learninmama

I bring a HUGEE tote bag & a mini cooler LOL.... Pens, markers/highlighters...penlight, drug book, scissors, fem supplies, stethoscope, notebook, air freshener, lysol wipes, antibacterial cleaning spray, tape, gum, $$, 6 bottles of water, peanut butter crackers, & a sandwich

I guess my facility is a little different. Thankfully both of my oncoming nurses are awesome...so it'd truly depend on how busy they were. If they were busy I'd go ahead & fill everything out etc without blinking an eye. If it was slower I know they'd take over in a heartbeat so I could get out of there...something to be said for team work.

Agreed! Write em up & keep on them! Each time I write someone up I sit down with them & go over the write up. I tell them what my expectations are from them & also keep their job description handy. I told each of them they had a choice to make we could work together or against each other. After a week of write ups daily they straightened up. (yep I did 40+ write ups in a week LOL) They have quickly figured out I am a team player & if they ever need help with anything I'm there. I now tape a list to the top of the desk each night- -Do your rounds! Make sure your patients are clean & dry! -Make sure all alarms/restraints are in place & checked hourly. -Answer ALL call bells/alarms in a timely manner. -If you need help or have a question ASK! -Etc etc -Have a great night & thank you for being a valuable part of the team!!

I wear asics & new balance...I swap them out every other day....seemed to help alot switching them out on my 7-10 day stretches. I also have wide feet & these are the only brands that haven't started to break down or rub the inside of my feet.

I shower before I go to work & as soon as I get home.....I figure I don't need to bring anything my kids might give me to my patients & I don't need to bring my kids home anything from my patients. My kids know not to hug or kiss mommy until she's showered.

I work nights & am the only nurse my unit. I eat every night at the desk but I clear everything out of the way & wipe down the counter before & after I eat. Nothing worse than putting down your paperwork to find someone's leftover stuck to the back of it uggg.

It takes me 3hrs to do my first med pass to 35-40 pts...yes probably "too" long in some people eye's but I do my job right. I pull everything right off the MAR & sign as I go along & get stopped frequently for alarms, etc. I work 12 hour shifts but am always there 15-16 hours. I am very fortunate to work in a facility where alot of the meds are scheduled at 5 different times in a 24 hours shift....so day shift has 3 passes & night shift has 2 passes. While there are some variations on diff antibiotics & such it's so much easier having the majority scheduled around the same basic times. So I only have around 10 meds that are on their own times. I start at 5:30am (shift starts at 6 tech) - The first 30 minutes of my shift I get report & collect any additional paperwork I will need on my cart for the day ie- 72 follow up sheets, antibiotic sheets, etc. Right after report, before I stock my cart I initialize all breathing treatments that are scheduled for 6am...while those are all going I stock my cart then go back & take everyone off their breathing treatments. After my 1st pass I restock my cart & start on my 2nd pass...usually takes me about 1.5 hrs as that one is only around 17-20 residents. I keep a notebook on my cart with me so I can jot down anything I need to follow up on or document. Ie- Rm 33B - Name -Resident's L eye looks red 9:18am Rm 55A - Name - Glucose 424 9:23am - admin 10u novolin per sliding scale - no altered neuro status noted - recheck 1hr (I then highlight the recheck 1hr as a reminder to myself) Recheck 10:20am - Glucose 255 I often don't sit down to chart until my shift ends....as between med passes, call bells/alarms, etc...paperwork isn't my priority when I am on the floor. Once my relief arrives & I report off it's paperwork city. While it's rather insane I do love it & would stop a med pass in a second if a resident needed me.....thats how it should be. Don't beat yourself up or cut corners.....as you know you are doing it the right way....for me that's how I sleep well at night.

Checked again today & got the good popup!! So keep checking!!

I agree ignore them!! I have had the pleasure of working with some awesome sitters on some of my clinical rotations & there is NO WAY I could have got everything done without them as I had several patients that were fall risks that tried to get out of bed every few minutes!! So hold your head high & screw em!

I stopped on 85 questions.

I took mine yesterday & they are also on hold. It just means your results are being reviewed. It only took me 35 minutes to take my test so I am guessing that's why mine is being reviewed. I was so nervous going in to take my test but felt really good when I left so I'm not sweating over it.

I have a BA in accounting & am currently in nursing school....can't find any good jobs in my original field. Good luck in your decision!

Congrats :)

Most of my classmates & instructors are on FB & I have added as my friends. We post mostly about everyday life...family, kids etc.....as far as school goes I think the most I've seen posted is posts about "loving clinicals", "only 3 more tests in the semester", "did awesome on my test", etc...so nothing specific at all. I could see where it could get you into trouble though for sure if you crossed the line.

We do our first clinical (geri) & last clinicals (leadership) at a nursing home. The rest of ours are at different hospitals & acute care facilities. LOVED the med surg floor :)