BrandybunsRN

I'm currently in the acute care with cardiovascular track at University of South Alabama. I have seen a lot of pro and con reviews on the school, but I personally enjoy the program (for the most part, it IS after all schooling you know!). This is a school where you have to find your own preceptors, so that can be overwhleming for certain people depending on location. However, the graduation rate/exam passing rate for the acute care program was good (not sure on number, sorry), and the tuition rates were great. They allow you to do a part-time or full-time curriculum, as well as specialize in areas like cardiology, education, oncology. Ultimately you need to do a lot of searching around and researching various schools to find what fits for you and your lifestyle. Good luck!

While I personally do not like the flu shot either.... I have been required to get a Hep B vaccine, MMR all current, etc etc .... so not sure how this is so different? http://news.yahoo.com/nurses-fired-refusing-flu-shot-224637902--abc-news-health.html

Oh no, the visit was simply with the pacemaker clinic to check his device a second time. This means he would have met with the nurse checking his device... no vitals, no anything.... and definitely no physician.

It is drilled into us over and over again in nursing school and throughout our careers to be a "patient advocate". Yet, again and again I come across instances where someone will not tell a patient the truth. This week I had a patient who phoned in a transmission on his pacemaker. I received a call from the pacemaker clinic letting me know that the patient's battery was almost dead. In fact, it was 3 months past the due date to be replaced.... in other words it was barely hanging on! The nurse from the clinic told me that she had asked the patient to come to the clinic the next day for a more in depth interrogation, however she knew that wasn't necessary - he just needed a new battery. Hoever she still made him an appointment to come in. What should we do? This patient lives about 100 miles away from the office/clinic, is 70 years old. So... I called the patient and left him a message. I called his daughter and left her a message. "Please call me back so we can talk about your pacemaker" I spoke with the patient at length, who had been trying to find a ride to the hospital for this "pacemaker check". I explained to him that his battery was almost dead, and if he was going to make that long drive..... he instead should have ssame day surgery to get that battery replaced. I explained to him how he would feel and what could happen if his battery went dead. I told him I could put him on the schedule for that next day, including a full work-up by our physician assistant. Let's save him a wasted trip and just get it done! As we spoke, the patient let me know how frustrated he was with the device clinic. He almost got a ride, with his daughter taking 1/2 day off work.... for an unnecessary 15 minute pacemaker check. His comment was literally "Why can't people just tell me the truth? Just because I'm 70 doesn't mean I'm stupid and can't make my own decisions!" I could hear the annoyance and the frustration in his voice when he said "this happens all the time! Nurses and doctors think I'm feeble and talk around me in circles instead of just telling me the truth!" He then thanked me for being honest and letting him know what was going on with his own health. Such a simple thing to do.... he shouldn't have to thank me for doing what is right..... that should not be the exception. I know he is frustrated, and so am I.

Ideas on questions to ask: - Is the position for scrub? Recovery? circulating? Or a combination of all of the above? - Will there be call (evenings or weekends), if so what are the expectations/rotations per month? - Will the cases all be cardiac, or do they also do radiology procedures? (so you have an idea of the kind of cases) - What kind of leadership is around? (is there strictly a manager who may/may not work in the lab or are there shift supervisors also) - How does the staff get along? Do they socialize outside of the work environment? (You want to get a good sense of the teamwork and attitude of the staff. This can be a stressful position - although very fun! You want to be working with other staff that is teamwork focused as it is essential for a positive working environment in this kind of situation. I've worked in a lab before where everyone was doing their own thing and it made the lab miserbale)

I have to tell you that this one really made me laugh! As soon as you said "ostomy" and "powder", out loud I sat here saying "ohhh please don't be glue!" .... LOL Thanks for the visual :)

Chamberlain College Press release: Important Chamberlain Communication: Accreditation Update-January 5, 2012 Chamberlain College of Nursing has been committed to providing our students with a quality nursing education and student experience for more than 120 years. It is with these principles in mind that we are notifying you of a recent update in our elective programmatic accreditations. Chamberlain is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC*), a regional accrediting agency, and has maintained elective programmatic accreditation with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE*) and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC*) at select locations. We have reviewed our elective programmatic accreditations and have made a purposeful decision regarding Chamberlain's NLNAC accreditation. Chamberlain currently maintains NLNAC programmatic accreditation for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program at the St. Louis and Columbus locations. Additionally, we have been exploring NLNAC programmatic accreditation for the BSN degree program at the Addison, Arlington, Chicago, Houston, Jacksonville and Phoenix locations. After careful review, we have elected to withdraw those candidacies, effective immediately. In reviewing our accreditations, it became clear that maintaining programmatic accreditation for the BSN degree program with two separate accrediting agencies is an unnecessary investment of time and resources from our operational and academic staff. Few schools of nursing maintain both NLNAC and CCNE accreditation, and most BSN degree programs seek only CCNE accreditation. After much consideration, we have opted to maintain programmatic accreditation with CCNE, a leading specialized professional accrediting agency. We will continue to pursue CCNE accreditation for new programs and locations and not pursue candidacy with NLNAC for our BSN degree programs. This decision enables us to better focus our resources on enhancing student programs and services. Chamberlain plans to retain NLNAC programmatic accreditation for the BSN degree program at the St. Louis and Columbus locations until it expires in fall 2012. We also plan to maintain NLNAC programmatic accreditation for the Associate Degree in Nursing program at the Columbus location. Chamberlain is an accredited institution. This change does not affect Chamberlain's institutional accreditation from HLC nor our status of having programmatic accreditation. Chamberlain plans to maintain programmatic accreditation by CCNE for our BSN degree program at all of our current and future locations and for the Master of Science in Nursing degree program. We are confident that the in-depth review and examination we receive from HLC and CCNE demonstrate that Chamberlain delivers the quality nursing education you expect. If you are a current student who is receiving tuition reimbursement from a healthcare institution that has a question about Chamberlain's accreditation status, please contact your Chamberlain student services representative. Chamberlain is happy to work with you and your employer to provide detailed information on our institutional and programmatic accreditations. Chamberlain will continue to measure itself against the highest standards of academic excellence. We are communicating these changes to you to assure you that our decision to drop NLNAC accreditation has no impact on the quality education you receive or Chamberlain's status as an accredited institution. Important Chamberlain Communication: Accreditation Update-January 5, 2012

I definitely adjust to the situation, as I'm sure we all do to varying degrees. There have been times that I've had time and given a patient a backrub because she was so uncomfortable and her attitude went from horrible to tolerable (making my night much easier). Working in a clinic now, there are a lot of times when I have to be very direct with patients because I see them back over and over again.... MI after MI after MI. Patients with heart failure that "just can't give up my potato chips, it's my one vice" .... and I have to tell them "well they must be more important to you than breathing, because they are literally going to kill you/cause you to drown one day". Sometimes I feel harsh, but patients will often times get wide eyed and actually understand for the first time. I also tend to believe that patients need to have accountability for their health. I can give them all the information in the world... and as long as I've educated them to the best of my ability, I think they are still adults and need to choose things for themselves. Does that woman really want her potato chips more than she cares about breathing? Maybe so.... so that's her choice. I'm not going to go to her house and throw away every chip bag.... I'm her nurse, I'm her caregiver, and I'm her advocate..... I'm not her mother. I'm starting NP school next week and I think I've developed a good rapport with my patients and they seem to like me, like my attitude, and appreciate my directness while still having compassion. There will be times as a NP that I will have to have the tough discussions with patients about sexuality issues (yikes! I do cardiac so that's a bit ouf of my comfort!), abuse issues, and end-of-life issues, etc,etc. I'm just hoping that I can maintain my direct attitude and be informative for my patients but still always keep my "nurse attitude".... caring/compassionate.

Many of these schools require Excel, so check with your program. Remember that you will have to turn assignments in to your instructor and they will know whether or not you are using the correct/required program or not.

From someone that hires nurses on a fairly regular basis, I will tell you that if I see a resume with that many jobs listed in such a short time - I won't waste my time on even interviewing. When I hire someone I would like it to be someone that will 1) make it through orientation and 2) Be part of our team for at least a year or two (we all know things come up) that will make my time orienting this person worth it. I would not want to hire someone that literally makes more mork for the team (with training, etc) than if we were just short a staff member. My 2 cents....

Best advice of the day! Always label your medications and double check what you are giving before you give it (even if you're double checking that you are indeed flushing with the syringe markes saline).

In my first job as a nurse, there was a nurse one unit over who used to answer the phone "Jane Doe-RN-BSN-Charge Nurse, can I help you?" Although she may have worked hard for her RN and BSN, she came off sounding "snooty" and no one appreciated hearing it every single time they called. I think it's one thing to list your titles, etc on your business card or your lab jacket .... but another to sign your name with all of that or answer the phone with all of it. Just my 2 cents :)

Love these (it sounds like me every day) :)

Without a doubt, sputum. Just saying the word brings a bit of bile up into the back of my throat. Not that I like the other things (like poo, pee, wounds, etc) .... however I would do any of those things in a heartbeat.... just do not ask me to look in someone's tissue (you know the one... the one that little old ladies keep balled up in their hand to continuously cough into) or a hankee (same as above, just the guys this time), and regardless of gender please do not ask me to suction anyone. If for some reason I have to do any of the above? Please do not be surprised afterwards when you see me sitting at the nurses station with my head between my knees taking some big breaths and doing everything I can not to throw up into the trash can resting just below my face. There are gross things... and then there is my true kryptonite..... sputum.

I was also accepted, but not for a similar track (mine's ACNP with cardiovascular). However, congrats on your acceptance!!!!! :)

Great point! Everyone needs to remember that underneath being a nurse, we ARE still human and are prone to the same feelings everyone else is.... even when in "nurse mode". The nursing side still keeps up the smiles and the nice replies, but that doesn't mean that underneath we can't feel annoyed or irritated at times.

I don't think the OP was stating that these students are ALWAYS annoying, just that there were times. I don't think this was meant to be as "flaming" as some people think it is. I don't mind having student nurses with me, I think it's fun to have the teaching opportunities in fact. However, when there is a particularly busy day at work, it can be more difficult to have a student. I would be able to go about my job and do what I need to without having to verbally explain it to anyone (which makes for a faster interaction). So I can understand where having a student could feel "annoying" at times.... it's a distraction to your day. That doesn't make me mean, or hate nursing students.... it makes me human to feel some frustration and have a bad day.

I would be upset also if no one had taught me some of thebasics of charting. We learned the basics though in many of our papers or care plans we had to write. In all that information in the paper was subjective data, objective data, assessment and plan. (SOAP) Although when you chart on a patient in the hospital it is no where near as lengthy as a care plan. However, this being said, there are so many variations in the kinds of charts that it would be difficult to show someone "the one way to chart". Hospitals vary using different EMR's or different paper charting. Some do charting by exception (where all you really write are any variances) and some do full charting (which means you write "WNL" for every section of charting you're doing. Some use flowsheets, and others require the nurse to chart in the progress notes. There is no perfect way to chart. Instead, you have to use critical thinking skills and observation to see what other nurses are charting, what your facility does or does not require, and then go from there. If you are that unsure, maybe ask the nurse you are working with that day to review your charting and see if you made any mistakes or missed anything.

You could also word it to say something like "I plan to make school my first priority and commit my majority of time to strictly furthering my education". You can let them know that you have no kids/etc..... but also let them know that because of that you are dedicated to spending the next 'X number of years" in furthering your education and getting the most out of your education.

How are you liking it so far? I'm starting in January, although in the ACNP program and not FNP.

LOL!!! I was ok with wounds until the first time I saw a tunneling wound and pulled 3 feet of gauze out of a man's leg. I barely made it through re-packing before I ran outta the room and lost my lunch. lol

I've been a nurse for about 15 years and I still hate sputum. It grosses me out! (lol). I've been a cardiac nurse my whole career and I would happily take just about any other fluid over sputum. For me, I never got over it. I don't make any fuss in front of the patient, but I've had to step out of the room before because I knew I was going to gag. *shrug* Just one of those things for me I guess! I used to work with a nurse that hated poop, and I mean he hated it! So we used to trade.... I would wipe butts and he would clean trachs/etc. It was a system that worked great for the two of us. Not that I "like" the poo part, I just didn't get as sicj dealing with it as I did with sputum! LOL

This is an older article, but it does address some of the other reasons for a troponin bump or leak. Although when it mentions renal it says the reasons are "still under debate".... so I'm sure it's been studied more recently... I just thought this has some nice information. http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/125/5/1877.full

Congrats!!! :)

Yay congrats!