annatuesday

An NPO order does not mean the patient gets nothing, no matter what the circumstances are. If a patient goes for a heart cath and is NPO, all the cardiac meds should still be given. If the patient's blood sugar is steadily in the 200s, of course I will give diabetic meds. A patient with blood sugar of 200-300 should not be left at that because he is going into surgery and is NPO. The surgery itself is going to increase his sugar even higher. Now if the patient is 115, I would not give diabetic meds. I don't think there are hard and fast rules. Nursing judgments are always in style.

This is really useful and practical advise. I will start looking into surgical job requirements and just shoot for that direction. Another idea is that sometimes a private practice physician would be willing to take a good RN in to train. May be I can do that part time while maintaining my hospital job, then when the resume and experience look good, I will go from there. The idea of getting involved in projects is an excellent one. Thanks for pointing the way.

If I am not working in surgery, is there any chance I can get a job like that?

I have wondered about this field. I do know a friend who left the critical care area to go into aesthetic nursing. She opened her own business (husband is a doctor) and loved it. She said she never wants to work in the Stepdown / Intensive care area ever again. It would be like being an artist and a nurse at once.

I know of an ER nurse who left to go to an agency. He said housing and food is provided, travel cost is provided, and basically is wages go mostly into savings. On top of that, he gets a chance to work at large organizations he may not have had a chance to work at if he was looking for a permanent full time job. If a nurse does not have kids and can travel, working for an agency is great. The only negative is that may be, depending on where you go, the staff may not accept you or like you, because you're always the "temporary outsider".

I am a telemetry nurse working nights. Nowadays with the new federal healthcare reimbursement and the tight budget, we do not get CNAs at night anymore. At first I was miserable but now I am used to taking my own vitals, turning and cleaning my own patients, calling the doctor re a new Vtach, calming down a confused non compliant patient, accepting a new admission, and whatever else coming my way. Q insulin drip can wipe you out. Sometimes I wonder how I made it through the night. Yes working days can be crazy, but there is help, like CNAs and unencumbered charge nurses. There is also that sleepy thing at night. Nothing is perfect either way. All I know is that I love telemetry and am still learning everyday. It is ultra interesting and never boring, that's for sure.

Thanks for the info. I cannot PM you (not enough posts yet) but please write me. annatuesdays at yahoo. Thanks again Nicolein. Anna

Hi Nicolein, Thanks for your answer. I am interested but cannot PM you because I don't have enough posts yet. Can you write me. Annatuesdays at yahoo. Anything would help. I assume you passed. Congratulations, Nicolein, PCCN. Anna

Hi TurnforthenurseRN, I did check my hospital library. They didn't have anything for any tests , just medical journals and magazine and books. No one I know is taking the PCCN either, because we don't get a raise at our hospital for being certified. I can't find any used David Woodruff CDs. So many posts on here say that these CD's are good, yet they are so hard to find used. What do people do with the CDs after they paased the test? Anna

I have bought the Brorsen PCCN review book. It seems thorough. I am now looking for an audio program that I can listen to in the car since I drive quite a bit. After reading about David Woodruff program on this post, I checked it out. I believe the CD offered are for following along a textbook. Can anyone help clarify if his program can be used (understandable) in a car audio system alone without having to follow along with the text? Wish I can get my hands on a copy to see what it is like before spending all that money. Thank you in advance for anyone who can help. Anna

Hi PMKNSE, Yes I checked out my hospital's library. Unfortunately they don't carry test study materials . I think it's a great idea to study, but it would be excellent reinforcement to listen to good audio materials while driving. Congratulations for all who have passed PCCN.

Hi Nurseseat43, Would you recommend the audio? I am looking for some audio to listen to while driving but am not sure how effective they are. Is it worth the money or should I look for some used ones? I am happy you passed the first time. Passing is passing. Mediocre score or not, you are a PCCN now. Congratulations!

I feel your pain. I'm in the same boat.

Hi Gina, How is your studying for the PCCN going so far? I too want to try the audio you are using but it's so expensive. Is it working for you and when will you take the test? I drive a lot so having good study materials to listen to in the car would be very useful. Let us know your progress. If you happen to live in California, email me. Perhaps we can study together. annatuesdays at yahoo