cmomof3RN

The OP was in the breakroom intently reading a document which commanded her full attention (we can derive that this was an urgent document). She was a not preceptor, nor was she awaiting a student to enter on that non-clinical day. The student just abruptly entered the room. I fail to see how mumbling a pleasant but distracted "hi" in response to the student's cheery but ill-timed greeting could be remotely considered as "eating young" or being an AH. Also, if the OP had intended on "putting the student in her place", she could have come up with something much more severe than mumbling "hi". I did not detect any gloating, gleeful or otherwise, in the OP's post. I am generally considered to be super nice; however, if someone suddenly speaks to me while I am completely focused on an urgent matter, I am lucky to even notice that I have been addressed. A mumbled "hi" was more than sufficient in this situation.

"Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles, and others I can't think of now

I recently had a patient and his wife in their early 40's. The man had an IV which was saline-locked, and a small amount of blood began migrating into the extension. This worried the patient, and he sent his wife to find me. The equally alarmed wife explained that he "was afraid that the blood might go back into him and give him AIDS or something."

I bought this pack of 6 from Amazon.com, and I like them so far. Amazon.com: ADC ADLITE Disposable Penlight with Pupil Gauge (6 Penlights): Health Personal Care They are so inexpensive that I gave away 2 of them and didn't even worry about it. I have had them since last semester, and they are working great. There are more to choose from too. Amazon.com: penlight with pupil gauge Hope this helps! :)

I'm glad you all posted this! I'm in my 3rd semester of an ADN program, and I worked as an intern over the summer, and I feel like I go completely brainless in clinical! I'm wondering if it's some form of test anxiety or something, just because the instructor is right there, asking you these questions that you really ought to know. I think it's test anxiety and fatigue from staying up so late the night before getting all the preplanning work done--med sheets, labs, nursing dx + interventions, etc. It's overwhelming. Then I'd look around me and all of my classmates seem to have it all together and radiate with confidence and answer all the questions right. I seriously wondered if I was the only one going through this.

My bandage scissors came in a package with my BP cuff, stethoscope, penlight, measuring tape, and pen. We ordered this pack when we were being fitted for our uniforms. I think mine are 5.5". We were also told to bring them to our clinicals. I haven't used mine yet. I plan on bringing them to my Adult 2 clinical this semester just in case though.

I have found that I have to save my deep cleaning for breaks. During school, I do everything that absolutely has to be done, such as dishes, laundry, trash, etc. Sometimes my older 2 help out, but not very eagerly, lol. I try to keep things on hand to make quick dinners, but sometimes dinner can be rather interesting. Sometimes I will buy a big pack of ground beef or chicken breasts and cook it all at once then freeze in meal-sized portions. Then I can pull it out and make a meal with it pretty quickly. It saves time with the clean-up too.

It will probably be helpful to take a math course as a refresher. In my program, we have to take a dosage and calculation test every semester. We have 2 chances to pass, and if we don't pass then we don't move on to the next semester.

For my ADN program, we had some prerequisites that were required before applying to the nursing program. There are co-requisite courses that must be completed for the nursing courses. These can be completed while going through the nursing program, but it is extremely helpful and recommended to take them beforehand. Some of my classmates had to take A&P and Microbiology + those labs while in the nursing program, and they struggled to get through everything. It's still doable, but it is so much easier to get them over with sooner.

Congratulations!! :)

Those sound like good breakfast ideas! I have been struggling with eating breakfast early too. Usually I grab a bowl of cereal, but then I feel like I'm starving around 9 AM or so.

I am in the 3rd semester of an ADN program. I am working as an NA (same as CNA, but not certified) for 12 hours on Saturdays. It does seem like it's helping me to become more comfortable with patient care. I did not have any medical experience before nursing school. When I started my clinicals in 1st semester, I remember being absolutely terrified about going into a patient's room to introduce myself. Now I am pretty confident about going in to do whatever needs to be done, although sometimes I feel like I am all thumbs. :)

I have heard of people writing a letter of explanation when they have had not quite been ready the first time they were in the program. It would probably be helpful to have those letters of recommendation that someone mentioned as well. Good luck!

I feel really lucky too. We park in the employee parking lot, and the walk takes only a couple of minutes. Sounds like some of you have a frustrating time with parking.

That sounds great...I would love to have my kids help out without me nagging! They are good kids, but they really can drag their feet at times when it comes to something that they don't want to do. Perhaps it would help for them to complete their responsibilities before getting perks, such as TV or video games. I can use that idea in combination with chore charts to help motivate them.

Thanks, CSmiley. It sounds like you have a great routine. The other day, I bought a kind of large dry erase board with different colored markers, and I stuck in on the side of the refrigerator which is visible upon entering the kitchen. I have only put tasks for bedtime on it so far...pajamas, use bathroom, brush teeth, pick out clothes for next day. My youngest (the one with Asperger's) seems to be following it so far, but I need to write what time to have it done by. That's a good idea about using a different color for each child for chores. I need to work on getting it all planned out now. :)

Thanks, these sound like great suggestions! I will definitely have to gather some crockpot recipes. We have eaten too many microwave meals lately. I will also develop good chore lists for my kids.

I am entering my 3rd semester of an ADN program. I am a single mom of 3 children (ages 14, 12, and 7). So far my family life has been a little chaotic while I've been in school, so I am wondering what works for some of you. I am also working 2 part-time jobs (12 hours per week each, more during school breaks). I've been so busy with school and studying and work that I haven't had as much time as I would like to be a mom to them. I know that it is vital for me to complete school though. I told them that in less than a year, I will be finished with school, and I will be able to work 1 job and then be a mom when I am home instead of having my nose in a book the whole time. They understand that and are encouraging to me about it. What routines or chore arrangements work well for you? I have told my older 2 that I will need them to help around the house more, and they are agreeable to it. I am going to try to have all 3 pick out their clothes the night before and tidy their rooms every evening. I'm considering alternating weeks for the older 2 with one cleaning the kitchen with the other cleaning the bathroom, tidying the living room, and dusting and vacuuming. Of course, I will be helping out also and not just expecting them to do everything, lol. I'm going to have my youngest pitching in too. He has Asperger's syndrome (high functioning form of autism), so it's a little challenging. Bedtime for all 3 has been not going so well. For the past 2 years, I've been working through the week until 9 PM, so often we wouldn't get home until 10 PM. (I had been working around 50-60 hours per week between 2 jobs + going to school full-time). Then they were so glad to see me that they would understandably want to talk with me and so forth instead of getting ready for bed. It was not unusual for them to take an hour or longer to settle down and go to sleep. Then I would need to stay up until 1 or 2 AM or sometimes even 4 AM to get my studying done. (Once I didn't get to sleep at all). This semester, I will probably be home by 4:30 PM through the week and 8 PM on Saturdays. I know I will have to spend a significant time studying, but I am also looking forward to eating dinner with them, listening to them about how their day went and whatever is on their minds, and attending special school functions with them. Hopefully, they will be more ready to settle down and get to sleep at a more appropriate time. This will help them be rested for their school, and I will hopefully be able to finish my studying and get in bed a little earlier myself too, although I have heard that 3rd semester will keep you up all night. Please feel free to offer suggestions about what you find that works for you and your family. I really want to do a great job with everything I have to do, including being a mom.

I have a book called "Clinical Nursing Skills & Techniques" by Perry & Potter. This may be what you are thinking about. It was listed as an optional book for my 1st semester, and my Concepts Lab instructor highly recommended it. This shows pictures of the procedures and has step by step instructions and rationales. I bought the 6th edition from an individual Amazon seller to save money, especially since was an optional book, but there is a more recent edition available. The ISBN # for this edition is 978-0-323-02839-4.