Dogstar

Congratulations!

To reiterate aNader_RN's advice, do not go back for your stuff without a police escort. Stuff can be replaced. You, your dad, and your brother cannot. This psycho could easily shoot all of you. The most dangerous time for someone in your position is when you are actually leaving the scumbag. To reiterate GrnTea's advice, do not tell the landlord, the utilities, etc., and get a new phone number. Let him keep (and deal with) everything that's in his name -- his problem now, not yours. Just leave now and take that poor dog, too.

Leave. Now. And take the dog.

I love SAS shoes. They're expensive, but they're very supportive and comfortable, and they last a LONG time.

I gave cialis last week to a female pt with essential pulmonary HTN. I had to look it up to satisfy my "what the ???" reaction, but when you think about its mechanism of action, it makes sense.

That's one of the reasons I now shave my head! I don't know about its effectiveness, but it makes me feel better.

Take it! I have had both patients and computers crash on me; it's much easier to reboot a computer. And although they **** me off from time to time, I've yet to have a computer puke on my shoes or wear out the call light.

It is a good point, but just to clarify, it was made by Fribblet, not me. I failed to negotiate the quote function properly the first time around and accidentally usurped Fribblet's thought while trying to agree with it. Sorry, Fribblet!

Frankly, I think that's part of the reason for a lot of the ER/ICU tension. The personality types that gravitate to each specialty are fundamentally different. Sometimes opposites attract, but mostly it's just like oil and water. Very true. But I do love my ER colleagues :redbeathe (and they seem to tolerate me fairly well -- out of sympathy, I suppose ).

I'm sorry this goes on. It seems inevitable that many people from different units develop tunnel vision and can only see things from their own perspective. I'm afraid those of us in ICU are prone to this more than most. The nature of your job in the ER is totally different from the ICU, and some people will never understand that. Also, there are b****y people everywhere you look -- don't let 'em bring you down. Some of my best friends at work are ER nurses (and damn fine ones), and we all get a kick out of indulging in the whole "ER vs ICU" thing, but it is totally light-hearted and all in good fun. I hope this helps. If not, since you're an ER nurse, I'd be glad to dangle a nice, shiny object in front of you and you'll be completely distracted in no time flat (just kidding!). Love, a male Trauma/Surgical ICU nurse :)

Even better -- if you're a non-smoker, bring a toy bubble-blowing pipe to work, and go out with the smokers on their frequent dodges. Then blow bubbles as they do their thing. Sauce for the goose, eh?

Trauma/Surgical ICU... NOT!!!

I felt the same way you do, and I told myself beforehand that I'd just wait on the "unofficial" pre-BON result. Of course I broke several traffic laws on the way home to try it, and it worked like a charm for me. I just had to know something, and it really calmed me down until I got the preliminary result from pearsonvue. All of my classmates and co-workers who've tried it say it worked for them, too, including one who unfortunately didn't pass (she got cocky and didn't study ). She got the "bad" pop-up, so it seems to work both ways. So... congratulations (preliminary congratulations, that is)!!!

Worked for me!

Hello Everyone, First, a caveat. I'm in my last semester of school doing a precepted clinical in CCU, so basically, I know absolutely nothing about anything. Please forgive my ignorance. If you would indulge me, I'd appreciate it. Just curious -- what is the highest troponin level you've ever seen? I had a patient last week admitted through ER with an initial troponin of .21, chest pain, a slightly depressed ST segment (ECG normal otherwise), and a dx of r/o MI. During the night, his next two troponins came back at 78 and 144. He came to the unit on nitro and heparin drips and received an MS IV push twice for mild chest pain. We kept him NPO, the doc was, of course, notified (when each lab was received), and pt sent to the cath lab in am. He is now post-CABG and doing well. But 144?!! It seems pretty high to me, and my preceptor had never seen a number that high, either.

Hylo meloy! Pesale spot taht!

Wouldn't it be great if someone would invent a device with which one could actually talk with the other person, so our thumbs wouldn't get so tired? LOL (Sorry -- just couldn't resist.)

I couldn't really tell who you were asking, so apologies if it wasn't me. Having said that, I'm also in Texas.

:hug::redbeathe You're welcome!

In the current job market, you would do well to position yourself to stand out in every way you can, including academic performance, especially if you're a new grad. There's a lot of competition out there! I will graduate with an ADN this May, and I am fortunate enough to have already landed my dream job in SICU in the same large teaching hospital where I've worked as a nursing student for the past year. Not only did they require that I submit a current transcript, which they looked at carefully, the interview panel seemed very receptive to my stated intent to immediately pursue my BSN (then they all looked at my transcript again to see my grades for the prerequisites in the bridge program I had mentioned). The competition for the position was very stiff, not only from new grads but from experienced nurses trying to get into the ICU. I'm thoroughly convinced that my grades, my experience (such as it is), my intent to continue my education, and the fact that I have been a good employee with an established performance record all played a role in landing the job. Granted, this was for a pretty elite unit, but the same principles would hold true for any job in almost any field. Right now employers can definitely pick and choose, and you can bet they are doing so.

Texting between phones is one thing, and it can be a great tool; but using "text-speak" to post on a message board where many people will be reading the written expression of your thoughts is quite another. This isn't a professional journal, and many have correctly pointed out that it is in fact a pretty informal venue -- as it should be -- but it isn't passing notes in 3rd grade, either. As for me, I don't care if people use their phones to post, but if it looks like what someone has to say is so unimportant that they typed it with their thumbs, I usually just move on.

Well, I guess that would depend on the agency. Some may very well be glad to get a nurse with any kind of experience, and you definitely have that, right :)? And by agency, I mean a staffing agency. You will probably work "per diem" (as opposed to a regular schedule), but many hospitals that have their own dedicated float pool could accurately use this term, as well. I guess the semantics all depend on where you are and what terms are commonly used in your area. Anyway, If I was you, I'd go ahead and apply with every agency in your area. The worst that can happen is you get no response, in which case you are no worse off than you are now (and you are employed! ). The best that could happen is you get hired and gain the acute care experience you're after. Just make sure you watch out for your own interests, and prepare to deal with resentment from the regular staff nurses -- from what I've seen it can be tough. However, agency gigs have been known to lead to hospital job offers if you fit in well and avoid the landmines. Besides, if you try it and don't like it, you can always quit. Go for it!

What area of the country are you in, and are you able to relocate? Some places are a lot tougher than others right now. For instance, here in Texas, the job market isn't what it used to be, but it is still viable if more competitive. And the cost of living is generally pretty low. We've also had a pretty steady influx of yankees and international folks for decades now, so depending on where you're from, it probably wouldn't be the huge culture shock you might expect, especially in the larger cities (I'm in Dallas, and I love it). I imagine much the same is true for other states where hospitals are currently hiring. Here's another thought -- you might consider trying to get on with an agency and pick up a few hospital shifts every month. This would definitely count as acute care experience, although you will need a thick skin for it. This would keep your skills up, and if you're like me, I'm sure the extra bucks would be useful. :) In any case, things will turn around eventually, so keep your head up and don't despair. :redbeathe

"icufaqs.org for introductory need-to-know information.....especially as a new grad." Man, this is great stuff! Thanks!

Thanks for the encouragement. I've heard the same thing, and I DO believe you. The learning curve is steep, and it will take time and hands-on experience. I just want to be as well prepared as possible to minimize the risks for my patients in the meantime, so... no spring break for me -- LOL!