lilla_fjaril

How does everybody feel about offering to do some non-clinical work for a practice that it willing to give you some hours. I have to do placements in a variety of places so I can't insinuate I might be able to work for all of them down the line and s...

Where I live, ANPs and PNPs are more common than FNPs because most offices/EDs specialize in kids or adults. I'm in an ANP program that'll I'll finish in 2011. There aren't any FNP programs in town. What if I want to add FNP or mental health certi...

Thanks everyone. I will take this information to heart. It may still be more cost-effective for me to get my ANP (basically free through tuition reimbursement) and then pay to complete a post-masters in FNP than it would be to switch to a more expe...

I work in the OR and one of my coworkers is an NP that chooses to work as an OR staff nurse. She said she did the continuing ed because she likes to learn and the hospital paid for it, but at the end of the day she's happy being an OR nurse and do t...

*rant following* Surgeons who swear, throw instruments on the floor, scream at you for giving them what they asked for instead of giving them what they wanted? Backstabbing sabotaging coworkers who systematically run off new orientees so they can kee...

Thanks guys, for your honest opinions. I've been in the OR at a big teaching hospital for a little over a year. I've calmed down some. I may go talk to HR or an EAP counselor about the best way to deal with being screamed at, so that I don't eventu...

Ohh my god, so nitpicky but I work in CT and the thoracic surgeons are forever pulling tonsil sponges off on my sponge sticks to use them as ring forceps. They don't even tell me. They just drop the sponge on my mayo for me to discover when I turn ba...

On working in school: Sure, it's better not to work if you can afford it, but I actually worked part-time in a hospital that provided tuition reimbursement while completing one of the accelerated 1 year BSN programs. I went to school 35 hours a wee...

You know, I'm a new nurse in the OR and I got that song and dance about how I would be stuck there because I'd lose my clinical skills, but I really think it's just a matter of how you sell yourself. I want to be an NP down the line so I'll eventual...

Try Birkenstock--Superbirki. Cheaper than those 'specialty nursing shoes' and sooooo comfortable :) If you've got high arches you may need to pop an arch support over the cork insole. My feet don't get hot during the day, my toes don't rub, and my ...

One more suggestion: massages! :) You think you can't afford them but really at this mst stressful time in your career you can't afford to skimp on taking care of yourself! And if all else fails, consider temporary meds just to get you through the i...

Danskos are expensive...and most are so tall! (i have klutz tendencies) I wear Birkinstocks. I think the style is Pro-birkie or something. Costs about 70 bucks. Very wide toe box, non-slip bottoms. I also have high arches so I put a pair of orth...

I suggest you google it. A single search brings up a lot of info.

Hi Ames! I'm at 5.5 months in the OR at a top ten hospital and I'm right there with you. I did an externship in the ICU where I was treated well and enjoyed the teamwork, but the lure of the OR overcame me and I signed on for a 9 month internship th...

Some of the bypass cannulas are two feet long and unpredictably floppy. Ever since I contaminated one trying to drop it and realized those suckers cost 35.00 each, my new plan has been to wait until the scrub nurse has everything else set up and the...

Take heart. I was a superstar in nursing school and I, too, am a complete OR retard. Any stupid thing that can be done--I've done it...twice, maybe three times. I now categorize the surgeons as 'thinks I'm a complete moron' or 'might not yet think...

I interviewed a patient barely out of his teens in the holding area today. He was in for his 4th heart surgery and was understandably not cooperative or pleasant. Still, I left behind an important notebook and he made a point to have the anesthesia...

I prechart as much as possible. I even prechart counts, drains, dressings, etc. If we didn't do this we'd never be able to complete the whole chart on short 1 hour cases. We don't have to put times in for most things so I just delete times for eve...

I'm working on an article for mentors/preceptors--kind of a 'ten things every preceptor should know.' What was/is/will be one or two things you wish your preceptor/teacher knew? For me it was: When you tell me I don't need to be nervous, I realize ...

I'm working on an article for mentors/preceptors--kind of a 'ten things every preceptor should know.' What was/will be one or two things you wish your preceptor/teacher knew? For me it was: When you tell me I don't need to be nervous, I realize eve...

Yeah, that's exactly why I asked Linda--the whole HIPAA thing. I didn't want to bring it up to my charge because she'd probably find it all cute and pathetic that the newbie nurse 'cared' about her patient. I would actually have no problem if a pa...

My understanding is that CRNA is a Master's level degree so you can get your ADN but you'd need to then get a BSN before qualifying for a CRNA program. You also usually need a GPA of 3.5 or higher and 1-2 years experience in an ICU or CCU.

Oh my freaking God, and what about people (or brochures or giant billboards) that just sprinkle their advertisement's with load's of unneeded apostrophe's? Make's me nut's!! And today's pet peeve...everyone in my department seems to be saying laxida...

Hey- Newbie RN trying to understand everything there is to know about the CTOR. Our anesthesia docs often ask for us to order 4 RBCs 4FFP and possibly one platelet. If the RBCs are for low crit and the platelets are for low platelets then what is the...

Also, yes. I applaud Oregon and Washington for allowing this choice. People can say all they want about 'playing God' but last I checked we still had freedom of religion in this country and people who choose to die probably don't feel their decisio...