Emily Suzanne

I've been a pediatric OR nurse in Columbus, Ohio for 8 years. The first 4 years I worked as a staff nurse. I was later promoted to specialty leader (I oversee all ophthalmology, oculoplastics, and neuro ophthalmology operations), which is the position I've held for the last 4 years. My boyfriend and I are now applying for jobs in California (He is an acute care NP). We've both applied for our CA license (CA BON says processing times are 10-14 weeks currently, which is typical). In the meantime, we've been applying for jobs. My applications have been denied from both Rady Children's in San Diego and UCSF Benioff. Neither job requires BSN (I am a BS, ADN nurse working on BSN). I meet all other requirements. Does anyone have information or experience that could provide some insight? I don't know why I was denied other than perhaps the fact that my CA license is pending. Thanks in advance to anyone with advice.

Thank you all for the responses. I thought that what I did was the right thing. The nurse that I relieved felt otherwise--- and expressed her disapproval to management, but I'm in very good standing with the manager so nothing came of it. She is a younger nurse and I think she was trying to assert herself, but it definitley made me think and second guess myself. And I'm still not certain why she was (is) so upset. This was all a learning experience. But I like the policy that states if someone wants to count...you count! If anyone else out there has any similiar experiences or advice, please contribute!

Thank you so much for your reply. Our policy (or any policy that I can find) states what to be done in my specific situation. The case hadn't yet started, but everything had already been counted. The timing was just so weird. The case was minutes from starting. I don't know what the right thing is here. Should I have nixed their initial count and done our own inital count, or was I right in doing a relief count...or would either one be acceptable?

The situation: As the relief RN, I came into the operating room at 1500. The case was a port placement and a nephrectomy. The supplies, instruments, etc, were opened and had already been counted by the previous team, but the case had not yet begun. Patient was in the room and asleep. I was relieving three nurses (two of which were orientees) and one scrub tech. (Yes---a lot of cooks in the kitchen) The scrub nurse had scrubbed out before her relief arrived. The relief scrub nurse scrubbed in and I got report. At this time, the nurses I was relieving asked (reluctantly) if I wanted to do a relief count. I understand that it's 3 o'clock and everyone wants to go home, but I said yes, under the assumption that a relief count was policy--even in this sitation where the case hadn't quite started yet. The scrub nurse was pulling up to the field as this decision was made. We ended up having to wait for an appropriate time for the scrub nurse to count in the middle of the procedure. Turns out that the original count was off. It took about 15 minutes for everything to be sorted and the nurses/tech I was relieving were unhappy (to say the least). Originally I thought that I needed a relief count, but now I am second guessing myself. I guess because they had already done an initial count, I figured that we needed a relief count. It was an odd situation. If they hadn't counted, I could have done an intial count with the relief scrub nurse, but the case was so close to starting. Thoughts? What would you have done in that situation?

Hi there! I haven't posted on this site since my NCLEX 3 years ago. Now that I have a little experience...maybe I can help. I'm an OR RN at a childrens hospital. It sounds like you're already off to such a great start. It's a good thing to be able to communicate to your interviewer(s) that you understand the different roles between a circulator and a scrub...whether it's a scrub RN or scrub tech. Do a little research and show them that you get it. Communication is a big one. Having good communication skills and being assertive is key. Advocating for the patient...also a big one. OR nurses are the ones who have to advocate for the patient while they are asleep. When no one else will speak for them...it's our job to speak up. Let them know that you understand what it is to be "on call" and that you are cool with it. These are just a few helpful tips...a few key words...that interviewers like to hear. : )

I signed up for the 3 week course 3 weeks before my NCLEX (passed by the way) and I thought the questions were some of the best and most challenging out there. (I did ONLY the questions, by the way...I did not read the outlines at all). The questions really make you think, and the rationales are excellent. It's hard to compare anything to the NCLEX (once you take it, you'll understand why), but I think that NCSBN is great preparation because like I said, most of the questions really force you to think through the nursing process...which is what a lot of the NCLEX questions do. I highly recommend it.

All of the anxiety, insomnia, and worrying are part of what makes finding out that you passed (and you will pass) so much sweeter. Did you know that almost 90% of first time NCLEX-RN takers in the United States pass the first time? Odds are in your favor! I started studying about 5 weeks before my exam. I took a review (Mark Klimeck---who holds reviews in Ohio) and studied from the books he provided. I also did hundreds and hundreds of practice questions from Exam Cram and Saunders. I only looked up the rationale when I got a question wrong. Lastly, I signed up for the 3 weeks NCSBN online course at http://www.learningext.com. I ONLY did the questions...I did not read the outlines they provided. By the way...I thought the questions from NCSBN were GREAT preparation for the NCLEX. They really make you think and provide excellent rationale. Focus on the big picture. Don't focus too much on the details. I believe (after taking this exam and passing) that they are looking for a SAFE nurse with good nursing JUDGMENT. Sure...you'll get a few pharm questions with medications that you've never heard of...but you'll mostly see questions that are testing to see what kind of judgment you have. The NCLEX isn't looking for a nurse that knows the obscure medications as much as they are looking for a nurse that knows priority, delegation, safety, isolation precautions... Keep doing those practice questions and by the time you sit down for the exam...answering NCLEX question will be like second nature.:)

Took my exam on Monday 02/15 and finished with 75 questions in 1.5 hours. Tried the Pearson Vue "trick" and got the "good pop up". Next afternoon got my official results on the BON website. PASSED. So it seems to be true! Like I think several people have said before...it's not really a trick per se. It sort of makes sense. The computer won't let you reregister for the same exam if you passed. And will let you if you failed. It's probably not worth the time and money for Pearson Vue to go into the system and try to change it. Besides...most people will pay for quick results despite with that PVT says because most nursing students (admittedly including myself) are neurotic. However...if people keep calling them and asking about this "trick" I wonder if eventually they will put an end to it. Probably time consuming (and annoying) for them to be addressing this question from anxious students over and over. I would suggest not calling. Don't waste your time and their time. Let it be and enjoy it for what it is!:)

Just wanted to post some thoughts on the HESI. Might be useful to anyone who is going through this (or is going to go through it). The CD that comes with the HESI book. Do it. Expect to score low on the practice CD. If you score in the 70's be very proud of yourself. Forget the A,B,C's. They're useless. Focus on SAFETY. They're looking to see that you are first and foremost a safe nurse. If you miss the safety questions, you're going to hurt your score big time. Same goes for the math questions. They're weighted heavily, so make sure you take your time and get them right. Know therapeutic communication for psych. and psych. drugs. Read that chapter in HESI thoroughly. Same goes for the critical care chapter. Don't beat yourself up for missing a question about something trivial, like head lice. Do you think a question about head lice is going to be weighted heavily? Probably not. If you aren't sure of the answer on something like that, give it your best guess, and move on. Lastly, get your prioritizing and delegating skills down. Practice as many of those as possible. Good luck to anyone taking this exam. Take all of the time that is allowed to take it (3+ hours) if you need to. Think every question through carefully. Compare all of the answers and ask yourself..."which of these options can I afford NOT to do?" This will help you understand what the best SAFEST answer is.

I just took the Hest Test (passed) and here are my thoughts... My school requires this exam 4th quarter with a passing score of 800 (in order to move forward to 5th quarter) and again 7th quarter with a passing score of 850 (in order to graduate). This test isn't really something that you can "cram" for. If you've been in class every day and you've been doing relatively well (passing) on all prior exams in all prior courses, then you should be prepared for the HESI. I recommend purchasing one of the review books that HESI publishes, specifically "Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-PN Examination", or "Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination". Personally, all I used to prepare was the CD that accompanies the review book. The practice tests are exactly like the actual HESI as far as format. The trick is being able to dissect the question and understand what they are really asking for. It may be helpful to read up a little on how to answer those NCLEX style questions. Here's an example of one question that I remembered after taking the exam... You are taking care of an Italian-American patient post surgery. What would be the best Italian meal to serve? 1) Spaghetti and marinara 2) Spaghetti with meatballs 3) Fettuccini Alfredo 4) Eggplant Parmesan So I'd say that if you're over the top anxious about this exam...relax. It's not as bad as you think.

Just wanted to see if I could get a little input from a few professionals. Just finished up an exam and there were 2 questions that were a little...questionable. I'll try to quote them from memory the best I can. 1) A new mother who is breast feeding has some concerns about continued breast feeding at work. What is the nurses best advice? I had it down to two responses... ---"You can pump at work every 2 to 3 hours"--- OR ---"Breast milk can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours"--- Which one seems most right to you? I thought the question/answers seemed ambiguous. 2) A woman at 33weeks calls the nurse because she is concerned she may be having unusual contractions. Best advice? ---"Lie on your left side and count the contractions. Call back in a hour if they haven't subsided"--- -OR- ---Drink some water, urinate, lie on you left side and count the contractions. Call in an hour if they haven't subsided"--- Any opinions, thoughts, ideas are MUCH appreciated! Thanks!

This is my first post here, so hopefully I'm in the right place. If not...please, someone gently guide me the right direction. I'm a first year nursing student and am assigned to crease a nursing care plan (for the postpatrum patient). Part of out plan includes patient teaching. I'm creating a care plan on newborn thermoregulation. My question is in regards to newborn "shivering". As we learning in lecture, newborns do not shiver to keep warm...correct? Can someone please explain to me what it means if they do shiver. The texbook says shivering means, "the metabolic rate has doubled." How can I explain this to the family without confusing them, or leading them to believe that a shiver=seizure? If a newborn doesn't shiver to keep warm, then under what circumstance would they ever shiver? Thanks so much to anyone who can help me understand this concept! Emily