AnaCatRN

AnaCatRN

Pediatrics, Cardiology, Geriatrics

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All Content by AnaCatRN

  1. Med-Surg to ICU?

    Try networking with ICU nurses in your hospital. If they see you have an interest, they might be willing to put a good word in for you. Also talk to your NM. He or she might be able to help you, as...
  2. Sickle cell

    I agree with LouisVRN. Narcotics are known to cause itching. On a side note, please do not make the mistake that so many others (shamefully even nurses!) make and label sickle cell patients as drug...
  3. Finally landed an interview

    Congrats! Good
  4. HELP whats involved in pre employment exam as RN???

    All the ones I've taken have been pretty easy. Good
  5. In Illinois, we are not so lucky! If we had your setup, maybe we could keep more good nurses in
  6. I love working with the elderly. It is really hard working in a nursing home, but it's not impossible to handle. I'm just saying that unless you know what you're getting into and have a true passion...
  7. I've worked in 2 nursing homes. One was a night shift job, so I was responsible for 60 residents on 2 different floors, with one CNA on each floor. It was quite an eye-opener! It was my first job when...
  8. Straight caths - to clamp or not to clamp?

    In nursing school, clamping was only mentioned in relation to possible autonomic dysreflexia in spinal cord injury patients, but I have heard other nurses swear it applies to everyone. Maybe some...
  9. What organization to join? I'm a new grad...

    I agree. ANA for
  10. ATI or Kaplan for NCLEX-RN?

    I used Saunders as one of my NCLEX study guides during school. It was one of the required
  11. Disseminated TB and exposure risk

    I agree! You need to know. I hope all is well! I really hate how they try to minimize their potential responsibility by sweeping this stuff under the rug. It always takes forever for them to find out...
  12. ATI or Kaplan for NCLEX-RN?

    I took the Kaplan course in 2006, and I passed the NCLEX-RN in 75 questions in 48 minutes. I studied my butt off, but I felt that the Kaplan course prepared me well, as did the NCLEX study guides I...
  13. Smelly Body Wipes

    I take giving bed baths very seriously, and I am quite proud of how clean I keep my patients. I give very wet bed baths, so it all gets rinsed off. I use a second basin of clean water to do the...
  14. Smelly Body Wipes

    I swear those wipes do nothing but move the dirt around the patient's skin! I refuse to use them. My patients get real soap and water baths. It gives them their dignity/sense of humanity back and...
  15. Oh, one other thing. You don't want to reveal your age! Do not list your HS graduation date or any job experience longer than 10 years ago! In this economy, ageism is rampant! Don't put a bullseye on...
  16. I have read that 10 years is all you need to show. Leave off irrelevant experience. Management experience at this point in your nursing career wouldn't really be necessary to show. You definitely...
  17. Stop the bullying

    I, too, have been bullied, both as a CNA (one RN would even throw things at me), and as an RN (had to leave my dream job over that one - NO backup from management). It seems that most bullies I've...
  18. Need advice. ADN or BSN. Pls help!

    Many hospital job boards around here state in the postings that a BSN is required. No, BSNs don't make more than ADNs as new grads, or they don't make much more. When I graduated in 2006, the pay...
  19. Need advice. ADN or BSN. Pls help!

    I seriously regret not getting the BSN, so I am enrolled in an online RN-BSN program. In the Chicago area, the larger (more desirable) hospitals are really not hiring RNs who don't have BSNs anymore....
  20. Gloves and infection

    I always wear gloves when there is any chance at all of getting bodily fluids (sweat is the only one I don't fear) on me, including when hooking up IVs. Even 0.1% is too much risk for
  21. Do you write up med errors?

    I have made two med errors in my career, and I wrote myself up both times (computer incident reporting system), as I was the one who caught the errors (almost immediately). I have also reported errors...
  22. PSA Healthcare

    I didn't even think to ask if they require housework. I better ask! I'm not doing that! I agree with the OP. I didn't go to college to clean houses! That's ridiculous! I refuse to clean, cook, or...
  23. RN-BSN Classes?

    kamiworm, I am taking Professional Transitions, Cultural Diversity, and Contemporary History. I can't wait to get started! I know so many doors will be open to me once I graduate. I'm going to work...
  24. PSA Healthcare

    I just interviewed with PSA (IL, north of Chicago) this morning. My recruiter was actually a nurse, which is so much better than the recruiter I had at Maxim, who seemed more like a telemarketer. The...
  25. RN-BSN Classes?

    kamiworm, thanks for the tip about ScholarWord! I have a MAC, too. Have you had any problems using a MAC at Chamberlain? They say on the CCN site that some things aren't compatible with MAC. Thanks!...