Raevyn

I was a CNA for 4 years then an Extern for a year before I became a RN, and let me tell ya.. we Ran our butts off... we were there... we just ran and ran and ran and ran, I never sat down for a minute.. and quite frankly, the only time I was in the cafateria was to get a nurse something or something for the patient... I never hung out there.. I never had the time. Im not sure what kind of hospital you work for, that allows that type of behavior.. but ours certainly doesn't if your CNA's have time to dissappear... they have time to be at home NOT collecting a check. We have a great unit all our CNA's work their butts off as do our nurses we all help each other, and when we as nurses are caught up with our stuff, charting, etc... we help the aides with their work what ever makes the night go along easier for everyone. We help the other nurses.. I reckon we just have a great crew... I work in the CCU/ICU Pool, so I get pulled to Every floor in the hospital, and quite honestly, I find it that way on nearly every floor.... maybe its just our hospital... but we are working toward Magnet status... I guess we all are trying to do our share .... At least the night shift is..LOL.. don't work days.. have no idea how they run things!

What I like best about My hospital is that I can choose. I wanted to picke the hardest place to be and for me that was ICU. Yet I got the opportunity to be in what is called the ICU/CCU pool. I get to work ICU, CCU, Telemetry, Respiratory, ER, and any other med-surg floor I may get called to. I work the floors, I get the specialty units, I get all the specialty training, I can get my ACLS, PALS, my CCRN, and SANE paid for iffin I want it plus other certifications, I also get $1.50 more an hour being in this pool which makes my starting pay 21.56 an hour for a new grad. I never get bored, I do not have to work L& D which I would hate.... don't want babies AT ALL or whiney women.. LOL.. don't like post partum AT ALL... and NO children. I love kids don't get me wrong.. but I don't like the parents. I am too afraid would get abused kids.. and I would'n't be able to contain myself... bad enough I have to work ER every now and again. My favorite place to be.. ICU... I am a new grad.. and even though INSTRUCTORS said.. get a year on the floor first.. BAD IDEA... for those of you intersted in ICU... They are so very willing to teach you.. they have an excellent training program.. and you are never alone.. I love ICU and CCU... its the type of care I like giving, the case load I like having... 2-3 patients not 6-9 like on the floors... and ER.. God love ER nurses.. .you guys ROCK... Lord knows how many patients you have in a night... Floor nurses.. who do it day in and day out.. God love you too... that is what I love most about my job.. is the variety I get it all.. I never get bored and I get to see the perspective of all the specialties and the units.... HUGS Rae

I have worked both the ER and the floor, and didn't really have an appreciation for the ER until I worked there.. God bless you ER nurses... because.. I just do not have the stomach for it.. I am a ICU nurse.. Love it there... but it is quite frustrating.. the days I spent there.. ambulances running in and out.. people flowing through the doors like running water, helicopters flying in we only have 25 beds... they are in the halls and with 6 nurses and 2 docs... its a mad house.... It's tough on the floor sometimes.. but not nearly that tough.. no way..... Not sure if you guys are doing the Admin RX yet.. but thankfully in ER.. they are not.. and that is a good thing... it would be a nightmare if they did... its a nightmare in ICU/CCU with it now.. but we shall see..... but everyone needs to realize.. ER isn't down there.. trying to say.. HEY... lets see if we can piss the floor nurses off.. because believe me... they are just praying for the hell to end..LOL

Hey.. if it got harder and harder I bet you passed.. no worries.. you would worry if it got easier and easier... call the CA nursing board.. or their website.. see if the results are there... I got my results the next day on the Kentucky board of nursing site.. it was late at night the following day.. but they had it before the pearson vue did. HUGS... and I am sure you did wonderfully NURSE!!!!! HUGS RAE

congratulations!!!!!! i just found out i passed my nclex today... i thought i was too old to go back to school and do this... how exciting for you... its hard... it is, i won't lie... but it will be worth every effort you put into it. i am so excited for you!!!!! i remember how excited i was when i got my letter of acceptance.. it was like winning the lottery!! this is a great forum, everyone here is so wonderful and so supportive... i just know your going to do so very well in your classes!!! god speed.. and once again.. congratulations!!!!!

besides studying night and day for 2 months..LOL I used the Saunders Nclex Review, Exam Cram CAT test from the Rineheart Review. I didn't go to the Review.. because I couldn't afford it... I bought the book of Ebay for like 10 bucks. I also had purchased NCLEX RN Secrets Ebook for $39 bucks.. which was really quite handy I must admit. I also had NCLEX RN 3500 . It had 3500 questions that I could adapt to my special needs or weaknesses. I was able to pretest.. see where my weaknesses were ..and focus on that instead of my strengths. Because if I didn't.. I would select my strengths all the time... cause I answered them all correctly. I also had some audio CD's that I bought off Ebay kinda like listening to 10 hours of broad topic lecture... non stop. Had those in my van listened to them on the way to work and back. They covered ALOT! That has been my life since Nov 9th until yesterday. OH.. I also used my Hesi book course I had to pay 150 bucks for that one.. was needed for school...LOL.. but its good.. its REAL good. Hope that helps!! HUGS RAE:nurse: (sorry.. can't help but do that..LOL OMG.. Im a real nurse now.. I can't believe it!!!!!) HUGS

Im a new Grad, I started my job in CCU/ICU Pool a month ago. It is true.. some nurses eat thier young.... but it all depends on whether or not you have backbone to stand up to them. I may be a new nurse... but I am also nearly 40 years old.. with other varied life experience behind me.. Business Management of 20 years to boot. I LOVE CCU. I work in a pool situation... I will be trained on CCU, ICU and the Telemetry floor and will float between them. Our hospital if FANTASTIC. They have a wonderful new grad program, and all the new grad training. I have 4 months of CCU classes to get through not to mention plenty of time for precepting. I was also told that if I felt COMFORTABLE in the units in less than a year.. it would NOT be a good thing. I enjoy working the CCU staff.. they are INCREDIBLE.. they are willing to help and answer my every question... AND I QUESTION ALOT!!! Which they say is good. They don't like new grads that come out of school and do NOT ask questions. Those who think they know it all when coming out of school.. they don't know diddly... I have taught some of the older nurses new tricks and they teach me all of theirs... I love it. By working in the pool I get such wonderful training and I get the benefits of indepth training that the med surg floor nurses do not get by being in the units.. as well as getting the management of a patient load by working the telemetry floor with up to 8 patients to manage as oppossed to 1-3 on the units. I don't think I want to be anywhere else. YES.. I have tons to learn. But you know what.. I have a mouth, that works... and I'm not afraid to ask. And if I find that I just can't get it.. I honestly had given it my best shot.. and I couldn't get it... at least I had the experience and the training.. and I can move into something else that fits. But right now.. Im still trying out my wings, and I have lots of older seasoned Angel nurses who are flying right beside me.. making sure I do not fail. HUGS RAE

I passed... I passed I passed... I passed... I passed... Dear .. I passed.... doing the hoopdie dance... I passed.... I was sick as a dog yesterday when I came out from the exam... OMG.. I still can't believe I passed!!!!!! :nurse: I am so happy.... OMG... I think Im going to hyperventilate... LOL HUGS RAE

Can someone tell me the differnece between Higher and Lower type questions on the Nclex. I hear a lot of talk about that. I heard that Math questions are lower type questions and if you didn't have any of those you did okay. I couldn't really dercern between the questions as to if they were harder or easier. Just wondering if anyone can give me any insight to these. Thanks bunches Rae

Hey guys.. that is not the questions she asked..LOL Hey... Im right there with ya... I got probably 3 of those questions myself today. I only had 75 questions.. no math, I did get several medication questions, several teaching, tons of maternity and priority questions and a few on diabetes. Im in the same boat you are about wanting to know about the validity of the "higher" type question. Crossing myfingers for ya and saying a prayer for ya... Rae

I am so sick this morning.... I made a med error on my next to last day at preceptor. I have been doing so well... I graduate in 7 days.... I am so sick to my stomach right now.. I don't know what to do. Was with the preceptor... apparantly the MAR sheet got turned in the hall while we were with a patient, we started to give the meds on the sheet... I got the piggyback and hung it.. (didn't start it...) just hung it for her verification. She noticed that it was for the wrong patient... we LOOKED AT THE MAR together and saw that it was the SAME piggy back... but then I noticed after we had already given the patient an aricept that it was the wrong patient. My preceptor had crushed the med for me in applesauce which I gave while she looked at the iv. We called the Doc.. Doc said.. no worries.. would probably do her good and when talking to my preceptor about it, she says, she never had a student give medicines on their own and didn't check with her, I was stunned. Now.. after crying my eyes out... I have a message into my Instructors... I am so sick right now... I graduate in 7 days.. and I could have possibly blown my whole education.. right out the window... I am just deathly sick over this.... not to mention how I have been beating myself up with the "WHAT IF's" all night... trying NOT to hyperventilate and have a panic attack.. Oh lord.. there goes the tears again..

I am in my last semester GRADUATION IN 30 DAYS.. WOOHOOO (um okay.. with that being said.. heheheh)... we have 5 men in our nursing class... and you know what.. I would take them as a nurse before I would let some of the women in my class take care of me. There was an article written about our class.. (cause we have the most men ever going back to school.. these men were in a previous life before nursing school, a cop, a fireman, a land broker, a paramedic and a computer programmer)... One of our Male Members... Loui... made a statement and it was printed in the paper... we still laugh about it: "Real men aren't afraid to wear Pink Scrubs!" I think for people who are in our profession, or students thereof who do not support men coming into this wonderful profession... just really do not have the spirit of nursing... it doesn't matter the color of the person nor the gender... a helping hand in a time of need is grasped without looking between the legs! (im gettin of my soap box now) YOU GO GUYS!!!! YOUR"E AWESOME!!!!! HUGS :balloons: Rae

Well.. I have a wonderful husband... and on the days I work.. his boss lets him come in late so he can take the kids to school. I sleep while they are in school and I get up just before the bus brings them home. Yes.. night shift usually pays a shift differential. Most hospitals have a certain percentage of your base salary.. for instance.. our is a 15% differential. Lets say.. you your base salary is $16.00 you would actually get paid: your 15% shift diff = 2.40 + your base.. which is 16.00 for a total of $18.40 yeah.. I say its worth it.. !!! HUGS RAE

There might be some mom's that feel its bad... but I love it. I have 4 kids, working nights (only three days a week mind you) gives me the flexability to be with them, save a fortune in Daycare... (of course.. when the kids are younger, you will need to decide if daycare is right for you)... What I did was work weekend shifts work two 12's and got paid for 32 or 36 hours depending on the facility. That way my kids didn't have to go to day care... I abhor daycare's.. but at any rate... now.. I wouldn't work anything but Night Shift.. so I can spend time with my family... three days a week is all I ever plan to work... it is perfect for our family... you just have to see if its right for yours. HUGS Rae:balloons:

I am about to graduate, and I have been working nights for a few years as a CNA then as a nurse extern. You couldn't pay to me to work days. I have been there during clincials.. and its just pure chaos. I love nights, because there isn't any management, very rarely are there doctors, I get to do more patient care... and YES.. to those of you who do not work nights.. patients can still be demanding in the evenings too..LOL I mostly work with the elderly patients on the oncology floor, and we have our handsful. I am usually the only UAP for 33 patients and I run my legs off... but still... there is a "family" type environment at night... Im not saying its all roses and champaign... cause you know you have family members you just can't stand.:balloons: .LOL but you work around it... Besides.. I can sleep while my kids are in school... and be there for them if they are sick or if they Need mom at one of their school functions.. just love it!!!! HUGS RAE