fromtheseaRN BSN, RN

fromtheseaRN is a BSN, RN and specializes in Emergency/Trauma.

fromtheseaRN's Latest Activity

1. 

   ER Duties

   fromtheseaRN replied to JackPresley's topic in Emergency

   I agree with the above. However, I was told by an ER doctor who is originally from Australia that the nursing scope of practice is very different there, so you need to take those limitations on your practice into consideration.
2. 

   2017 Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program

   fromtheseaRN replied to emmiecb's topic in First Year

   I was out for part of last year after having a baby, and thought my D/I ratio would increase... however, when I looked at my submitted application, my employer POC input my standard yearly pay on my employment verification, not subtracting the 3 months I was out without pay. Super bummed, I was hoping that would give me a leg up.
3. 

   My Orthopedic Nurse Certification Exam (ONC) Heartbreaker

   fromtheseaRN replied to TheCommuter's topic in Orthopaedic

   I'll second what was said above, that's a great score for walking in cold. I'm scheduled to take mine at the end of January. I work inpatient ortho, so our patients are elective joints and traumas, and I also worked in the OR on mostly ortho cases. I have the practice test disc that you can buy from NAON, and the areas I struggle in are the ones you see in clinic and not in the hospital... your spondyloarthropathies, gout, etc. Not seeing these things in practice make them hard to remember for me. Aside from the female athlete triad, any other bizarre topics you remember? Thanks for the help!
4. 

   Leakage of septic arthritis after surgery

   fromtheseaRN replied to wiltmich's topic in Orthopaedic

   For hardware removal in a septic joint, we typically see a copious amount of drainage, at least for the patients at the hospital I work at. With time on the ortho unit you'll start to know what's normal for infected joints and what's not. For the drainage, I would have just let the surgeon know when they rounded that day (or the next). If I wasn't expecting them in within the next day, I'd call and let them know. That being said, I've never had a surgeon say it's abnormal. For a new joint with a lot of drainage or any surgery where infection was not expected or known about, I would call right away. The wrist pain is concerning, even if it was typical of her RA flares, the docs need to know so they can rule out a spread of infection of adjust her RA meds to treat the flare up.
5. 

   How to prevent falls

   fromtheseaRN replied to Karolyte's topic in Orthopaedic

   All of our ortho patients have bed alarms on at all times. Our beds allow you to set the alarm to 3 different levels of movement sensitivity, and ours are set to only alarm if the patient actually gets up. It is the hospital policy, and it has prevented many, many falls on our unit (which funny enough, are mostly the young, fully A&O patients who underestimate how much the surgery and meds affect their ability to safely ambulate, and roll their eyes when we educate them about it). If a patient wants to be on our ortho unit with our staff specifically trained for orthopedics, they have to follow our rules. We are more than happy to find another room to accommodate the patient on another unit if they don't want a bed alarm... and each time we have the patient has requested a transfer back in order to be cared for by our ortho team.
6. 

   what's it like to be a patient sitter in Arizona?

   fromtheseaRN replied to nel2139258's topic in Arizona

   In the hospital system I work for, patient companions can have homework, computers, etc in the room. Patient sitters are not allowed to have anything- you have to have your eyes on the patient at all times. You have to wear scrubs. So really, it's going to depend on the hospital's policy as to what you can do. And the ease of the job will really depend on your patient, as a previous poster stated. Good luck!
7. 

   Ortho certification...

   fromtheseaRN replied to Avnata's topic in Orthopaedic

   We are reimbursed for the test, up to $250 (the cost for NAON members to take it). but that's it. I'm currently studying for certification, and am learning a lot. I know it sounds cheesey, but the extra knowledge I am gaining makes it worth it for me to become certified.
8. 

   My story and some questions from a confused older student

   fromtheseaRN replied to Dreamhawk's topic in Arizona

   I work for Banner and this is not the case- we use CNAs on the unit. CNAs take vitals, do bed baths, etc. We use PCTs in the ED. They start IVs, insert foleys, draw blood, etc. Our CNAs and PCTs are not interchangeable. You'll have a avery hard time getting a job with just an ADN. I had almost 400 applications out before I did, and that was almost 2 years ago. The only reason I was hired was because I enrolled in a RN-BSN program. Go straight for your BSN- it's the same amount of time and you'll have a job sooner.
9. 

   University of AZ Tucson New Grad position

   fromtheseaRN replied to iridium54's topic in Arizona

   that's about average. banner starts new grads out around 25, scottsdale is around 26. not sure about the dignity system. mayo starts new grads out at a whopping 20.xx (ouch). if you want to make more, work nights and pick up extra shifts!
10. 

    Traveler ISO short term housing near Banner Desert for Jan-Apr 2013

    fromtheseaRN replied to Liketravln's topic in Arizona

    tempe is directly west of that hospital. there are lots of furnished rentals available in tempe, check craigslist. good luck!
11. 

    Would certain experience disqualify me from future employment opportunities?

    fromtheseaRN replied to sjuksköterska1545634348's topic in First Year

    I graduated last December and started working per diem in abortion services. My pre-op, conscious sedation, and post op experience there got me a job in a hospital last month. However, in all honesty it depends on what nurse manager is looking at your resume. I spoke with one from a non-religious hospital who said she frowned upon it, and then I spoke with a L&D manager from a catholic hospital who said if she had an opening she would hire me in a heart beat. I think especially in this market, experience is experience. Having pre-op and post-op skills is a huge plus, and if you want to get into an ED, having conscious sedation experience will give you a leg up.
12. 

    Maricopa Integrated Health System

    fromtheseaRN replied to BlueGrassGreenSkies's topic in Arizona

    they sometimes have new grad positions listed, not sure if they have a specific new grad program. if you call HR, i'm sure they'd be happy to let you know ay details that can help you. i've called them before, and received a call back within an hour.
13. 

    Gateway Community College Block 3 RN GWCC Program

    fromtheseaRN replied to miteacher's topic in Arizona

    I did not join a study group, because they didn't work for me. Everyone is different. If you are struggling now without one, then definitely try one. For NCLEX practice books, I had the Saunders one that comes with a CD-ROM of practice questions. I did 75 questions every day, from block 1 until the end. The book itself was of no use to me. The book that I did read was the Evolve HESI NCLEX-RN study book. That one was great. Hope things are going much better for you now!
14. 

    Want to be a nurse in Doctor's Office...which degree? ASN or BSN RN?

    fromtheseaRN replied to mrspolly's topic in ADN/BSN

    I'm a mom with elementary school aged kids, and I have several girlfriends who are teachers with kids. I work 3 12's (6-6), and am home by 630 those nights. The other 4 days, I'm there them completely. My girlfriends who are teachers rarely leave their class before 6pm(and that's 5 days a week, not 3), and if they do they are taking a ton of work home with them. They also end up spending most weekends working, either re-doing the class, creating lessons, or grading. Hour for hour, I have way more time with my kids, and work way less. edited to add: i forgot to say though, the guaranteed weekends, holidays, and summers as a teacher are pretty amazing.
15. 

    Glendale CC book list for first block

    fromtheseaRN replied to donovasu's topic in Arizona

    new books will come with an access code to download the ebook. it's up to you if you prefer an actual book, or don't mind reading off the computer so only purchase the ebooks. keep in mind you will spend 99% of your life reading in nursing school, and if you only have ebooks you will have to carry a laptop around (which is lighter than a huge book, but also a greater financial hit if it gets stolen).
16. 

    What should every orthopaedic nurse know?

    fromtheseaRN replied to Jammin' RN's topic in Orthopaedic

    I don't start my new grad ortho position for two more weeks, but I have been providing conscious sedation in outpatient surgery for several months... We follow vitals and the patients report of level of pain. You can usually tell by these if they have hx of narc use. I find it also helps when asking the patient about any history of narc use, to explain that it is simply so that we can provide the appropriate amount of pain control. At that point, they usually are pretty open about EVERYTHING they've ever taken. There should be a policy in place at your facility or the docs order stating the max you can go. Whenever giving narcs though, you need to closely monitor VS for respiratory depression. The first sign we see of this in outpatient surgery is chest wall rigidity, once that happens someone breaks out the narcan (and I've only seen that happen once, and it was the first time my facility had to in over 5 years).