baz2010

Hello everyone! I've been a telemetry nurse for a little over a year now and have just begun cross-training in the emergency department. One new caveat--doctors giving verbal orders! For example, after telling a doctor that so-and-so has pain, he would say: "Give 1 gram of tylenol!" With that said, do you put in orders or do you wait for the doctor to put the medications in themselves? What about that situations when the doctor is at the bedside, stating, "Go and grab me this?" With them not being able to put in an order at the computer, do you put it in yourself? Do you feel safe doing this? The two nurses I've been under have told me to wait until the doctor puts in the order, which I enjoy, because it feels much, much safer! Sometimes I have noticed that many doctors either lag on putting in orders or just completely forget about it. So far, a lot of the times, I have kindly reminded them, stating, "Oh, hey doc, can you put that order in for so-and-so?" But sometimes when I nag, I feel like I'm being bothersome (but I don't want to make a med error). In my opinion, it should be standard policy that doctors should put in ALL orders, but that's just me. And I know it depends on hospital policy as well. Thoughts?

Once I finished my LVN/LPN program, I immediately began my prerequisites at the local community college. Now, after 1.5 years, I'm about to start my RN program this August. The classes were difficult, but, if you take one at a time, it can be very doable.

Hi guys, may I ask how many points you had for being admitted? I'm probably going to be applying with 80 points, and I'm also currently an LVN, though I cannot bridge because I don't have 1 year of experience working full-time. Do you think I I have a good chance of getting in? I should be applying in February of 2013 :) THank you!

It covers everything! Literally, everything. If you're anxious, go over test taking strategies and keep taking those comprehensive exams! That's the best way to study! And if you think you're not ready, move the test date back a week; there's absolutely no harm in doing that :) You'll do fine... just trust in yourself.

Here's how I did it: I went through and completed all of the questions in Saunders, including the comprehensives. DO NOT read the extensive material unless you really need to, as it's overwhelming and can further confuse you. Also, I used the Saunder's CD that is supplied with the book and took the practice exams as well. Then I did ALL of the questions in Incredibly Easy PN, including the comprehensive tests. Then I did ALL of the questions in Lippincott's PN, including the comprehensive tests. Then I went through a majority of Pharmacology for Nurses. This book is crucial. Make notecards of all your meds, one side being the prefix and/or suffix (-zepam, barbital, etc..) and the other side noting what it does and the side effects. Don't worry about listing all of your meds for each category. One or two should suffice, as you only need to know what kind of med and probably a few general side effects. Keep it short and to the point! We're not pharmacists, but nurses. After all of this, I brushed up on ALL of my ATI exams that I took during school. Good luck to everyone! Honestly, the biggest mistake I made during this test was stressing out about it. I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't eating correctly, I stopped exercising, and I didn't have a social life. DOING THIS RUINED ME PRIOR TO MY TEST. DO NOT DO THIS. Relax, eat a balanced diet, exercise, and go out and have some fun! And when you're having fun, make it a rule to NEVER think about nursing.

Hi there! I also received the same message: "The candidate currently has test results that are on hold. A new registration cannot be created at this time." How did you do?

I'm only an LVN student right now, but it does seem like many nurses and "future nurses" feel that if they can fix a patient at work, they can fix anybody. And I'm not trying to generalize this population at all, but over the course of school, a lot of the women in my class started dating men with issues. I know this because I'm one of the few male nursing students in my class (In other words, they were always coming up to me with questions).

What do you mean exactly? If becoming an OT is a graduate program, wouldn't it take me just as long if I majored in something else? The length of a BSN should be equivalent to the length of any other major, unless the student is careless and wants to take his/her time. Plus, the fact that I'll be bridging as both an LVN-ADN and ADN-BSN should make things much quicker. Also, I do plan to work throughout my entire school career, so I'll be making bank instead of being in debt. AND a lot of the hospitals in the Orange County area offer to help with tuition if you're employed by them :) But if what you say is true, I really would love to major in biology from UCI and transfer to USC for an OT master's program. Ahh the possibilities of education are endless!!!!

Hi guys, I actually am deciding to become an OT as well. Right now I am currently enrolled in LVN school and plan to further my career by obtaining an ADN and a BSN. After getting my BSN, I then plan to attend a Master's program in OT, and eventually a Ph.D to transition into PT. Some schools I'm thinking about are USC and SJSU. If you are a currently nurse, this might be the best way, because you'll still able to work and make GREAT money while going to school. According to ACOTE, many people who pursue OT get a bachelor's in a wide variety of majors, such as: biology, psychology, kinesiology, and NURSING. I just have this hunch that whatever school you apply to (If you have a BSN), they will be more likely to accept you into their program. I think this because a BSN has a great deal of clinical experience already with patients.

Ahh thanks lvngirl for the quick reply... at this point in my life, I would move practically anywhere to get into a transferable ADN program.

Hi guys, I will be in the same boat as many of you. I am currently at Concorde and will have my LVN in a year. I plan to do a year of prereq's and then apply to most of the surrounding community colleges for an LVN-RN bridge program. I have been hearing rumors that some community colleges let LVN's skip waiting lists or minimize the waiting lists for LVN's dramatically (after they have finished their prereq's, of course.) Is this at all true? P.S. I am in Southern California!