moojie

It's hard. It takes time. I remember when I first started I would freak out when a patient arrived and the machine wasn't primed, tested, and ready with supplies. I'm now at the point where if this is the case, it's likely because this patient takes a while to set up his/her things, wash the access, go to the bathroom, weigh, etc. You learn how to manipulate the shift and manage your time as you learn the craft and your patients. There will be times when no matter how punctual you are, a wrench is thrown into the schedule because of a patient emergency. Also, do not be afraid to ask for help (from PCTS, CNs, and even the CM if it gets crazy) and do not be afraid to say no, or ask someone to wait. Two patients coming off at once? See this ahead of time and warn them. They will appreciate the heads up when you are running back and forth changing ur gloves, rinsing back, removing needles. Never cut the corners you feel are necessary. With time you will get better at incorporating them in a timely manner. I know right now it may feel like you cant keep your head up to see the big picture, but soon enough you'll be calling patients in early and finding some breathing space to maybe even do some patient education or progress notes. Best of luck! I would like to hear an update! (Ps- I have 4 classmates that went into HD after RN school, and each and every one of us felt we couldn't hack it, but we all did).

My p and p says 300cc for rinseback, and another 300cc for the prime. If you think about it, it makes sense. 50cc for the arterial line, 250cc for the rest of the lines and dialyzer, at least with Fresenius' supplies...also, I rinse them back until clear or pink. Especially is the HGB is low. I add it to the goal, of course, if I know this to be the case. So, 600cc added to the goal for most patients.

Hello! Congratulations! Sounds like you had to go through a lot of red tape to get your RN. I'm from New Jersey, and I have worked as an HD nurse for two years. One as charge nurse. So the info I'm providing here is from my personal experience. 1) Any experience is valuable. Especially if you used the same machines in the Phillipines as the place you are applying. 2) There are two hemodialysis certifications. One is only awarded to BSN nurses (it's the CNN designation). I know in the Phillipines they only have BSN. However, this is not a requirement for hire. I was actually hired by a large dialysis company right out of nursing school. They trained me for 4-6 weeks and provided a preceptor for a month or so after. 3) in the US, you need a BLS cert for almost every job you apply for as a nurse. ACLS is not necessary for chronic HEMO, but in Acutes you may be asked to complete it. Hope this helps and isn't too little too late. Good luck!

Thank you so much for your reply TraumaRUs. Do you have experience doing this? If so, what's your thoughts on this program?

Hello All! I was recently offered a position by a former patient of mine who is considering home hemodialysis. He would like me to come to his home, set-up his machine, and cannulate him. I would then monitor during his treatment. The salary is more than what I receive for being charge nurse on my shift, but provides zero benefits (I use my husband's anyway-but just to put all the known info out there). My question is, if I were to consider doing this legitimately, how would I go about this? Is working privately in dialysis even allowed in nursing (sorry if that is a base question- I obviously have no idea how this would work). Thank you in advance for any and all help.

And I want to add that it gets easier as the semester goes on. It's just the first month, like ukgirl said, is bananas. By the sixth week or so you will be able to complete your video validations faster, know what to look for when you're reading and studying notes, in addition to having a lighter work load:) the best thing you can do is "tune" into the semester asap. Hit the ground runnin so they say, lol.

Those chapters are from the Fundamentals of Nursing book.

Earl M... Excellent idea! Definitely start reading earlier if you can. Our first exam was on 21 Chapters! Read Culture, Vital Signs, the chapters on the Nursing Process, Infection Control, Safety, Ethics, and Chapters 1-5. That should keep you busy lol. The others I wouldn't recommend reading until you are more into the program;)

You will definitely need a drug book guys. Not so much the Calculate with Confidence, unless you are really really REALLY bad with basic math. You get three chances to pass the calculation test before clinical starts. But the content is simple. If you can do the Math on the Hesi, you can do the Math in Pharm too:)

Newstart, I am pretty sure you won't need the uniform before clinical, but don't quote me on that. We needed it earlier because the program was under review for a couple of days, but from my understanding this process only happens every few years. Ask your professor. Also, everyone I know ordered the uniform in person. I got mine the day after the letter came because I knew they would be very busy later on in the season. The area doesn't have much parking, so if someone can drop you off that's a plus. It's in downtown Paterson. And the reason I recommend going in person it because the uniforms run a little large and the pants will likely have to hemmed. Also, get a few o the name tags in case you loose one. Don't buy your stethoscope from there. Super expensive. Allheart.com has some great deals as someone on here mentioned before. Mine is a Littman, and I love this thing:)

Oh and get a luggage tag for your medical kit. There will be 30 bags in the lab at one time, and they can easily be mixed up:)

Hey guys. Congrats on getting if if I haven't said it already. About the uniforms, NO you dont have to wear them to lecture. Technically, they are supposed to be worn in the lab, but our professors told us that as long as no one comes in dressed inappropriately, we can go in dressed down. We actually had to wear our uniforms for a couple of days while in lab because the program was going under review. We were told the policy will be changed eventually. So, more than likely, you won't need that thing until you start clinical, about 6-8 weeks in. However, if the policy still has not changed or your professor requires them for validations(don't personally know of one who does), then you may need them sooner. As for the medical kit, it comes with the supplies you need for your validations and skills practice. It has IV bags(no you won't be inserting an IV, I flipped when I saw that lol), tubing, syringes, vials of "medication" to draw up, gown, mask, sterile field equipment, items for a dressing change, a bulb syringe for NG and PEG validations, a disposable penlight, etc. I think the packet y'all recieved may have come with a list if I remember correctly. Also, before I forget to add this in at one point, get yourself a clipboard for clinical. One of my classmates had one with a calculator attached to compute IV drip rates, but depending on your math skills, you may not need all that. All of those who didn't have a clipboard on day one caved and had it by day two. They are relatively inexpensive, and can come in handy in lab too while you are going through the checklist. I put labels on mine with common lab values that I hadn't memorized. Once I have those down, I can peel them off and add other handy information to it for quick reference. Lastly, the care plan book. If you can, avoid the one they sell in the book store. (carpenito-moyet) It's not very helpful. I recommend Gulanick/Myers. I borrowed this one from a friend, and loved it. The library has ones you can borrow, however when you do your Nursing Care Plans you will be already in clinical( pick a patient right away, btw), so you will be on campus only two days a week, so you have to plan accordingly.

Hey guys. I have been answering private messages from a lot of people with questions regarding the HESI. I am more than happy to help, but for the sake of time, please check my previous posts by clicking on my name and leafing threw them. I have about three posts written about the HESI exam, really long and detailed descriptions. If there is something you would like to know that is NOT on there, I would be more than happy to help you guys and answer your questions the best that I can. Best of luck to all of you! See you in the Spring;)

The book in the library will most likely be the one from the company that makes the test. The vocabulary section is good, and If you are not good in Math, that section might be helpful as well. That being said, it is only 35 pages long or so. I recommend brushing up on your basic Bio and the Chem from Chem100 if you took it. There are online tutorials from "khan academy" on youtube that helps with the bio section...but honestly I found some of the questions on the exam have a little to do with Microbio and other random science- related, but not "classical" Biology-related stuff. Really, don't rely on the book for any of the science sections. Take the topic they recommend and expand on them when you are studying. I am a visual learner so I think YouTube is a great resource. Know the cell really really well and the phases of reproduction down to minute detail. Reading comp is one of those things where you either get it or don't... But I am sure going through some of the questions in the book is a good use of your study time. Good luck!

Anyone see anything on WebCT yet? We are supposed to print out information and such no? Would be great if it was posted tomorrow so I can print whatever it is at the library while picking up the kit...