PlanetCaroline

I'm a nursing student at Drexel & got an email saying that the closing of MCP will not affect med or nursing students & Drexel is committed to education, blah, blah. Of course the hospital closing won't affect med & nursing education because we pay through the nose for OUR education. My 1 year nursing program is grossing Drexel around $2.4 million. ($6,000 per quarter; 4 quarters; over 100 students). Med students pay more. Drexel is as much as a scam as Tenet is. I'm being trained to be a nurse committed to the highest standards of care. Then I am supposed to work at a hospital that treats it's nurses terribly. In a way I am glad I am at Drexel because I do not have a rosy view of the working world at all. Do you think Hahnemann Hospital might go next? The physical plant is falling apart. --Caroline

Not a huge Will & Grace fan, but am loving Jack in nursing school. I love it for these reasons: Instead of getting dumb blond & bimbo jokes, the show using humor related to nursing. How bout Jack using his skills to get dates. "I'm Jack, student nurse. If anyone needs a breast exam... men only, send them over" That joke while professionally inappropriate was hilarious. It's not like nursing school, but I have understood every piece of dialogue and obviously they hired a consultant to write some of the material. How about when the tough instructor pimped Jack on some vital signs basics. Loved it cause I could answer the questions. While it is played for laughs, you can tell nursing school is serious business showing students getting together to study & this has been the only occupation Jack has showed real emotion toward. Any other views on the only student nurse prominently shown on tv right now? :) Caroline

When I was 21, I ordered an alcoholic beverage and the bartender looked at me and gasped, "I can't serve you. You must be 13." At the time I was hurt and embarrassed. Now that I am over 30, I have noticed that people in their 20's look really young, like 13. I can't tell college and high school students apart. Maybe it's my failing eyesight :chuckle Caroline

See a psychiatrist to get treatment for your panic attack right away. I never got proper treatment for my panic attacks (started when I was 14) & as a result I have developed phobias of places where I often panic (on highways and airplanes). One of these days, I plan to undergo cognitive-behavior tx to try to rid myself of my debilitating phobias. People who have never had a panic attack may not be sympathetic. I remember my mom got scared when I was hyperventilating and yelled at me to stop. There are many good treatments for panic disorder and one of those treatments will probably work for you. It may take time to find the proper treatement. One last thing. While you feel like you are dying, you aren't. Your respiratory rate is fast and will cause some side effects like dizziness, numbness and tingling, but you will be ok. Worst thing that could happen is you would faint and then your breathing would automatically normalize. Apply what you learned in nursing school to your own body. It might reassure you that you are ok. Good luck. Caroline

Thanks for the info. I am a nursing student at Hahnemann (now Drexel University) and will try to talk to any picketers about the situation this week. After all, my nursing school is attached to Hahnemann Hospital. Talk about being on the front lines of a major nursing-related news story! I'll post any details that are fit to print later on. The strike has certainly brought the problems plagued by Hahnemann/MCP and Tenet back on the front page in Philadelphia. Caroline

Heard a rumor about a nurse strike happening at MCP/Hahnemann on Tuesday November 11th. Did a Google search and found nothing, so I am asking if it true and any details. Anyone willing to supply some info? Thanks. --Caroline

Two weeks ago I caught a minor cold. I had swollen glands, a scratchy throat, dry cough and no fever or stuffy nose. The cough caused me some sleepless nights, but 8 days later I was better. But then I got gastroenteritis & was up all night cleansing my intestines. No nausea or vomiting. Lost a night's sleep and after going to the bathroom 5 times it was mostly gone. But the very next night I got the symptoms of a cold, but not like the one I just had. With this cold I had a slight temperature 99.5 F, sneezing, stuffy nose, swollen glands, but no cough or sore throat. In the past 14 days, I think I have been sick with 2 different colds & a bout of gastroenteritis. Never in my life have I caught 3 separate illnesses w/n 2 weeks of each other. I am in perfect health so I'm not worried about my immune system, but I am curious about how I could have caught so many viruses. Maybe it's bad luck, my bad habit of rubbing my eyes or could it be school. My program is over capacity of students & our classrooms are sometimes pretty crowded. Also, the bathrooms tend to overflowing of towel litter b/c as nursing students, we are avid hand washers. On top of that we are touching each other for bp's, health assessment, etc. God knows how often the scopes are disinfected. Anybody else who started nursing school getting sick a lot??? I am sick of being sick and desperately need a good night's sleep. Caroline

This is really interesting how education varies. Potter & Perry 5th edition (2003) says there should be no air bubble in IM, use the Z-track method, an aspirate the needle to make sure that we didn't hit a vessel. It is hard to trust the textbook though b/c Potter & Perry (2203 ed.) said we should leave the needle in 10 seconds after injecting to make sure the medication gets in the muscle. The instructors told us that was completely wrong & I tend to agree. Who would tolerate having the needle in their arm extra time? I hope variations in nursing technique are okay b/c I sometimes don't know what to believe. I tend to go with what the book says for tests & what the instructors say for life. :)

My instructor (a 23 yo grad student) never told us the dirty mnemonics because last term one of her students was her mom's age (40's) & she thought she'd make her older student feel uncomfortable. LOL on that one. I think a 40 yo could make a young 'un blush faster than the other way around.

As an emergency nursing hopeful, I have read the to "enter ER right away" threads avidly. I have one question to the experienced ER nurses who suggest us new grads doing med surg first... When I interview on a med-surg floor, what do I tell the hiring committee? Do I tell the truth... that I am in med surg to get valuable experience so I can work in the ER. I can't imagine anybody wanting me on their floor if they found out I wanted to be in a different specialty. Wouldn't I be unpopular on the med surg floor if I left in 6 - 12 months, especially after the nurses taught me so much. I don't mind the idea of working different specialties before ER-- I want to do it in a respectful way. Please share how an ER hopeful can do it w/o exploiting the teaching/training capacities of another specialty. Thanks for the help. Caroline

No idea where to post this question, so I'm posting this is the General Nursing discussion. In grad school in Chicago, my general practitoner (an NP) also acted as my gyn. I liked her & it was handy have one person to do both the jobs of the annual gyn exam + routine primary care. Since moving back to Philly (3 years ago), I haven't gotten a new gyn. I know, I know I have to get one. Am overdue on my Pap. Not too crazy about my current PCP & was thinking maybe I should find an NP to be both my PCP & gyn. But, I have no idea if there are a lot of NPs out there who are jacks (or jills) of all trades & can serve as gyns and PCPs. You'd think I'd know something about this since I'm in nursing school, but I don't. Anybody want to dispel my ignorance on this topic. Thanks. Caroline

I thought birth control was a total b*tch when I was in my twenties. Used the pill & condoms and hated them-- gained weight, didn't like the latex smell, blah, blah, blah. Now that I am in my thirties with someone who is almost 50 (and on ADHD meds), I got bigger fish to fry... ED Argh! And Viagra costs $10 a pill!!!!! Oddly enough my love life is better now than then. While a hard man is good to find... an eager & hard working man is better. Btw... we never had this conversation. My SO would KILL me if he knew that I blabbed this to you guys. Caroline

Disclaimer: This is only my opinion. I am not qualified (nor smart enough) to diagnose diddly-squat. With that said... I think your pt needs to be carefully evaluated to identify the cause of the new symptoms. Never heard of TD with Neurontin (an anticonvulsant), but my drug book talks about twitching & anxiety. TD happens with neuroleptics including the ones that aren't supposed to have that effect (eg. Risperdal, Seroquel). Also, people who are older are more likely to get TD. Your pt might have a dystonia, which while disturbing is usually reversible. Cogentin, an anticholinergic medication, is often given for dystonia. What I find alarming is that you said that in the 1 1/2 years you worked with him, you never saw him like this. I'd say your patient needs an examination and tests to r/o something more serious than a drug reaction. Just my two cents. Caroline

Happens to me too. I think you are doing just fine. I think b/c people's anatomies are different your steth might not be at the precise location to detect an apical or brachial pulse. A hearing test can't hurt especially in such a noisy world. A simple hearing test is the one my doc did when I was a kid. Put a ticking watch near your ear. Can you hear it? If you have diminished hearing it might be something as simple as excess cerumen. You sound like you are doing fine. --Caroline

Clinical instructor told us newbie students about not putting anything on a patient's bed (eg. syringe cap) b/c it might get lost under pt. She then said we wouldn't believe the things found in patient's beds... So I am asking... What is the weirdest thing you found in a patient's bed? Inquiring minds was to know. --Caroline

Even if there was a wonder drug to mitigate smoking health risks, I probably would have quit anyway. I hated being addicted to cigarettes- they drained my pocketbook, energy, and good looks. I am smoke free now for 17 months...what a miracle. Caroline

I second Microbiology made Ridiculously Easy. Not only do nursing students use it as a review text, but also student doctors. Can't lose with that one.

I am going to Drexel, but I took ethics with Tim Kirk there. Loved that class & professor. Seek him out if you can. He's awesome & easy on the eyes. Can't tell you much about the nursing program, but I know the area well. I'm a "townie". Grew up around there. Get an R5 train schedule & explore. Check out the Point, (a music venue in Bryn Mawr). Can't tell you about the bars cause I don't drink anymore (loved Maritas back in the day), but I know that partying is big at Villanova & they can point you to the places to hang. Villanova has a reputation for being a school for the "beautiful people". We call it Vanilla-nova. While 'Nova is not as diverse as some other schools, you'll proabably find out that your nursing peers have interesting backgrounds. Welcome to the Main Line...Have fun.

Interesting thread. Having been in a male dominated fields...here is my 2 cents. 1) I'm always boy crazy in new schools, towns, & jobs. It's the novelty. When I moved to Chicago, I thought every guy was gorgeous. After awhile, I got over it. 2) I have had crushes on coworkers & even bosses. That lasts five minutes though. Once the novelty of the job wears off, so does the crush. One time a guy I was intimate with hired me for a summer college painting job thingy. Him bossing me around killed any chance of him getting nookie. I hated him sooo much that summer. What a slave driver. Didn't fool around with him again until we had different jobs. 3) Never dated a coworker, but have dated ppl I met through work. Conferences, professional meet & greets, etc. are great places to meet cool people. One of my favorite relationships was with a guy in the same field & in the same building. We had a lot of fun, but we never worked together. I think it's okay to hope that your dating potential will increase with the infusion of women coworkers in your life. It might, but not necessarily directly. Pay attention to how your female coworkers treat you...they will treat you the way you treat them... Do you want to be regarded as a valued coworker with an awesome attitude & great sense of humor or as a dog. You decide. --- Caroline

I absolutely agree...pre-reqs suck. But I already have a BA in History & MA in Psychology. At first I was really excited about most of my pre-reqs which were chem, micro, anat/phys, nutrition, ethics. I became less excited when I noticed my classes tended to cut corners. For example, in micro we didn't have a lab, but we had extra lecture time. I never saw a microorganism "live." Nutrition was horrid-- most of the material was already covered in chemistry, physiology & what you can read on your cereal box. After being completely demoralized, I remembered what I learned in grad school-- that higher education doesn't teach you the facts, it teaches you how to learn. So what, I didn't learn respiratory physiology very well...Now I can read up on it while at the beach waiting for nursing school. --- Caroline

Anybody skip class & not feel bad about it. I do my homework, study like a demon, and even read extra stuff,... but my lecture attendance record hovers at 25%. I am better about lab & usually make 90% of them. My grades aren't suffering at all. Already have a bachelors & master's degree so its not like I'm squandering my college experience. Anyone out there wanna tell me I'm not crazy for avoiding class like Y. pestis? Senioritis has set in big time. Enjoy your summer. ----- Caroline

I didn't marry a doctor, I married a telemarketer, a now unemployed telemarketer.... But I digress. My first real boyfriend was a 3rd year med student. He was handsome, laid back, kind, wealthy and on top of that he was kicking ass in med school. He was #1 in his class, Junior AOA, and matched at a top notch residency. I loved him to death, but I found him annoyingly perfect. Being 17, I did not appreciate my man & ran around with boys closer to my age. Anyway Greg gave me the House of God as a present & I was hooked by the portrayal of the sick humanity of medicine. I read the book over and over & swore that one day I'd be a doctor... So I didn't marry the doctor (he's an optho in Long Island), but I did pursue a medical career, a career in nursing. Thanks Greg. ----- Caroline