njgrl622

I do the same as Sugarbear55 - my patients give me their leftover supplies. I usually keep the extra dressing change kits, end caps, extensions, iv start kits, etc... good to keep as back up! But all the saline and heparin flushes are given to my Veterinarian. I've even given him IV tubing and butterfly needles.

I'm a Home Infusion RN and have removed many PICC lines in the home. Slowly pull the line and then apply pressure to the site if there is bleeding. Never sent a patient for a scan after removal - like schoolRNapril said - apply an occlusive dressing and instruct the patient to keep it dry and intact for 24 hours. Even though the patient is on coumadin, if you gently and slowly pull the line, there should only be minimal bleeding....

I am a home infusion nurse also - and every lab kit I have dealt with tells you which tube to use for each test. It's printed on the requisition form ! :) Check your agency's policy though....we draw the rainbow in case the doctor wants to run another test that isn't originally ordered (saves us a 2nd trip to the patient). Good Luck!

Yes, you receive an actual certification. Make sure you register for "Intravenous Therapy Certification Course". Good Luck!

Got my first paycheck! Apparently an error on "corporate's" part - the position pays $32/hr.....um, OK...I was happy with $30 - but I'll certainly take the $32!

It was $149 - if I remember correctly....I took it in November 2012 :) I remember it being A LOT cheaper than UMDNJ! I think they were around $300!

Started working pd for home infusion agency at $21/hr. After 3 months started getting $25/hr. Now after 7 months experience just landed a pt job at an assisted living (assessments and monitoring PRN Narcs) and am making $30/hr.

I didn't want to make the trip to Newark (I live in way way way up - North Jersey). CCM (Community College of Morris) offers an IV Cert course. It was difficult to find on the website, so I called. 1 day and done! The professor was very nice and knowledgeable and the class was small, I think there were only 12 of us. Good Luck!

YES they cheated!! I'm talkin' copies of pharm exam questions and even had question banks for some of the exams. I agree that professors were annoyed if they were told people were cheating because it would create more work for them to create a new exam, etc... BUT I have to say.....it was pretty funny watching these cheaters STRUGGLE through the HESI exit exam....most of those people failed it the first time or couldn't pass it at all and then couldn't go to pinning. So, it bit them in the you-know-what in the end. The NCLEX Predictor was also a good one....most of them failed MISERABLY and were then forced to take an NCLEX prep course. Glad I validated your experience - you are NOT the only one. :)

And BTW,This post has HAUNTED ME!! "I have 2 semesters left at PCCC and LOVE the RN program and all the professors....The professors are tough - but you'll learn soooo much from them. And they are ALL approachable and are invested in your learning. As long as you do what is expected of you - you'll be fine!!" LMAO!!! This was ME!!!! Nursing 1 was a BREEZE!!! Nursing 2 - Not so bad.....BUT Nursing 3 and 4 (last two semesters) were absolute NIGHTMARES!! Different professors than 1 and 2 - and it made a HUGE difference! There was only 1 professor that really "taught" - and wanted to see you succeed - I truly believe the others enjoyed failing people and kicking people out of the program. That above comment was probably the LAST positive statement I made about PCCC..... The cheating was disgusting! And it was done by the students that the professors LOVED! The students that worked the hardest and were the most focused were the ones constantly under the professors microscope and grilled on a daily basis. Just typing this post and thinking about my time in PCCC makes me nauseous....

Our group started nursing 1 with 78 students and at pinning only about 22 of the original class was there.....it IS a tough program. And I agree with you about the exams - we always had issues! Either with the book contradicted what the professor said was right answer OR the person that grades them made an error *(happened often!). Being an older student and a mom - I felt I had to suck it up and deal with it because I had already invested so much time and money in PCCC. Now that I'm out and have that RN after my name - I feel like I can BREATHE again!! There was only ONE professor that I feel really wanted to be there - wanted to see her students succeed! The others taught by intimidation.....I don't miss them! LOL If anything - I learned what kind of nurse I wanted to be - a nice one!! Whenever I see students now I just want to put them under my wing to protect them from the mean nurses! In every program there are going to be complaints - I have nothing to compare my experience at PCCC to, so I don't know if it's better somewhere else. BUT I will say - I passed NCLEX on the first try in 75 questions - so, they definitely prepared me!

Most of the pharm companies I deal with in home health won't automatically send the Biopatch. But when I call them and tell them the patient came home from the hospital with one - and no replacements are in with their supplies --- the company will send them with the next weekly shipment. I completely agree with you on the kits....they ARE ridiculous!!

This is exactly what they told me in the interview - I wanted to run outta there! LOL. I'm a new nurse with NO experience BUT I'm not stupid - I know my limits! I would've been too overwhelmed and someone could've gotten hurt....

Thanks everyone for your input! I'm not ready for something like this....it's a lot of responsibility for a new grad with no nursing experience. I was really surprised to even get an interview!

Yes - this would have been my first job (that's even crazier). The most I had during clinical was 4 except for when we played "charge nurse". We were assigned 10 patients and had to delegate to a team of (3) fellow students. Each student had a different role (med nurse, PCA, LPN, etc) But I was responsible for all 10 patients. Maybe a more experienced nurse would be fine with these numbers - but I'm not willing to sit in front of the BON and explain someone else's actions if there is an incident. Since the interviewer basically said - I'm supervising and if there's an incident, I'm the one that people are going to come to. Oh well.....it was my first interview since receiving my license last week. I took my NCLEX the end of July too! So, I'm not feeling desperate yet - I'll just keep looking!