JudithRN24

Thank you for all your feedback. Honestly, I feel privileged that the patient's parents included my name in the list of nurses they feel comfortable with, especially when the list was three names long. I want to take the assignment because it's part of being a nurse and it's part of my job. My main concern is making the patient comfortable and be supportive to the parents. Our PICU is an open unit; curtains serve as partitions. Chatter and laughter from the staff are prominent in the unit, so I hope everyone will be respectful and help maintain the unit quiet. Perhaps I will talk to the NM and ask her to speak to the staff so everyone is on board.

I am a new grad and work in the PICU. For the past few months I have been periodically assigned to care for a patient bumped from our NICU. The patient was born with a genetic disorder and after coding a few times and deteriorating the family has decided to remove the patient from the ventilator on Monday. Today, the charge nurse told me that she and the MD's felt I should care for the patient on Monday because of the rapport I have established with the family. I don't know what things I could do to provide comfort to the patient and family. I am also worried that I won't be able to control my emotions and be supportive. Please help!

You said you were accepted to a nursing program...have you started? If so, I would try to look for student nurse worker position. Many hospitals have these positions and you basically function as a CNA. The best part is that you gain experience and many nurses will take you under their wing and teach you things. I was lucky to work as a student nurse and was promoted to an RN position after I passed my boards. I think it's also easier to land a job when someone on staff recommends you, so if you anyone that works in the hospital setting you should ask if they can recommend you to their nurse manager. The ecomony is horrible right now and it's hard to get hired..so don't feel bad. Best of luck!

I understand how you feel. I had those same feelings during nursing school. I totally agree that before you give a patient medication you should know why your giving the medication (and all the pertinent lab values). You say you feel like a dumbie, but I seriously doubt your a dumbie. I had friends in nursing school that were getting A's in theory but they failed clinicals. My opinion is that some of us get flustered during clinical. It doesn't mean that you aren't clinically competent. However, some of us are very nervous around instructors and it hinders our performance. My recommendation is that if you finish the program and then decide if nursing is for you. Perhaps you can search for a job in a clinic setting. Sometimes the busy hospital setting can be very overwhelming. Regardless of where you decide to work remember that patient safety is number one. If you ever aren't 100% sure of why your giving meds then you shouldn't administer it. You should always have a drug book and should use the facility's drug information manuals ie..micromedix, etc. I wish you the best.

A nurse is always on duty...even at the drive-thru...lol. Good job!!!

I am a new nurse...I graduated 12/2009 and I passed the NCLEX in March of this year. Last week I started orientation for my new job. I was hired at a PICU in a very busy county hospital...I am very nervous...maybe even more than my first day of nursing school. My first day of nursing school wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My first theory test was harder than expected; it takes time to start thinking like a nurse. It seemed like every other questions involved knowing the rationale to interventions. My brain was trained to memorize answers and recall facts and I quickly realized that my study habits needed to change. The theory doesn't get easier. My advice is to take really good notes in class and study everyday...even if you only study for an hour. I highly recommend that when you study you learn the diseases using the nursing process ie... asessment=know abnormal physical findings, labs, diagnositic studies, etc, diagnosis=Ineffective breathing pattern (if there is more than one always prioritize using Maslow's Hierachy), planning= your gamplan, interventions= nursing and collaborative, evaluation= were your interventions effective? I used this study method and it worked well for me. I think clinical were the toughest part of nursing school. Some instructors want to be very involved and want to be with you for any procedure. Other instructors give more freedom and let you handle patient on your own. My best advice during clinicals is to be outgoing and if you have the opportunity to perform a procedure...do it. The nursing staff and the instructors know we are students and are learning. Make the most out of each clinical day and perfect your skills and learn new ones. If you don't know something write it down and look it up after clinicals...that is an excellent way of learning. It's normal to be nervous, it's normal to have shaky hands with your first injection or iv start. Nursing school is hard and there will be days when you want to drop out. I think most of us had the same feelings during nursing school. It doesn't matter if it's your first semester or your last the butterflies in your stomach feeling before clinicals will be there. I wish the best for everyone starting nursing school. It is hard but not impossible!

I took the NCLEX RN on March 15 and I was sure I had failed. I had 75 questions and was done in an hour and a half. I didn't have any math questions. I had about 15 SATA questions. When I got home a tried the pearson trick and got the good pop up... That was the only hope I had. I am happy to report that I just checked the California BON website and I am officially an RN! About ten of my friends tried the trick and it also worked for them. Everyone waiting for their results try the trick and hopefully it will reduce your anxiety.