dawn.b-RN

THank you all for the kind words and good advice. It is TRULY appreciated!!:redbeathe Yes, we have to notify the Sheriff and Coroner of ANY death and they will let us know if we can pull anything or leave them as they are....so in some cases the care might not be as detailed.

Maybe it would be to my advantage during my orientation to ask to help with post mortem care IF the situation arises with another RN's patient. Maybe to get a little more used to the idea. yes, seeing dead family members, blue, especially parents when you're a child is disturbing in my opinion and experience.

I will be on a tele unit with some step down patients (I am not experienced enough to get any step down). This unit has the most codes typically.

well, yes, I don't mean that in a bad way...I am just scared. I know it sounds stupid to the experienced Rn's and pct's, etc...but I get anxious thinking about it.

How do I get over this! I am already nervous about being a new Rn, starting a new job this week and now I can't stop thinking about someone dying on me and me having to do post-mortem care!? I think this allllll goes back to when i was 13 and my mom died very suddenly and unexpectedly and we were brought to see her body at the ER and it was too much for me to see at that age...I think I'm scarred for life....and scared now. How can I get over this fear?!?!?!

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have spent the day studying cardiac meds...I just feel like I should study something! Two more days to mentally prep myself!

I got very fortunate to have landed a days tele job at a hospital I did a student-internship at. I am fairly familiar with the facility, some of the paperwork, charting, etc. I just finished the general nursing orienation yesterday. Wednesday is my first day on the floor with my preceptor. We'll do 12's. We use RN educators who make our schedules and kinda "assign" us...by that I mean on my schedule, she wrote, day one- 1 pt, day two-2 pt, day 2-2 pt, etc.... BUT seeing as it's my very first day on the floor I have to set up my pyxis access (which i need help with) and make sure all my log in's work, etc. I wish they would've had us do that last week?!?!? I've never started an IV (our program didn't teach this), never inserted a foley, never changed a central line dressing, etc....I feel like I'm already behind and I havent' even started yet! Is it normal to feel so nervous!!??? Any advice for the first day for a new grad, new RN?

I'm sorry! That has to be hard. My other question is do you not have your FB privacy settings adjusted? Mine is set so NO ONE who I'm not "Friends" with can see ANYTHING of mine. If you plan to keep your FB I would suggest making it private...and of course, only vent to people face to face...or here I am starting my first job on a tele floor in mid-Feb and I am petrified.

I graduated mid-December...took NCLEX January 18th, passed, had a job interview on Monday, got the job offer yesterday. I was "in" already because they had a student internship program I did participate in....so that helped. But let me tell you, I AM SCARED!!! The job is cardiac telemetry. The floor is always crazy. I feel like I need to study something to prep. Any advice? The other odd thing is they could only hire me as PTR, so 48 hours per pay period, but since I had told them I wanted/needed full time hours, they told me I'd have no issue picking up a 12, so ok, fine. BUT, I asked if my orientation would be 2 days per week for 12 weeks or if I'd get to orient 3 days per week for 12 weeks and the manager thought it was just 2 days per week...I feel like losing a full 12 days of orientation for a new grad is a lot of time lost AM I wrong in thinking this?

I believe you have to do it in a class in a live setting because when I took it we had to run a code and use the manequin and do CPR, and analyze his rhythm's etc...you had to pass all this to get your card (AHA card). Personally for me, I read most of the book before class and it was not making sense...the actual classroom instruction made it crystal clear to me. GOod luck!

Cardiac Telemetry Unit

Thank you! I realized reading my own quotes that I am being totally negative about this! Yes, I actually enjoy talking to patients, holding their hand if they need it. I AM a GREAT listener. I genuinely CARE about people. I do like teaching patients about meds, diet changes, disease process, etc. Those are strengths I think! I do enjoy a fast paced day (although I feel like NOW as a new grad that's scary, but I have to realize I will not be on my own immediately). I did get my instructor to write me a letter of rec. and picked it up today I think my boss (who works at the same hospital) will be more than happy to write me one Monday morning...good thing my interview isn't until 12:30 and the nurse I worked with for my internship *said* she'd write me a letter...so far I've gotten nothing from her, but I suppose as long as I have two it's better than zero or one right? I NEED to be positive!

I just found out I passed NCLEX yesterday...amen. I am a student nurse intern (not graduate intern program) here at a hospital. So, there were 10 of us hired as interns. I was the first to graduate and I called the nurse recruiter as he told me to let him know when I pass. He set up an interview on MONDAY...today is FRIDAY and he wants me to bring letters of recommendation...which is hard to get a hold of people on a Friday afternoon to bring letters on Monday The other issue...it's a CTU...NOT my favorite unit, at all...but not the worst and right now a job is a job is a job. They want reasons why I think I'd fit in well on a CTU? I don't know how to respond to these types of questions We only had about 4 days of clinicals in a CTU and the hospital I was at would only let us take 1 patient at a time...the lady I had really should've been a general patient...so really that experience was pretty much useless. Idk...Any advice? How do I sell myself for a position I feel slightly uncomfortable in. I am ACLS certified, so I suppose that helps, slightly.

So, it was right for me, I got my quick results and PASSED! Take that SATA q's!

I took mine yesterday and I swear I had at least 20 SATA. Mine varied from being content based, to interventions, etc. They were all hard, and all different...PVT says pass for me. I won't believe it til tomorrow.

OMG, did we have the same test? I had so many SATA questions it was unreal...seriously I think I had at least 20.

I took mine this afternoon (1/18). I thought I FAILED and I got the "good pop up". I am still soooo nervous that it's wrong for me! I just want this wait over

I took NCLEX today....I feel SICK to my stomach. I had HARD questions, and PVT says I passed. I believe in the PVT for everyone else, but not for me

Thank you both, what a pain! I'll add that to my list of things to do....

Does anyone know if in IL you have to have your finger printing done in order to get your ATT? I paid my $91, waiting for my school to send in our info (I am a Dec. grad); I think our director of Nursing Ed. said we don't need to get our finger printing done until we are licensed, but then I heard that we need it just to get our ATT? I cannot find a clear cut answer on any of the IL websites? Anyone know?

Thank you. I feel like I know the material we have studied so far...I tend to do poorly on the select all that apply q's and the prioritization. I guess that is something to focus on practicing.

I am in my last semester of nursing school (just started this week). FOr my nursing program we have to do 100 NCLEX style q's per week. I used my Davis Review book CD. The first quiz I got a 50% (I did 50 q's), second quiz, I got 64% (I did 100q's). I realize I have a whole semester of material to learn (psych, neuro, ortho and management), and I just started doing these review questions, but I am getting more and more nervous! I am an A/B student, but I feel really dumb when I do NCLEX questions. What % is good to aim for on these practice quizzes? Tell me these questions will get easier

I'm not really sure, but most places I have applied (I'm not thru with school yet, but for PCT positions) their online app has a place to upload a resume and sometimes a cover letter too. I think most places expect a resume along with an application, so I don't think it's overkill at all.

For my student nurse internship I applied in March...heard nothing.....got a call in mid-May, went to the interview like three days later, it went fairly well....heard nothing for a week, then another, then another. I called to follow up and got voicemail...no one called me back. A few days later I got a call offering me the position! I was shocked...so I guess I'd say it can take weeks!

I read most responses, but not all....here are my thoughts: After having my daughter I was obsessed with everything woman, pregnant, baby, etc, but I kept my crappy office job, not even thinking about nursing...finally while pregnant with #2 and super frustrated with my annoying, boring, horrible office job I decided to go for nursing school! I have a BS in exercise physiology. I had the intent to go to PT school or OT school but by the time I graduated I decided it wasn't for me...but here I was with this B.S. degree. So, I applied to nursing school...Got the acceptance letter the DAY I delivered my son (who was wisked away for surgery at a Children's hospital that same day->torsioned testicle, no biggie really, but big deal when he got taken!)...anyways, I DID IT! Nursing school with a 10 week old baby at home! Pumping on my lunch break, etc. Mind you I did quit my job and we are/were pretty broke. I was at school 3 full days and at home the rest of the time. My kids are now 3.5 and my "baby" is 21 months old already! I graduate in December of this year (YAY!). I have seen a lot in clinicals. I still LOVED OB, BUT I did start to like med/surg also. Even the GI lab was pretty cool! And PACU was neat! So, for ME, if their was an oppurtunity to get into PP/MB here I'd take it in a heart beat. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable in L&D. I get asked all the time what area I want to work in and I really truly don't know 100% for sure...but I agree that you may be surprised at what other areas interest you.