malaski

My ex-boyfriend's grandmother died one week after her husband passed away. It was very hard on the family - they had to plan and attend 2 funerals (the latter unexpected) in a week.

I had the 2nd book also and I too recommend that you do ALL the practice questions included. It takes a long time to get through, but it will prepare you well. Do 50-100 something questions a day.

oh I see what your saying - you put the cuff on her forearm, so you used the radial pulse. Hmmm I'm not sure

Yes, you are supposed to put the stethescope in the antecubital/brachial area

Ewwww! okay - that helps Thanks! I don't want to miss any of my infection control questions tomorrow!

I know the major diseases associated with each form of isolation precautions ie. TB, measles, varicella are put on airborne precautions...but I have some specific questions about infection control. see below say you have a contact precaution patient such a patient with MRSA.... what would you consider a splash or spattering? bronchoscopy, intubation, colostomy, mouth care - in addition to contact precautions (donning gloves and gown) would you use a mask and goggles/face mask for these procedures? would mouth care, or suctioning generate splashes? I know nclex is probably going to ask tricky questions like this! Any other procedures considered a splash or splatter?

congrats, I'm taking the monster at the end of this week. Thanks for the tips. haha, I too have an endless supply of powerpoints,notes, and index cards I need to part with :)

I always have trouble with questions regarding which patient is more stable than another - ESPECIALLY with Maternity patient questions! I have been doing ok on my practice NCLEX questions, but I would like to do better. Is there anyone that can tell me what patients are usually/always top priority. Mabye a list of some of the most unstable patients and why they are? Just something you think might help me. Thanks!

Thank you for breaking it down for me! I needed that! I should add a tip since I'm posting something on here... Clozaril - the "Z" in Clozaril - med for SchiZophrenia. Most worrisome complication is agranulocytosis, therefore weekly blood tests must be done

I still don't understand the immunization schedule for infants and children. Can someone clarify for me? I checked out the chart on the CDC website, but it just confused me more. THANKS!

ysin, Well, even though I haven't started working as an official RN (I take my boards this month). I have to say that I do miss design already. I however, do not ever want to work as a designer in a corporate environment again. If I do go back into fashion, I would like to start my own personal line, but I do not wish to do it for a paycheck. I would like to design in my spare time - as a nurse you can do this - you work 3 days a week. That's one thing that attracted me to the job as well.

I just spoke with my unit director, and she said we are still starting in August as planned.

yes, I applied while I was still in school. I just graduated this May 2009, and I applied in Jan. I will be taking my NCLEX at the end of this month and I will start work this August 10th. You will need all your transcripts from pre-nursing and nursing school even though you are still not done. Also 2 academic letters of recommendations

Hey Addie, Apply early - I applied January 12th had my interview in Feb and I did not get a call back until the end of March. From my understanding there were 12 new grads chosen to work in my unit, and I know that during Feb alone, there were over 100 interviewees. I recommend doing an internship or doing some CNA work during your last semester. I was a student extern/work study during my last semester and I had over 140 hours of ICU clinical experience during my last rotation. From what I have heard - they tend to prefer candidates with some prior work experience. If you are selected for an interview, they will ask you whether you want to do a phone interview or an in-person one for 3 different units of your choice (if there are still openings). In my opinion, the phone interview was A LOT harder than the in person interviews. If I had to choose again, I would choose to do ALL in-person interviews. Anyways, hope that helps. Good luck with everything!

blood pressure in the lower extremities is higher than the upper - what your teacher said was correct Here is an article in Medscape stating the same fact "Normally, the systolic blood pressure in the legs is usually 10% to 20% higher than the brachial artery pressure. Blood pressure readings that are lower in the legs as compared with the upper arms are considered abnormal and should prompt a work-up for peripheral vascular disease. All hypertensive patients should have comparisons of arm and leg blood pressures as well as volume and timing of the radial and femoral pulses at least once to rule out coarctation of the aorta.[1] " - MEDSCAPE (see link below) http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/471829

I was fashion designer before I decided to go into nursing - I made a totally different career change. I too became disillusioned with the fashion industry, and I longed to do something with more "substance." I never wanted to go into nursing when I was younger because my mother is a nurse, and she warned me against it - she didn't want me to go through some of the crap she's endured. As a nurse you are trying to make a difference, but it is a highly stressful, physically, and emotionally draining job- you have A LOT more responsibility riding on your shoulders than a designer. I worked as an intern when I was in nursing school where I was much like a CNA. After my last clinical rotation, I felt the ICU was the right fit for me. There are so many areas of nursing you can get into. Just be prepared before you make a commitment to become a nurse - you need to know what your getting into.

I took the HURST review and I loved it. I am taking my NCLEX at the end of the month - and I will see how much it has helped!

You could try St. Josephs in Orange County, or mabye Long Beach Memorial

Sorry :) Yeah, I was wondering the same thing.

ok thanks! 86 is a term used when someone removes something, or is no longer included.

Coffee Nurse, or anyone else who knows - Do you know if they removed they removed the 12 sick days per year from to the benefits? When Sherri was going through the benefits she wrote "86" on that part of the page. Just wondering :) Thanks

Hi OU nurse. I was just hired for the new grad program too. Sherri gave me all the info on pay, differentials, shift requirements, reviews, and benefits during our meeting. Let me know if you want me to PM the info, or post it on this thread.

I thought we are supposed to call them (occupational health)? Am I mistaken? Thanks

Both schools have a great reputation. I go to UTHSCH, but I have a few family members and friends who go to PV. I wouldn't judge one better than the other. I think ANY nursing school is going to be hard. I had a 4.0 when I applied to nursing school... nursing school changed that You will have to get used to the high volume/demand of work, and you will receive no lenience from professors - sometimes they will schedule 3 tests in one week, even though there is a open week the following week. And if you fail by 0.10 of a point, you fail. I heard the new students have it even harder because they are compressing it into 4 semesters instead of 5. Either school you choose, it will be up to you to make the most of it - You will get NO help from anyone! Here are the pros regarding what I have experienced at UT: For our last semester in high acuity, they let us rank what hospital and what specialty we would like to do clinicals at. I thought that was a plus. When I graduate I will have over 150 clinical hours in an ICU at a really great hospital. For the first semester they tried to put us at clinical spots that were convenient to where we were living. They really encouraged us to get us involved with the hospitals student programs. Another thing - UTHSCH is ranked as one of the top graduate nursing schools as reported in US world news report. I know in reality this is just a ranking but.. When I interviewed at UCLA medical center in California the senior nurse recruiter knew right away the "UT reputation" and was impressed with the clinical locations I had attended clinicals at. - MD Anderson, Texas Childrens, St. Lukes, Methodist, Meninger - These are all nationally ranked hospitals. I think PV has good clinical sites too, so I think the choice is up to you. Good luck

Thanks, I can't wait