Aerielle

Ughhh I feel the same....!!! I have 6 weeks to go but I just feel so burned out tired! I can't find the motivation I had before! I feel physically and mentally exhausted... Following my preceptor's schedule of 4 days on and 4 days off...on paper seems really nice to have the 4 days off. But in reality, the first day off is a write off because I'm a total zombie from the night shift. Then the rest of the 3 days I am writing papers/assignments ...then I go straight back again. I am so sick of this! I have no time for a real "day off"!! It wouldn't be so bad if it was just clinical but the assignments in between is really getting to me!! :( ugh! One day at a time! I think I will install the count down app on my phone too..19 shifts to go!!!

Thanks so much for all responses! :) I am restricted to the same amount of hours on either unit. I just strongly would prefer ICU if at all possible for the learning experience!

Hello everyone, Where I am, student nurses are allowed paid work under supervision after their second year. They are considered employees with the agency. I've was successful in my interview and was offered a position on an acute medicine unit. I couldn't be happier! And the manager seemed very nice! :) Some background: My long term career goal is to work in an ICU/PICU in the future , so I have been doing what I can to get some experience. I recently started volunteering at the ICU at the same hospital after being on the waitlist for a spot for a year! After learning I'm 3rd year nursing student, one of the charge nurses told me the unit DOES take student nurses! I was ecstatic! :) ICU has always been my number one interest, but I did not select it on the application form because I didn't think students would be allowed to work in that area. I've met the ICU manager prior to my interview with the acute medicine manager, and she even offered to put in a good word for me for my interview. So here is where I need help............How do I go about asking for an interview with the ICU manager professionally? I don't want to seem unprofessional to the other manager who has already hired me! My orientation isn't for a few months, and the offer is conditional depending on whether or not I am in good academic standing. Here is what I planned on doing: Email the ICU manager expressing my interest in working as a student nurse on her unit, and find out whether she is hiring this year. --> If ICU isn't hiring , then I don't even have to worry about this! --> If ICU is hiring, gives me an interview and I am successful --> I would contact the acute medicine manager to inform her of the situation.... Would the above seem very unprofessional? If so, what are some of your suggestions? Thanks so much for taking the time to read this! Any help is very much appreciated!! :) :)

I finished both rotations last November...loved both! :) I grew so much personally as well as professionally throughout the mental health rotation, it was so amazing! I am for sure thinking about specializing in pediatrics somewhere down the road! :) In regards to hallucinations - I also learned that we are to reorient our patients to reality. At the same time we also have to do it in a sensitive manner, where we also validate the patients feelings.

I just finished my pediatric rotation. I gave antibiotics through a syringe pump to a newborn and through a secondary IV bag with a pump to a 9month old. As far as I know, all IV meds and fluids must be given through a pump as fluid balance is super important in Peds. I would check the parenteral drug guide to see whether or not these meds are even safe to give IV push and how long they must be administered over. If that doesnt help, clarify with pharmacy or the physician to see what is safe. Good luck! :)

On the unit where I was on for my pediatric rotation, we wore gowns when feeding babies to avoid getting baby spit up on our scrubs. We also wore the gowns during baby care to protect us from surprise pee showers and poo explosions when opening up a diaper! :) To my knowledge, there were no policies for or against it. It was just common practice amongst the nurses.

Thank you to everyone for your replies! It really helped me in making my decision! I forgot to mention that I am from Canada, so the certification process may be slightly different. I decided to take a Breastfeeding Course for Health Care Providers, followed by the introductory paediatric theory courses (which are part of the Paediatric Critical Care Program I am interested in pursuing after working on an adult/pediatric med/surg unit!) Some friends of mine doing their final preceptorship on a medica/surgical unit at our local children's hospital suggested the breastfeeding course as 80% of their patients were babies. Again, many many thanks! :) I'm looking forward to everything!!! :)

Hello everyone! I am currently in my 3rd year of my BSN program. I just finished my pediatric rotation and I LOVED it! I have always been interested in ICU, and I love children and families. I am planning on working in a medical/surgical unit after graduation to , and eventually work in paediatric ICU. My question to you is, what units did you work on before you started to work in PICU? Did you become certified to work in ICU or paediatrics, or both? If both, Which one came first? I am required to take a nursing elective, and I just cannot make up my mind between the Critical Care course and the Paediatric Course! (They are both introductory theory) In your opinion, which course should I take to serve me better in the short term? Many thanks!

Sometimes when something goes wrong a unit, I feel the student nurses are usually the ones to blame. For example, someone had left a soiled bedpan on the ground in the dirty utility room because the Vernacare machine was not working. None of us (the students) did that - in fact, we took our dirty bedpans and walked across the halls to dispose them. Of course, the staff on the unit were the first to point fingers at us and blame us...Which was very unfair! Sometimes you just have to suck it up and smile past it all, "Yes, we understand that, Thank you for letting us know though!"...Nothing else could be done at the moment that would have diffused the situation. Not to say we shouldn't stand up for ourselves - we did speak with our instructor about it and she did look into the situation and talk to the clinical nurse leader on the unit. In situations where people are yelling at you and telling you how terrible you are doing things -Which I have not been in before- but I would take a deep breath and mentally reheorifice whatever it is I did : Was everything I did standard procedure, and safe for the patient? Did I neglect to address some of the needs of my patients? etc. If I conclude I have done everything correct or to the best of my ability, I would try to find out what it is the other person thinks I am doing wrong, as people perceive things differently. (Ex. A family member may be upset that you had removed a patient's nasal prongs, but you did so because the patient's oxygen saturation has stabilized. In this case finding out why the family member is upset and explaining the rationale for your actions may help) But sometimes people are just so stressed out in the hospital environment that they need some sort of outlet - of course yelling at a nurse is not appropriate, but the nurse must be empathetic and know how to diffuse the situation rather than escalate it. Hopefully I've touched onto a few things you are concerned about! In sum, understanding the reason WHY someone is saying you did a terrible job is important - it may not even really be YOU...it may just be THEM! :) You can't change the way people think and act and feel about you - you can only change how you react to those things! Cognitive restructuring! :) Good luck!! :)

I am also a visual learner! I don't highlight my textbooks because it gives me a headache when I read it over again..but I do highlight my lecture notes/notes I take down on my own in a color coded fashion! It also makes it more fun to study! :) I am doing fairly well in pathophysiology right now and I think it's because of the way I am studying this time around.... I make a GIANT flow chart/concept map/poster for EACH disease! You will need lots of blank paper (I take it from my printer!) , some tape, and all colors of the rainbow sharpies/markers! :) 1. Make a giant heading on the top of the page for whatever disease/condition. 2. Then you will want the following headings: a. Etiology/Risk factor for the disease - just some common ones, because sometimes there are too many! b. Pathophysiology: For this part, I draw "flow charts". Example for DKA: Insulin deficiency --> Stress response --> glucagon release --> glycogenlysis + gluconeogensis ---> increased BG --> osomotic diuresis --> electrolyte imbalance..etc. ** I also find it helpful to throw in the normal physiology process to compare it to the pathphysiology ** c. Clinical Manifestations: Include the patient's signs and symptoms, what lab values would be related to the disease. d. Immediate Nursing Management: (I'm in 2nd year and our focus is acute changes in patients) What are you going to do your patient RIGHT AWAY?? What drugs do you anticipate will be ordered by the doctor? What is the mechanism of action of the drug? Where does the nursing intervention/medication take place on your pathophysiology flow chart? e. Nursing Care/Patient Teaching/Related Pharmacology: After the acute phase passes, what are you going to teach your patient to prevent this from happening again? What should you be monitoring for after the patient becomes more stable? etc. If you run out of room, just tape more paper to expand the size of your giant chart...If find if everything is on ONE big page, it really helps me visualize how everything is connected to each other - this also really helps me develop some critical thinking! I wish I could show you a picture but I don't know how to upload it without using a link... Good luck!!!

Hello! I'm from BC so I'm not too sure about the details of where you want to volunteer... I know some hospitals do have separate volunteer programs for adults and teens. I did the teen program when I was 15, then switched to the adult program when I turned 18. I would encourage you to get in contact with the place you want to volunteer at and find out their requirements, and how to apply! I have volunteer experience in long term care and the emergency room. I found my role in long term care was mainly companionship and assisting with meals (only certain hospitals allow you to help with meal time, and you need to go through training which they provide) My role in the emergency was more flexible - some days I would go around chatting to patients who didn't have family by their side, some days I would be in the triage area directing patients where they should go, answer questions they may have about waiting times, and reporting to the triage nurse if a patient is suddenly having chest pains/breathing problems. I'm going to request to volunteer in intensive care soon, since that's the area of nursing I want to go into! :) Good luck!

Wow!! Mental health seems so fun from the way you are describing it! I'm sure no other rotation will have us playing board games with our patients! :) I am less nervous for that rotation now! It was actually the one I was worried about more, because I really just did not know what to expect! I feel like having a supportive instructor really makes a difference in the learning environment. I hope you it gets better for you soon! :) Let me know how the rest of peds goes for you! I heard pediatric med calculations are quite complicated?! (I haven't seen it for myself yet - I'm pretty good at the adult dosage calculations, soooo it must not be too bad?!?!?) And when an instructor is looking over your shoulder , you can't help but get nervous a bit! All in all...THANK YOU! :) :) I'm looking forward to it all!

Hello! I will be starting my pediatric rotation and psychiatry rotation in while.. I'm wondering if anyone has any fantastic tips? :) I am not too sure what to expect! What does a day typically look like on each unit? Thank you!

When there is an order for IV medication and it does not specify, the nurse is able to choose to give it piggy back or IV push, depending on the patient's need/condition. Like loriangel14 said, you do need a primary if you are giving it by piggy back. Be sure to check your Parenteral Drug Guide to use a primary solution that is compatible with your medication! :) The amount and rate of primary solution used would also depend on the patient too or if there is a special order - otherwise usually TKVO rate is used. (To keep vein open, 30mL/hr) (I am a student in Canada...it may be different where you are!)

Thank you Ashley! :)