OKNurse2be

For me, I think a "difficult" pt is a pt who makes unreasonable demands, or is mean to me, on the call light every 5 minutes for the same thing etc while fully cognitive. At least with a pt who has some type of cognitive impairment (dementia or stroke for example), I can tell myself that this person is not totally in control of themselves (which may or may not be true, but it helps me to be more patient). We had a pt this past week, for example, with CHF exacerbation who had a fluid restriction who was constantly on the call light for more ice and trying to push his fluid restriction. If he didn't get what he wanted, he would get verbally abusive towards staff. It's sad when everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief when the pt is discharged.

Taking NCLEX-RN on June 16th and I needed to read this today. I'm gonna rock that test!!! LOL

I don't know if I would call it a shortage per se, but I do know that my hospital is hiring quite a few new nurses (myself included), and the unit I am hired on to work at is short quite a few nurses and has to rely on float pool to fill the gaps. A bunch of new grad nurses from my cohort have been able to secure jobs already as well at various facilities in the area. I live in Oklahoma City area.

I am an OCCC graduate and I will break it down as best as I can for you to the best of my knowledge. First Semester (NP1) you will have Lecture/Theory 2 days per week (Tue and Thu). You will have Labs on Mondays for the first 10 weeks and Wednesdays as well for the first 4 weeks. They have you learn all your "skills" up front so that when you go to clinical after week 8 (I believe) you will be able to do some stuff. You will have clinical 1 day of the week once they start. Second Semester (NP2) you will have lectures 2 days per week, and clinical 1 day per week and one day of Lab. I can't remember if you start clinicals right away or not. I think You also don't have as many labs as in NP1. Third semester (NP3) is also lectures 2 days/week and clinicals 1 day/week and if I remember correctly your clinicals start pretty much right away. You will have simulations instead of labs Fourth Semester (NP4) is the same as Third semester in terms of amount of days in lectures and clinicals, however, your clinical days are longer. You will also have 3 simulation labs throughout the semester. This is a very doable program, however be prepared to study hard. It's fast paced, especially in the beginning. I would recommend that you speak with the HEALTH PROFESSIONS adviser, and she is in the Health Professions area of the college. She is great at being able to tell you exactly what you need to know and how to go about getting there. Please feel free to message me if you have any questions. Good Luck

As a newly graduated nurse, I will speak to what I liked in Post conference and/or wished I had more of. 1: I liked when each person got the opportunity to give report on their patient. Giving a good report is a skill and I wish that more of my clinical instructors had us practice that. 2: I liked when I had the opportunity to tell the other students about something "cool" or interesting that happened, like getting to watch a procedure etc. I also liked hearing about other students' experiences as well. 3: I liked when instructors would actively teach us about topics that directly related to what we were covering in class. This allowed for a more focused Q and A session about the topic as well. 4: Although not directly related to post conference, I also appreciated the instructors that would come around to the unit and have a little one on one chat. A little "hey, how are you doing? What are you working on? Do you have any questions?" in private made the instructor just seem more approachable and like they truly cared about my success. I will also say this.. It's very nice to have the clinical instructor who is super friendly and nice, but the ones I felt like I learned the most from are the ones that weren't afraid to be tough when needed, who set limits and boundaries for students and whom were clear in their expectations. Good Luck!

My college, here in OK, offers a fast track ADN program, however it's for those students who already have a Bachelors degree (related or unrelated) in something else. I wouldn't recommend doing this type of program because it's incredibly fast paced in comparison to the standard traditional 2 year program and their NCLEX pass rates are not as good as the traditional track or the LPN to RN track that my college also offers.

Congrats on your acceptance! I just graduated and I have 3 children ages 8 and under. It is tough to be a nursing student and be a mom (or a dad) at the same time. I also worked per diem as well. You learn to prioritize and delegate your time so that you are able to study and spend time with your kids, keep up the house etc. Your calendar/planner becomes your lifeline. I was fortunate to have a great support system in my mom who would watch my kids whenever it was needed so that I could study. Most of my pre-lecture reading I did after the kids were in bed at night. On the days I didn't have class and my older two were in school I spent the morning and part of the afternoon studying, until they came home from school, then I spent time with them until they went to bed. House chores got done in between... study for 45 minutes, spend 15-20 minutes loading the dishwasher. Obviously, before exams I spent more time studying. You will come up with a system that works for you, and be prepared to be flexible and having to make some sacrifices. Nursing school is hard, but it's entirely worth it.

I just graduated and I am pending on a test date (but I have a job waiting for me), and one of the things that fills me with trepidation is interacting with physicians over the phone about a patient. In school we have SBAR shoved down our throats, but what I see out in the "real world" is more like "Dr X, I am calling about your pt in room ____, who just had that lap chole yesterday. Her HR has jumped to the 130s and her BP has dropped. Do you want me to draw a stat CBC and start some fluids?" So on and so forth. It's like a condensed SBAR really. And what about those doctors who just want to take the wait and see approach but you really feel like something should be done sooner? I am grateful to have had a chance to work on the unit for a few months already as an extern, but up until now my interactions with the doctors hasn't been direct and involving taking orders from them. Being a new nurse is intimidating to say the least.

My hospital is also color coded. Navy and/or white for Nursing, Black for ED, Purple for L&D, Royal blue for the lab.. so on so forth. However, we are not limited to brands or locations in which to shop. Cherokee scrubs do not fit me well at all. I have several brands and I prefer Dickies or Wink. I must have lots of pockets. I do know of another hospital in this area where nurses were mandated to purchase directly from a hospital approved vendor and their uniforms were all embroidered with the hospitals logo and I am not sure how I would like that.

If the professor talks about it in class or it's on the powerpoint.. highlight it. If it has to do with what a nurse is supposed to do in a situation, highlight it (Interventions). Think of it as an exercise in critical thinking... is this something that I have to know as a nurse(?). Pay attention to boxes in your text. Record the lectures so you can revisit them again. Practice doing questions.. all the time. Get a couple different books, like Fundamentals Success, Reviews and Rationales, Saunders etc and just practice doing those questions. Read the rationales, because you will learn from the rationales why that answer is more correct than the others. Get into a study group as well.. It's worth it. I think the hardest part for a lot of students is to adjust to the type of questions on the exams.

Quality of instruction, clinical experience, realistic practice opportunities, the way the exams are written.. There are a LOT of things, but since I know my school I will say this. It has one of the highest pass rates in this states for the size of school. We have quality instructors with years of experience and a passion for educating future nurses. We also have clear guidelines of what is expected of us in terms of conduct etc. We have a big lab area where students can learn and practice skills, and we have great clinical sites where we get to see and do a variety of things. The exams are also NCLEX style questions and timed, and they are not easy. Student effort is a big part of it too, but without the opportunities to learn in multiple ways no amount of effort will truly prepare the student for life as an RN and to pass boards.

I really enjoyed my LTC clinical. We had 3 weeks in the same facility with the same pt each time, which is something we do not get in the hospital rotation. You learn to appreciate the population that is in the facility as well. A lot of the pts suffer some type of dementia, have mobility issues etc and it's a great way to reinforce those basic nursing skills and learn how to "handle" yourself as a nurse with a pt. Definitely go into it with an open mind. Everything you get to see or do is an opportunity to learn something.

Quail Ridge Apartments at Memorial and May is also very reasonable. Several 1 bedroom options ranging from $440-$490 per month. Easy access to the freeway as well, plus shopping and dining right around the corner. The commute to OU Medical Center is about 15-20 minutes from there. There are several other apartment complexes in that general vicinity, but Quail Ridge is in my opinion the nicest.

Where are you looking for apartments? Let me know if I can be of assistance in any way.

Yes and no. I can definitely see your point, however when you compare salary to how well you can afford things that are necessary, you will most likely have plenty for the necessities and quite a bit left over. I checked prices at one apt complex I like in the Quail Springs area and it runs anywhere from $430 for a 1 bed efficiency (small) to $560 for a 2 bed 2 bath (decent sized). This particular complex also has a very nice and well maintained pool. Depending on where you go in OKC you are going to see prices above and prices below. This is a very well maintained complex, but not considered luxury apartments. Gas prices are lower than most surrounding states and electric and gas are reasonable. Car insurance is also cheaper than say for instance in New York, and we don't need to have the vehicles inspected. In reality, it balances out in the end. :)