JanineD23

Seriously agree! I can forgive a medical drama (it is fiction after all) but if you're going to demonstrate something that you're going to teach, please be conscious of details that might haunt you when students begin class.

Not only have I done the "you can't shock that rhythm" thing, I've asked "Why the heck haven't you pushed the EPI!?" and my personal favorite was the day that showed V-tach and called it Asystole. I was just shocked.

I can't imagine doing a 27 page care plan. My actual care plan is a page long but the background information we have to include is another 6 pages. Good luck on it!

I found that Carpenito's nursing diagnosis book was really helpful for my care plans. I also feel like they need to know they ARE capable. I didn't realize it until recently that I wasn't just going through motions, I really was doing patient care on my own and I KNEW what to do. They need to take a deep breath and know that mistakes will be made but that they are capable individuals.

I have some wonderful instructors and some I'd like to pack back to wherever they came from. For instance, my Med-Surg instructor has because so much more than just an instructor for me. I feel completely at ease calling her just to talk about anything that is going on. She's much more a mentor than an instructor. I do, however, have others that seem to like to remind us we are nothing but students and don't have the knowledge they do. They take pleasure in asking us questions they think (or sometimes KNOW) we don't know. It's very frustrating.

My big one: you start to correct the information on medical dramas because you recently learned that in class and know they are wrong.

Where I am we only wear scrubs to clinicals or if we are having a day in the lab that requires it. Otherwise, we wear regular clothing. :)

Actually, I really like it. I'm currently a student and there are days I am constantly checking my watch to see how much of the day is left (though not so much during my ICU rotation...somehow those days get by me way too fast). My biggest challenge hasn't been families that are rude, but nurses. I have had people try to pass me off to other nurses because "they just don't like students" and were stuck with me and others who have told me that I made a huge mistake becoming a nurse and had nothing pleasant to say about it at all. I am going to try your movie script thing because personally I don't know how to handle a nurse that so blatantly doesn't want to train incoming nurses... What's worse, is I have a contract with the hospital I am at and will be working with these people. Thanks for giving me a way to tolerate them :)

Here's some better news. You can apply to the U of A traditional program and the NAU distance learning programs here in Tucson. Both are exceptional and good choices should you not get into the the APP. Also, the pima program tells people they have an 18 month to 2 year wait list but I have yet to meet ANYONE who has waited that long to get in. In fact, most I have talked to have gotten in within a year of acceptance. Many people use Pima as a backup and drop off the list when they get in somewhere else.

I'm actually in this current year's program. Here's something to know: Carondelet is no longer partnered with the program as of the 2009-2010 school year. We don't know if they are returning for the following year. You are required to sign a 3 year contract and, if you cannot complete the program for any reason, you owe money to the hospital for the fact that they paid for your spot (this year it is 27500 should you fail out, fail the NCLEX or be fired within the years you are required to work for them). You also do not need a degree in a health related field. I was a teacher and I'll have my nursing degree in August from this program :)

I took BIO201 through pima community college as a 5 week class that sounds similar to yours. I now tutor biology. It was definitely stressful and took a lot of study time since we had about a test a week but it is doable. I, however, wasn't working 20-30 hours a week and found ample time to study. I don't think you'll need 156, but you are asking a lot to try to do the studying on top of that kind of work schedule. 201, to me, was more challenging than 202.

I actually agree with your order. I saw an older post where the comment was made that a "risk for" can be a priority if the patient's life could be at danger because of it or if it affected the patient's ABCs. I will admit that my first instinct was to put Risk for infection first simply because it can have serious complications. :)

I'm not an OR nurse but I did a week in the OR as part of my Med-Surg rotation last year. I watched a total of eight surgeries and only two had any complications (though they weren't codes). Both were caused by the patients lack of sedation during the start of the procedure (knee replacements). The patients both tried to get off the table during the opening cuts and in the first replacement the patient was able to feel pain the entire procedure (which was evident when her vitals spiked during every single cut). I was actually really concerned when the anesthesiologist told me not to worry because the Versed he pushed would make sure they didn't remember a thing. Not sure if this is what you were looking for, but hopefully it gives you a vague idea. I had classmates that were in the OR as well and none of them witnessed anything like this with any other anesthesiologist nor did they see any problems.

For rolling backpacks go to someplace that sells laptops. I found a great one at Office Max when I wanted one. :)

As a student that finishes a program in August, I agree with either the spa day or the PDA with the nursing software. Both, to me, would be welcomed gifts. :)