Marlene39

Stethoscope

I wear my bootleg scrub pants (I prefer KOI or Grey's Anatomy) and usually a cute nurse t-shirt or a fitted scrub top. I have t-shirts that say "iNurse", "I'm a Nurse, what's your superpower?", "RN" (that looks like a superman logo), "I'm a nurse, I fix things" (and has a nurse with a bandaid), and a few others I've picked up at Café Press (cafepress.com). I also have several shirts that are autism related. On Fridays I wear jeans and my school t-shirt (school pride). I never wear my pin (I should though, that's a great idea!), sometimes I wear my lab jacket if I'm going to a meeting, and I only wear my bear claw when it's asthma season so it's handy. I almost always wear nursing shoes since they are more comfortable and you can run in them when needed. I do think that we should dress like professional nurses no matter where we work. The students and parents can see me from far away and I think it makes them feel somewhat safe to know there is an RN at school. I try to fit in with the teachers with my friendly personality, not my clothing (except on Fridays).

I had a 3rd grade girl come in and tell me she needed to use her inhaler. I had never met her before and didn't have any medications for her. She actually had no history of coming in for the years she was in school and this was in March. She said she has asthma and comes in every day to the nurse's office to use her inhaler. I told her I'd never seen her before and didn't have any medication for her. She insisted again that she comes in every day and I must have not have ever been there when she comes in (I'm the only nurse and the only one who is in the health office). I checked her lungs and they were clear and she didn't appear to be in any distress at all. I called her teacher who told me the girl said she comes in every day at recess to use her inhaler, but the teacher had no prior knowledge of this. So, I called her mother and she said the girl doesn't have asthma and never has had any breathing problems or ever used an inhaler in her life. I swear this girl looked me straight in the face and lied outright about something she knew I could easily check! She just kept looking at me when I explained that her mother said she doesn't have asthma or use an inhaler. She just walked out the door. I never saw her again after that either. Very weird!

All injuries at my school are sent for assessment in the nurse's office. My letter was in regards to normal, common loose teeth which happens naturally. Sorry this happened to your child, but it has nothing to do with loose teeth. I can't speak for everyone, but I am VERY careful in assessing the children who come to my office. However, I don't enable learned helplessness.

The one 5th grader asked me to call her dentist. Right, I'll get right on that...

I seriously had 3 kids in one day with loose teeth! Only one actually lost that tooth before school was out - and came back even though I gave her the cute little treasure chest to put it in when she came in the first time. She wanted to show me before she put it in the box. Really? This was a 5th grader. One especially frustrating playground aide asked me what to do if a kid had a loose tooth at recess. I'm like - "Uh, nothing." DUH!

I know you all know my pain! I get way too many students in my office for stupid stuff (loose teeth, bug bites, invisible injuries, etc) and so far I've come up with a letter for loose teeth. There are so many reasons to not send healthy kids to the nurse's office for no reason. It is really helpful to have the administration on board with keeping kids in class to promote learning time. BTW, I haven't seen a kid in my office for a loose tooth since. Next I will tackle bug bites (Really? Stop scratching!) and the kid who comes into the office 15 minutes before the end of school with a 2 week old abrasion that happened at home and you can't even see anymore. Come on teachers, get a grip! Dear Teachers and Staff, I have had several students come to the nurse's office since school started with loose teeth. I cannot do anything about loose teeth and it is a natural process that happens approximately 20 times in every child's young life. Students are missing valuable learning time to come to the nurse's office (often accompanied by another student who is also losing valuable learning time) to tell me about a loose tooth. Play-time, lunch, exercise, music and art are also valuable to student's learning. And most importantly, student's who visit the nurse's office are exposed to viruses and bacteria that cause illness. Unless they are bleeding from the mouth, please do not send students to the nurse's office with loose teeth. I am happy to provide teachers with containers for lost teeth for those happy moments when the teeth actually do fall out. School Nurse

I would just add that I am new too and I found that you can get a lot of free posters and materials from cdc.gov and other government websites on just about everything (dairy council, nutrition, head injury, dental, etc). I made a really cool My Plate board all from stuff I got free (except the really cool health foods border). I refer to it often when teaching my sick students about how to help your body fight off sickness. Rest, hydration and healthy food, plus lots of HAND WASHING! Why spend a lot of your own salary if you can get stuff free???

Well, I haven't ever been a school nurse, but I had an interview for a school nurse position yesterday and got the job. They had a list of questions, some nursing questions with prioritization (think ABCs) and some that asked what I would do in certain situations. I remember a question that was something like, "Johnny has come into the nurses office 10 times in the last 2 weeks and doesn't appear to be sick. What would you do?" I said that something was obviously wrong with Johnny, even if it wasn't physical, and would talk to his teacher and any other staff that works with Johnny, maybe observe him on the playground, lunch room or PE and see if I can detect anything unusual. I would also develop a trusting relationship with Johnny and hopefully he would open up to me about why he didn't want to be at school or in class. Who knows, maybe Johnny just wants attention or maybe Johnny can't actually. Either way, it is important to find out. Most of the questions were like this and were attempting to see if I had a brain or would just sit in the health office and wait for kids to come in to treat their boo boos. There were some general first aid questions and they even asked what I'd do if a teacher came in with a headache. Assessment is always your first and most important tool. Giving out a medication is not going to be your answer in most situations. There was also a diabetes question. Assess blood sugar first then treat. Oh, and they asked me if there was anything I was passionate about that I would want to implement in the schools. I'm a nutrition buff and feel that kids aren't getting the information they need to make good healthy choices. Parents don't always know what constitutes a healthy diet, so there needs to be a lot of non-jugemental education. There are tons of other things you could pick too, but that one seem to impress them and I can't wait to get started! Oh, and dress like you are the professional nurse that you are. I was pretty shocked to see another interviewee in casual khakis and a t-shirt. School nurses are an intergral part of the education team! Best of luck with the interview and let us know how it goes!!

It is a super difficult program for sure. I only went for blocks 3 and 4 so I can't comment on the first 2 blocks. I did hear from fellow students that block 2 was virtually impossible to pass. I know several students failed for non-academic reasons, but only 5 students continued from block 2 to 3. If you are used to getting decent grades, then you will be shocked and disappointed not to be able to do this at CGC. There are many reasons that make getting an A impossible, but lack of effort and studying isn't the problem. I will agree that some of the teachers don't know what they are doing, but there are a couple that are good. Reading powerpoints to the class isn't teaching, but I saw that a lot in block 3. Block 4 was different though. The teachers were good, but some of the tests were out of our knowledge base. They seem to be written for very experienced RNs, not entry level. I'm a really good test taker and I study A LOT and it was hard.It is so difficult to get into a program that sometimes you have to make the best of things. Learn as much as you can about how to answer NCLEX questions BEFORE starting class. Having good test taking strategies will help. No insignificant little bit of knowledge is off limits on a test at CGC. The tests I had were not on the general but on the specific. I'm sure the early blocks were more general. Make sure you do every assignment to the best of your ability and don't think that even 1 point doesn't matter. It is possible to fail by 1 point in the end (I've seen it happen and they don't give you points for good behavior). And learn the dosage calculations before starting class. You have to pass them 100% and they take off a lot of valuable points if you don't pass with 100% the first time. they are done every semester and are worth a lot in the grade scheme of things. Have someone show you the easy way to do them and then practice. Know the rounding rules and make sure you look at each answer carefully for rounding errors before turning the test in. Most mistakes are in the rounding. Label correctly. Look at the question and make sure your answer label matches the label they are asking for. If it doesn't you might have done the wrong calculation. There are just so many little things I could tell you, but they kind of go for every school. Every point counts in nursing school!!I'm happy to help anyone who needs it. Nursing school was the best and worst time of my life. I'm so glad to be done!!! Best of luck!!!

They contacted me. None of the schools I contacted would even talk to me personally. I called and sent emails. It was weird!

I don't think it had anything to do with HESI scores for getting into other programs. I got a 1122 and the only program I could find was CGCC and there are people who also got in who got in the 900s. I'm not sure how many people are still waiting, but I would say half. We lost 3 people I think for block 2. Not bad really. We had an exceptional class IMO. :) GWCC told us a lot of stuff that wasn't exactly accurate. They said to call other programs and tell them your score and grades, etc and that would help us get in. That did me nothing. I tried Scottsdale, MCC and Gateway. None of them would even talk to me regardless of my grades or HESI score. I think that the GWCC teachers are going on old info because after graduation I called the head of the GWCC nursing program and she basically told me there were no slots available and that there were a lot of people waiting from the previous semester. She said to grab whatever I could get somewhere else. So, expect a wait and if you are lucky and get in right away, then rejoice! Also, they told us that LPNs are in great demand. Uh, not so much! I still haven't found a full time job as an LPN. Some of my classmates who had an "in" have gotten jobs, but I don't think very many. Maybe experienced LPNs can find jobs, but new grads are not in high demand. Almost every ad you find says they require at least one year of experience. They won't even talk to new grads. I think I've gotten more accurate info about everything nursing school related on this website than I've ever gotten from a school. We were told we are the last graduting class for Maricopa County Community colleges to do preceptorships. I'm waiting to see if that is a fact. I hope not since preceptorship is such a great thing.

I got in right away, but a lot of my class still haven't gotten in (we graduated in May 2011). At GWCC they will tell you if you get over a 1000 on the HESI you will get in right away to the next block. It didn't seem to matter what the HESI score was. If you were lucky, you got in. Only one person got into Gateway the following semester and it was to the Banner Fellowship program. Some of us got into CGCC because they lost a lot of people due to some kind of cheating scandal. Otherwise I'm sure we would still be waiting (even with high HESI scores). It's still faster than waiting on the RN waiting list and Gateway LPN fast track is such an amazing program that you will be well trained going into block 3. :)

They took all my prerequisites including ones from 20 years ago. I think you'll be fine. Best of luck!!

I think you are pretty safe with a 45 point safety zone. A lot of people went into the final with only 2 or 3 points they could miss. Some passed, some didn't. It was very much like all the tests you have the whole semester. I think you are home free, just study like you've already done and you will do fine. Good luck!

I actually don't remember any strictly CNA questions. There may have been one about enemas, but the test changes for every class. The questions were all NCLEX style questions with a few select all that apply and some that were alternative style questions like having to pinpoint on the body where something was. You might look at the alternative questions from the Saunders CD-ROM just to get a feel for how they are. The great thing about studying for the HESI is that if you take the NCLEX right away you won't have to study again for that. I had about 3 weeks in between the two tests and didn't open a book for the NCLEX and passed with the minimum number of questions. Oh, and by studying for the HESI you will know everything for the final as well. The final was a little bit hard, but doable. I didn't study specifically for the final at all, just did NCLEX questions in general. If you did okay on the tests for the semester you will do fine on the final. The teachers are pretty fair in that regard. Peds is my worst subject by far (this semester too) and I still got an A on the final. Oh, study up on HIV. It seemed to show up on every test I took that last week and on the NCLEX. Good luck!!

You are doing fine, just relax. I was about where you are last May so I know how you feel. The HESI was kind of weird, but it wasn't that hard. The areas I struggled with were areas I didn't have much experience with in clinicals like tube feeding and IM injections. Just do as many NCLEX questions as you can to prepare. I used the Saunders book that came from the book box and also the Prentice Hall and Lippincott books. I just did about 300 questions a day for the two weeks preceeding the test and got a 1122 on the HESI. I don't think my score had anything to do with getting into block 3 however since my HESi score was high and I got an A in Block 2 (all while working fulltime with a basketball team of kids at home). There were NO slots at Gateway for our Spring graduating students so no one got in, we all went elsewhere including the students who barely passed the HESI. I think one person got a slot in the Banner Fellowship program, but that's it. I'm sure those students who didn't get into block 3 somewhere else will fill up the only slots in January at Gateway (if there are any). They told us a lot of falsehoods in the LPN program when it came to how many points you needed on your HESI to be placed in Block 3 at Gateway. Don't believe it - if there are no slots it doesn't matter what your score is and the people still waiting from last semster will be the ones who get in). Do your best and then hope that some college out there somewhere has a space for you. If PV has space, I'm sure they will take you as long as you pass your HESI. I called numerous times, sent emails and did my best to get placed in the colleges of my choice and never got answers from any of them. CGCC called me and I jumped at the offer. About 10 of my fellow LPN students got in there as well. We just got lucky because they had about 19 people fail block 2 there the previous semester which opened up slots for us. Don't get wrapped up in your score equaling Block 3 placement. Just try to get a good score so you will get the full 15 points and have a better chance of keeping that A for the semester. An A in nursing school is a huge acheivement and you should be very proud. A B is a huge acheivement... actually passing is a huge acheivement!!

I think there is a rule against naming teachers on Allnurses.com even if you say nice things. I loved the LPN teachers except for one (and she wasn't all that bad) and she only teachers one class for about a month or something so it doesn't really matter. The rest are top notch fabulous!!

I got the answer to at least one test question (often more) from each class. When every point counts, it did seem worth it to me. The second semester it was even better. The instructors went over key points and did some test taking strategies that helped with the NCLEX questions.

I don't think you can search the CD's for specific topics like vital signs. I'm not sure I've ever even seen an NCLEX question on vitals, but there might be one. Mostly it's by subject and they can be broad. Wow, outlining the chapters already. Um... well, you might really focus on anything that is in a box in the chapter. Seems that if it's in a box it's a little bit more important. It's also good to know your terms. It really depends on the teacher where she gets her questions. Since my first month was obviously WAY different than your's I can't tell you what the format will be. Ask the teacher if she does purely NCLEX or if it's something else. If it's NCLEX, focus a lot on those. You can always do an internet seach for more questions. The first test will tell you a lot about what to expect. I'm sure you will do great!!

I liked the Lippincott, Saunders and Prentice Hall books. I also got a Mosby's app for my iPhone. It's good to find as many NCLEX questions as you can and practice a lot. There are lots of free ones on the internet too. There were times I didn't even read the chapter and only practiced NCLEX questions and I got about the same grade. I would strongly suggest not just relying on understanding the chapter. ALWAYS do NCLEX questions as part of your study routine. They are worded so differently and you need to get used to them. Have fun! I'm glad you didn't get the same instructor I got. Those 5 point tests were for the birds!! Maybe she is teaching the day program this semester.

By obscure I mean that she didn't take the easy skills or the part of the skill that is obvious, she took the skills that were not often used and the part of the skill that you wouldn't have memorized. I can't give you examples of test questions since that would be unethical. The 5 point tests are not all about CNA skills at all. They cover a lot of information from the blood flow through the heart to medication administration to directionality to heart sounds to ADPIE and more. I just remember thinking that she never tested us on what we thought we were going to be tested on. I was very lucky at one point to have done some extra study on something we hadn't talked about in a couple weeks and it just happened to be on the test. She may give you a list of things to study for the test, but don't rely solely on that list. Anything you've learned so far is fair game. Before each test you should definitely go over everything you've learned to that point. I tend to data dump as soon as a test is over and just retain the most important facts. Didn't work with that particular teacher because she tested on the more obscure facts and often from different time frames. Very frustrating! With that said I will reiterate that you cannot put too much emphasis on the tests in the first month or you will feel very small and stupid. I got one 5 the entire month. The rest of the time I got between 2.25 and 3.75. It was truly disappointing for a normally straight A student. It took me until semester 2 to really feel like I was back on my game, mostly because my confidence was gone after that first miserable month. I'm sure I wasn't alone. Who knows, maybe you will have a totally different experience. This is just what I experienced during my first month of NS. No matter what it will be very memorable and will make you a better nurse. Even though this a very tough on me I feel that it helped prepare me for everything that has come since. Good luck!:)

Yes, KP does test you on CNA skills, but not all of them and they are spread throughout all the tests she gives. So, if it's been awhile since you went to CNA school, you might brush up. There is no way to know what to study because she has 5 point tests on 12 hours or more of lecture. She also picks the most obscure things to pick out of the CNA skills to test on, so it's almost impossible to know them all. Just do your best and don't get wrapped up in killing yourself studying the first month and then feeling like a failure because the most you got on a test is a 2.25 out ot 5. This was a real problem for my cohort last year. Everyone put too much emphasis on that first month and those ridiculous 5 point tests. Look back at my previous post for info on what to expect and what to study. I won't give you specifics because you really do need to study everything for your personal growth, but I do give you areas to focus on. I did the PM class in the Fall of 2010. It was truly awesome and you will love it! Just get past the first month and you will see what I mean. Get enough rest, don't stress and try to enjoy what you're learning. Oh, and remember that only the test scores count towards your grade (nothing from group projects or skills that you perform in lab). Lab is kind of a pass or fail and not one of the students last year failed because of lab skills. You will get more practical experience once you start your clinicals. You do have to pass your math test with 100% to pass, but they will give you lots of chances. Just remember this formula: Physician's order, divided by what you have on hand, multiplied by the vehicle (1 tablet, 5 ml, etc). Here is the equation: order X Vehicle (tablets, mLs, etc) = how much to give have I'm always available by PM if you need any help. I am starting block 3 next week so I will probably be super busy after that. I want everyone to succeed and become the best nurses they can be so don't hesitate to ask for help!

1. You won't necessarily be checked off on your CNA skills, you will just split into groups and demonstrate whatever skills you are assigned. No worries on this as it is not part of your grade and is pretty basic. She will put CNA skills on the tests, so make sure you are up on them (especially ROM). The 5 point tests are ridiculous and don't rely only on what she says will be on them either. Everything you've learned before that test is fair game even if it's from before the previous test. Also, if you don't do well on the initial tests remember that it is such a small portion of your grade and not a good indication of how you'll do later in the semester once you get past labs and that one particular teacher. Just go with the flow and don't get wrapped up in the "stress" that she puts on you. It's a lot of information in one month, but it's impossible to remember everything covered for a 5 point test. 2. You will not be able to record that first teacher (KP), but after that you can record anything you want to. I got a Smart Pen and it was a total lifesaver! Check it out on www.livescribe.com. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any further questions or concerns...

Hi! Does anyone know the schedule for the Chandler-Gilbert day program for block 3 this Fall? The lady that called me for advanced placement said there are 2 clinical days per week both 12 hour shifts and only one class day for a couple hours and some lab days the first month or so. I work three 12s already and I can't imagine working five 12s and being in any condition to study. Just curious if this is true or not. Maybe block 2 is different than the first 2 blocks and I'm just going to have to suck it up. Any info is greatly appreciated!! :)