jlbic

Mayo Clinic hospital. Scottsdale is very nice, but very snobby. Make sure it is somewhere you think you might be able to fit into. I, myself, could not even stand going to nursing school there, much less live in that suburb. However, if you are a little more low key and don't have to drive a mercedes and carry a Gucci, Tempe is a nice place to live. Or north Phoenix as well. As far as spanish, you can get by on very little in the hospitals....there is at least 5 people you work with at any given time that are fluent in it that can help you out.

Question to the OP....didn't EMS start an IV and get a blood sugar, iStat labs, etc? I agree, a CT would have been a good thing in my opinion.

Now that you mention it... that baby does look kinda saudi arabian. Lol

Wow, that really sucks. I worked step-down for a couple years, started off in PHX on a cardiac step-down that was awesome. I miss that job. Then moved to Colorado to work in another cardiac step-down that was awful! As soon as I fulfilled my year contract I was out of there. Sounds like you are in the same predicament. I would get out ASAP and find a better place to work where you don't feel your license is at risk everyday you walk into work.

"Wow, this is almost completely opposite from my experience. My class has a majority of people who are supportive. People who struggled to get Cs were happy as hell for others who got As and vice verse." Did I mention I went to nursing school in Scottsdale, Arizona?

Welcome to the world of nursing! haha....I have to honestly say, and some people may be offended, but at least its honest....nursing politics are so catty. I am guessing it stems from the fact that nurses are females in majority, and females are catty and competitive with eachother naturally. Just don't get involved with the drama....you have much better things to do and much more important things to think about....like your patient! And your nursing school tests. Keep your head up! P.S. when I was in nursing school I got a 4.0 and busted my a$s doing it. But you better believe that nobody in my class was happy for me.....maybe one person.

Well, what kind of RN job scares you? In this economy, you don't really have your pick of jobs like we did a few years ago... I think its normal to have fears. Being a new grad RN is hard in any position you take. There is so much to learn and so much to get a grasp on. I guess it depends on how much you want it.

I couldn't agree more. I just left the hospital/bedside to work as an RN case manager for a TPA for insurance providers and I finally feel like I am respected as a registered nurse. It may not be the most exciting job in the world, but at least I don't wake up in the morning with a feeling of absolute dread. I feel much happier.

You probably passed

Not to be rude, but you certainly seem a little on your "high horse". I don't think it is up to you to determine whether or not people are "ready" for nursing in the real world. Remember, you are about to be a new grad RN....and with that should come a lot of humility. And by humility, I mean you should be very humble, because believe me, you have a lot ahead of you. At least those girls are humble enough to ask questions instead of just assume they know because they dont' want to be humble and look stupid in front of other nurses. Humility is what safe practice is all about. Sound like you have a lot to learn. And I think you meant to say..."do you know what A benzodiazepine is"

What?!

What?! What kind of world are YOU working in? And if that really did happen, I hope you did something about it!

Ive had it happen a few times. Mostly confused patients or ETOH W/D pts. I think nursing in acute care puts RNs in a very likely position to be "assaulted". Most times I don't think it has to do with RNs not knowing what they are doing.....just comes along with the territory.

I have to disagree with your post. The reality is, the ECONOMY sucks. There will continue to be a large demand for nursing for a looong time....especially since the baby boomers are close to retirement. I have to say that nursing a few years ago compared to today was very different. Better nurse to patient ratios, better benefits, better pay. But we are in tough economic times, and I feel for those new grads that are having to go through this difficult time. The hospitals would rather hire RNs with experience so that they do not have to spend the money to train a new grad RN. But eventually this will change. A degree in nursing provides an EXTREMELY wide variety of job opportunities in our communities. There's a lot more than just acute care hospital jobs out there for RNs. Hang in there and bust your *** searching for opportunities.

I did not go back to school, they hired me with the experience I have clinically and are training me. At some point I might get my CM cert. if I feel it is the right fit for me. Just look up insurance companies in your area, they may have job postings for RNs. Sorry it took so long to get back to you

My first question to you is....are you sure that you want to be an RN? If so, I would definetely pursue your BSN. But I would not try to do both school and work full time if you are already taking xanax and this burnt out....it will end in complete disaster. If you are in the financial situation to go to school and not have to work, I would do that....your BSN will open up so many more doors for you. You will be ok, but please take care of yourself and stop worrying about what other people think. You have to take care of yourself first before you can be a good caretaker to others. Good luck to you.

I just left bedside nursing in the hospitals to go work for an insurance company as a case management RN. I had plenty of good reasons to make this choice. I start Tuesday, so I can't tell you yet how it will go...but I can already tell you, it will be A LOT less stressful. With the economy, the hospitals have become freaking battle grounds for nurses. I am happy to be out and try something new.

Nursing school IS hard. And most of the classes are science. RT school would be easier, and you would have less responsibilities in your job compared to an RN, and still get to work with patients. But with an RN license, you have A LOT more opportunities. There are tons more RN jobs than RT jobs out there, so that is something to consider. And with RT school, there is still a lot of science. You still have to learn things that they learn in nursing school.

I worked nights for over 2 years. I will say for the most part, it is less chaotic than day shift. But I also had some pretty chaotic night shifts. When things go bad at night, there aren't many resources around and thats what sucks the most. When a pt goes bad on days, there is like a million people there. Your whole routine changes when you go to days. You have a lot more meds to pass. You have breakfast lunch and dinner for patients. You have to get most patients out of bed TID. You have doctors and tons of orders, tests, surgeries, procedures, discharges, admissions,etc. I think you learn more skills on day shift, so that's a plus. But I would say that day shift goes by a lot faster than nights, you are too busy to really look at the clock. Oh, and sleeping at night and being on a "normal" sleep schedule is so very wonderful.....and a lot healthier for you. But, you get paid less to do more work. So as you can see, there are pros and cons. Just figure out what things are more important to you.

Wow. I think I got maybe 5 weeks of orientation as a new grad. I also did an internship on an oncology unit as a nursing student, but really? In this economy what hospital is going to give new grads more than 3 months of orientation? Maybe I just worked at crappy places, who knows. I would suggest being more kind and considerate to those new grads cause Im sure they are pretty scared and running around like chickens with their heads cut off. However, I can understand the situation where Ive worked with the "know it all" NGs that are just begging to be thrown under the bus. I guess I feel that in the world of nursing we rely so much on eachother for help and support. Why are we always out to get others and complain about their performance? Nurses need eachother to make it through the day.

Nursing is just as stressful as social work, if not more.

You ARE NOT a failure. Math may not be your best subject, however, it is crucial to know enough math to pass the right dose of a medication. But it's not hard math. It could be you have bad test anxiety and aren't thinking clearly when doing these calculations on a test. I would suggest talking with your instructor and figuring out where you are going wrong with these calculations. Don't let that be your reason for quitting. And on another note, screw your catty nursing school classmates! Isn't it awful how others get off on peoples mistakes and test failures? In reality, they are probably not excelling in other areas as you are and are relieved for their own selfish reasons that you didn't do well on something. It will be ok. Just figure out where you went wrong on the math.

First off, nursing school is HARD. I remember being in clinicals and on the verge of tears a lot of days. It was a very scary challenging experience for me. You get over the "poop" part after a while. It is gross, but you become more tolerable after a while. And no, your CNA is not always going to clean it up for you. And really, Poop is the LEAST of your problems. There are a lot more things that go on in the hospitals with your patients that are much more serious and stressful to deal with. Nursing involves A LOT more than passing meds, reviewing vitals, and relieving pain. I guess my question to you is.....Are you sure this is what you want to do as a career? Nursing is not for everyone. I would list the reasons that you are going in to nursing and make sure that they are the right reasons. Keep your head up.

I think it is normal to feel intimidated when put on the spot. Most doctors are in a big hurry and that also puts you on the spot to give them a large amount of info in a small amount of time. Do you work days or nights? When I worked nights, my contact with the docs was minimal, and mostly to wake up the on-call for an order(which can be highly unpleasant). Once I switched to days and got to know the doctors better, I began to feel more confident talking with them. Just remember, you know your patient better than they do in most cases and you are a medical professional just like they are. Try not to put them on a pedestal, and its ok to admit that you don't know something and that you need a moment to look it up. Hospital politics can be really demeaning to nurses, but don't let it get to you. Remember, your patients safety is the most important thing, and you arent there to be quizzed or belittled, you are there to help your patients.

From what it sounds like, your main reasons for going in to nursing is the pay and the job availability. I understand, because to be really honest, those were probably my biggest two reasons. But I have since learned, nursing is not for those easily stressed(such as myself). I envy the nurses who are truly cut out for the work. In my own personal experience, it probably was not the best choice for me. I really care about people and want to help, but Im also very stressed and obsessed with making sure that everyone gets absolutely everything they need....and in nursing thats close to impossible most days. The depression and anxiety I face due to nursing in the hospitals is not at all worth the money and job availability. However, once you get your experience clinically, there are plenty of other options outside of the hospital....but you will most likely need at least a bachelors. Only you can decide if it is for you and I hope that you find what you are looking for. Best of luck to you :)