sweetsabo

Congratulations, and best wishes!

I'm working on a project, and I am hoping for feedback. This project is focused on newly graduated nursing students who are licensed and ready to find their first job. I am focusing mostly on RNs, but LVNs, LPNs, and CNAs are a consideration, as well. If you are a new grad (or will be within 6 months) in this category, or if you are a recent new grad who has already started working, or even if you have input in retrospect because you once were a new grad and are now maybe a bit more seasoned, I would appreciate your answers to the following questions: 1. What advice do you have/are you seeking to ensure a smooth transition from student to professional RN? 2. What baseline knowledge do you want to have/would you recommend having? 3. What skills do you need to have/recommend having in order to increase confidence for the new RN within a professional clinical setting? Thank you very much for your time! -

3 of the nurses were on my floor at my hospital. Trust me when I say that they were bored stiff and lazy. Any and all drama was created or played up. What would you expect from a "reality" TV show. They were, however, real RN's on a travel contract. They were very smart, they did know what they were doing, AND they were totally fake, unfriendly, and holier-than-thou. We had to shift around assignments to accommodate the producer's trauma-shopping of pts. to make sure the travel RN's got the exciting cases. Of course, this meant no unconscious or ALOC pts. who couldn't consent to be on camera. Yeah. So. What're ya gonna do? Oh, and did I mention that several times they ALL called in sick at the same times on the same days?

I guess I'll believe it when I see it. I'm interested in seeing how it all pans out with HIPAA and stuff.

The focus is on the nursing profession - not the diseases, not the docs, not the patients. Nurse Jackie gave nurses a bad name, and this is an opportunity to present RN's in a good light. This is a "docu-series".

I feel for you. I am a new grad (8 months) on the DOU/Telemetry floor of a trauma hospital. MOST of our doctors are nice, and I work the day shift, so it's a bit easier to communicate. I once called a doc near the end of my shift to tell the doc that the patient had a 3.5-second sinus pause but was asymptomatic, and did he want to write an order. He said, "Here's an order for you: Don't call me unless the pause is longer than 10 seconds!" His tone was very sarcastic and like he was talking down to me. So, I said, "Okay, doctor. I will write an order not to call you unless there is a greater than 10-second pause, and I will pass this along to the night shift so that they don't bother you with this." He had a pause and then said, "Okay, well...just call me if the pause is greater than 6 seconds." LOL! I have found that when you repeat back what they are saying, they sometimes calm down and rethink it. Another example when I was only there for about a month...I called one of the hospitalists b/c some iron studies came back really low. I thought there was reason to be concerned, b/c the pt. was anemic (although not in need of a blood transfusion). The doc said to me, "Are there actually any critical lab values you're calling about?" I could tell she was very annoyed. The next time I saw her, I said, "I know I'm new, and I wanted to thank you for helping me learn when to call you and when not to," She seemed surprised and kinda stuttered and back-pedaled and said she wasn't upset, and thanks for calling. I think if we humble ourselves and admit our learning curve or mistakes, sometimes the docs calm down and match it.

Thank you, ocean waves, for your thoughtful response. I am having my pinning ceremony this Thursday, and I'm so excited that I've finished my grueling RN program! I did 100 hours of preceptorship in the Emergency Room, and I did great! I loved it, so I know critical care is where I am comfortable. I did end up applying for the RN Residency program in the PICU at CHOC, but there were 775 applicants for probably 25 positions. How does one stand out in an online application process? I don't have my hopes up. Thanks again, and happy holidays!

Thanks for the feedback, Chickidee! I'm currently doing my preceptorship in the ER, and I love it. I love the fast pace and some of the crazy people that come in - haha! Right now I'm just building my confidence when doing skills and working on some time management. It's definitely hard work, but I think I'm going to be pretty good at it. I did apply for the PICU, but there were over 700 applications at that hospital for the RN Residency (new grad) program. Very competitive! I'm so happy you love what you are doing. I also love the heart, and I love neuro stuff, too.

I LOVED my rotation in the PICU. I loved everything about it - my nurse, my kids, their parents. The next week I went to CVICU. It was my last day, so I left the floor early, and PICU is still my favorite. I just started my preceptorship in the ER. 100 hours, and then I'm done!!

As a matter of fact, I have one day in the NICU, one day in the PICU, one day on the oncology floor, and two days on the med-surg floor. I hope to get a flavor for it!

Hi all, I am about to graduate from RN school (ADN) in December. All this time I thought I wanted to be an ER nurse. As I begin my pediatric rotation, I feel this emerging passion to work with kiddos. I am strongly drawn to the NICU, PICU, and CVICU. I am wondering about other peoples' experiences with each of these and how I can make a decision without really ever been a "real nurse" (yet) in each of these departments? Any guidance would be appreciated. I do plan on becoming a Nurse Practitioner one day. Thanks! Georgia

Hi all, I am about to graduate from RN school (ADN) in December. All this time I thought I wanted to be an ER nurse. As I begin my pediatric rotation, I feel this emerging passion to work with kiddos. I am strongly drawn to the NICU, PICU, and CVICU. I am wondering about other peoples' experiences with each of these and how I can make a decision without really ever been a "real nurse" (yet) in each of these departments? Any guidance would be appreciated. I do plan on becoming a Nurse Practitioner one day. Thanks! Georgia

Hi all, I am about to graduate from RN school (ADN) in December. All this time I thought I wanted to be an ER nurse. As I begin my pediatric rotation, I feel this emerging passion to work with kiddos. I am strongly drawn to the NICU, PICU, and CVICU. I am wondering about other peoples' experiences with each of these and how I can make a decision without really ever been a "real nurse" (yet) in each of these departments? Any guidance would be appreciated. I do plan on becoming a Nurse Practitioner one day. Thanks! Georgia