Flutteryby

No problem guys. I know how scary it is to be starting nursing school because you don't know what to expect. I can assure you that it will all be ok. Many times getting through school is more about navigating the administrative obstacles than learning your career's skills. It will be frustrating at times but try not to let that get you down. Do whatever task you have to and be done with it then get back to the nursing. School is challenging so that you are prepared for real life. You can be prepared for your day and have a plan for how you are going to tackle your to do list but something happens; a patient codes, you can't get the doctor on the phone, you are under staffed, etc. You have to adjust and just keep going. You can do this and there are lots of people to help you through it. Please, please, please don't let the negativity of your classmates bring you down or get you worked up so that you can't think straight. You want to be a nurse so that you can help others. Don't ever forget that. Unless you are one of those people who want to be a nurse so they can make more money than they were in customer service. If you are one of those people, I don't want to be your co-worker or your patient. Good luck to all of you. Again, if you have any questions just let me know. My private messaging has been activated now so feel free to send me a message. I will do my best to help.

I forgot to mention that the patches are purchased at Tri-C's bookstore.

A few people have asked about Tri-C's uniforms. Tri-C will give you a list of uniforms for you to purchase during orientation. We had to get them from Affordable Uniforms. They are all white and are very similar to scrubs. You have a couple different styles to chose from. You will need to buy a patch and have it sewn onto the sleeve of all your tops, including you lab coat. You will also need to purchase a name tag from Affordable Uniforms. You will have to wear that on your lab coat and on your uniform top. When you are at clinicals you will be wearing your uniform. Our first day of clinicals was orientation and our last day was our evaluations so on those days we could wear dress casual with our lab coat. This is because we had a very cool instructor. Be prepared to wear your uniform whenever you are in the hospital even if you aren't providing patient care. The uniforms aren't the most flattering thing and aren't as cute as Kent State who has a cool blue color but oh well.

Thank you so much! Truly helpful information.

foreverLaur - feel free to post it.

Wow, good questions to ask. What is the typical case load for in the field? How many pt's do you visit per day? At what point is it so many that you can not provide good care? What do you do if you are on a call and you plan for it to take 30 minutes and it ends up taking 90 minutes? Thanks for your help.

I have heard of them hiring new grads if they have worked as a PCA in hospice. Otherwise, they told me to expect to need 1-2 years of med/surg required. This is so that you can build your assessment skills.

Sorry. Let me know if you got my msg.

My school requires you to get a 75% in your class to pass. I believe they have a passing rate on first round NCLEX of 97%. It sounds like your school is pretty average.

I am considering working in hospice. There are many to chose from around here and all their websites show that they offer the same services. How and what should I be considering when looking at potential employers? I don't want to end up working for a company doesn't have a very compassionate mind set. They all say they are caring and compassionate but we all know that there are some bad eggs out there. I just haven't been in medicine long enough to know who is good and who is not.

foreverLaur I got your PM. I did not realize that I am not allowed to PM you back. I have not posted enough yet. I didn't realize that this site regulated that. I can answer some of your questions but there are a few that I don't know. Would it be ok if we exchanged emails? Don't feel obligated. If you would prefer not, then give me a few days to respond to some more threads so I can get my number of posts up. Sorry.

I am in Tri-C's accelerated RN program. I have finished 1300/1450 and 1600/1750. I will be taking 2400/2500 in the spring and will take 2300 in the summer. I have not finished the program yet but you can ask me whatever you want and I will do my best to answer. Feel free to PM me.

Does being straight forward help? When families are like this, is it ok to tell them....They are dying, do you understand that? (yes/no) and then begin to educate them based on their answer. I found myself questioning our hospice nurse as to why this or that was happening. I think I was asking too many questions and I was thinking my husband was going to live in hospice for several months not weeks. Our nurse held my hand and said, honey he's dying, that is why these things are happening. Then we had a conversation about what my expectations were, and she corrected me. That conversation is what changed everything for us.

twedles, Thank you for your reply. You brought up some very good points that I had not thought of. I am a person of faith and I belive everything happens for a reason. I was pulled to nursing once I saw what they did, how much they impacted people's lives and how much goodness I could give back to the world. I hope I am not too naive. I will have some support with me when I move but yes the majority of my family and friends will be in Ohio. I don't know if that will be enough. Thank you for bring this to my attention. Thank you for your advice.

Hello everyone, A little about me...I am in nursing school and will graduate at the end of July 2010. I have applied to be a PCA at a local hospital just to get some extra experience in the hospital environment. I would like to get a plan together of how to proceed once I'm done with school. I am 31 and this is a second career for me. I chose to go into nursing after caring for my husband who passed away in 2008. I love and appreciate the mission of palliative and hospice care. They made such an impact on our lives. I also like the idea of providing comfort rather than being desperate to find a cure. So I am hoping that hospice is the right place for me. When I am done with school I know that I need to start out on a med/surg floor to hone my assessment skills. How long should I work med/surg before applying for a hospice position? I currently live in Cleveland and there are a ton of jobs here. However, I would like to move to the south but it seems like jobs are not as plentifull there. Should I just stick it out in Cleveland until I have a couple years of hospice experience or will I be able to get a job in a new state with just med/surg experience? What if I start out at a hospice residence facility and then move to in home hospice? Is that acceptable experience? I don't even know if a hospice facility would accept a new grad. Sorry to ramble on there. Thank you for any advice you can provide.