BriWisco

From what I understand, 75% of nurses in managerial positions must hold a BSN.

I would look for other values besides the BP... electrolytes, urine output, weight (trend), lung sounds... always look at the bigger picture! :)

For ICU I had 12 weeks. By week 8, I thought I was ready to be on my own... Then during my first week on my own I was having second thoughts! I think after about 8 months I started feeling like everything I had been learning was making sense... then it was time to learn more! :)

I understand your frustrations. Just remember who you are there for and do your best to lead by example (in the end you will feel better for doing the right thing). Don't be afraid to be assertive. Old habits die hard, but will be worth it in the end.

http://www.edwards.com/education/cceducationmap.htm Edwards Lifesciences has some neat videos for hemodynamic monitoring. Thanks for the list of others!

thanks to all who have responded!

I just finished up my last clinical in an ICU... one thing I was wondering and didn't have time to ask: When an arterial line blood pressure and cuff blood pressure readings don't match, which one do you consider to be accurate?

Everyone knows that the drainage bag should be in a position that is below the bladder. To me, this sounds like a case of laziness.

Congratulations and Good Luck!

Kill em with kindness! No one can argue with a sincere smile and a positive attitude! Do your best and have confidence... and good luck with your new job!

Hi! I have been an LPN since October of '06, I plan on graduating next month from an ADN program. I have been fortunate enough to find a job already, I will have to move though, about 2 hrs away. I will be working in an ICU which is what I have always wanted since I started school. Having LPN experience has really been to my benefit, I feel confident with my assessments and meds.

I've come to the conclusion that they are just another math problem, just with words, and all of the right words need to be in the right place for the problem to be solved correctly. But more often than not I've found myself writing what I thought the instructor wanted to hear opposed to what I thought was really the right thing to put in.