xtine618

Like elkpark said, you need to stay in this new job for AT LEAST one full year at full time. Put your heart and soul into it like your career depends on it...because it does. Learn as much as you can, participate in staff meetings, committees, what...

So did you end up taking the job?

In all the places I have worked, (and they've all been in the ICU), new grads get at least 12 weeks. Other new nurses ( but not new grads) get anywhere between 1 week and 6 weeks, depending on the facility and how much experience that nurse has. Th...

Does anyone have any experience with applying for a license by endorsement as a military spouse? It says that they are expedited, but I don't know by how much. I am currently working with AYA Healthcare travel agency and so far this is my time line...

I don't think there is a difference between which state you take the NCLEX. It is a national test so it should be the same across the country.

As a nurse and Army wife I can tell you that being in the military is hard, but you can't beat the educational benefits that they give you. My husband is a recruiter and I know you can't work as an RN in the Army unless you have a BSN. If you were ...

Are you fully committed to becoming an RN? 40k is a lot if you're not sure if this is the job for you. I graduated from a for-profit school and I have student loans that you wouldn't believe but I still think I made a good decision. At the time I ...

Definitely ask the nurses on the unit. Your list seems pretty thorough. I would not necessarily add stuff for NGs. Also, many ICU admits are transfers from other floors so they may already have bathing supplies. Like many have said, zeroing the bed ...

Have you tried doing non time sensitive tasks before that 1600 time frame? Like emptying linens and trash before you start getting busy? I work nights so 0400 is when I get really busy and I know to have my baths done before then. Also, I would ask c...

I work in the ICU where we take care of the patients once they get out of open heart surgery. If the patient has bleeding issues and is still intubated, then we do the re-op in the ICU. There's a scrub tech or an RNFA and a circulating nurse that i...

I think one year is also short. 2 years is better, but 1 year is still better than 13 weeks. My family faced relocation to a place that none of us wanted to move to (my husband is in the Army) and I seriously cried for 3 days. When I was done, I t...

When you say the most basic stuff, what do you mean? Unfortunately book knowledge will only get you so far. Eventually you have to be able to apply that critical care knowledge in emergent situations. What kind of feed back does your preceptor give ...

And I wanted to add, I've seen a couple comments about a "slow code". If your patient truly is a DNR, then there should not be a code at all. Slow or otherwise.

Sounds like a rough situation. What is the function of your rapid response team? Are they a code team? If so, it would be inappropriate to call them. But if they respond to other calls such as chest pain, dropping pressures, etc then it was a good ...

You should have sex tonight. It really helped to relieve the stress and let me actually sleep the night before.

Yup, sounds about right to me. Besides, these critical care classes may fill up and they only have space for ICU nurses that already have a position but need the training. Unless you are willing to work/precept unpaid, you may have a difficult time...

I agree with NicuGal. Our practice council is mainly focused on EBP, enforcing policies and procedures and brainstorming ways to improve patient and employee satisfaction. Not sure how you would go about changing the way yours runs, but I might find...

Where I work, the hospital provides the scrubs for certain departments and we wear street clothes in and change before and after our shift. I work in the ICU and we were green or black scrubs that the unit provides. I usually bring in my own black ...

Are you willing or able to relocate? This is difficult if you have a family but it might be an option for you to look out of state and then move back home or to where you really want to go after you have had a year or two under your belt. Good luck...

Don't feel guilty, and don't let your coworkers make you feel guilty. I am PDR/PRN at my hospital and I am only obligated to work 8 shifts every 8 weeks which includes 2 weekend shifts. I usually sign up for 16 shifts every 8 weeks though, so twice...

Have you had any luck? I just got the position of Research Nurse Fellow at my hospital. Luckily there are 3 of us working on our project. It is very overwhelming right now, but you don't need a PhD to do research. If you haven't stated yet, I sug...

I was in the same predicament, working in a hospital that I didn't really like, but they were the only ones hiring at the time. Well 3 months later, my preferred hospital ended their hiring freeze and I applied for the job in the ICU. I didn't tell...

When I went to nursing school, my kids were 1 and 4. My husband and I moved back in with my parents so that we could save money and have help with the kids so that I could study as much as I needed to. It was the longest and also shortest 2 years o...

Since this was originally posted a while ago, I was wondering how you are doing? Are you still in the ICU? They gave you a very short orientation in my opinion. When I was a new grad in the ICU, my orientation was 12 weeks on days and 2 weeks on ni...

It's not about having an easy ICU patient (I'd like one of those every now and then), it's about a pt who doesn't meet ICU requirements taking up a bed and a nursing assignment that could be needed by a code, a trauma, etc. And sometimes the docs do...