sunbug

Wow so many sensative people. Sorry about "offending" the wording wasnt perfect but neither is anyone that cant overlook and not become offended so easily.. wonder what kind of nurses they are. As far as offending with doomed to be LPN.. Think about it I AM going to be an LPN...so putting myself down just doesnt create logic here. If I wanted to offend I would have chosen much harsher choice words for that. Obviously no one that commented has an answer to the situation I presented, I imagine because everyone that did comment had a perfect life. So while I appreciate all comments to the post.. If you are happy where you are at in your station as an LPN then wonderful. Thats not where I want to be stationed for the rest of my life. I would like to move onward. And as I have learned from my not so perfect life.. preplanning and vision is a larger part of how to become successful in what you would like to achieve. Please respond only if you understand this ... thank you

I'm a student and always asking about the background of the nurses I am working with. An interesting job I heard from one of the nurses was a "phone nurse manager." She said the job was managing cases by phone for a company , no hands on contact. Sounded interesting to me.

Yes..it wasnt typical it was open surg. patient had been on a 40 day fast (some determination in that person).....lemon juice, cayane pepper , and maple syrup..and wbc went way down and everything was way off had an appi explosion,, also found cyst they removed, possible parisite infection also. i got patient when first came out of surg. had them for a week. they were going to be in there longer, a few weeks or so..the PIcc line was given. had lots of stuff to watch for with this patient.. it was nice intro to med surg

where is your school, I cant find a school that Wont look at my overall gpa...its like FORGET your great prenursing gpa..its your overall that they keep looking at .. ITs so frustrating..and there is no way for me to correct my gpa at this point. I need a school that is just going to look at my NURSING pre reqs What is your school? thanks

What is a diploma program , where and what state? I have a big problem with getting my gpa up and its not due to my nursing course work... My nursing course work is 3.8 its mistakes from trying to get a different degree that has brought my gpa to 2.1 ... Please tell about the diploma program... thanks

I have 10 yrs of college! with a 2yr degree pre nursing... lots of mistakes/ business /computers wasnt for me and im very hard headed/ thats what all that is about. My overall gpa is 2.1 , my pre nursing course work is 3.8 (finally found what i was suppose to be doing) Im in a LPN program right now and doing very well. I have applied to lots of schools and NONE NONE will take me for the RN program NOT BECause of my nursing course work but because I have a low OVERAll GPA A counslor and I went over what it would take to raise my GPA up to the 2.5 or 2.7 requirements and I have to take over 100 classes with an A average in each class..(because of how they calculate gpa with over all hours and I Have to many hours already) I wish I could just forget that I had ANY college.. and start over..but they wont let me... I have to report every college Iv been to. OK so my question is AM I doomed to just be an LPN.. Does anyone know of programs that I DONT need an OVERall GPA for RN Or any other suggestions to move on into RN program... I dont want to be an LPN.. for long anyway. HAS anyone else suffered with this??? HELp

LOL... I took physics and always heard of ether as in reference to time and spaces and such. I would like to say (uhmm) Ether is conscious gases-- but in nursing terms that would mean something totally opposite of what I am trying to difine LOL:lol2: anyway here are a few of the definitions for it: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ether

Yes JJOY, Im loving the clinical because it makes the books seem more sensible , and all the semi- random numbers and memorizing just seem to come together there in the hospital. I agree the school couldnt prepare students for every thing. On the careplan thing! I guess "thats just how its taught" Im still on shaky ground about those. But as a problem comes up then I take the oppourtunity to pick my instructors brain for what she wants. I kind of end up getting the "answer" from her, and have found I am starting to "get it". (an example sheet would have been nice !!) My instructor is nice,,and I think doing best she know how at this point in her teaching career. Shes definitly trying to help us pass her class. Im there to get the most out of what I can before I have to go do this for Real!!

These are great! Im just now starting clinicals and had my first experience this week, just wanted to see if it was normal... I think its normal...if you can call it that.. I have never seen anyone dying before, or been under stressful disconcerting circumstances as my patients were on the floor i was assigned. My instructor for clincals this week asked us each to "visit" the room of a man CTD, he was younger about the same age as all us. The others were afraid to go and disturb him. I just wanted to get what the insturctor told us to do. So they let me go in first by myself! When I walked in I wasnt expecting anything to different than our other patients. But, As i turned the corner of the curtain to get to the patient there was a black ether air on his right side. It was thick and waiting. I tried to ignore it, but the patient who couldnt talk, kept looking at it with a frightend look, then looking back at me. I wasnt sure what to do, he was obviously in distress about it and couldnt communicate,, finally he got enough strenght to lift his arm point towards it and look at me, then put his hand on his chest as if to say he was afraid(thats how I interpreted it)...he did it twice which seemed like a feat for him with no strenght... I called the other girls in and they didnt know what I had experienced and that I could still see the ether standing there like it was waiting. (and Im not about to tell them...dont want to seem crazy to my classmates) They hurry and listen to breathsounds (what we were sent to the room to listen to) cause they are freaked out.. These are girls that pray often for each other in class...I thought they might pick up and say a quick one for him...but they didnt they were to freaked out. They left the room....and i was like wait a minute..arent they going to at least say something. I just knew that the thing was waiting for him and that they had not said good bye to the guy they just used! They said "oh..I didnt even think about that"... I said I came out here to get you to say bye but if you dont want to, I want to- so I will be back in a miniute. I went in and held his hand, that thing was still there, I will never forget the creepy feeling of not being able to help him, and knowing that he was going to be alone in that room by himself with that thing waiting to take him; All I could do was put my hand on his head and use my heart to let him know that he was a precious life that would be missed in the world. He died about 6 hours later after we had left the clinical. The next day the girls decided they wanted to say goodbye to him...we found out that he had died, he was a homeless guy that had been found on the steps of a funeral home, in complete liver failure. No one to say good bye to, no one to claim him. I was searching for what the ether black thing was that was "waiting" for him. I had heard that you could "feel" death ..but wasnt sure what that ment... Is this that? ?? From the stories on here it seems like there is more to death than they teach us in the books! I wonder what else I will get to see or encounter... I love life! but how do you prepare for death..I cant help patients with that... It feels realy bad going against what is inside of me, and I dont know if I can stand seeing that black ether thing again .... I think I understand the cartoons now where the grim reaper looks like a cape with a darkness inside instead of a face!!! its just freakyy

thanks for all the replies! I did my rotation. My patient had apendectomy...which ment drains, jp and pennrose, picc line, urinary cath. Also shadowed for lots of chronic liver failures, was able to : (we will be able to do meds next semester so for now this is what I got) the normal full patient assesment q2 q4 hr patient assesments lab analysis asses for psychological/social needs Asses medication effects, (i had lots of drying mucus membranes and thirsts) Know your patients MEDs and SIDE EFFECTS.. they will sometimes freak out thinking they have a new symptom... I got a droid phone and downloaded Esocretes drug ref. so I could easily look up SE for whatever. pallitive care post mort care drain d/c cath d/c iv d/c watch line flushes watch central line blood draw for culture wound care, cleaning, dressing, assesment first ambulations after surg enemas vitals, adls glucos monitoring I/O monitoring patient teaching/keeping their mentality stable!! (lots) teaching family...including them in care It was a great experience, All my training DID kick in! ESpecially with Blood Pressures , pulse , RR ,O2, pco2 levels and input output, glucose levels,signs of infection ( I also suggest you know how to educate the patient on pain management, and ambulation, and what the goals of both are. They do so much better when they understand it and you can remind them what you talked about. Especially male patients and the pain management!) If you dont know anything else....Get these things Down-- I wrote these on an index card , just in case I did forget... what ever helps you. The other stuff, the nurses or instructors are there to help with. You get everything on MED/sURG!!! LOveD IT

sorry for the mis spell...ment to say please give me some ideas of your experiences!! I have my first clinical rotation on Med/surg floor next week.. In our school we have only one chance to pass the clinical rotation by a careplan and assesment test. Oh so lucky for me... I get the test on the first week of first clinical rotation!! Need some Ideas of what to expect as part of Med/surg so I can be at least half way prepared. Im thinking some cath care, maybe some wound care??? Im I on the wrong tract? Please let me know some of what you experienced on Med/surg so I can get my thinking goiing in the right direction. My school is pretty messed up...Its an accelerated 9 month ...that means we did medsurg book LAST semester. And our teacher doesnt give us any practice skills to do! just one test and we passed for the caths, thats it. So this is kind of like a self taught 9 month school it was very competative to get into but...didnt realize that it was basically self taught untill it started and found I had a first year teacher that is still going through her masters program!!!! ANY HELP as to what I need to be expecting to assess or do would be greatly appreciated..

I finished our first clinical site. I was at a nursing home, horrible, their skin was like tissue paper ! and so many things to just do palative care on!! Now we are going to start our hospital site. My first time Im sceduled for MED/SUrG IM SO excited and freaked out. I have so many note cards that im swamped. HAS anyone been through MED/SURG rotation -- What was the most important things you wish you had note cards for the first week? Im afraid i will forget what a normal bp reading is , or how to assess med interaction---and my patient will end up arresting or something..... ANy help to ease the nerves would be appreciated! What should I bring with me for notes? Thanks

Hi, Im in an accelerated program. Just started our second semester. I know how you feel We have to pass EACH subject with an 80 no 79.9 accepted... I have had to become something that I wasnt used to being....HARD and To the point. This is not my personality..im a gentle caretaker with a little spunk...but I had to kick it into survival mode for my school. I have to do this for 6 more months. I have learned that each day is a challange not just the "whole program" Its a survive paychech to paycheck kind of thing. AND I just had to accept it. I couldnt go around thinking how it should be as oppsed to what it is. I have to keep tunnel vision...and wait for the day when I can put this down and say I DID IT!!! The whole romantic idea of nursing is like fantasy and reality put togethr. Its like the idea of having a baby is wonderful and so many ideals that can be imagined...but you dont really get the whole picture until you have one of your own and you have to do the day to day things that really matter to make those Ideals come true. Now, back to day to day. Just because you failed on test or even two, doesnt mean you arent good enough for the whole thing. What it means is you have to buckle down and really take it to survival mode. Count how many more tests you have and calculate what grade you need on the next one to pass the class. That helps me. I make little goals for each test...and do what ever I can to acomplish it ...if I fail then I own up to it and go talk to the professor ....get their feedback..and suggestions on how to progress.... Your only going to survive if you look forward...not backward The others in my class always come out with a negative..oh my i cant.. Thats the goal they are setting for themselves I come back with YOU cAN....and IM GOING TO Be the type of person that the devil will Fear when you put your feet to the ground... You can do this with determination,, even if your lacking your determination will help you find resources to make your goal! Another advice you cant do it alone...you have to have a group....even if your the one that has to get it started...even if its only one other person... This is the time to be Selfish... sorry to say it that was but its true. Ive had a couple of friends that did nt make it to the second sememster...they missed it by ONE point...that sucks!! But I couldnt stop to look at what happend with them I had to keep it going. You have to be there for you...and know everyone else is there for themselves as well... Relationships for me at this point are not important the only thing thats important to me right now is the next hour and what I can fill it with. Make a decision and go for it. Personalities may get on your nerves in school but you cant focus on them...what you do is look past the personalities keep your goal in mind and get from that person what you want or need.. sound harsh but this is survival and thats how I deal with it. I heard a few things that helped me...one was "Its progress not perfection that is needed at this moment" (because I am a perfectionist that keeps me down sometimes and not moving forward so that helped me keep perspective) the other was: "start with the possible, then you will find your doing the probable from the probable you will soon be doing the impossible" start with what you can do and it will snowball into you actually acomplishing what you didnt think you could. Most important: ASK ASK ASK...Discuss discuss discuss....even if you think is stupid...as soon as you feel a UM I have to figure this out ..or thats interesting thing going through your mind....STOP and ask..or discuss EVERY DAY --Dot leave the room untill you have asked or discusses with Somebody... This is where the group comes into play also..you soon find out everyone of you have strenghts and weaknesses that help eachother and that levels it out and your all passing and all having a celebration party for ONE test..lol Keep posting here also...there are so many wonderful students and old pro nurses :) lots of perspective helps... get it going ,,YOU CAN do it:rckn:!!