Califlower

http://www.allnursingschools.com/ That's a good place to start... I know there are a couple of community colleges in the area. CSU Northridge only has an RN - BSN program... why not start with an associate's degree?

I don't work at either facility. USC LAC is a county facility, and is part of the county health system here. I have heard good things about the UCLA new grad program, but nothing about county's. I think UCLA's new grad programs are just twice a year, but county's start year-round. Their respective neighborhoods might be a factor -- county is located in downtown, in a not-so-nice area. UCLA is in Westwood, which is a fairly nice (read: expensive) place to live.

What are the hours like in the OR? I've heard that it is mostly days -- does that mean that it is mostly 8 hr shifts, or are 12 hour shifts available? How many call hours are assigned per week?

Yes, I am aware of that. And I am neither.

Hi. I don't know if I'm butting in, but I graduate from nursing school this December (in California). I was told that we should be able to sit for the boards (NCLEX-RN) around February of 07. When would be the best/earliest time for me to apply for a Visa Screen certificate? I have received all my college education (as well as high school and etc.) in California.

Thank you all for the info! I will definitely check into the VA hospitals. It was just hard, because we don't have an OR rotation while in nursing school, so we have very limited exposure. I think I have enough information to get a good start off on researching jobs. Thanks again!

Thank you so much for your help... maybe someday NorCal would be an option, but as of now, I want to stay closer to family, in SoCal. Thanks again though!

I originally posted this question in the California section, but perhaps this was the better place to post it, seeing as I didn't have any responses. I had a question regarding OR nursing in the Los Angeles area -- what facilities employ OR nurses who scrub in as well as circulates? Which places have RNFAs? From where I've done clinicals, it seems like scrub techs have replaced most of the scrub nurses, and I would like to learn to scrub in as well as circulate. If any of these places offer new grad training, that would be great for me to know. Thank you!

Lunakat -- I live about 10 miles from Los Angeles. I know some hospitals have jobs posted on their employment webpage, but not too many. I don't want to float, or end up doing mostly paperwork or something like that -- I may not be able to do procedures, but it would be ideal if I got to observe something now and then... I was thinking maybe in an ER or maybe surgery.

Does anyone have info on what hospitals (in the So Cal area) are hiring student nurses as CNA's or PCA's?

What I found in nursing school is that your fellow students are your number one support group. Butt heads with them and study together! Check out other resources such as tutoring, or perhaps the library to see if they have additional references available on the topic. My school has an extensive collection of nursing videos (procedures mostly), and they are a great resource.

That's a really good advice! I think that goes also for other nursing fields as well as psych. ARNPsomeday, I don't have any psychological disorders that I know of (I hope!). While I am glad I am in good health physically and mentally, I think I would have to work harder to truly understand where psych patients are coming from. I worry that I may not be able to understand or relate, but I have no doubt that I will be working hard to be the best that I can.

Just an addendum on the stethoscopes -- I think cheap steths are great, but if you can, check to see if you can get the cushy ear rubber cover thingamajics. I think the Littmanns come with it -- without it, some stethos hurt your ear so much, you can forget about trying to listen to anything else. At least try the stethos on to see if they're a good fit to your ears, and are lightweight.

You can actually come up with several nursing diagnosis from this scenario. One would be, inadequate nutrition, related to substance abuse, secondary to being homeless, as evidenced by significant loss in weight (or appearing anorexic). Another would be, risk for ineffective coping related to separation from wife and children, as evidenced by inability to sleep.

I agree. Don't be afraid to look things up. Most drug guides contain information about drug interactions. After taking pharmacology, you remember a lot of things, and more will become second nature as you progress. For example, you would tell a patient to avoid foods high in tyramine when they are taking MAOI's. Or taking two different kinds of diuretic. You would check labs to see if potassium levels are normal. For patients on lithium, sodium and potassium levels in food should be checked. If you know what a drug does and how it works, you will know drug interactions. If you don't, there's no shame in looking things up -- I don't think any nurse knows all the drugs and their characteristics!