reduce access to quality care.

That's impossible to answer, but if you do get an attorney it needs to be one familiar with how to deal with the BON. Of course any restrictions on your current license are going to carry over. They will also carry from state to state if you move. I can't comment whether the restrictions were warranted or not, but they don't have anything to do with you "paying your dues" from a criminal standpoint. The BON is a separate entity and makes separate judgements, much of which isn't subject to law, such as moral turpitude. You will have to deal with this independently. I suspect you won't be able to do anything about this. How long are the restrictions in place?

The problem with this is that those can get lost, they don't represent anything in terms of protecting you should you be dinged for failing to report and, most of all, the patient themselves are at risk without closed loop communication. I really discourage you from reporting on normals, especially in this fashion, simply because it will then become like alarm fatigue. If the sticky notes contain normal information 9 times out of 10, the nurse will not prioritize them, and understandably so.

With the exception of sim and lab, to be fair, the classroom environment was never intended to simulate a hospital, clinic or any other actual nursing environment.

Many people have said this over the years and I tend to agree; however, nobody has come up yet with a viable alternative. As far as failing HESI and passing NCLEX, of course there are exceptions. They track the data over time and the schools hedge their bets on the data. I'm not personally arguing it one way or the other, simply conveying neutral information.

A lot of schools have an exit exam. The reasoning for this is that if you cannot pass the exit exam while the information is still fresh in your mind, you are unlikely to pass the NCLEX. Students that graduate and go on to take the NCLEX and fail reflect badly on the success rate of the school and its ranking. This has gone on for a very long time. I honestly doubt there is anything you can do to fight it. Honestly, even if you were to win, the NCLEX would still be the deciding factor and failing HESI is a good indicator of how you would probably do. Rather than going to war against your school, consider going in to chat with them about what you need to do to graduate and move on.

Follow that dream! I hope you find some others, but I suspect you are a bit of a unicorn my dear. Enjoy the journey and I hope you get to do the things that fill you up!

I have called it PCU (Progressive Care Unit) and ICU Stepdown. I have not heard the term "intermediate care", but a quick Internet search states it is a unit that is not as acute as ICU but more acute than the general Med-Surg population. From that definition, then yes. Intermediate Care and PCU/ICU Stepdown are likely very similar.

Generally that isn't how hiring in hospitals work. Most hospitals put new grads through an internship or residency program and do not hire new grads direct to the floor. Some will hire you before you have passed NCLEX on the understanding that if you do not pass, you don't get to keep that position. Others want you to have your RN license ready to go. You will have to spend time investigating what hospitals in your area require. If you are hoping to get hired prior to being licensed then you will need to look at hospitals that are independent, not part of a major hospital system or extremely rural and hurting for help. Good luck.

Exactly. The other part is to be likable in your interview. A new grad is a new grad is a new grad until they get to interact with you. The interview is a big inquiry into "Is this person likeable, teachable, intelligent, steady?" and "Do I want to work with him/her?"

What is an RNFA?

I don't know what a "limited permit" is. Not every state has them I suspect, but if it doesn't get in the way of you getting your NCLEX accomplished and if it allows you to get a foot in the door sooner, what is the down side to getting it?

Start by going to the websites of places you would like to work and look for new grad openings.

Get good grades. Work your connections. Apply to anything and everything rather than being hard and firm on your specialty of choice. If you are able to swing it, get a PRN position as a CNA/PCT in the hospital you hope to work for.

It sounds like you answered your own question in your last sentence. :) We can't give medical advice here. I have had an ACL tear and lived fine with it for a very long time. Nearly 20 years. I have struggled since having it fixed. Surgery is no guarantee of an improved outcome when it comes to nursing and knees. Best of luck, whatever you decide.

Most nursing schools have several different places they use for clinical rotations. Each will have their own rules about whether you will be allowed to do clinicals on site with them.

You would simply give two weeks notice. You don't have to say anything other than that you are giving notice and thank them for the opportunity. If you want to move on to do more advanced nursing roles, being in acute care will be important.

LTC/Assisted living does indeed tend to be difficult to get out of once you are in it, unfortunately. I am not weighing in on whether that is right, wrong or sideways, but it just is a thing. Dialysis as well. Most residencies are not open to RNs with experience. That means if you are graduating with a two year degree and then go on to get your BSN, you are not going to be qualified for the residency, as you won't be a new grad. Most residencies cap the applicant pool as being for new grads who graduated within the last year.

I am curious why you would? Usually its the other way around, with paramedics becoming RNs due to a significantly higher pay grade.

All you can do is apply. Where I live (DFW), the only way to get into the ICU is through a residency or internship, which happens 2-3 times each year. What you do NOT want to do is "move out West" without a job lined up before you go. If you are willing to do M/S or PCU/Stepdown, then do it where you currently live and get some experience under your belt. It will make you more employable and you will be much more likely to actually secure one of those positions in a place you already live. They can be just as competitive as ICU to obtain right now. Good luck!

I agree, saying "there is nothing I didn't like" would then prompt the question of why you are looking elsewhere. It's dishonest and dishonesty is absolutely detectable. It's better to be honest and then show how you dealt with it.

I have given over 1000 doses of the vaccine at this point. Most people are excited to get it, a few are pretty hesitant. I had an open and honest conversation with an educated person of color yesterday at my station, who had come to get the vaccine, but felt unsure and had questions they wanted answered prior to the injection. My appointment with them took twice as long, but in the end they took the vaccine and thanked me profusely for having an open and honest conversation about what we do know and what we do not know about both Covid and the vaccines we are giving. Particularly for minority populations, who have been impacted in greater numbers and who have an understandable mistrust of our medical community in general, I think sharing of information and invitation to question is vital. I am not going to blame a single soul for wanting to wait or for being hesitant about this vaccine. The only way we are going to get the information out there and keep this thing from being even more politicized than it already has been in the past year, is by being nonjudgmental and working to foster trusting relationships while people work through the trauma we have been through collectively.

I am just now reading through this thread but just wanted to pipe up that my institution IS giving out the info on VSafe and has been from the beginning. I used it for both of my doses.

Most MSN level positions require 3-5 years or more of acute care experience. You will do better to get a BSN, as you will find few jobs open to you as an MSN without any real nursing experience to speak of.

DFW hospitals only hire new grads via residencies/internships. You will not find one that hires directly to the floor, generally speaking. They are about to start the Winter cohorts, so you are correct that you will need to apply for the Summer cohorts. In general you will start to see these on the hospital websites anywhere from February to April/May. It's a tough market in DFW for new grads who want to go into acute care, with more new grads than there are openings. Be prepared for that. A lot of people move here with no connections and then are shocked when they can't find work. Hopefully you are waiting to move until you actually have a job, if acute care is where your heart is set. If you are willing to work outside of a hospital you will find more options.