Robublind

I agree my Drug guide, tabers, lab guide and disease & disorder guide (all the information I needed for my paperwork) on my phone save me in school. Out of school, I use mainly the drug guide and lab guide. Wait til you get a job to spend the money on a good stethoscope.

Its Cardiology III vs Master Cardiology again... I like the STC. I think you will be ok with any "good" stethoscope to start, wait and see what you need once you are in the ED. Then spend your money.

Got a paper to write?

I have heard that North Dakota and Texas have the best job markets for new grads. I don't know if the job market is going to change that much in 2yrs. Personally, I think a unit secretary is a better job to move into a RN position not a CNA.

Before you go further, why do you want to work in the ED? This is the question they are going to ask you and you need a good answer. Right now getting a job in a hospital is hard enough, as a new grad... Saying I want a ED, ICU or L&D position on top of that, even harder. As a new grad you need at least 4 weeks to orientate to Med/Surg (a good chunk of money for the hospital to spend on you) As a new grad in the ED or ICU you are looking at 4-5 months in orientation (almost $30,000 just in your salary and benefits). That is a lot of money for a hospital to invest in you. A manager is putting their neck out for you, if they hire a new grad. I personally do not know how the job market is in Atlanta but here in California my fellow new grads averaged 7 months to over a year to land A job, some are still looking. 10% moved to Texas to be hired. The people I know who were hired into the ED as new grads, knew someone or worked in the ED (EMT in the ED or Unit Sec in the ED). I would spend your time volunteering in an ED and get to know the staff (if you can get some of the staff nurses to pull for you with management it can help). As for certs: I say go ahead and get ACLS and PALS, they are not that expensive,if you have the money go ahead. My job wanted me to have them before I was hired, save the hosp a couple of bucks. But before I would take a good EKG class, 12 lead class (something they don't teach you in school) and maybe an EMT course (there are a lot of skill in the ED that they don't teach you in school ie splints, how to place a C-collar, etc)There are some other certs: TNCC and EDPC but they are really expensive (in the $500 range each) and you are not going to get a lot out of them without experience in the ED. NONE of these are the Golden Ticket into the ED and may just be dumping your money down the toilet. When I was hired as a new grad in the ED, I treated it as I won the lottery (your chances may be better with the lotto). That is how hard it is to get in as a new grad to the ED. Most of the people posting here are trying to give you a real world picture of the job market out there. Many BSN new grads think that it will be easy to get hired, "I have a leg above the ADNs". That may or may not be true. At my hospital they don't care if you have a BSN or ADN. What they do care about is real world nursing exp. If you get a med/surg position, take it and be thankful, these forums are filled with new grads trying to get a job.

Agree with above, fanny pack = bacteria magnet. Are you going to wash that after every shift? Get scrubs with pockets...what are you carrying? Scissors, pens, stethoscope, tape, smartphone, reading glasses and ....

Agree no reason to hold, some hosp have standard orders ie hold for SBP less than or HR less than. Our SBP less than 90 HR less than 50. Muro that is a great avatar. I wish I could get away with it on my name badge

First, glad your dad is ok I maybe late to this but can we agree 1) this guy (even without looking at him) should have been triage at a level 2 and not a level 1? 2) the person with an attitude at the front desk most likely needs to find a new job? Question: is 15min for a level 2 (no chest pain, no SOB, alert) to be registered, triage and in the back, too long? My opinion, No but I would not be dragging my ****, drinking coffee or shooting the ****with the other nurses on this guy neither. If you think this guy is a level one, please explain because I don't see it.

Agree, go to a state school and get a BSN. The job market, which is still depressed right now, isn't going to be that much better in 2yrs verse 4 yrs. Take your pre req at a community college (take your time and get A's or better) then transfer to a four yr school. Get a job in a hospital while you are in school. Learn how a hospital works, learn how to use the computer systems and get to know people (the key to getting a job). Please, if you do get a job in a hospital think about it as a long interview for a RN. Show up on time (maybe even a little early), put the patients first, don't spend your time... (texting, facebook,twitter,youtube failblog or whatever you young people do these days) and dress, talk, act like a professional. The medical field is a small community, even in a major city, if you get labeled unprofessional it will follow you.

I would love to buy these but 2 deal breakers: Not enough pockets (one pocket on the shirt), Not big enough (my shoulders wont fit into these). I wear aviation scrubs: tons of pockets and come in every size(custom lengths too). I have worn two sets full time x 1.5 yrs and the still look great.

Not all ED positions require TNCC or ENPC. In our area you only need them if you are working in a trauma center. That being said TNCC and ENPC are great classes to take. They teach you how to do a systematic assessment on a trauma pt.

The answer is NO

I bought all my books used on Amazon and then sold them all back on amazon. Some of the books like Peds and OB, I actually made a profit on. But now I think renting is a good option for your Dosage Cal, Ob, peds, psych etc. Renting you dont have to worry about selling them back. The book you are going to use throughout your program is the Med/Surg book. So you will need to buy that one but I would by it used if possible. By the time your done with Med/Surg books it will be worthless on the used book market. One of my teachers had a great idea, she took the med/surg book apart and had each chapter made into its own book at kinkos. A lot less weight to haul to class. Honestly I used the nursing fundamentals book the first semester and never opened it again.

IV pepcid - put in 50ml bag of ns and drip it in over 10min.(less likely to drop BP) Morphine/diluadid iv no matter the age put them on a pulse 02(Ive had young ones tank) and doc a bp prior to adm. IM (expect tetnorifice) goes in the ventral gluteal (expect peds) and no matter the drug, "its going to hurt like a ***** tomorrow". Peds Meds -have someone double check dose and math. Call pharmacy on all peds IV antibotics If you can put it on a pump, put it on a pump. Peds fluids- if you are going to bolus 240ml of ns, hang a 250ml bag not the 1L bag. K+ I always ask for 80ml/hr ns to run in the y-port. I don't have time to ice it. Crofab: Get two 250ml bags of ns, 20ml syringe and a rocker from the lab. Pull 18ml ns from the bag and as slow as you can, add the ns, drip it into the vial, you need 4- 6 vials at a time .Place the vials on the rocker until its mixed. Dont try to mix it by hand. Slowly add the crofab to the second bag

Yes I also have a notepad in every room right next to the sink I use one to dry my hands and one to write a note (VS, med list). A "paper brain" doesn't work in the ED. I use the tracking board as reminders ie trop at 0400 etc. Spend you time getting task done and done quickly, not filling out a brain. If you are wondering if it is time to get new VS or reassess, just go do it. It will take longer to look it up then to get it done.

As I understand the test, the computer could not decide if you passed. That is not a good thing but not that bad either. It means that you were on the borderline during the entire test. You did not do so badly that the computer failed you quickly but not good enough to pass. Don't get discouraged, study a little harder next time, do more practice questions. How did you prepare for the exam? I used Kaplan and thought it was helpful.

Have you tried aviation scrubs? I love them, tons of pockets and so many sizes. If you create your own pattern, there are companies in Korea that will sew them cheap, unbelievable quality.

I think you guys need to talk with the union rep about this. 15 is unsafe for the pt and your license.

Great post Esme, ENPC and TNCC are great courses. Only thing I would add to peds assessment are they making tears: if they are making tears they are hydrated. As for basic care, I find that getting below the level of the youngster, on your knees is a great way to start. Then just do want you have fast, be prepared before you enter the room, get help to hold if you need to. Giving a shot or iv start on kid is like shooting a gun. It is always hard to do the first time, make sure you have a good hold on it, then there is a lot of noise, kicks like hell and then it calms down after. Once you do it a couple times the shock is over and you are good to go.

You can have a tattoo, but if it is visible it is going to make get a job harder. Right now it isn't easy to find a job out of school with or without a tattoo. Search this site for "new grad" and you will get a ton of post...I cant find a job...

yep, I think it is the best overall.

I second the watch, I might add ink pen and reading glasses (if you have been out for 20 yrs, you are as old as I am, the writing on the rx bottles is tiny, I carry a $10 pair with me at times).

Sounds like you are going to be listening to lungs all day long ....Master Cardiology or the STC. I would pick the STC because of the rubber finger holds. Less noise from moving your fingers. I have the master cardiology now, which is also a very good scope but I wish I had bought the STC. Spend the money...you are a professional now, look like someone who cares about your craft.

As I understand your question: You are going to assess for everything that can go wrong with fluid and electrolyte imbalance. Neuro, cardio, pulmonary, GI and GU. Primary assessment in the ed with be cardio, and pulmonary. The actions I would take: Put the pt on the monitor (ECG, pulse ox and BP) and get a 12 lead Start a large bore IV, if I see something Funky on the ECG I may start 2, draw labs from the IV start, may start 1L of NS depending on the ER doc I would be working with. Caution with too much fluids with a CHF or dialysis pt, may want to infusion at a slower rate to start with. Accucheck (if the BS is really high, this will be useless, most POC meters only go up to 600). Priority is getting the blood to the lab to get I good a BS and K+ levels. While Im doing all this Im asking the pt questions, assessing their neuro functions, how are they breathing, GI and GU functions. Get a urine sample... (depending on the pt, stick in a foley, going to need a accurate I&Os, if they are walkytalky I may just get a BSC). Depending on how the pt is doing resp wise, I will get an ABG. Im not going to start any insulin, large amounts of fluids, without MD orders. Once the BS starts to get under control 200 - 300 if they are still in the ED, I wll ask the MD for a D5 infusion with the insulin drip, to clear the ketones on a DKA pt.

Yes it works well.