tots24

I would add that while you won't have a problem transferring your license, you may have a problem networking. If you were to go to school in the area you ultimately want to work in you might be able to work as a NA during school and then have an "in" once you graduate. I'm not saying it's impossible to go to school in one place and then work in another, but it will certainly be more difficult.

July4th. Yep, she had a number in her name.

I would guess that most hospitals on this list have a good deal of patients with OI. U.S. News Best Children's Hospitals: Orthopedics

I know that I sometimes plant pain pereptions in my patients' minds. I work with post-surgical peds patients and always just ask flat out if they are in any pain. If they say no or give me a low rating on the numeric or faces scale that I don't think is accurate, I remind them that it's okay to have pain and it doesn't mean they've done anything wrong or that the surgery didn't go well. I would so prefer to have a patient rate their pain higher than maybe it is and give meds appropriately than to have them not say anything until it's really severe. Most of the time I find, even in peds, that I get pretty accurate pain ratings regardless of my wording.

I got a temporary full time job in the infant room at a daycare. I wanted to work in peds, so it seemed like a good way to get some baby experience in while studying my developmental milestones!

One of the things that really helped me was making a running list of meds/assessments/interventions I wasn't very familiar with that I encountered during my practice quizzes. After I finished the quiz I would look up everything I could about these topics so that if I came across it again I would be prepared. I'm so happy I did because there were a few times during my NCLEX that I had questions about things I had looked up just a few weeks before!

I feel bad for not only the patient, but whoever follows the cranky, I'm-not-going-to-give-pain-meds-unless-you're-screaming nurse. They're going to be playing catch up all shift to get the pain under control!

But the question didn't ask what the best indicator of pedal perfusion is, it just wants to know the first action you'd take. You've got a fresh post-op patient being admitted, not someone who's been on the floor a while. ABCs. Vitals first, then CMS assessment. Think of it this way: if his BP is zero you're not going to have a pedal pulse and you will have just wasted time assessing CMS when you could have been calling a code!

Do whatever you want! I think that an actual nurse wearing a sexy nurse outfit is 100% better than a non-nurse wearing one!

I work with post-op peds and have the darndest time getting them to deep breathe. Some can use the IS and some do okay with bubbles, but they rarely do it hourly even with prompting. We also have party blowers and pinwheels, but do you have any other activities that your kids do that would be a fun way to break up the monotony of hourly IS use? I'm thinking straw painting, cotton ball races using a straw, kazoos, etc. Something FUN!

It's a bit of a tricky question since the Nurse Practice Act in MN is in the process of undergoing a change in language specifying exactly what LPNs can do! The MN BON would definitely have the best info!

I LOVE Child Life. Once upon a time before I was a nurse I wanted to be a CCLS. I love them because they distract the kids while I get my work done, the families love them because they give their kids fun things to do, and the kids love them because they think they're their friends!

Twinmom, that sounds like the holy grail of grossness!

Oh my gosh yes! The worst show for me is/was(?) HawthoRNe. My two favorite scenes: 1. Teen girl in labor, fetal heart monitor in the background. Fetal HR drops to 30 for a sustained period. This goes completely unnoticed by everyone and is not addressed. 2. Patient needs emergency surgery, but surgeon doesn't want to operate because he's too hypotensive. Monitor in the background again, BP is 110/67. Hello. I appreciate the desire to make things more realistic by having monitors, but at least make them accurate!

Ditto to the trying to badge in anywhere there is a door!

I do shift work (10-12 hour nights) and I've got 3 cases that I'm on. Two are 24 hour cases and are staffed very well with hardly any openings. The other is nights only and the family frequently cancels shifts. I have a week coming up where I will be losing over $700 due to cancelled shifts. Picking up shifts elsewhere isn't an option. Anyone have some suggestions on what I can do to help deal with that huge financial blow? I'm nearly having a panic attack thinking about it. Please help!

"Not a new grad here but I can access my hospital's pay scale so know what new grads make. Base is $64,000/year. All new grads work every other weekend and get 25% diff for W/E. Also those who work nights (most new grads do) get 10% night diff. In addition all nurses get pait for 10 holidays. This means a new grad makes slightly over $78K/year before taxes. Within 4-6 years most are making well over $100K/year. Most RNs who have worked here for 15-20 years are making $120-140K/year. This is for RNs reguardless of degree in Minneapolis MN." WHAT? I'm in Minneapolis and that does not look like the MNA contract salary I've been looking at/talked to HR about. I make way, way under that doing private duty right now. I have GOT to get into a hospital soon. Good info though, thanks!

I chose probably one of the most expensive schools in the US in one of the most expensive cities in the US. It's also the one with the highest average student loan debt for alumni. Great choice. Oof. Now that I'm done I'm working one full-time job (nurse), one part-time occasional job (day care provider), and I sell my plasma. Barely scraping by with all of the loans I have! Don't make the mistake I did!

I agree 100% with the post above. I went to a very expensive, very good nursing school and I am having just as hard of a time finding the position I want as people who went to community colleges. I have so much student loan debt I feel like it's crushing me! Unless you have a lot of money and your parents do too, there is no need to go to one of the top schools. We all learn the same things. It took me 2 degrees to learn that. Save yourself some time and anxiety and go for a reasonably priced school with a good reputation.

I agree with what the others have said. I work overnights, so give me clear house rules, a comfortable place to sit, adequate light, a place that is "mine" (whether that's a chair, desk, whatever), and WiFi is nice. Just a quick question--have you/your child's doctor looked into doing sub-q IG infusions? You can do these at home and they just run overnight. It might be a nice way to keep your child who needs consistency out of the hospital!

I work in peds private duty now and I know several people from my agency who, after about a year, have been hired onto peds units at hospitals. It definitely happens. If you're working with a good agency, the hopsital HR will recognize the name and judge your competency accordingly. My kiddos all have vents, trachs, gtubes, or implanted ports so I already feel very comfortable with those things--more comfortable than many of my friends who are currently working in hospitals! I deal with them all the time and it's just me, so I have to know everything about them!

I asked my agency if I could keep in touch with the little girl from my first case (I was their only nurse by the end) and they gave me approval. It's nothing TOO intimate--I sent a card for her birthday and met up with them for coffee one day. We've sent a few emails back and forth. I feel like returning to their home for any reason is too much, but meeting in public places seems okay to me. I would only do this though if your agency says it's okay!

No way. 80 lbs is heavy! I wouldn't go right to OSHA, but I would definitely talk with both the parents and your agency again and reiterate that you do not feel safe lifting this patient. I would think that everyone would agree that patient safety (and your own!) is more important than aesthetics. I know that families get to dictate what they want, but patient safety should supercede preferences. Insurance covers the lift, why not give it a shot? Maybe it's not as cumbersome as they think it is. Their child is growing and will probably one day get to the point when lifting alone isn't an option.

I interviewed almost a full month ago for several open positions at a large children's hospital. I interviewed with HR 4 days after applying and the interview went really well. The recruiter told me that she wanted me to meet with the nurse manager on a particular unit because she would just love me. She said she hoped to get back to me that afternoon with a time/date to meet with the nurse manager. I didn't hear back that afternoon nor the next day, so I called her and left a voicemail. A week went by and I hadn't heard, so I called again--left another voicemail. Same thing happened the next week--left a third voicemail. I haven't emailed or called in almost two weeks now and I'm not sure what to do! I know the recruiter liked me because otherwise she wouldn't have told me about a second interview. The jobs are all still posted online, so I know they haven't been filled. What do you think is going on? I know sometimes hospitals take a long time with hiring, but why isn't she returning my phone calls at all? I really, really want this job so I don't want to pester HR, but I also don't want to be too casual about this. Any advice?

This could be exactly what you're looking for! Private duty, in my experience, is definitely less strenuous. I've worked cases that range from 8-12 hour shifts. It's a slower pace; sure there are some very busy times, but there is also some downtime. I really think this would be a good option for you from what you describe! Pay is less than hospitals; reimbursement just isn't the same in home care, but if you need the slower pace and shorter hours, this might be a small price to pay. As far as the interview, it sounds like you're more than qualified. Since in general people are being discharged from the hospital with a higher acuity level, they do have more intense medical needs than you might think, but with the experience you have under your belt you'll be great. Good luck!