jncRN

Hi :) great idea to start this thread. I am currently in a three month program that my hospital runs for RNs who get hired for ICUs... Starting week 3 tomorrow. I'll start new in the ICU at the end of April. I don't know yet which one... MICU, SICU, or CCU, as the positions are awarded by seniority -- I have just shy of 5 years med-surg and mental health experience with my hospital. Hoping for SICU, as I've been working on a surgical floor the past few years and would love to have *some* kind of familiarity so I'm not terrified all the time! I'm currently drowning in readings about mechanical ventilation for my course... Sooooo many types and modes... Anyone have a clear/easy to understand resource for them? My textbook might as well be written in Swahili Looking forward to bouncing stuff off each other in this forum...

hi...have had to give this many times to patients...i always just mixed it with an ounce or two of whatever drink they preferred -- even though it makes the drink taste crappy, it gives them a little bit of "choice" -- which seems to make the medicine go down easier. hope this helps. ______________________________ nursescarlett rn bscn er nurse

i am sure as a 3rd year nursing student, you must have used cinahl or another similar database to do research by now...you will find a plethora of articles on this subject if you search cinahl with a phrase such as "er nursing challenges" or "er nursing+psychosocial" or "er nursing+burnout". good luck. _______________________ nursescarlett, rn bscn er nurse

the ed where i work pays to put 5-10 people through tncc every year. the goal is to have all rns who work in our ed certified after a few years of doing this. i think any time you have certifications, it is a plus. it is all knowledge, and as a new nurse, you will be lacking in experience so the more knowledge you have, the better off/more employable you will be. i am a nurse with less than a year experience myself, and i am certified in tncc, acls, and ctas. take care. ________________________________________________________________ nursescarlett, emerg rn

i wrote and passed the crne in june of this year. my only tips are: 1. read the questions. sometimes one little word can totally change the meaning of the question! 2. get lots of sleep the night before if at all possible. you don't want to go in there into a stressful situation without your wits about you. 3. take a bottle of water or something else to sip at during the test. but remember that they will likely make you take the label off it...so maybe de-label it before you go. 4. take your time. there's plenty of time to finish, and you will do better if you carefully consider each question, rather than trying to rush through them. 5. go over (briefly) your specialty notes from nursing school. for example, know a little maternity, a little peds, a little mental health...because when you add these things up, they actually make up quite a few questions on the exam. 6. i agree with the above poster who said, that on the 'therapeutic communication' questions, the most unnatural, stilted-sounding answer is probably the right one -- i remember getting down to two answers for those questions, and thinking, "well b is what i would say...but c sounds more like what they would want me to say!" 7. take a good lunch with you. you only get an hour, and by the time you factor in washroom break time, getting back to your seat in time, etc., you don't want to have to rush around to buy lunch in between the morning and afternoon portions of the exam. 8. don't overstudy! go through the practice book questions, the online readiness test, and put it all away the day beforehand so you can give your mind a chance to recharge before you write the test. it really will be okay! i worried myself sick over that exam, and you will really enjoy that wonderful feeling of relief when you walk out at the end of the day when it is over. and even better, when you get that little "congratulations!" in the mail and get your rn license! take care and good luck! _______________________________________________________________ nursescarlett, er rn

ltc facilities where i live, in nova scotia, canada, are already required by the government to have an rn on the premises at all times. during day shifts, a nursing supervisor, called "care coordinator", is on premises and is an rn...on nights and weekends, at least one unit in the building has to have an rn as the nurse working and is considered the "nursing supervisor" for that shift. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- nursescarlett, emerg rn

my rotation is two days, two nights, 5 off. i don't mind night shifts, but it is hard to switch from day to night back to back. my tips: i stay up late the night before i am going to do a night shift; when you sleep during the day, use a fan or other "white noise" to tune out neighborhood day activity, and wear a sleep mask; bring lots of healthy snacks and drinks; and wear sunglasses when you leave to drive home in the morning -- in order to fool your brain into thinking it's night time so you don't "wake yourself up" too much to sleep. when i first started working at my job, the nurse educator gave us these tips and they are surprisingly helpful. nights are not easy, for sure...i find that these little things help me get through. good luck...i'm sure you'll find your own little ways to get through the nights! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- nursescarlett, er rn

i feel your pain. i am an er nurse, and the extent of self-entitlement and rudeness that i see on a daily basis still astounds me...you would think i would be used to it by now, but no...i am still surprised and disgusted on a daily basis by some of these people. fortunately, i find that for every "princess" as i call them, who expects to be waited on hand and foot and at the expense of other patients' well being, there are many more grateful patients who, while they get frustrated with the wait times, do not take it out on me and in fact commiserate with me over the situation. :heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat nursescarlett, er rn

the only level 1 trauma centre in nova scotia is the qeii health sciences centre in halifax...i work in their er. incidentally though...i have family who lives in the annapolis valley, about 1 1/2 hours away from halifax...and the valley regional hospital in kentville has dealt nicely with things such as broken bones, mi's, etc. just not level 1 traumas. pm me if you want to ask any more specific questions about the area...i've lived here all my life and would be happy to help you out. =================================================== nursescarlett, er rn

hi, congrats on going to nursing school. nursing is the most wonderful occupation in the world! :) to answer your question: you practice all that stuff in nursing school, and then when you get out there and get experience, you will be automatically doing that stuff in your head. when you get your pt. assignment each day, you will be scanning their health hx., thinking about potential nursing diagnoses and interventions, and then carrying them out, readjusting your approach as need be based on the pts' progress. i was one of the biggest complainers to my friends about having to do nursing care plans during my nursing program -- but now i see that doing all that theory prepared me to think critically once i got out there. enjoy nursing school...it is a journey, and you will be so proud when you have accomplished your goals! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> nursescarlett er nurse

congratulations on making the decision to join a wonderful profession, ryan! nursing school can feel a bit like a hazing exercise at times, but just work hard and remember when things get really tough: you are doing this because you want to be a nurse. i went back to school for nursing in 2004 at age 28 after my first degree, and i made it through a four-year nursing degree with a husband and two kids, and worked part time on the side...so be assured, if i can do it, anyone can! your feelings are completely normal, and you will gain confidence as you make your way through nursing school. my best piece of advice is to listen attentively to the experienced nurses in your clinicals who offer advice and watch their practice...they are a source of endless knowledge. good luck, and if you ever want to ask any questions to someone who went through nursing school very recently (i graduated in may), feel free to pm me. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- nursescarlett, rn er nurse

I'm an RN in Canada...born and raised here as well... I have no idea of the accuracy of the documentary in terms of the American stories. But in my many years of experience, people get treatment in a timely manner and there are no "evils" associated with socialized medicine. I think all systems have the faults...it just depends on what faults you are willing to accept, as a society, and which ones are unacceptable. To me, having equal access to healthcare is a cornerstone of a democratic society. Just my

Hi, I am also a new grad (May 2008) who will be starting in the ER in a busy urban setting. However, in my ER we are required to take a 4 month ER course through the local RN Professional Development Center before we start in the ER. I came straight to a busy medicine floor in May, will have worked there 4 months when I start the ER training at the end of August, and then this training consists of 4 weeks of classroom then 12 weeks of clinical in the ER. Then when I actually start in the ER in December, I will have 8 shifts of orientation -- but this is after having had 12 weeks during the ER course (you are preceptored in the ER where you will be working). Good luck with your orientation -- and don't be afraid to ask for more orientation if you need it. PM me if you like, to let me know how it goes and trade notes...as another new grad in the ER, I think we will need the support of someone who knows what we are going through. :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NurseScarlett RN...ER Newbie

Hi everyone, I got my results last week, on July 9...and I passed! :) I know the waiting is hard...good luck to you all! ______________________________________________________________ NurseScarlett...a Maritimer RN

I am just curious Manch Medic...and no offense intended here, as I have found your posts in this thread to be both educational and thought-provoking...but are you planning to become a nurse? If not, I'm curious why you chose your first-ever forum post to be one to a web forum for Nurses? But by all means...post away! Enjoyed your posts. ________________________________________________________________ NurseScarlett, RN