Future O.R. Nurse

AAAHHHH!!!! Left out of the clique.... look up in the sky at that lone star.... It shines brighter than the rest that are clustered together..... SHINE BABY....SHINE!!!!

Thank you sooo much for clearing that up.:yeah:.. I did that my first day of clinicals and the assigned nurse went off on me for ten minutes.:eek:... I didn't dare stop and explain to her why I did that..:cool:.. We went to the same school... so why didn't she know that????:confused: just curious!!!

This is not about stigmatizing or judging the fact that you smoke. I for one understand it is a very difficult addiction and not easy to quit. This is about the quality of care you give to your patient. Your own personal hygeine plays a very important part in the care of your patient. You come in reeking of cigarette smoke especially in a psych unit where they are not allowed to smoke will trigger certain behaviors in those patients who do smoke. I also mentioned in my post that smoking and then hovering over a patient is very inconsiderate. What if this patient suffers from severe allergies? What if the patient just quit smoking a few days ago.. What if the smell reminds a patient that they lost a loved one to smoking? I am a smoker but I think about all those things before I go on a cigarette break at a hospital.. I would never do that!! :eek: But then that's me, and my committment to my patients and the respect I have for my patients and my profession. It just think it is a very selfish, insensitive and disrespectful thing to have your patients smell cigarettes all over the person taking care of them... UGH!!! I'm suprised they don't request a new nurse... I know I would. (and Im a smoker..trying soooo hard to quit)

I also felt really good when I gave my patient a bath and she told me I smelled good...

Im fessing up to being a smoker. Im still in school.. I have to tell you I am quitting... I can't stand it. What did it for me was seeing a patient barely able to breathe with pulmonary disease, dying:crying2:.. I know I have to start somewhere. I do not smoke when I am in school. I do not smoke at all during clinicals because people have allergies, it stinks and I am very self conscious about how I smell to other people. So far, I have quit smoking for most of the day. I don't even smoke inside my house. I step outside... I don't smoke around other people. Yes, smoking is a very nasty habit..So please don't take smoke breaks at the hospital and then hover over a patient:eek:that is just nasty, selfish and very inconsiderate..

Only to clarify holding a job during the first semester... I sold candy and cheesecakes to my friends restaurant and was able to keep up with some bills.. I didn't work outside the home which kept me close to my studies. That helped a lot... I truly don't think I could have worked outside my home and got good grades..I would have lost my mind. lol

I totally appreciate the vote of confidence.. It is so disheartening to see other nurses dash the hopes of anyone trying to change their lives for the better. I was told I couldnt get into nursing school because it is so competitive, I got in on my first attempt. I was told that I couldn't hold a job and pass the classes, I did. I understand where you are coming from, saying that jobs are scarce. yes they are. I believe that, but the tone on this post is that it's impossible for a NG to get a job.. Telling ME... FUTURE O.R. NURSE that I can't do something will only make me stronger and challenge that statement..My momma told me never believe anyone who tries to discourage you.. and mama was right.... so I don't believe you.... This post is all in good faith... no negative tone intended... Good Luck to anyone trying to find a job right now..

God sure knows what He is doing.. I stumbled on this thread yesterday because I got tired of studying for my finals. Low and behold the same questions were on my final today. After reading the questions and the options given, it turns out that obesity is not a lifestyle, it can be genetic, sunbathing however is a lifestyle that can be changed by the person. It was a select all that apply question.. Something good did come out of this. Thank you for posting. BTW... I have no question that I passed my finals...:yeah:

Congratulations to all who made it to term 2. This was a grueling semester. Hopefully it gets a little easier..

I also have previous medical experience. That definitely plays a part in getting the job or not.

I think experience is what you make it. I am not so pessimistic to think I would never get a job. My goal is to be a nurse and care for people,. Even if that means a doctors office or some other healthcare setting, I am accomplishing the immediate goal. So yes, the one year clinical experience does matter. Its all in what you make of it, and how you market the experience. There is not only one strategy to getting a job, there are many.. There are also many factors that play into getting the job or not... How well do you interview, how well do you market yourself, are you willing to relocate, can you pass the psychological exam that the hospitals give.. There are so many factors... I will not let anyone kill my joy. Everyone's experience is unique.

I am glad to say that I have factored in the state of the economy when I graduate. (in 9 months) I do have previous medical experience, however, Linda is right about the market being saturated with NG's. I plan to sit for the CNA exam and work part time now that my first NS semester is over. I wouldn't dare have tried to work during the first semester.. It was grueling. Once I graduate, I have already made up my mind that I just may have to relocate. One thing I love about my program is that clinicals started 1 month into NS and continues until the week we graduate.. That provides us with a year of experience.

You will get through it once you get yourself organized. Just read the packet and ask lots of questions.

There was a point and I had my own experience which I am speaking of. NOT YOURS... Please, I am not on this blog to argue with you and defend myself against you. I feel like you are stalking me just to provoke me. You are coming behind my posts and posting and being very negative. Please stop. I am just trying to help others by sharing my own experiences. I had a bad experience, found a post that helped me learn from it and I shared it with others...

Ofcourse this was an exaggeration about time. It was to let them know that most of their time will be studying...some have good study habits and others don't. I think we are all adults and know what adjustments we need to make. Titers do need to be done first that's why I didnt go into the details about trying to figure out what to do. Big Tuna, not everyone is as organized as you are. Not everyone is going to have a 93 average. Not everyone has the same situation as you. This is all worst case scenerio and you know this. Try and be helpful and not so contradictory. You have been through this and you know for the student that struggled to get here, the struggle does not get any easier. So you Be easy!! Like I said, bickering, there is no time for it. Take the information you need and use it to best suit your situation. I've done what I can do to help. I do hope it helps. Im done with this thread. Good Luck everyone.

Congrats to all of you accepted into the program. I feel so compelled to help alleviate some of the stress you guys are feeling. I went through it to. Here are some helpful hints: Titers: Are not Immunizations. If you have been faithfully immunized throughout your childhood and are not missing any shots, or have been exposed to a communicable disease(chicken pox, varicella) then your titers should be ok. Just get the titers drawn first. That will let you know what shots you do need. The flu-shot is now mandatory for clinicals. If you do not have health insurance, expect to pay atleast 300 dollars for the medical work up. mine was 210, then the backgroundcheck and the fingerprints. (The pawn shop became my best friend) Background Checks- anything in your background, I suggest you get it handled now. Even if it was 20 years ago, ex. a misdemeanor, domestic violence, DUI's, charges dropped. Find out about it now. It will come back to haunt you now. This is not about the nursing school but about clinicals. These are National checks that will check every place you lived all over the United States from the time you were an infant. The hospitals will not accept you, especially working with infants. So If you have been arrested, get the disposition from that state that you were arrested in. (I was attacked 17 years ago and because I fought back and injured my attacker, I was arrested but was not charged) even that came up.. Worksource: covers approximately $7000 of nursing school costs. Get to your nearest worksource office and apply. This is not income based. It does not matter if you are working, have a husband, or quit your job. As long as you are in school worksource will do all they can to help. They cover tuition costs, uniforms, books, skills kits and travel expenses in the form of vouchers. The catch is you must maintain a 3.0GPA. You can come into the nursing program with a 3.0 the first term and by the second term you have a 2.9. No more worksource. Keep your grades up. Organization: This is just the beginning. Get a good weekly,monthly planner that leaves plenty of room to write everything you need to remember.(walmart has a good one for about 10 dollars) It will be your best friend. Once the syllabus' drop in blackboard you will feel so overwhelmed. Take your time and read them thoroughly. Always refer to them when you are not sure of something. Write everything, projects, reading assignments, exams, meetings, clinical dates in detail in your planner. they tell you not to print everything you see. I tried not to but Im old school, I need to have the papers in my hand. I must have gone through 15 ink cartridges and 10 reams of paper. Do what you feel you need to do to help you. Just don't print in color. that is expensive. There will be no time for bickering. Sleep is only 3 hours, studying is 21 hours. Get rid of anything in your life that won't help you. Make sure your families and husbands are there to support you. Help and support each other. The nursing world is changing, it is up to us to make it a positive change. If you get angry with someone, work it out and keep it moving. Complaining won't get you anywhere. Time to grow up and fast.... I hope this helps. Congratulations and Good Luck to you all.

My point for posting this was the lesson learned behind it. The leadership skills gained behind it. Making sure that you are the leader in your group. The personal benefit of going over all the work before it is submitted equates to retaining information and doing very well on exams. Knowing who you can depend on. While I was faced with that situation, We had a slacker and decided not to ask them to fix it, not trusting that they would do it right the second time (shut-out). Yes it was very late, but we got the job done in a matter of hours, the professor was notified and we got a good grade on the project and got very good grades on the following exam. It really helped me see that even though I was mad as ****, it had to get done, there would be no excuse for not having this person's part of the project. This was my first major group project and I know I made some mistakes. I learned from them and would definitely do better the next time. The slacker would not have the luxury of getting shut-out. There is no ideal situations in nursing school or nursing. Something goes wrong and you simply have to fix it . Complaining won't get you anywhere.

just thought i'd share this. we have a lot of group projects and group slackers benefit from minimal work and good grades. originally posted by daytonite: "the case supporting these assignments is that they give you experience for working in groups and as a team in the business world. but, even on the apprentice, trump has problems with these geniuses. the difference in the business world is that, hopefully, you have a supportive boss who is fair and uses their authority appropriately to start a fire under these kind of people or get rid of them. what i always did is made sure that i was in one of the controlling positions in these projects. when i and others who were willing to get the work done saw that a few weren't getting involved i (we) felt there was no choice but to pick up their slack and do their part of the project. any work they are going to contribute is going to be at the last minute and be mediocre at best and i was never willing to let my grade suffer because of them. i also made sure that the instructor knew early on what was going on. i worked with one group where several of the group members actually turned their back on one of these slackers and told her to bugger off when she finally decided at the last minute to get involved after failing to show up for strategy sessions. she ran screaming to the instructor who told her (ha! ha!) that she just had to work it out with the members of the group. the only problem with this is that you are stuck with the slackers often also getting the same grade for all your hard work. however, you really don't have much choice. you either take a lower grade as a result of the slackers not doing their part, or you get a better grade because you took over and did their work. in the incident i referred to, the other members of the group told this student to, basically, sit down and shut up during the oral presentation! she actually had the gall to be mad at them. the thing is this. . .in the working nursing world, you can't sit back and ignore problems that come up, which is what slackers like this tend to do. these kind of people just don't make very good nurses and problem solvers because of their procrastination. so, in actuality, it is revealing a serious character flaw in them. hopefully, this will be noted by nursing instructors down the road and get added to the assessment files kept by the nursing departments on their nursing students for future job recommendations. on the bright side, and you have to think to the future to accept this one, think about the experience you are gaining in leadership, management and people skills. i know that sounds kind of lame, but the experience will help you to recognize this kind of person later in life and work situations. it also gives you some experience in learning to adapt, re-evaluate, re-assess and intervene to make changes in plans as they are needed. i wouldn't continue to wait for these last 2 people to join in on the project. i would encourage everyone of the current group to split the work equally and just leave these other 2 goof offs out of loop. let the instructor know what has happened. realize that unless the instructor allows you to dump them from your group, you will have to share any grade you get with the 2 deadbeats because you really have no other choice. i would make sure that everyone else knows exactly what these 2 did (not) do for future knowledge. hopefully, you won't be seeing them in nursing classes." thank you daytonite for clearing this up.

check to see how in depth your powerpoints are. I just posted on another thread that my professor covered all the main points in the chapter. I read the whole chapter and highlighted, and found the professor's powerpoints and my highlights and notes were exactly the same. So Im skimming. Professor also sent us a page of what we need to know for the whole semester in the form of critical thinking questions. So I started answering them and it involves a lot of refference to the text. I am enjoying it so far. BTW my class dosen't officially start until tomorrow.

It's funny you asked that. I started reading the whole first chapter of Fundamentals. Highlighted and took notes. How about the professor sent powerpoints that focused on the main point of each topic. :yelclap:My notes and highlights were exactly the same as the powerpoints. From now on I will be skimming. :loveya:

I dont see a problem with using a PDA. I hope to God by the time i get out of school the hospitals would embrace using personal technology. It would actually help us be proficient nurses, and reduce drug errors.

My reasoning is if I wouldn't wear it to an office job, then don't wear it to class. We are learning to be professionals so we have to dress and look the part at all times.

Good advice!! So good infact I wrote in red lipstick on my bathroom mirror "don't **** off an instructor"

All my classes are up and running. I downloaded and saved every assn and ppt to the computer and to my jumpdrive that I carry on my keychain. You just never know. anyway, I am only bringing to class what is required. I don't have all this ink to print all this stuff out. Im definitely going to ask about bringing a laptop. Id prefer to bring that than to print all this stuff. It sure would be helpful with ppts and research.

It seems that some of our classes and assignments are up and others are having trouble. It seems to me that IT may still be loading the classes and assignments. I would give it a few hours if you are unable to access it in BB yet. It's a lot of work that needs to be loaded for all 160 of us.