Kuniklo

I've never had a reaction to one before! It's been 24 hr and I have a raised, red lump. If I hold it up to the light I can see the borders the size of a quarter. It's not blistery-looking or a pustule, it kind of resembles a mosquito bite. It's harder and warmer than the surrounding skin but it's not "knotty." I was wondering if anyone else has ever had a similar experience with their PPD? Obviously, there's nothing I can do until the nurse reads my results tomorrow, but I'm freaking out because clinicals start next week.

They're the same things. Our school was using ATI last year but their servers kept crashing during finals, so now we've switched to HESI. I like the way the HESI website is organized better.

Thank you! 3rd semester is bad because there is just way too much stuff crammed into it. That's why at my school 4 yr BSN program just became 4.5 yr. They had to stretch it out another semester because too many people lose their minds towards the end.

3rd semester is supposed to be the worst. Everyone I've talked to who is a year ahead has told me about how they stopped caring about their GPA because A students start getting C's and D's... I'm an A student so I'm worried. What are some basic things I can look at over the summer to prepare for this class? Stuff like drugs, procedures, etc. I always email professors this question over the summer but they never get back to me. Thanks!

This is absolutely ludicrous. What about nurses who are obese because of medication or medical conditions? Are you supposed to let your employer see your records to prove that? I'm not obese but one of my BEST nursing instructor was. She was an amazing teacher, and even more amazing nurse, we all loved her, but definitely obese due to medical reasons. This ****** me off on her behalf.

Let's not forget having to deal with child abuse cases or shaken babies. I would get so depressed. Pedi nurses must be tough as old leather.

Call the doc and maybe next time he'll pay attention to standing orders.

One of my instructors said that he liked the ER because no matter what happens, you won't have to deal for long because there are only 3 places where the pt will go: out the door, upstairs to a floor, or down to the morgue.

I am in school and having doubts too. I love the things that I do at clinicals and talking to pts, but I've come to realize that this isn't a very "intellectual" field. Sometimes it doesn't feel like anything but a "trade." Of course, I'm not knocking on anyone's profession and I know that nursing is NOT that, it's just how I feel so far. Things will probably change. I just hope I don't regret not going on to be an aerospace phycisist or a cosmologist (e.g. Neil DeGrasse Tyson).

I'm no dietician, but I get through long stretches by loading up on complex carbs, yogurt, and eggs. When I stick to it, I don't crash. Fruit and yogurt for snacks helps too.

This whole thread reminds me of Dwight Schrute... Assistant manager vs assistant to the manager haha

Thank you for everyone's comments. I realize now that it's not about sexual attraction but rather about power over an individual. This psych clinical will definitely a test of my ability to set boundaries.

The problem is that I am Asian, so even a tiny bit of eyeliner makes me look "exotic." I just don't want my race to trigger any creep-show behavior. Unfortunately, some people stereotype Asian women as being "submissive" and have targeted them for sexual harrassment/assault for this reason.

I'm about to begin my clinical rotation at a state-run mental health hospital. Some of the patients on the ward that I will be going to are sex offenders. These are people who are here because the court ruled that they are "not guilty by reason of insanity." The charge nurse told us that they may try to grab at us if we get too close. Many of them openly leered at me today. I felt really uncomfortable. I am wondering if maybe I shouldn't wear makeup to this facility. BTW, I am a feminist and I never, ever think that a woman is ever "asking for it".... I like to wear makeup to my other rotations because I like to look pulled together and professional. But then again I can't help but feel like I'll be "asking for it" if I wear makeup to this place. What are your thoughts?

Many professors use the same exams year after year, so usually the question that everyone gets wrong are the ones with content that weren't discussed in class, weren't on study guides/slides, or were based off of info from an older edition of the textbook.

Everyone deals with pain in their own way. Someone could report their pain as an 8/10 but be joking around b/c it distracts them from how much it hurts. I know someone who has an autoimmune disease and says her pain is a 7 or an 8 daily, but she never shows it and is always in a great mood. Even if they are addicted, it's not our job to be the morality police. Every drug has side effects and medicine is about weighing risks against benefits. Yes, people with pain can become addicted as a result of pain control, but it's a risk that we take b/c it's better than an isolating, limited existence marked my crippling pain. The brain is a powerful organ. The thing is that we don't know how addiction works. Sometimes the brain will trick you into feeling like you are in pain to get a fix. So even if someone looks like a drug seeker, there's a possibility that they think they really do have pain.

Even if they do, cost of living in Alaska is crazy expensive.

Grad student positions don't just fall out of the sky. And getting into a doctorate program isn't easy. There's a lot of competition, especially now since many jobless students are going back to grad school to delay paying off their debts. Not only do you have to be exceptionally bright, but you have to kiss a lot of butts and get a lot of references/recommendations. For a doctorate degree, you need quite a bit of experience before they'll accept you. Typically, a PhD was something that people pursued when they got to middle age, after they had beefed up their credentials through a decade or more of practice. You have to ask yourself if you can afford to pay off a massive debt plus bills and living expenses hanging over your head while you are working at gaining this experience - IF you can find a position to begin with. Going to grad school isn't free - it's more loans that you have to take on. And you have to factor in the interest that accumulates while you're not paying back the principle. Many banks won't give you a fixed rate anymore - variable rates mean that there's a chance your interest could sky rocket according to how the market goes, which could add tens of thousands of dollars to what you originally signed up for. I know a lot of people who only make enough every month to pay the interest; they aren't anywhere close to getting to the actual principle. Some programs give you a small stipend or pay for a portion of your tuition if you're lucky enough to get a position as a TA or research assistant, but people have told me that it's only enough to pay for food (not very good food) and maybe the rent. Having an opportunity to ride the coat tails of a more distinguished university professor/researcher means that you may do slightly better financially, but many grad students have told me that it's a lot harder than you think to get a professor to favor you over the others.

Good luck finding work with a pysch major. I have some friends with that degree and they're bagging groceries or working at the mall, living hand to mouth trying to pay off loans. Going to grad school is another hefty loan. Many banks these days aren't willing to give you a fixed rate either, and finding a good-paying job that will justify the investment is difficult. Sorry to be a Negative Nancy but that's reality for you. It's hard for us nursing students too. Why the negativity towards "crazy" people though? Were you hoping that with your degree that you'd only have to deal with neurotic suburbanites who are sad because they have too much stuff?

I would stop making flashcards. If they're not working for you, don't waste time on them. What REALLY helps me out is online stuff. Many textbooks come with a code that gives you online access to practice tests, quizzes, summaries, etc. Some even offer you an e-book, which is super handy if you want to look up a key word. If you don't have online text material, the questions at the end of each chapter help a lot too. I also go on Youtube and look up videos on topics from the book. There is a WEALTH of free lecture videos from other classes on Youtube. Another thing that helps me when all else fails is to cross reference with another textbook from the library. Different writers explain concepts in their own way and one writer may work better for you than another. I also check out emedicine.com for patho stuff, but only if I have to look up relevant lab tests for different conditions.

My clinical instructor told us on day 1 that if you're sick to stay home. Some patients may be immunocompromised and something as minor as the cold or the flu could throw them off. I feel bad for you if your school doesn't have a policy for sickness, especially since it's cold and flu season.

Shut the hell up back there, back row people. The classroom and labs are not the place to be canoodling with one of the five male students. People are talking about your trashy ass behind your backs.

The material is not that difficult. What's hard is that it's a HUGE VOLUME of material that you have to learn in a short period of time. A lot of it is content that you are expected to teach yourself outside of class and contact the prof if you have questions. And the grading scale is different. At my school, 93 - 100 is an A and anything below a 76 is failing. Exams are purposefully worded to be tricky to "prepare you for NCLEX." A students become B students, B become C, and C are now failing. It is the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm one of the "smart" kids. It's extremely time consuming and you will not have time for friends and family for the entire semester. But it's very rewarding, I love learning, and I feel more like a fish in water than I have at any other point in my life. I've made some pretty amazing friends and not a day goes by where my classmates don't make me smile or laugh.

I'm so sorry. Bad things happen all the time to good people, and all you can do is learn from it and try, try again. I'm glad you're not giving up and dropping out. I've failed at things too. Looking back, I don't regret them because they were major learning experiences. It always warms my heart to hear about people bouncing back despite hard times. Your list of "positives" made me smile, especially the part about graduating in warm weather. :) Silver lining to every cloud... It stinks now but I bet that by the time you do the class again, things will be better than you expect.

Can't wait until I'm at the end... 1 more week and then it's winter break! I have soooo many books/TV shows/videogames/knitting projects to catch up on. I can't wait. I hope I don't just get super lazy and do nothing for 4 weeks :)