carrie_c

I worked in insurance for a long time. What's needed is a script and medical records describing the wound and what all has been tried. Sounds like laziness to me. Home health agencies are often the worst.

What state are you in?

I graduated nursing school in 2011 and I went through the same thing you are dealing with. I was terrified, but I got my license with no problems. The most important thing is to be honest. Go into detail about what led up to it and just tell the truth. Also say that you know it was a mistake and you haven't ever gotten into any more trouble. Do take responsibility for it, but also be honest. Explain steps you have taken in your life to be a better person. For example, if you've worked in the medical field in other areas or any volunteer work you have done. I honestly think you will be fine. I had 2 convictions I had to deal with, both misdemeanors. Like you, it had been a long time ago and I was just honest about everything. Be sure you get certified judgments from the courthouse and include those. I really think you will be OK as long as you are honest. The same when applying for jobs. Be honest. My prior record has never kept me from getting a job as a nurse. Most places now only ask about felonies, thankfully. I don't mention it on those since they weren't felonies, but you have to be honest if they ask about any convictions. And don't worry about the judgmental people. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. And like someone said above, you will cherish your license when you get it. When I got mine, I literally fell on the floor and cried. I think you will be OK. Good luck! !

No your baby does not have RSV just because she sneezed. HOW is it possible that you don't even know how to change a diaper or feed a baby a bottle? Have you never even been around a child? And even if you really don't know how to do this stuff, don't you think it would have been a good idea to take a class BEFORE the baby was born? That way, you might not look like you are dumber than dirt.

This is crazy! The max we have is 4 couplets. You shouldn't ever have more than 8 patients. You should get out.

I'm quite, but I feel that is necessary most of the time to keep from saying something that will get me in trouble, lol. I think the biggest thing I learned was, if I could handle nursing school, I could handle anything. Nursing school for me was brutal.

Congrats!! Like the above poster said, be on time, listen, ask plenty of questions. And don't be scared to just jump right in. Good luck!

My job makes us take call every other week. So it is basically mandatory overtime. That is bad enough. I would look for something else ASAP.

I can understand why new nurses don't want to do bedside nursing for long. Admit it, we get treated like crap. Most other professions would not put up with what we do. High patient loads, low pay, bad hours, mandatory overtime, working holidays, weekends, and rude doctors are just a few reasons. I have an associate degree, and I have seriously considered going back to school. But when I think about it, I also think I will be spending A LOT more money just to have a lot more stress. I really don't have any interest in being an NP. I have thought about getting my masters to teach, but I wouldn't really be making any more money than I do now. I may go back for my BSN, but right now I'll just stick with bedside.

I work OB. I wasn't exactly sure that was what I wanted to do, but after 3 months of med surg, I knew that wasn't for me. So when I was offered a job on an OB floor, I jumped on it. I like it so much better than med surg. If you aren't sure what you want to do, I would suggest just starting out in med surg. It may be the only thing you can get as a new grad, and it will help you get better offers later if you have some nursing experience. However, if you really want to do peds, and they offer you a job as a new grad, I would go for that. I don't think it's right for instructors to tell students to only do med surg, especially if you get an offer on a floor you really want to work on. It takes a certain type of nurse to do med surg, and not all of us are cut out for it. As far as feeling obligated to work for someone, don't feel that way. You will learn quickly in nursing that you have to look out for yourself. I would also highly advise against working 2 jobs as a new grad. Learning one job fresh out of school is hard enough.

My hospital calls off prns first. But low census is not usually a problem on my floor. Some of us beg for it sometimes! It can get crazy. We also have a low census page we can sign up on if we want it. The first person to sign up gets it, regardless of full time or prn. It works very well.

"F that." My thoughts exactly.

I haven't had my baby yet, but I won't be staying home. Just going to work part time.

I really don't think most nurses to a full head to toe assessment on every patient. We just don't have the time. We do vital signs every 6 hours, except fresh sections and babys 36 weeks get vitals every 4 hours.

I work mother/baby. We do 1 assessment per shift. On the Moms, I check lungs, heart, bowel sounds, fundus, bleeding, incision (for sections), lady partsl and anal area, check for homens sign, pedal pulses, and edema. If they still have their IV and/or foley, I check those as well. On babies, I check heart, lungs, fontanels, collar bone, make sure abdomen is soft, check cord for bleeding, make sure there are 10 fingers and 10 toes, check for hip click, check reflexes, look at genitals, check for sacral dimple, and I also make sure they have 2 ID bands and a security box. I usually have 4 moms and 4 babies, so I am only able to do one assessment per shift (I work 12s) We chart EMR.

They are crazy. I would find another job. As much as I like my job, I like my life more. You are right, we deserve our time off. You have a lot of experience, I wouldn't think you'd have a problem getting hired some where else.

I wouldn't quit completely. Try prn and see how that goes.

Haha! We use ribbon to make the ears!!

Call requirements for L & D are harsh, at least on my floor. This is the main reason people leave, or go prn. It's almost impossible to work full time for very long, because all you do is work, you have no life because you can bet on being called in on your call days. There are very few of us who have remained full time. Also the stress, and a lot of OB doctors seem very nice to their patients, but the majority of them are not nice to the nurses. Also the liability is HUGE in L and D. People who don't do it think L and D is all rainbows and sunshine. But having a PIH mom, or an eclamptic one is not fun. Also fear of having your patient hemorrhage. Not to mention all the things that can go wrong with babies. The list could go on and on.[h=3][/h][h=3][/h]

This is the same policy where I work. They have 6 hours to void after the foley is removed, or they get straight caths. I think the reasoning behind straight caths is to decrease risk of bleeding, but not sure.

My thoughts exactly. And people complaining about this post are obviously not nurses.

I wouldn't say I hate nursing, but if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't do it. I was a medical assistant for years before I became an RN, and I wish I had stayed a medical assistant. I really hate working nights, I hate working weekends and holidays, and mostly I hate being away from my family so much. Thankfully, I like most everyone I work with. I also really like my job (I work OB), but our patient load is way too much, there is way too much charting, doctors are very rude, and management does not care about us at all. Pay also is bad, and we haven't gotten a raise in years. Sometimes I just want to cry when it is time to go in. I am trying to go part time because I'm not sure how much longer I can handle it.

I get off at 7 am. I come home and eat a little breakfast, and then I am in bed by about 8:30 am. If I am scheduled to work, I get up about 3 or 4. If I'm not scheduled to work, I try to get up earlier, but it doesn't always work. On my nights off, I usually stay up till about 3 or 4 am. I can't go to sleep any earlier. Sometimes I take a sleeping pill in the mornings. I have been doing nights for almost a year. I really don't like it, but I'm not so sure I would like getting up at 4 am either, so I am just dealing with it for now.

I can relate. Although not the main reason, this is one reason I am an OB nurse. I tried doing med/surg, but I never felt comfortable taking care of male patients. I would say stick with peds, OB, or something similar.

I have heard of hospitals who have child birth classes giving away goodie bags. I guess I could understand that. It would be nice if all hospitals could afford to give nice gifts, but unfortunately it is all about money now. That's why there are so many elective inductions. Just get them in, crank that pit up, get that baby out and get them discharged ASAP so the next patient can come in. I always wanted to do OB, but the way it is now, so medical, I really don't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.