KimN

I am very sorry that you are going through this, I can only imagine how heartbroken you must be. However, I think it is wise for you not to go to the BON .. it is the instructor's responsibility to pull an individual from a program if they feel there is unsafe practice occuring. I can tell you from experience in my program that some of the A students in class ARE NOT competent on the floor - and in fact it terrifies me that they will be practicing nurses one day. Book/grade smarts will allow you to pass the NCLEX... so who is there to advocate for future patients? It is the nursing instructors that are working with us now during school and seeing our patterns. As student nurses we should know best that isolated incidents require education .. a pattern is something that needs to be addressed. I in no way mean this as a personal attack against you because I honestly feel for you and am sorry to hear this. But on the flip side I do agree that your mistakes warranted further action. Think about how devastated you would be if anything did happen to any of these patients... or how you would feel if a nurse did these things if the patient were a family member. I think there is something to be said about your comment as working previously as a LNA. I saw that a lot of the students who made harmful mistakes during clinicals were actually those who had previous experience working with patients and nurses. Because they see others doing these things they tended to think it was OK practice even though they actually knew it was wrong. These students also tended to be the most likely to roll their eyes and scuff when corrected by an instructor or nurse (not implying you are this way btw). Anyway i'm sorry this happened and it seems that you are taking responsibility for your actions, but have to say that there is probably a larger issue to why the instructors chose to exit you from the program. I wish you luck and happiness with whatever you pursue in your future :)

After two weeks jam packed with midterms, lectures, seminar, CWE hours in the emergency department, and a group project - I am overjoyously happy to say that I have THE WHOLE AFTERNOON TO MYSELF! I came home and changed into my pajamas (at 1:00 in the afternoon btw) turned my phone on silent and just sat. In pure silence. It's beautiful really. This is actually what makes nursing school worth it ... these times that you can appreciate nothing at all. To all of you who are stressing over a test or assignment right now i'm sorry ... but I will be back with you tomorrow. So what am I to do with all of this time .. nap, read a book for pleasure, watch tv?? No, I am on AN talking about nursing. Something is obviously wrong with me! Anyway I am so excited that I have some "me" time that I had to share it with you all - afterall you guys understand what I am talking about more than anyone else! I hope you all are enjoying your day as well

What information have YOU come up with? If you provide what you have done so far then we can try and help you organize or clarify those thoughts/issues. Without any information from you we can't help much.

Well here is my two cents on the BP issue. Based on what is presented here we do not know what is normal for this patient. Yes it is unlikely that her BP is normally that high, however, we cannot assume that she is having increased CO when we really don't know if that is abnormal for her. Also, you can make a nursing diagnosis and interventions related to her pain - within these interventions you can address the BP briefly by stating that pain medication as ordered may decrease anxiety and may lower BP (or something along those lines so it satisfies instructor). Most likely your instructor just wants to see that you can connect increased heart rate and blood pressure to a response to pain. Good luck!

Seems unfair to throw it on you last minute but usually you have more than one opportunity to take it .. many schools allow two - do you know if your school will allow this? I'm sorry I am really not trying to sound insensitive but I think it's actually a really good thing. It is scary but think of the confidence it will give you about the NCLEX when you pass. My school requires us to take HESIs 6 times a year!!! Seriously it's crazy and we have to take a final cummulative one at the end of the year to pass. They basically sprung it on the class doing it a few years ago when it started. I gripe about it but I think it's good -- we should be able to pass these tests if we are going to be nurses afterwards .. I would want my nurse to have been able to pass at the end of school! But really all the luck in the world to you and you've been preparing for it all along!

Okay okay let's see if I can make any sense here from student to student. It seems that maybe prioritizion is the issue here? I know when I started nursing school I would be so stressed about these things that I would find myself pulling for amy diagnosis that would fit, that I didn't think about the actual components of the problem and what is the most pressing issue that I need to be aware of as a nurse. The goal for preeclampsia is to get momma as far along or as close to term as we can get her and prevent her from developing eclampsia (seizures). Eclampsia can cause significant fetal harm and possibly death because of insufficient oxygenation. So that is a safety issue that takes priority in this case. Yes, she has high blood pressure but are you sure that her problem is related to fluid deficit .. and if so what makes you think that? Are there medications and non-pharmacological treatments that can help reduce the risk of this woman having a seizure? And what about the fetus ... you've got two patients here so we need to be monitoring them both. So I think if you decided to bring the baby in and the risk for hypoxia related to (vasospasms/seizure/whatever) as evidenced by (signs of more severe preeclampsia .. headache, BP, DTRs, etc). Also, what if she has a seizure - what would have to happen then? ... hmm premature delivery ... C-section complications ... ?? And lets think about diabetes here too and how that can complicate preeclampsia as well as the baby when it's born. What signs will the baby have from having a diabetic mother .. what are the S/S of hypoglycemia in baby and momma. I know it's a ramble but I hope it helps. This stuff can be very fun and fulfilling if done thoroughly and thoughtfully. You'll be thankful one day when you see it in real life and think "I know about this!" :)

Also I completely agree with Biffbradford's comment. The hospital I am working in does post jobs on their website etc. but primarily uses internal nurses already working for their facility to fill them. Most of these nurses that fill the jobs are facing department cuts themselves and are basically moved. Legally they have to post them online, but they don't even consider external applications.

I have no advice that can help you with securing a hospital position, but I do have some insight on the new grad hiring thing. It seems that in my area many facilities are hiring straight from their own preceptored students from nursing school. For instance I am in the emergency department and have the oppportunity to preceptor there for a full year before I graduate. I've been told that if I continue to do well I will likely get an offer when I graduate because many of the newer nurses that do not have hospital experience generally don't make it past orientation. The thought I guess is that they already have seen what you can handle and don't have to "trial" it in a new hire that is unfamiliar - which also means less orienting time for them. I have heard this is becoming more common. It's a good thing for me, but I feel like it is NOT fair at all to those who are in your position. I worry about not getting that offer, or hired in the hospital at all after graduating and not having that experience on my resume a year from now. I'm sorry that you and so many others are experiencing this. I truly hope that your persistance and drive pays off for you ... only good things can come with time :)

I completely agree with the above poster. I used to be that first year student that complained about not doing catheters, etc. (although payback has been a you-know-what this term .. it's been catheters galore!) And although I do still think practicing skills is very important and helps with confidence, now that I am almost done I am more concerned about things like prioritization, full patient assessments, critical thinking on my own, and just complete patient care. I am more worried about making sure I am competent enough to provide safe and excellent care to my patients on my own. I really wish that we did have more opportunities in clinicals, but I think you will do great! :)

I am in my last year of nursing school and asked my program director about signing up for clinical work experience credits on top of my class and clinical schedule. There are about five of us doing it and working full time with nurses in various departments. I worked hard and got into the ED and by the time my last term comes up I should be able to completely handle my own down there and prove i've got what it takes. I have heard other new grads have gotten hired this way and have used this as basically my chance to shine and show em' what I got. It's exhausting on top of everything else but so worth it since I HAVE TO GET HIRED IN THE ED! You should see if your program will allow you to do something like this. Hate to say it but most the time you've got to know someone or have a chance to show them what you can handle to get hired on out of school. I know that it has been commented on several times, but I cannot advise you strongly enough against going into any ED and handing the director your resume. I would almost say that's enough not to get a call back ... it may show you dont understand the culture of the ED. If you've got the desire find a way.. I wish you lots of luck!!!

I don't know ... that sounds pretty. scary. I can just imagine the looks from other staff members you will receive when they see you writing patient information down for your own records and then leaving the facility with it. I'm also not sure that keeping the mother's initials would do much good helping you statistically. It seems like once you are working on the floor for a while you will have a mental statistic library! :)

Please don't ever believe you are dumb for having a rough patch in your program. This website is here for a reason, and there is a 'student' section for all of us, who just like you, are struggling at some point or another. You deserve to be where you are ... no nursing program is easy to get into and you earned your way in. I hate to say it, but to quote my instructors, "nursing school isn't hard, it's just hard to learn to adjust." Not to down play all of the work that goes into it, but the trick is learning to adapt to the style of nursing school... and once you get it down it gets so much easier I swear! I haven't met a single person who did not struggle at first. I urge you to make frequent visits to your instructors ... they will appreciate your eagerness to improve. I wish you all the luck in the world!!

Hey, as a senior nursing student I can tell you that there were people who made it into my program with less than excellent GPAs. The key is nursing specific pre-requisites ... in which case they pretty much needed to be perfect. I think you've got a good of a shot as anyone with your pre-req grades. Good luck!

Thanks for the responses! I don't think I did a very good job of wording my question. I was actually not intending it to sound like I was seeking advice about what I personally would do in that situation, but instead just trying to get some feedback on the research I was looking through. I definitely understand that a physician provides the orders ... I am a confused student, but I definitely know that ... PHEW! :) It was really meant more out of interest because I had never heard this before and was wondering if it's something that was common. Also, I was wondering about the claim of it being unsafe for pediatric patients and wanted to see if anyone had any feedback. Although it is not my job to dictate the orders, it is mine to know when it is not safe to carry them out. And in the end i'm still a student which means I think too much about everything & am fascinated by new information. :)

Hey guys, So I have been working on my case study for a pediatric patient that presents to the ED with DKA. As i'm doing my research I have been finding a lot of conflicting information about whether or not it is standard today to give an insulin bolus... a lot of resources are telling me that they are finding that the bolus is either not necessary or unsafe. Since I haven't been in a DKA situation myself I can't speak to what is currently practiced in my local hospital, although i'm assuming they do provide a bolus before starting a continuous drip. I will check their protocols in clinicals on Thursday though. Anyway, for the purpose of my assignment I am going to include the bolus as a treatment since that is what our current med/surg book says, but was just wondering... what do you guys think? Have you been in this situation and seen whether or not your facility gives an initial bolus? Thanks :)

I also really struggled finding resources that satisfied requirements from various instructors when I first started my program on EBSCO. I didn't receive a whole lot of help from the librarian, but did utilize friends in my class who could navigate it well. When you have some spare time it would really be beneficial for you to try and do the same if you have a classmate you can connect with :)

My shoes are also starting to KILL my feet by the end of the day. I also wanted to get danskos but decided it wasn't worth the money since I graduate in a few months and will no longer wear the white shoes my program requires. If you do get them I hope you enjoy them for the both of us! :)

I'm having a hard time understanding why you would even be spending your time talking badly about LPNs ... I saw that you were talking negatively about them in a previous post. In fact i'm not even sure I buy that you are a BSN student at all... anyone can be who they want to be online & you seem quite bitter for some unknown reason. In my area many LPNs can find work in LTC facilities, urgent care clinics, and jails. There are many who do it as a way to do the RN bridge. And btw .. if pay is your incentive to become a nurse or bash other nurses.. good luck in this profession!

I have to say that I feel the same way ... every time I am put on the med/surg floor that is. I have always said that I too just feel depressed after spending an extended amount of time there for the same reasons you mentioned. I talked to my instructor about this and was instead placed primarily in the ICU & ED last term and let me tell you that I am IN LOVE with nursing again. She explained that it is the great thing about nursing... you don't have to love every area. I'm not sure that this is what is bothering you, but maybe you just need a change or scenery to make you see the light again? Good luck and congratulations on almost being done ... it will be so sweet in the end!

I just typed a really long comment to lose it all to a page error.. great haha. Anyway, I know where you are coming from. I just started the last year of my program and did really poorly on our first big paper of the term. I don't know what happened .. I have been writing papers practically in my sleep since I have started and have always received excellent scores. Suddenly, because of one paper, everything has changed. I have been devastated to say the least, and just plain scared!! I have been so worried about the next paper I spent all day sitting in front of a blank screen, unable to write anything and practically paralyzed. But guess what? You and I, we deserve our spots in our programs. We worked hard and were able to prove to our programs and ourselves that we could conquer the hurdles they threw us, and then press on. In my opinion now looking back, all of nursing school has been one big fat test. How do we handle obstacles, success, failure ... and how do we pick ourselves up when we fail or how comfortable do we become when we succeed? The truth is, you failed a test and that sucks. It sucks a lot and it's plain scary. But endocrine also sucks, and it has NOTHING to do with cardiac (which I think rocks! ) That is the perk to nursing.. suck at cardiac?? That's ok because there is always GI .. or maternity ... or neuro .. or (fill in the blank!)! I also truly feel that "thinking like a nurse" can only come so much from a textbook. I have found the less I study intensely, the more my scores improved. I try and pull from lecture and clinical experience primarily. I have now seen enough that I can try and think myself through the questions they are asking rather than trying to sort it out of all of the other textbook material I just read. You will get through this - I will get through this. We are SOSOSOSOSO close I can't believe it... just remember what the ultimate goal is. and tell yourself I AM GOING TO KICK THE LIVING CRAP OUT OF THIS TEST BECAUSE I CAN THINK LIKE A NURSE, AND TEST LIKE A NURSE! Good luck!!!!! :)

What kind of exam is it .. entrance, exit, etc? my school requires that we take TWO hesis per term that count as our midterm and final... yes that equals to SIX per year and we have to pass them both the first time to progress to the next term... needless to say we have lost almost half of our original class!! So i'm not sure that ours are great comparisons to a one time exit exam but I have to tell you that they are ROUGH! I have heard from others who have transfered out and taken only the exit that they aren't as bad ... but from my experience it's kind of a crap shoot. The questions are not like NCLEX questions at all... don't believe anyone that says that! I'm sorry and really don't mean to freak you out... i'm sure there will be plenty of people who have more positive experiences taking it as a one time exam .. but at my school it's a "I had to make sure I wore my lucky underware today" kind of exam. I truly wish you the best of luck and am already holding my breath for my next hesi exam in two weeks!

I am currently in nursing school and am still deciding! I just KNEW for sure that I wanted to work in labor & delivery or pediatrics. Well turns out I'm just so-so on L&D and too emotional to work with children, not to mention volatile. So many times I would like to punch out these parents, I'm telling you... It turns out that i LOVE the ICU and ER. However, I still feel myself jumping around quite a bit. Nursing school is fantastic because you can try your hand at so many things: surgical, geriatrics, oncology, community nursing... whatever you'd like. On a side note, I too thought that I wanted to get my masters "in some field of nursing" and here is my two cents knowing what I know now. Being an RN, nurse practioner, anesthetist, etc. are all SO different. The funny thing to me is that many of the masters specialties do not have a lot in common with being an RN. I genuinely advise you to work on devoting yourself to becoming a nurse first ... a nurse that is dedicated to pursuing and furthering their education and allow the rest of the plans to come as they will. I too thought I wanted to do both of those, however there is not a lot of patient care and quite frankly, they both seem boring now. All i can say is nursing school will be your real crash course through this all :)

Well I did not work as a CNA before nursing school, but I can tell you that you should absolutely do it if you can... it certainly would have made my life a lot easier in the beginning of nursing school. Coming into nursing without any 'real life' experiences with patients was quite an eye opener for me. Although I am very familiar with procedures and medical jargon, and very sociable and rarely uncomfortable communicating with people, I actually found myself feel slight uneasy the first few times I worked with patients as a 'healthcare provider'. I don't know why but suddenly I was not sure how to approach people or whether or what kind of conversation I could engage in with people in various situations. Also, you would be amazed how long it would take me to do a simple bed to chair transfer on a patient hooked up to oxygen and IV pumps... i must have looked like an idiot! If for any reason it is good to re-affirm your desires to enter nursing and give you valuable experience to pick up on your medical surrounding and how to effectively communicate with patients. HOWEVER, my only caution is that many people who worked as CNAs before entering nursing school felt that they knew more than they did, or felt that they were more seasoned and therefore did not take learning experiences as seriously and ultimately struggled by the end of first year. Being a CNA is a difficult but rewarding job, but does not provide a proper education about how to assess and treat patients.

I think that your heart is definitely in the right place and having the desire to help someone in their time of need is a quality that nurses need to have. However, in my opinion the ability to have a desire to dive in as far as you can to learn about the human body and how it reacts in different situations far superceedes the before mentioned. Now entering my last year of my program, it has been my deep interest in learning about the human body that has gotten me to pass my classes and feel that I am providing responsible care to patients because I understand (to a degree, still have a lot of learning to do!) why their bodies are reacting as they are, and how I anticipate their body's reaction to be once I implement an intervention. Although I suppose it could be possible to successfully become a nurse while also being disturbed by the body's processes, I think that unfortunately it is unlikely. Are you comfortable with having to deal with the physicalities of the human body such as fluids, etc? If not ... nursing certainly isn't for you. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of advice except that you should remember that not all nursing is done in the hospital setting. Maybe a community health job with your local government agency, working at a vaccination clinic, doctors office is more for you? At all of these work places nurses still have the ability to help people .. you don't have to work in a hospital to make a difference :)

I LOVE my Littmann Classic II S.E. In my opinion it is the best all around stethoscope for nursing school and beyond. I have used friends that have the Master and Cardiology, and while they are fine, I don't consider them to be any better for our purposes as students and general nurses. The Classic II is lightweight and precise. But PLEASE get it engraved or get one of those name tags for it. I thought I misplaced mine two weeks ago and was running all over the hospital looking for it ... turns out it was in my backpack the whole time but I got a major reality check about not having my name on it in case I really lost it! :)