SNIXRN

Hi all! I wanted to see other hospitals' practices for administering narcotics in PACU (adults or pediatrics). For example, say you have a 100mcg vial of Fentanyl and want to give your patient a dose, how do you draw up the dose? How do you administer it? Do you draw up the whole vial in one syringe and administer the respective dose as needed from that syringe (e.g., give 25mcg now, then 25 mcg in 5 minutes)? Do you draw the dose you need at the time from the vial and later re-access the vial for additional doses? If, so, do you use the same syringe/needle? With the pediatric population, do you use any sort of transfer device? Any input would be appreciated. And, if you can at least tell me the state you are in, I would greatly appreciate that! Thanks!

I am an experienced RN coming from a prominent hospital however I currently only have my Associates. OHSU called me to set up an interview and to check my availability. She called back 5 mins later apologizing because they are only interviewing/hiring BSN nurses. She said re-apply as soon as I get my BSN. Go for your BSN! Legacy and Providence have a push for BSN by 2018 and Kaiser won't interview nurses without their BSN.

Hi all! I am planning on relocating to PDX within the next 6 months. I am interested in working for OHSU but I have a few questions. I noticed they "require BSN" - is this true, or do they make exceptions? I have been a RN for 3 years (2 of which are ICU experience). My hospital also "requires BSN" but sometimes they make exceptions and only if you plan on getting it within the next 6 years (which I do). Additional questions: -Which is the best critical care unit to work on? :) I work on a unit that takes everything from strokes, ventrics, IABP, VADS, ECMO, solid organ transplants - you name it :) However, I really enjoy my cardiac patients -How many beds does each ICU have? -Who is a part of the code blue team? -If you don't work for OHSU, but you do in ICU, any other recommendations for hospitals? Thanks in advance!!

Our PACU requires ICU experience. At first I didn't understand why, I thought PACU nurses just wake up the patients, make sure they are stable, then send 'em up to the floor - boy was I mistaken. These nurses care for patients who were already very sick then had surgery, pts who needed emergency surgery, patients with VADs, those who had cardiac surgery, patients that are vented, have new hearts or kidneys, etc. Now to address the OP, Our hospital hires new grads straight on med/surg, intermediate or icu floors however, we don't hire new grads in OR, PACU or ER so I would suggest maybe a cardiac or tele floor :)

Hey R*Star*RN, How did the interview go? I have an interview next week. Any pointers?

Hey johnnyarei, Sorry I never emailed you back... Been super busy lately. As for volunteering, that is great! Did you find the link? If you can, volunteer at the Phoenix campus because it's the hospital, not the clinic. (the hospital hires new grads).

In nursing school I did my preceptorship there (1 year ago) and loved it. The nurses are awesome there! I precepted with a med/surg nurse on days and we only had 4 patients max. The one thing I didn't like is that they contracted out with physicians... I prefer the doctors work for the hospital and not facilities.

Start volunteering now! I volunteered for my dream hospital for 2 years and landed a job before I graduated. Over 400 people applied for the position and they hired 30 of us.... My loyalty to them definitely helped me land a job there.

Yay, Katsie... You will be on my floor! :) Congrats!!!

Thanks for the reply! I believe I am interviewing for a surgical floor - I'm excited! Any suggestions for the interview? Oh and one last thing, just out of curiousity, what colors do nurses wear?

I live in another state and have a phone interview coming up. I'm a new grad but I have 9 months of adult acute care (in a hospital) experience. Just curious what the base pay is, nurse to patient ratio, etc. Has anyone gone from med-surg to peds? How was the transition?

Mayo, Banner... Don't waste your time applying for positions that require experience, apply to ones that accept new grads. Also, get ahold of the nursing recruiter or supervisor - let them know why you would be a great fit. Good luck.

My theory - many women had great experiences in their deliveries that they were inspired to be an OB RN.

Have you talked to any nursing managers on the floor? They are the ones who can pull your resume and let HR know.

Having an RN license isn't good enough (whether it's an Associates or BSN). It the other things you do to stand out. I have my associates. Landed an extremely competitive position at a hospital (even on day shift) - but I volunteered at the hospital for over two years, I also volunteered considerably in the community.

No, I work for Mayo Clinic. However, I am anticipating moving to Washington sometime next year (once I'm not considered a new grad).

Preventative measures, baby!

i volunteered for the hospital i wanted to work for before i started nursing school. my commitment for those 2+ years landed me a job there as a new grad before i even graduated, and did i mention, on day shift :) keep in mind this hospital is currently rated the second best hospital in the us (just below johns hopkins) and over 400 people applied to the position (30 new grads were hired). i am especially grateful because i currently only have my associates and a lot of people have been saying that most hospitals only hire bsn nurses (not true). good luck :)

We have plastic pitchers (about 800mL) that we fill as needed. However d/t infection control we don't take them back to the ice machine, we have disposable plastic liners that we bring in to the patient's room. Also, RNs and aids fill them up.

Hey all. I floated to our neuro floor the other day and absolutely loved it. I have a few quick questions though... 1. When having a seizure is it fairly common to lose bowel/bladder function? 2. Is a pseudoseizure a "fake" seizure or a seizure that is psychologically induced? Thx in advance!

are you doing anything else to stand out? i've said it before and i'll say it again - volunteer! i volunteered for the hospital i wanted to work for before i even started nursing school - that's a solid 2+ years of commitment. i worked full-time, went to school full-time and still managed to volunteer 4 hours every week at my dream hospital (this is ranked one of the best hospitals in the world). their new grad program opened up and they had over 400 applicants - they hired 30. i truly believe that showing my commitment to the hospital helped them in their decision to hire me (a rn with an associates) compared to others.

http://www.amazon.com/Diseases-Disorders-Nursing-Therapeutics-Manual/dp/0803622058/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313986609&sr=1-1 Great reference. Small enough to fit in your bag.

You need to stand out now. Start volunteering at a hospital you have your eye on. I started volunteering at a hospital before I started nursing school. I volunteered 4 hours a week and it landed me a job as a new grad before I even graduated. Also, volunteer for other community projects that are similar to what kind of nurse you want to be - volunteer for NAMI events or school health screenings (helps with peds).

How hard is it to get hired at Mayo? Easy if you're the best of the best. :)

At my school, you had to have your RN before. You will be able to graduate in Dec and pass boards in January (I did this) :)