jena5111

Thank you for your comment. I joined All Nurses back in July 2010 when embarking upon my nursing prerequisites was a gleam in my eye. Now I've been an RN for 4.5 years. No one reviewing my 10-year post history on this site would come to the conclusion that I'm motivated to insult others. Yet I had a post removed for the first time ever when this relatively new member of like 4 months has been spewing misinformation over this forum. Disappointing. And yes--vote in November. Very little changes or improves unless responsible, informed citizens hold themselves accountable and cast their votes.

I took my NCLEX in January 2016 having graduated from my ADN program December 2015. My cohort took a live Hurst Review the Summer prior to our last semester. So that (along with studying the Hurst workbook) was pretty much my official NCLEX prep. Side note: 10/10 would recommend Hurst. My NCLEX shut off after 75 questions--about 90 minutes of testing--and I left feeling dizzy and disoriented. I'd finished my ADN program with a 4.0 but the actual NCLEX left me gobsmacked. An odd mix of delegation, education, and SATA questions (like at least 1/3 SATA) left me questioning my ability to become an RN. Did the PVT that afternoon, which turned up good. I took NCLEX on a Saturday and my RN license number was posted by Monday morning. NCLEX is crazy. My program had something like a 95% first-time NCLEX pass rate so the odds were obviously in my favor. Yet I left that dang test feeling as though my nursing education added up to nothing. But--your nursing education means something. Especially if you've done well in a rigorous program. Stay calm and get that NCLEX done.

Age 40. Starting my fourth year as a nurse. ZERO healthcare experience prior to my first clinical rotation in nursing school circa 2014. Graduating with a BSN on August 7th (will complement my BA in English, I guess).

As a neurosurgery clinic nurse, I (intermittently) feel that same guilt for not being on the front lines. I don't delude myself for one second that my currently work-from-home butt, who sees a few in-person fresh post-ops one day weekly in clinic for suture/staple removal, is a hero nurse. And yet, the multiple patients I talk to from home daily, on the phone or through the electronic portal, need my nursing care. Although elective neurosurgery cases at my affiliated hospital have been canceled/postponed for weeks, we still regularly post urgent/emergent cases as we are a Level II trauma center. Even COVID-19 can't keep people from having strokes, falling and developing subdural hematomas, sustaining spinal fractures in accidents, etc. When patients and their families find themselves on the other side of neurosurgery, they often need a nurse to guide them through what comes next. I am proud to provide that support. I left acute care nearly 4 years ago after becoming pregnant with my son. I sought out ambulatory care to reduce risk to my child since I was an older first-time mom. Along the way, I think I found my niche in ambulatory care. My point is that ALL nurses have value. We are all REAL nurses. I have everything I need to do my job safely. I am fortunate. Yes, I may be adjusting to work from home (WFH) with a three-year-old used to full-time school whose school has been closed for a month. At least I get to be with my son. My fellow nurse colleagues actually on the COVID-19 frontlines do not have what they need. They did not "sign up for this". These nurses signed up to care for patients assuming they had everything they needed to do their jobs safely. Some of them have to quarantine away from their families or send their children away to keep them safe. I am fortunate.

THIS. In my brief time as an RN circulator, I took my (abbreviated) pre-op interview seriously. That was most definitely time to catch details that had fallen through the cracks--which didn't happen often, but happened often enough to make me realize the value of my interview with the patient. Moreover, that short time was my opportunity to establish a rapport with the patient BEFORE fentanyl. Introductions and role explanations from all peri/intra-operative team members are important. The patient needs to understand that an entire care team exists during surgery to keep him/her safe. The circulator should reinforce and establish the patient's trust. I had an OR charge nurse yelling the 2 or 3 minutes late I would be wheeling the patient back WHILE wheeling the (luckily fentanyl-ed) patient back. "Jena5111, do you know it's 0733??!!" Super unprofessional and dramatic. Please note that this was not a consistent occurrence on my part. I understand the rationale for on-time case starts. However, the hair-on-fire mentality around case start TIME (among other things) made me realize that I prefer awake patients. I found my way to a hospital-based surgery clinic and I love my job. Well, the nurse part of it. The admin part that happens in so many outpatient settings...not so much.

Totally agree. If there's some legit/above-board arrangement I'm not privy to, then cool--I am done talking about it and won't bring it up again. I don't care about getting this specific person in trouble. I want to make sure patient privacy is respected. That's it.

I hear you, but a surgery scheduler/clerk who schedules elective cases in the OR should not need to witness in-office procedures to do his/her job better.

I don't know tons of specifics. It sounds like a combination of a "life happens" story (husband and kids) combined with difficulty passing entrance exams. Regardless, a surgery scheduler/clerk, who arranges elective surgeries in the OR, doesn't need to witness in-office procedures to do his or her job better. I read a few comments on this thread suggesting that it's a learning/job enrichment experience. I get that perspective, but I disagree. I would sort of understand OR observation time, which requires extensive vetting by the hospital, over the in-office stuff. Seems like the in-office observations happen under the radar because of a couple of nurses who allow it due to their team's longstanding working relationship. I don't have firsthand proof but I think this person is present and wearing scrubs and patients don't know to question it.

I really appreciate the responses and perspective here. I don't care about trying to get anyone into trouble, but I want to make sure rules around patient privacy are being followed. I hear what a couple of you said about shadowing being relatively commonplace these days. However, this situation stands out to me because I've worked in this setting for two years and I've never noticed clerical/admin staff observing procedures (not that I've ever gone out of my way to look, either...) The best course of action is likely to place an anonymous call to the compliance line--something I've never done, but I guess this type of situation is one reason why such a line exists. I will probably just make the call and let the situation go. Again, thanks to everyone who took the time to read and respond.

I'm an RN in a hospital-based surgery clinic. Other hospital-based surgical specialties share our suite and hold clinic as well. Across our outpatient organization, there is a black-and-white policy that only clinical staff wear scrubs. However, a surgery scheduler for another specialty has begun showing up to work in scrubs for the past couple of weeks. That in and of itself is not a major deal to me as surgery schedulers are not typically patient-facing--their patient contact tends to happen over the phone. However, I have twice in the past week randomly overheard this scheduler asking to observe nurse visits with minor procedures, and the nurses allow it. These nurses and the scheduler have worked together for years and exhibit a very close-knit dynamic. To complicate matters, their manager works at another clinic site; the manager of my suite is not technically their manager. My concern is that this admin/clerical staff represents herself to patients as clinical. I doubt she straight-up says she's clinical, but she's in the room during procedures and the scrubs give the impression that her presence is somehow relevant. I do not like the idea of patients being an exhibit for someone who has mentioned to me more than once that she wants to be a nurse but for whatever reason it hasn't happened. Patients do not exist to be our personal learning experiences--whether we're clinical staff or not. It's one thing if we're a teaching facility and/or the patient has signed a form indicating they're okay with observers. That's not the case here. Should I do anything? I am the last person to be a tattletale in ANY situation, or contribute to selling the drama in our already drama-filled ambulatory setting. My philosophy is to fight the important battles (exceedingly few and far between) and to fly below management's radar while being the best nurse I can be the rest of the time. Should I just let it lie?

Yes, the OR circulator is supposed to do a separate/independent pre-op interview/assessment to include meds, allergies, implants, previous anesthesia experiences, understanding of procedure to be performed (site/side), and etc before wheeling the patient back to the OR. It is a standardized interview with preset questions. The OR circulator's interview must occur PRIOR to sedation. I would even jokingly mention to the patient my awareness that they've been asked these questions like three times before...it's a surgical safety issue. I can count on zero hands how many times patients cared about answering the same questions multiple times. Many would notice and mention the redundancy but most appreciated the attention to safety and detail.

THIS! I came here to say this. Lack of filter and/or having a "big personality" does not help someone become a competent nurse. Especially as a new grad without a solid nursing knowledge base. OP and those with similar thinking--keep the big personality and lack of filter to yourself so you can have therapeutic nurse-patient relationships.

I agree with the recommendation to see another eye doctor. In the meantime, have you tried Lumify eyedrops? They are a bit pricey (around $20 for 2 mL) but pretty widely available and, for me, quite effective at knocking out redness. Good luck!

Ehhhh... a sleep aid while on call. I'd say no. But then I'm the person who lapses into a semi-comatose state after a 3 mg melatonin, so...

Agree that the pressure to pursue "higher education" in nursing when one already has a bachelor's degree can feel ridiculous. Like...my documentation is on point because of the degrees I already have. My reasoning skills are on point because of the same. I have a BA in English along with my associates in nursing. But I'm starting an RN-MSN bridge on 12/01 so I can open more doors for this second career I started three years ago. Agree that I would want to learn additional patho and pharm on my own without a specific degree plan.