mikeicurn ASN, RN

You might be a new grad, but some of these basic skills like straight cathing someone should not be making you nervous. You are going to have to start jumping in and doing them. Transferring to Med/Surg or anywhere else is probably not going to be an...

Don't get your honey where you make your money.

Good Luck!

You might be able to leave it off your resume, but when you fill out applications they often want all time accounted for, and explainations for any gaps in employment. So you may have to address it then. You have a good reason for leaving, and the fa...

You did good!

I have my own sheet that I use for my patients, as well as a form detailing these notes you are talking about (I have heard them them called fishbones).

1. Do RNs still create care plans anymore? In my area everyone admitted to the hospital or LTC facility has a care plan. 2. Was school beneficial to learning the creation if a care plan if the answer to Question 1 is 'yes'? I think so, in school you ...

As it's been stated already, it all depends on where you are at, and that particular facilities' policies. I make more hourly at the hospital, but the shift diff at the nursing home meant I actually made more there on the weekends. At my hospital PRN...

Agreed, you also have to be realistic. You may not land your "Dream job" right out of school. I have heard many new grads state they have to have a day shift job, don't want to work weekends, expect to be able to take off for children's birthdays, bo...

As others have said, no harm done. It could have been a lot worse. Don't take it personal, although your coworker may have not been the most gracious about it, she taught you something. Take the lesson and move on. When you have the opportunity to he...

Careplans are a little different in school than in the workplace. The ones you do in school are more detailed, because you need to learn what you are doing before you start filling out the "short form" versions. They are usually meant as more of a te...

I only wear Crocs (the real Crocs not the cheap knockoffs). They are the most comfortable shoes I have found.

I am not sure what part of the country you are in, but in my area $7.50 would be pretty typical for a nurse aid pay. My advice would be, that you may want to research the field a little more before you proceed into nursing school. Since the pay for a...

I only worked Med/surg for a short time, and have spent most of my time in the hospital in ICU. That having been said, I don't mind working med/surg. The things you are hearing about being short staffed, high pt to staff ratio, administration expecti...

Also, if you are that shy, you may want consider a career other than healthcare. You will have to deal with new people EVERY single time you work. You may want to consider a career in engineering or computer sciences or something along those lines wh...

Be persistant. If you go somewhere and they tell you they are not hiring, then go back again in a few weeks. Then again after that. Luck is usually being in the right place at the right time. If someone quits, then that person who has been pestering ...

This seems to have turned into a Canada v/s USA thread concerning healthcare. Here is a link from the AARP with 5 myths that are addressed. I found it interesting in comparison to all the horror stories people spread. I have never lived outside the ...

I got my ACLS certification after I graduated. My clinical instructor offered it for the cost of the text book, so it cost me around $25. I won't say it got me my job in a small ICU, but it did look good on my resume. Even with this deal, only 10 or ...

You did good.

I have been in ICU for just over a year. I feel confident I know what I am doing probably something like 90% of the time. There is always that uncertainty when doing something unfamiliar. Hang in there, it gets better. You just keep learning new thin...

I would have to guess as a new hire, and especially as a new grad you will most likely be working nights. Most places have people on nights who have been there for sometime waiting for a dayshift position to open up. I can't see them hiring you off t...

There is a school near me that churns out people with BA's in social work. My sister-in-law fell for their sales pitch. When she was graduating she was telling everyone she couldn't afford to work for less than $16.00 per hour to make it worthwhile. ...

I posted this in another thread, I am reposting it here because most of it applies here also. You have to take in advice from all sources, then make your own decisions. I worked as an LPN at a LTC facility while in RN school. I went to work in a smal...

"You learned central line care in school" is not good enough. Your facility needs to have policies, procedures, and protocols in place. This is both for the protection of the patients and the nursing staff." Right, and my hospital has all those. We g...