MrazFan

I disagree with the person who said there wouldn't be any WOW stuff going on. I had my last clinical rotation on an ortho/neuro unit and it was a great experience. A lot of my patients were there for ortho stuff, but the neuro ones tended to be really interesting. Strokes, CVAs, spinal injuries, meningitis, seizures, hepatic encephalopathy, to name a few... I think what your instructor meant was if you are well prepared each clinical day, and you do the necessary research about your patients' conditions and meds, you'll be fine. Good luck!

What irks me the most about this whole subject is that nurses have fought for a very long time to be recognized as a PROFESSION and not a "calling". How many doctors do you suppose go into the healthcare field because they were "called" to it? How about other PROFESSIONS? Lawyers? Stock brokers? We as nurses (or soon to be in my case!) are PROFESSIONALS, just as doctors and lawyers and every other profession. We need to lose the whole self-sacrificing mumbo jumbo because that is what is holding the profession back. Just because a person goes into the field for the monetary aspect and the prospect of fairly secure employment does not mean they will not be a competent, caring nurse. And I do agree- for what nurses do, they are seriously underpaid. Perhaps that will change when nurses are more widely recognized as being PROFESSIONALS. Just my 2 cents.

I agree with the previous person- this comes across as very hateful. And no, not every person who is overweight/obese and/or has health issues is that way because of choice. And even if they are, they are probably VERY aware of their condition, and a condescending nurse telling them to just put the doughnut down is not going to do a bit of good. Overweight/obese people are the only group of people that it is "socially acceptable" to discriminate against and treat poorly because of a physical characteristic. It is a sad, shameful thing. Treat them with decency and respect and ask them what their perception of their health is. THEN try to teach them.

Geez- some of you people are pretty harsh. Note that the OP said it FEELS like they are being discriminated against. To those of you who have jobs, that is great, good for you. But for those of us who do not, who are either new grads or about to be new grads (like myself), the current hiring climate really does FEEL like discrimination. When you speak to an employer and are told "no we are not even considering new graduates for hire at this time" (and yes, that is a direct quote) it makes you wonder why the heck you put in all the hard work to get through nursing school and graduate and become licensed, because all that hard work isn't worth anything in the real world right now. We have bills to pay and families to support too, just like nurses with years of experience. We just happened to have the bad luck to graduate at an unfortunate time. And the argument of 'if you really want a job, just move to another area to get a job' is ridiculous, many people are not able to move for many reasons. It is frustrating-try to put yourselves in our shoes- how do you think you'd feel?

I agree with what Moogie has said. As a (hopefully) soon to be new grad, I certainly hope that I am able to work with nurses who are willing to give me the tools and training that I need to be successful, rather than the "thank god I don't have to work with new grads and pick up their slack" nurses. You have to remember that nursing jobs are difficult to come by these days, even more-so for new grads. These grads probably knew that ER was not an ideal place for a new grad to start in, but a job is a job, am I right? Instead of slamming them for being slow and not 'getting it', be a mentor and help them develop into the type of nurses you want working in the ER. Being licensed as an RN means that they have at least the minimum level of knowledge necessary to work as an RN. That's a lot different than being proficient and independent in an area like ER where a lot of knowledge is required. I guess what I'm saying is don't be so hard on the new grads... you were a new grad once apon a time too, and maybe somebody at that time though you were slow or not 'getting it'.

Thanks for the great input! I appreciate your help.

Hello all! I will be doing my 4th semester clinical rotation in an ortho/neuro department. I wanted to ask you experienced ortho/neuro nurses- what conditions do you see a lot of in these areas? I want to try to brush up on some of the more common conditions during my summer break, so I will feel more prepared for the clinical rotation in the fall. Thanks in advance for your help!:)

Hello- I will be going into the 4th semester of NTC's ADN program this fall. I know when I was on the wait list, it only took a year, though I was told 2. I also know that NTC isn't doing a true wait list any more, they have changed to a petition process. If you have all of the pre-reqs met, you can petition at any time. I have heard that they will be reducing the number of students they take into the program beginning this fall, but that may be just a rumor... Good luck to you!

Don't quit! You've worked too hard to just give up. In clinical, speak up to your nurses and ask for opportunities to do things. Tell them what you can and can't do and even if you can't do something, ask that they let you observe them doing it. Many times the clinical experience is what we make of it. You have to take charge of your learning and try to get the most out of it. We get such limited amounts of time in clinical anyway, so you're not going to learn/see/do everything there is, but you should be able to get a good grip on assessments, meds, IVs, wound care, etc. I wish you the best of luck!

First of all, I will say that I hate concept maps with a passion, and am totally no good at them, but... Could you maybe use your patient as the "middle" and then branch off with s&s and then branch off further with possible differential diagnoses? Does the physician have any suspicions as to what is going on? Have they ruled anything out? You could approach it from that perspective as well- patient, s&s, doctors supicions, labs/tests, and keep going on to where you are now. If all else fails, can you ask your instructor to use another patient? Sorry, I know this probably hasn't helped much. Good luck to you though!!!

So if you need to get 290 out of 350, that leaves 60 points of leeway... which is a lot if you ask me! Don't stress- study and prepare yourself for your exams and when they're done, you will wonder why you worried so much to begin with! Good luck!

Made me smile just watching it! I want to work with people like that when I graduate!!:monkeydance:

Oh my- I could have written this post today. In fact, I was ranting to a friend earlier today about how I am sick to death of school! I know I will love being a nurse, but school is just SO hectic and they throw SO much at you all at once and expect you to master all of these things just like that... I'm just tired! I agree, I think at least half of what I learned probably won't be retained long term... BUT, that having been said, nursing school is just so we can pass NCLEX, which is basically certification that we meet the most basic level of knowledge and expertise that a nurse just entering the profession is expected to have. I think a lot of learning is done on the job after graduation, because real life is very often different than what is discussed in the classroom. And some things, you just can't learn unless you've been through it. At least that is my opinion. I have one more semester after the one I'm in, with a summer break in between, so I hope that will refresh me and get me through to the end. Yes, school sucks, but once we get through it, it will have been so worth it. So, chin up, do the best you can, and remember that it will all be over soon enough. Take it one day at a time for now my friend!

Can't really help with the ER visit question, but one of my instructors stated the difference between leadership and management is that leaders have a vision, ideas of how things should be done and managers put the vision into practice. Don't know if that helps!

Personally, I would take the patient care tech position. You will gain valuable "hands-on" patient care experience that will really help you when you get to clinicals during nursing school. Plus, after you graduate, and are looking for a nursing position, you will be able to list that experience on a resume. Since it is more related to nursing, it might give you an advantage over an applicant with no previous patient care experience.