mmaxim

I think its completely normal to feel nervous and overwhelmed,especially with so much new information to learn. I feel that as continue with yourpreceptorship you will feel more comfortable. And just think, there are new grads going right into the critical carewho are stepping into the real world of nursing for the first time. If they can do it, you can do it. Have faith in yourself and your skills.

If Nursing is what you definitely what you want to do, then I say go for it. There are people in my class that have a higher loan amount than that, and I am close. I did not let money get in the way of my dream of nursing, and I don’t think you should either. I say get the 4 year out the way now, don’t put your career on hold.

i would keep the job you currently have for now, until you can get a job at the hospital. I am an STNA and working in the nursing home is totally different than working in the hospital. After you finish your basic nursing classes you will be able to work as tech, and a lot of hospitals have tech positions for nursing students that are per diem, which gives you flexibility. I think techs are better prepared to make the transition to RN than students who never have that experience.

I think we (Student nurses) have all made mistakes in clinicals, it is a part of the growing process. Sometimes mistakes without someone getting hurt can be a good thing a as student, you become extra cautious not to make the same mistake again. I bet the next time you give meds, you will check the dosage 3 or 4 times before you administer. Don’t get too down on yourself, learn from the experience, and I bet it won’t happen again. My first day of clinical I assessed and charted on the wrong patient and got chewed out by my instructor she said “what if I was giving meds, you would have them to the wrong patient”. Guess what….before I go into a patient’s room I check the room number like 4 times before I walk in to prevent that from happening again. You will be o.k. GOOD LUCK

You don’t always have time to read every chapter. I use my books as more of a reference. The power point slides that your teacher gives you, usually provides the main concepts, and I use the books to follow up on those main concepts, and read concepts that I have a hard time understanding.

I am a male and aide and can see where you are coming from. If you cannot bathe the patient by yourself you should get another aid to help you. You are not doing the patient or yourself any good by doing it alone. I found that being a male in a nursing home you are volunteered a lot of times to take care of the heavy patients, but it is not wise to try and do it by yourself all the time; you might end up with a bad back (trust me). Get assistance whenever possible.

it's hard to lose weight in nursing school. you are only in clinicals for one or two days a week, and more likely to eat an unhealthy meal at the hospital. you are often busy with school work and need to study a lot, and may not have a lot of time to cook a healthy meal. also, you may not have time to work a lot and it's expensive to eat healthy. you have to be disciplined enough to make yourself go to the gym despite the heavy workload. it can be done though. good luck.

i am a little dissapointed in my schools curriculum. I feel like spend more time writing papers than i do studying and practicing my nursing skills.

There is no right way to take notes in nursing school....its whats best for you. In my nursing program we have pp slides for all classes, so i write notes on those, some people rewrite their notes, some record the lecture and go back and add to their notes after class, whatever works best for you. good luck

If its a new diagnosis i would give the patient some time. It would be a good idea to inform the patient that you will be in later to educate him/her. When you come back later, ask the pt if its o.k. if you teach him/her. If they say yes, they are probably ready to learn. You can ask them to do return demonstation, or take a written quiz to see if they are retaining the information.

Goals short term goals 1. Patient will have BM within 24 hours 2. Patient will identify three ways to prevent constipation 3. Patient will identify three signs and symptoms of costipation Long term goals 4. Pt will not experience any more episodes of constipation Here is 4 i can think of....hope it helps.