Student KMW

I do not wear my ring during clinicals or at work. It's set high, and I scratch myself all the time. I don't want to scratch my patients or get it contaminated in anyway. It also rips gloves. I don't want to draw any extra attention to it or me either.

I should have included that at the facility that I work for, signing a write-up does not mean that you agree with the write-up, but that you acknowledge it.

There should be an appeal process that is outlined in the facility's policies and procedures. Good luck!

I feel completely unprofessional right now. I had to leave clinical early today because daycare called and said my child was vomiting. I tried to get someone else to pick her up, but couldn't get ahold of anyone else. I feel like I was letting my patient, classmates, and instructor down. I keep beating myself up over it, wishing I had a more solid back-up plan for childcare than what I have. I have tons of support and people willing to help; it just so happens that no one was available TODAY. I've also been bummed lately, because it seems like the farther I get in the program, the less I see my daughter. I keep telling myself: "One more year!" It's my new motto.

423 days! And counting ... LOL

I am totally annoyed by this! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one :) I am working very hard to earn my title of RN, and I will be very proud of being a nurse when I earn it. I know someone who could not get into nursing school and chose to get her degree as a Medical Assistant. I'm glad she decided to continue her education, but what bothers me is that she calls herself a nurse. I feel like her behavior discredits all of my hard work. People who know both of us, and much of my family, fail to see the difference in our degrees. I am almost done with my intense four year degree, and it has been hard. She is finishing a 1 or 2 year program, and often boasts about her high grades and accomplishments. People get confused and wonder why I don't get better grades (I get Bs instead of As which I am very proud of!). People also get confused about what our roles are. I will be a Registered Nurse, she will be a Medical Assistant. To me there is a LARGE difference. Neither "better" than the other, because we both have value in the system. But, don't claim to be a nurse when you are not one. I feel like all of my hard work, time, and effort have been belittled by her claiming to be a nurse. Just my

Turn on all the lights when you get up, and drink a nice big glass of ice cold water! It also helps if you get up at the same time everyday. I've learned to love the quiet time I get during the early morning hours when no one else is up yet.

In my current clinical, my instructor likes to be with us as we perform skills for the first time, but we are expected to act independently (of our instructor and the nurses). We are not allowed, by hospital policy, to pass meds on our own, therefore the instructor has to be with us when we pass meds. I think one of the things we are "graded" on is our initiative. If you are not comfortable, ask for clarification from your instructor, or our Dean has an open door policy for any issues that we may encounter, if you feel comfortable going above your instructor's head.

Legally, you cannot be denied a job because you are pregnant. However, it does happen, and they often use another reason for not hiring a pregnant woman. You are not obligated to disclose your pregnancy status, but it might be hard for you to hide it, unless you begin interviewing shortly. I would suggest contacting someone in the career center of your school (if there is one) to get some advice. Also, maybe you could speak to Human Resources to get a feel about policies at the hospitals you will be applying to. Honestly, as long as you plan on returning to work after your maternity leave, and/or do not have any complications that would get in the way of work, it shouldn't be a problem. Where I work, we use float nurses to cover shifts if we cannot fully staff the unit, and our nurses are almost always willing to pick up extra shifts. Congrats, and good luck!

Scored a 99.99% on my Maternity HESI today! HESI score of 1124! Woot! Studied like a maniac - practice questions and rationales were key to my success.

I worried a lot about it to, but it wasn't as bad as I had imagined it would be. I thought it was very similar to the state testing my high school did. My school only tests over reading, math, and vocabulary, and you must pass with at least a 75, also. I got a review guide from the library, and it settled my nerves a lot to be able to see what the questions would be like.

i think it's much easier to learn body systems in smaller chunks than to try a whole system at once. I use flashcards and, for instance, with bones I did the head first, then the vertebrae, the arms, etc. Each time I felt confident with one section i would add more flashcards, but keep the old and just build on. I hope that makes sense.

I think it's mostly habitual. We will retain a lot more out of habit, not so much studying it once and testing on it once. I do think it's very important to at least understand the basics, though.

Finish deep cleaning my apartment - I'm half done, woo! Buy my 3 books that I'm required to purchase Apply for daycare aid Send in my loan deferment papers Spend quality time with my daughter before school starts Go to orientation (held on the first day of class, ugh) - order uniform, stethoscope, shoes, etc. Get school supplies I have just two weeks left before school starts. I have been excited all summer, but now I'm getting nervous! I can't wait, though.