Pediatric4077

No, it is different than acute care. However once you have experience there you can highlight your abilities and skills learned in that setting. I worked in a long term trach vent unit for infants/children and was able to highlight the skills required in that area in order to get a job in an acute care hospital. It can be done. You just have to sell it. Hope this helps.

There isn't much demand for new nurses in general. Getting your LPN will limit you further as most hospitals will not employ LPN's or will phase them out. So taking longer might be a good thing since there aren't jobs waiting. I would double check the adds you are looking at and see if they require experience, or if they are at places you would want to work in. Plus I don't think LPN's can make much more than 20-25 an hour. However if you want to get out to get started getting your LPN might be a good idea, if you can land a job. They are hired mostly for long term care or rehabilitation. Then you could get your RN and open up your opportunities.

I used to work in pediatric LTC and spent a lot of time unclogging g and j tubes. I had an order of what I would try for a J tube: Start with a 5 or 10ml syringe, it makes a BIG difference than the 60ml syringe. 1. Warm water 2. club soda 3. coffee 4. sodium bicarb+viokase tablet (if you work in LTC they might have a standing order so you can use this, it's pretty successful.) You crush both tablets, mix with a small amount of water, warm it up and place in the tube. For a g-tube just remove the tube (place a same size foley to hold the stoma open) and then you can look at where it's clogged and flush it out, clean the tube and put the tube back in the patient. This is a lot easier on the patient. Of course this all depends on your hospital's policy. We did it all the time in LTC. Hope this helps! Meredith

I've had a lot of patients complain about a metal taste in their mouth when I flush their IV (be in peripheral or central). Strange thing, but it happens. I offer the ones I know it bothers to sip something while I flush.

You have to look at the difference in practice. From what I see, I'm in pediatrics the PA's don't get to do very much.. They see kids in the clinic and write up histories. Big yawn. I'm sure they do more in different settings, I just know what I see. The NP's however are on the floor, writing orders, taking out drains, adjusting vent settings, doing more complicated activities. I'm an RN, and have been for almost 3 years. I think if I get at least another 3-4 years I'll be ready for an NP program. It's a lot of responsibility being a nurse, even more when in advanced practice. If you are trying to lessen the impact on your family the quicker program might help. However it really depends on what kind of student you are. Nursing school is demanding, no matter what way you slice it. Since you are familiar with college, look at the number of credits you are taking each semester for the different courses and how much clinical time you will also be doing. I'm a second degree RN so I got out of a lot of classes which lightened the load some. Anyhow hope this helps Meredith

While prepping a pt for a minor surgery she was very very worried. I told her not to worry. I will never, ever say that again. She died on the table. It was one of those fluke things. I never tell a patient not to worry now, I say It's okay to be nervous and offer comfort.

Thank you so much for posting this. I am a nurse myself and have been through 2 very tough pregnancy losses (and thankfully now have a beautiful baby boy). I have heard every wrong hurtful phrase in the book from nurses who took care of me to other nurses I work with. I've done my best to bite my tongue and chalk it up to their ignorance. I've had friends go through similar experiences. During and after their losses I tell them I am very sorry for their loss and then I listen. I offer my hand to hold and my shoulder to cry on. I will also tell them as they are a few weeks out that the worst has happened and now healing can begin. Miscarriage/infant-fetal loss is a terribly sad traumatic event. I mostly needed compassion and a listener as I began to work through the pain and loss of my babies. I hope that many will read your post and pass along the information. As nurses we are so important in our patients lives, by offering our compassion and listening we can do so much. (in all situations)

My mother has her MSN from Villanova. She is a full time floor nurse. She worked for awhile for different colleges as a clinical instructor and lecturer but the money is so much better in floor nursing(and she still worked relief while doing that). I've never heard her mention anything about not doing bedside nursing because of her masters. That comment I hope is isolated to that person.

I worked past 40 weeks. I was in early labor in my last shift at work. It was misery, but worth it to get more time home with my little one. Work for me got really really hard at about 38 weeks (I worked 12 hour shifts). But it's doable, you just have to manage your time as much as you can so you can sit as much as you can! I had horrific pitting edema (but no BP problems), so other nurses were fine with me getting off my feet when I could. Plus at the end you are so excited waiting for baby going to work kinda helps to pass the time. You get a year off?? I'm so jealous! I got 14 weeks (I go back this week) but all were unpaid. I say play it by ear. Keep going as long as you can, but since you get a year don't push it too hard. And Congratulations!!!!

Very wise idea. I got my CNA prior to nursing school and when I got to clinical in nursing school I was so much better prepared. You learn so much as a CNA. Go for it. Plus if you like the unit you are a CNA on they are very likely to hire you as an RN when you graduate.

I'm in Pennsylvania and the same is true of schools in this area. They are very serious about achievement because they need to turn out safe practitioners. Also there are so many students who want to get into programs they need a way of weeding out those who achieve the most. They do not want to let anyone near the NCLEX who isn't going to pass, it hurts their pass rate and reputation. At the school I went to even if you passed all your courses and got to the end of the program if you failed their practice test for NCLEX they didn't let you through. It happened to a few girls.

Check with your state labor laws. Lunch isn't a right, you don't have to get it. It's up to your state to determine. In PA they do not have to pay you for lunch, nor even give you a lunch or a break, no matter how long you work. If your facility has a policy for lunch and breaks you have point, but otherwise, it is what it is. I don't know where the idea came around about mandated breaks and what not.. It's up to the state you live it. You might be very surprised when you take a look..

I think you've just run into a bad crop. Most nurses and NP's I know totally understand the difference between a nurse and an MD. The nurse's role is critical and very important and nurses need to help further the reputation of their profession. There are many elements of nursing doctors will never do or understand, just as the same is true for the role of a doctor. We must both respect one another's knowledge and experience. And most of all: Work together for our patients!!!!!!!

All hospitals in our area are getting rid of their LPN's(or already have)(In the Philadelphia area). However we have TONS of LTC facilities that employ tons of LPN's. And you don't need experience to start your RN degree, you'll have clinical for that:nuke:

Waking them? Who needs a pain pill if they can sleep through the pain? That doesn't make sense to me. Prn is as needed. End of story, not offered every time they can get it.