sunshiny

I've worked in places with all levels of uniforms. All white for everyone, specific colors for departments, ceil for CNA's and nurses in patterned or solid scrubs, white coat for Supervisors and above, street clothes for everyone. I think every facility has it's own needs for distinguishing staff, so different or changing requirements are common. Where I currently work it's street clothes for supervisors and above, different colored polos with black pants for everyone else, no titles on badges. Changes are tough when you've invested time and money in a work wardrobe that works for you, but to be honest it's cheaper and easier to have to wear the same thing everyday. Plus, I do think having a way to distinguish different staff roles in healthcare is a good thing.

Once I answered the call bell for a very obese patient was in our Med-Surg for uncontrolled DM2. They wanted me to go to the vending machine to get a few bottles of (full sugar) Pepsi. I then noticed that there were at least a dozen empty 20 ounce bottles all around their bed. That seemed a bit strange, considering what they were here for, and I remarked in the nicest way possible that maybe drinking all this sugary soda wasn't the best idea. Their response: "Oh, that is the ONLY thing I drink. My doctor told me that with my diabetes, I can ONLY drink Coke or Pepsi with sugar in it." They were 100% serious. I must have looked completely floored, because they were like "What? What's wrong?" I said "Well actually...." Long story short, they switched to Diet Soda, and were discharged two days later.

Yes, it gets easier! Every experienced nurse has been where you are today, and you will be where they are soon enough. My tips: 1. Always CYA (cover your patootie). That means never just accepting what another nurse/staff member has said. You always want to double check the order yourself, go assess the patient with your own eyes. Not that you don't trust them, but if things go bad, your excuse can't be "So-and-so told me that was the order." Don't put your licence in that hands of someone else'd memory or interpretation. And chart what you assessed/did, or it didn't happen. CYA. 2. Use a daily sheet to write reminders of tasks, meds, treatments, VS, etc. Cross them off as you do them. At the end of your shift, it should all be crossed off. Write down anything you need reminding of. This also helps provide a timeline of events for your charting. Keep up the good work! You got this!

Some shifts in some facilities are very sensitive to call-outs or short staffing. Not fair, but obviously yours is one of them. Ususally, the solution is for a facility to staff nurses who take extra hours whenever possible and happily stay for a double (yes, they exist, more than you know). You have already figured out it's time to look for another job, and hopefully you will land a much better one!

OMG it's over!! Shut off at 75, good pop-up when I got home. :yelclap: Question breakdown: 2 drag-n-drop, 2 math, 5 meds... 33 SATA. I have never heard of anyone getting so many SATA. Trust me, I was freaking out and wanted to cry from the pressure. At one point I had 10 SATA in a row, and they got harder and harder. Then I remembered that that is exactly what the test is designed to do. Somewhere around 55 questions, the questions became all easy multiple choice ones. I knew then that a decision had been made on me by the computer, and it was just giving questions to fill out the 75. I was POSITIVE I failed. But I didn't! I used Saunders CD, Kaplan book/CD/trainers, Rutgers Review class. My Kaplan average was 74-78% on trainers. Congrats to everyone who has passed. :cheers: Don't give up if you didn't. :kiss Keep studying if you have yet to take it!!

I am not offended at all . It would be a lot easier if pre-clinical phase had the major of "PRE-NURSING", the way medical and law students do. However... pre-clinical student = "Nursing student" clinical phase student = "Nursing 1,2,3 or 4 student" At my ADN school and all others nearby, your major is officially "NURSING" while you take your pre-requisites. (Students are either 'pre-clinical' or 'clinical phase'. So in general, if someone you know isn't in nursing asks you your major, everyone says "NURSING" to simplify it. It the person then asks deeper, you explain you are in the "pre-clinical phase". (Why bother to confuse them if it's not needed?) When you do start the clinical phase, you then refer to yourself as a "NURSING 1 student" etc.

It would be a month or so after I was accepted before they gave us the list of textbooks we would need. As soon as I was accepted I went to my library and borrowed a nursing fundamentals textbook. It was an edition behind, and the "other" textbook (Kozier - and my class uses Potter Perry), but still very useful. I spent the month reading the first few chapters on nursing theories, the nursing process, law and developmental stages. It gave me a HUGE advantage! By the time we received the textbook list and reading assignments, the material was familiar, and my brain was already in "nursing mode". I know this is the reason I scored very well on the first exam!

I can't believe you have the nerve to sit in class everyday with your super-huge-and-expensive laptop open, acting like you are all super-high-techy taking notes an all... when you are really on Facebook the whole time. If you haven't figured this out, everyone sitting behind can read (and has read) everything word posted on your page.

Microbiology (due to the professor, not the subject matter). Got an 81 on the first exam (!), but I fought back and got a 98 on the final... and got an A for the course. It was an ordeal, but thanks to that class, I definitely possess some serious study skills!

I see the same situation happening to others in my class. A few students (of all ages) have approached me for help, which I am happy to give! I've noticed that making the transition to nursing courses has been especially hard for the 19-year olds, I think for the following reasons: 1. After spending years in high school (where minimal study skills were necessary), they just spent a year rewiring their brains to master the "rote memorization skills" needed to pass prerequisites like AP. Now they now have to very quickly rewire their brains to master "internalization" and "application". 2. They are at a disadvantage for not having real world experiences that help to put things into context - childbirth and babies, caring for an elderly family member, dealing with personal and family health issues, death. This is not their fault, and a good thing actually, but it is still a disadvantage. It's hard to internalize something you can't form a mental picture of. However, that is why we lab and clinical. And Google. 3. There is a disadvantage to never having worked a full-time 8-12 hour job. The students who have had one seem to have an easier time setting "work" deadlines and sticking to them. (At least to me, the nursing school workload is LIGHT compared to the paperwork, reports, people and money I was accountable for daily during my former career!) My best advice to all (assuming proper time is already devoted to studying) is to go out and get one of the many Nursing Study Skills books and a NCLEX study book and practice as many questions as possible. Reading the rationales after each question will help you realize why what was correct was correct, and in no time you will be thinking like a nurse!

I thought of what I would do if I were in this situation... and I would call the instructor (remember, your were working under their license). Sure, I could gamble that the RN didn't say anything and therefore I wouldn't get caught, but that sets up a whole pattern of future "sweeping under the rug". That is not a place I want to go. As much as I hate the idea of getting in trouble (and yes I completely understand that your first instinct is to protect yourself), the thought of possibly harming a patient to save my hide is unforgivable in my mind. I would not be able to live with myself and the whole thing would eat away at me. What I would say is pretty much exactly what you have posted, plus the following: 1. that I realize the mistake made in hindsight 2. is there any action that needs to be taken at this point 3. how to handle this situation should it ever arise again This is the professional way to handle it. Good Luck.

I was pleasantly surprised to see my school has listed it on my official school transcript, along with coursework. That could help (and won't hurt!) when I apply for BSN programs. When I joined, and was surprised there was no one else from Nursing who did. Don't know why - I'm guessing money and that strange perception that as nursing students, we aren't really part of the general student population. When asking my professors for the recommendation letters, they both went on about what a big deal it is and how good it looks in the academic world.

I noticed the cutest scrubs are always "Juniors sizing" or "slim fit". Even Cherokee has a line like that. But google "petite scrubs" and plenty comes up.

Plain and simple, the more time you spend with the material, the more it will become familiar to you. Read, study, copy your notes, outline the chapters, make flashcards, google things. Each time you see the information in a new format, your brain creates a new "entry". I would also get one of the Test Taking Skills books for nursing. I like the Saunders one because it is geared to both students and the NCLEX tests. Doing as many practice questions as you can will help retrain your brain to think and react like a nurse.