knittingknurse

I love hands-on patient care: assessments and wound care. I don't even mind changing briefs because it brings me more contact with the patient and a chance for a thorough skin assessment. I love working with the doctors from our hospitalist service. I love patient education (when I know the answers!). I hate combativeness (patients) and grouchiness (fellow staff). I hate calling certain doctors in the middle of the night. I hate receiving new patients during the 2200 med pass.

Work with the evening nurses - about half of the bathing should be done at night to even out the work. That said, it still sounds like a tremendous load without nursing assistants.

Sorry you're having this issue. Be sure to be open with your new manager about the situation. Don't let them find out about it down the road. And congratulations on your dream job!

I have a regular schedule of 3 nights in a row. Sometimes there are patients my coworkers and I call "one-shifters." If we take turns having the patient, we are able to maintain good nursing care even if unable to provide continuity. It can actually be better for the patient not to have a nurse whose nerves are intact at the beginning of the shift. In addition, we often help each other deal with "difficult" patients by taking turns answering the call bell and responding to bed alarms. I am lucky to work on a shift with good teamwork.

What are your greatest strengths/weaknesses? Describe a professional situation in which you have been in conflict with another person. How did you handle yourself? What would you do if you walked in a room and found a patient... (unconscious/on the floor/choking/bleeding, etc.)? What attracted you to this facility/hospital/unit? Make sure to be genuinely interested in the specific unit. Go to the interview prepared with some tidbits about the facility. Example: I was impressed with your quality scores/ your new ___ program. I was so scared about finding a job when I graduated that I applied to some positions that were not my ideal and ended up flooding some hospitals with so many applications that I think the recruiters started to ignore me! I recommend calling the recruiters about your dream units even if there are not any openings posted online - there may be some soon, and then you'll have the advantage!

As a student, show interest and ask questions. This is a great way to supplement your clinical experience from school! If census is low, I appreciate when CNAs take extra time with patients, like giving "feeders" snacks and drinks. Interested, hard working CNAs really stand out. Best of luck with your new job!

You could wear neat-looking scrubs with newish tennis shoes. This is considered professional attire for us. Or you could wear what you would wear to any other "business casual" function. Good luck!

If I remember correctly, Saunders lumps all of Peds in one testable category and all of OB in another, unlike the systems approach for Med-Surg. I found the outlines very helpful, but I tried to keep up with our textbook also.

I recommend getting a patient care tech job now in one of your top choice hospitals! Work hard and create a good impression now, and you'll be seriously considered as you approach licensure.

I graduated last May and have had positive experiences working in a LTC/rehab facility, in a free clinic as a volunteer, and in a community hospital. I work hard and ask a lot of questions and seem to be getting along fine. The new LPN grad seems to be having a similarly positive experience. :) What does surprise me is how awful some of the experienced nurses at both LTC/rehab and the hospital are to each other. A few have worked in the same unit for many years, and others have only been there a few months. They backstab and gossip, decreasing morale and taking time away from patient care. It is a frustrating situation. Thank goodness most of the abrasive personalities are on the opposite shift to mine!

Makes sense... thanks!

Hello fellow nurses! I am a new RN and work in a small community hospital's stepdown unit. My husband and I are finally getting ready to start a family. I am reading up on preconception and am trying to figure out if there are any special precautions I should take now or once I become pregnant. Are standard precautions enough? Are there any diseases or treatments you would definitely avoid exposure to? Obviously I should avoid radiation. I'm immune to varicella and hep B. Anything else? Thanks for your help!

The first time I felt like a real nurse was when I assessed for rebound tenderness in one of my LTC patients and made the decision to send her to the hospital! I just started in a hospital, and working with PICCS without supervision is another major milestone for me. :rckn:

I went door to door to LTC, and it worked for me. I was lucky and got an offer on the first day! I was dressed to impress and had multiple copies of my resume and recommendation letters on hand. However, one of my friends who lives in Boston, where new grads seem to be choked out of the job market, was unsuccessful with this approach. I think it depends heavily on where you live.

I'm in the same boat, DekagirlsRN. I keep applying to the local hospitals and have even gotten some interviews, but no job there yet. I keep telling myself that it will get better, that the right position is waiting out there for me somewhere. What is most frustrating to me is that most of my friends in my graduating class have gotten awesome hospital jobs. In the meantime, I'm scrambling to keep up with my LTC job because my orientation was so poor. At least we've got something!