gruchi1

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! This has caused a great division in the family. The two of us that are connected with the healhcare field have gathered articles and talked to the others. Unfortunately, they choose not to listen. Her doctor has told her what precautions she should take and she has chosen not to take them. It is a difficult position to be in; we warn those who are most at risk (those with young babies, sick children, etc) who visit with her. She even refused to inform her cleaning lady (who does her laundry, cleans the bathroom, etc)...so one of our family members had to. Like I said, it is a difficult position to be in because she has COPD (close to end stage) and we know she won't be around much longer. However, we are obligated to protect our own children and do what we know is right. Thank you...not so much for agreeing with me, but for sharing what precautions are taken on a day to day basis in long term facilities.. I wish the CDC would hurry up and publish some updated information on this rapidly spreading, dangerous infection. There's plenty "out there" about other sites of MRSA infections, but precious little on infections of the respiratory tract. Another good reason for routine swabs being done in patients with s&s of respiratory infection is the "new" law passed concerning third party payors not reimbursing for nosocomial infections. Although the cost of testing may be cumbersome, it would pay off in the long run by catching the infection upon admission and demanding full precautions be taken with each MRSA positive patient. The spread of infection would be hindered (meaning that those patients who would have been infected won't be...whereas if they had been, they wouldn't be able to pay out of pocket the cost of treatment). It would be a win-win situation. Lives would be saved, others protected and long term cost reduction!! Thank you again for your reply. I am so sick of this family situation...the only good thing that has come out of it is that, as a nursing student, I know I must take every precaution I can reasonably take with every patient I see...because, to quote Dr. Gregory House, "everybody lies.";)

I understand about the precautions in the hospital setting but have both some insight and a question about your posts. First of all, one reason the spread may be so rampant is because patients fail to inform their healthcare provider that they have an active infection, or have been treated for MRSA in the past. Yes, as healthcare workers we should see an open wound but they are obviously overlooked. As for respiratory MRSA, I have a relative (in-law) that has had MRSA in the respiratory tract several times. This person suffers from COPD, so they are actively wheezing and coughing all the time. I don't know if it is because of the "stigma" of MRSA, this person REFUSES to inform healthcare workers. I have personally seen her in the hospital in respiratory distress and asked if she had informed them of her hx. She won't do it. So, if patients are not routinely screened for MRSA in the nares, throat, lungs, etc....the spread will continue. Handwashing is great, but MRSA lives on surfaces for a long time. Any dietary worker delivering trays can pick it up in one room and transfer it to the next...and the next..and the next. My question is this; as a family member, knowing that this person has had MRSA in the past and has lied to us about it, are we wrong in keeping our newborns and immuno-comprimised family members away from her? She absolutely refuses to wear a mask..believe me, we have asked. She has attended family gatherings (while being treated for active resp. MRSA) and refused to wear a mask, breathing and coughing on a one week old baby. She turns it around that we are treating her like a leper, but we feel that we cannot trust her and have collectively decided to err on the side of caution, for our children.

Thank you for your kind response. Christ wanted to walk away, too, as His heart was broken over those that didn't accept Him. His heart is broken daily by people that choose to be mean (and it IS a choice). The only way you can deal with it in terms of Christ is to give it over to Him. Don't hold it in and don't hold onto it. Picture yourself actually holding these people (both the patient and the nurses) and placing them in His arms. The hurt may not let up..but that can be a good thing. Again, it will remind you later to DO IT BETTER. One quick tip that I've found very helpful in dealing with patients in pain: yes, I know time is so limited with families, housework, school, work, studying....but do a brief study on using alternate methods of pain control for these patients. Before I went to nursing school, I worked in a job with a lot of young, pregnant women who had very little, if any, emotional support. Many of them asked me to be with them in the delivery room. I began to educate myself on using relaxation techiques, imagery, etc to help them through the pain of labor. Many of them went all the way to delivery with NO PAIN MEDS. It's not that hard and it can be very helpful to those patients that can't get the relief they need. Please don't walk away from nursing because of the way others act. Think about those patients....they need nurses who have the compassion and are willing to advocate for them. If you walk away, think of all the hundreds of patients that you will miss out on being a blessing to!! Feel free to email me any time. It is nice to have someone who shares my convictions....it seems they are fewer and farther between these days!!:redpinkhe

If I am understanding your post correctly, you are searching for answers, not a lawsuit. I am not clear on why others keep bringing up, "don't make accusations unless you are willing to back it up in court." I, too, see the same exact type thing every time I have clinical. It is difficult and our hands (as students) are tied. I think the instructors feel that if they make waves at the hospital, it will jeopardize the program so that students can no longer work there. In my situation, THAT would be worse because it seems that we are the only ones who really do care. The only suggestion I have for you is this.....I am assuming you are a Christian because of your screen name. Pray. God led you to nursing school for a reason. When I see things like this, my anger often gets the better of me and I have to take a 10 second time out to take a deep breath and pray. God always gives me the same answer, "When you are the one wearing the RN badge, DO IT BETTER." That is exactly why I'm here. My brother and my mother were both treated terribly in their respective hospitals. I KNOW I can DO IT BETTER. Even if that only means to hold a patient's hand or make one extra phone call to a doctor. I understand the time constraints and the work overload. If they are unhappy, they need to go elsewhere. But you can't do anything about that. When it is your time....DO IT BETTER. God blesses your heart of compassion and I believe He will intercede for these patients as you say your silent prayers. There is both good and bad here.....the bad is that your hands are tied, you CAN'T do anything about the laziness and cruelty in the hearts of others. The Good news is that you have a higher source! Let your heart be broken and never forget it....so you can and will......DO IT BETTER!!

I, too, highly recommend the flash cards. You can quiz yourself with them on breaks, in line at the store, while blow-drying your hair....anytime you have 5 minutes....study. Here are other things that helped me. 1. Get a good study partner or group. Make sure they are serious and not there to gossip or discuss the weather. 2. Try to ask the teacher or a previous student for a copy of the course syllabus and outline. That will give you a good idea of what is going to be covered so you can get a jump start on it. 3. RECORD THE CLASSES. Listen to them while you are driving in the car, taking your shower, whenever you can. My husband got so sick of hearing my teacher's voice, he was ready to flush my recorder down the toilet...however, it was invaluable to me. Take notes during class, hitting the highlights...then, when you listen to the tape, listen for things the teacher repeats..these are key points and will be on the tests. 4. Get ready ahead of time. Make meals to freeze, assign chores to family members and plan ahead for days off. That is another good reason to ask for the syllabus/outline/schedule. That way, if you know a big test is coming up, you can switch with a co-worker or ask for a few hours off to study. 5. If your instructor doesn't provide pictures of his/her OWN slides, specimens, etc....take a camera. We took pictures of every slide, every bone, every model....everything. Then, I would print them cheap at Walmart or somewhere and use them as flash cards. THIS IS EXTREMELY HELPFUL. Best of luck to you. Kick Gluteus!!

Finally, something fun! My class is throwing a surprise party for the graduating RN's next week. I'm in charge of "entertainment/games". We are limited on time so whatever I choose needs to be not-so-time-consuming. I think we are going to do some "mingling" things...like have a cotton ball dispenser full of cotton and have the students guess how many. Then, the old "OPERATION" game set up, an emesis basin full of gross stuff for " How many mls?"...The only other things we came up with was charades (a graduate has to impersonate an instructor) and then "Are You Smarter Than a First Level Student?". I could really use some tricky questions for this game to be able to pull it off. Or, if anyone has other ideas:idea:, I would LOVE to hear them. thanks...and congratulations to all those getting ready to graduate!

Dress in a professional manner, just as you would for a job interview. A nice pair of dress pants with a blouse, maybe. Questions will probably focus on your true feelings about why you want to become a nurse. A lot of people get all "warm and fuzzy" with this type question.....think through and practice what you are going to say. If you say something like "I really want to help people"...okay, that's great. But they want specifics. What makes you who you are and why do you want to help people? They are trying to cut through the fluff....are you there for the paycheck or there because you really want to be. That is something you need to seriously evaluate, as well. Nursing is the most demanding job I can think of.....it is physical, mental and emotional. You have to be a well-balanced person that can handle the stress. They will ask you all of the legal questions as another poster said. All states have the "NURSE PRACTICE ACT" that holds specific guidlelines. You can get all the way through school and ready for the NCLEX exam and still not be able to get your license if you have certain crimes on your record. They will also probably lay out for you how their program works.....LISTEN. When they tell you that you will have 10 hours of class time and 40 hours of study/homework; they mean it!! When they tell you that your family will forget your name by the end of school; they mean it!! ( You get the idea..it's really not THAT bad, but you have to be willing to give it 100% in order to get through it..it is tough). Good luck on your interview.

I'm looking at your situation from a different perspective...I am still in nursing school and looking ahead at all the mistakes I will make. You have to ask yourself two things: 1. Is there ANY nurse on your floor (or that taught you or trained you) that has not made a boo-boo along the way? I will be willing to bet that your instructors used many mistakes they had made to teach you "what not to do!" 2. The mistakes you have made......honestly looking ahead, do you think you would ever repeat them? OR, will you hold them close and work to improve them? You obviously care and are concerned. You should be. So, smack yourself on the hand and get back to work. Yep, your co-workers will give you crap and they may watch you closely...but this is human nature. Fess up that you are human, don't make excuses and I'll bet the next time you have a patient off the floor with tests, you will take that 10 seconds to think..."okay, do I need to do anything for him? Has he missed any meds?" The nurses I work under scare the crap out of me. I have found tons of mistakes that would cost them their licenses. You are a team, though. You are there for the best interest of the patients, not out to stab each other in the back. If it's not a "team" atmosphere, then you need to find a job somewhere that is. If it is, let them give you a little crap about it and move on. And stop doing this.....:banghead:You will end up on the mental ward, having nurses there taking care of you!!

I live in NC and our requirements were exactly the same. The TEAS test is comprised of CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS...there are very few knowledge based questions, except for the ones dealing with A&P and spelling. Brush up on your reading comprehension. Keep in mind it is a timed test so practice, practice, practice. Practice math....just your basics, not a lot of algebra involved. The one part that kills a lot of people on the TEAS is the biology. If it's been a while since you've done biology/genetics/DNA stuff....learn it now!!!! Learn how to "translate" and about "transcription." I personally used the TEAS study guide that you have....just read the rationales in the answer section..this helps to teach you the critical thinking that is so important. ALL nursing school tests use critical thinking and if your mind is not trained to do it, you won't do well in school (that's part of the reason for the TEAS). I also did multiple FREE practice tests online. Just google them. Again, practice, practice, practice. The test takes time so you don't want to be wasting minutes digging through your brain files on how to do basic things in math, etc. Best of luck to you!!

I understand the "how to" of recording a patient's smoking history (# of packs per day times the # of years patient has smoked)....what I don't understand is this...as I view a patient history and see "19 pack year history," what does that mean? How do I discern how many packs/day x how many years? This is probably a simple thing that I'm making hard, but it just seems like it would be easier to record 2 pack/day x 12 years.... Can anyone explain? Thanks!