NSJodi

I take a student intern every year and I don't even get a thank-you from the academic institution or my hospital. I do not get any break in my assignment load. I take students because when I was a nursing student and new grad, someone (who was not paid extra) took the time to teach me. I do care about the next generation of nurses and want to ensure that they get as much experience as possible before graduation.

I work on an SICU at a University hospital and we hire new grads. However, my manager only hires a few at a time so the skill level is balanced and they do get an extended orientation. You may also have better luck at a teaching hospital, might get you experience with higher acuity patients.

Thanks everyone who responded and thanks for the tables! I should have given more information, but I was more interested in how to titrate for the future. No, this patient didn't have a swan line so I was lacking in information. Thanks again for the help!!

Tonight I had a patient on Norpinephrine, Epinephrine, Phenylephrine, Dopamine and Vasopressin with orders to titrate all of them to MAP> 60. My question is, does anyone have any advice when titrating this many pressors? I'm good with titrating two or three, but totally lost when dealing with this number. Granted in this patient's case she was maxed so titration really wasn't an issue, but in the future any advice? Thanks!

Hi. I am currently in the second semester at Mankato for the online RN to BSN program. I too applied to Metro state but they had too many prerequisites before I could start the nursing classes. Plus I have friends in that program and they seem to express a lot of frustration with it. For Mankato, all but one of the classes is completely online. The last class (Provider of care clinical) has the public health clinical component. There are tons of papers to write and it does tend to be time consuming but I think that is the same for all programs. As far as the application process goes, there are two apps. (1 for mankato and 1 for the BSN program). You can start the nursing classes right away. There are 8 nursing classes total. If you do apply to Mankato, you have to stay on top of them to get your application processed timely. It took about 3 months to get my acceptance and my DARS report from them. They are real slow about everything, but once you're in you're golden. Patricia Lipetsky is the advisor for the program. She's pretty good about answering e-mails. I do like the program and it is by far the easiest to do on a part time bases. Also , the cost tends to run about $300/credit which is less than Bethel. good luck! please feel free to e-mail me privately for any furthur questions.

First off this website has been a wealth of info for me as I have been deciding on trying for a commission. Thanks to all the contributors!! I am about a year away from completing my BSN. I am very interested in AFR or ANG as a flight nurse. Our local ANG has open slots for flight RN's however I think I would prefer AFR (there is both in my area). I know people in both and get mixed answers. Personally I want to get into CCATT as ICU type nursing is more my thing. Any pros/cons of each? How do they compare? Also, what makes an ideal candidate? I want to present the best credentials possible. I have 11 years CC experience and hold two certifications. Is that enough experience? What else should I have? Thanks for everyone's time!!

I've been asked out many times by my patients. It always amazes me to because I'm not thin or pretty. I figure it's because they think I'd take good care of them or something. Anyways I always deflect that one lightheartedly like "well the management might not like that" or something. I've also used the "thanks but I'm marrried" line. As far as the martyr syndrome. I think nursing still has this sink or swim mentality and it's wrong. As a new grad you have plenty of stress on your plate so don't volunteer for things right away. I've seen nurse managers prey on the new grads because the new grads are eager to prove themselves. Focus on learning the job first and then add things to your plate. Set the tone from day one, be consistent and you will be fine.

I'm currently trying to figure out the Mankato RN to BSN program. I'm admitted but it says all of the online courses are full. However I disctinctly remember ( and I also found it online) that the online courses had no enrollment cap. So what gives? I'm going to contact the program director on Monday to figure out what's up. I agree with the previous poster that the website is confusing. Hopefully the courses are OK. Actually I don't really care as long as I can get this BSN over with.

Hey thanks everyone for the responses. There's a large ANG unit very close to me and they always have postings for flight nurses. I'm planning to talk to them later on this fall. I just hope I have enough experience for them. Thanks again!!

Thanks for the info. I think that I like the flexibility of the Mankato program better.

I've been pondering Reserve or National Guard nursing for a while. I'm still a bit out from sending in a packet. I'm especially interested in air evac or flight nursing eventually, but I'm guessing it takes a while to get those positions. Of course, I have absolutely no civillian experience for these types of jobs as well. I do have CC experience (but not in trauma). My questions are these: Are there flight positions in reserves or just ANG? What should I do to start my gaining experience now? Thanks in advance for everyones response.

I've seen a lot people cry at work. They just get so frustrated and lose it for a minuite. These are experienced nurses too, it happens to everyone. You can't know everything about each patient and you have to get over the "super nurse" mentality drilled into you in school. It's not possible to do everything (although I know that is not how we are trained). Know the basics about your patient. Prioritize what "absolutely needs to be done" from what "would be nice to get done" and for gawd sakes GO TO THE BATHROOM !! Realize that there is no such thing as a perfect shift. Personally I'm happy if I got the important things done, my patients got some rest, their pain and nausea was fairly well controlled, they're still alive (maybe even slightly better) and I havn't screwed anything up. Anything more is gravy.

Thanks for the info!! I'm leaning towards Mankato at this point. I have all the generals done but have one prereq for the metro program which will push back my start day until spring semester now. Mankato lets you start right away. I did hear that the assessment class at metro was a joke. One of my friends went through it (he's a chiro and a practicing nurse). He felt it was a huge waste of time and money. As a bedside RN, I just wish there was a program more suited to my needs (but I know that is not the goal of the BSN programs). Just going to have have to suck it up for a couple of years and get through it. Thanks again!!

I'm accepted to both Mankato and Metro State's Rn to BSN program. Any insight into these? I am a career bedside nurse with absolutely no interest in management, teaching or public health. Just doing this program to finally get my BSN done with. Which program has the least amount of "BS" (I've heard Metro has a lot of it)? Which program might better apply to bedside nursing? Thanks in advance!!

Good luck to the MNA nurses!!