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Using the phrase C=RN does not mean that you are lazy or just trying to get by. Nursing school is not easy and we all need something that just keeps us from going crazy, so while you are staying up late, or waking up early, missing family events and all the latest shows to study and the phrase runs through your head a few times it's ok. The phrase just helps you to remember that one or two C's on a test or in a class does not mean it is the end for you. Sometimes things just don't sink in right at first.

Finding a travel agency is not difficult at all. You can find many web sites with agencies that offer jobs all over the world on the internet. Just be sure to read the fine print. I am almost finished with my first and LAST travel assingment. Make sure you have a recruiter that is working for you, make them put everything in writing, be prepared to do lots of paper work immediately after you agree to take an assisgnment, ask lots of questions when you do your phone interview and make them give you detailed information so when you get to the facility or area you are going to be working in you don't HATE it. The agency will also be able to tell you if an area you are looking at is easy or difficult to get a license or if your state lic. will be sufficient.

I have only taken care of one pt with rhabdo. He was a mva pt who was dx with this after being treated in the ICU for his injuries and shock. He received HD temp. and I have not heard anything about him lately, but he was eventually sent to the step down unit and discharged from the hospital. I doubt he is still receiving HD at this point.

I agree. You must take things day by day in nursing school or if you are realy good maybe even week by week, or test by test. Whatever works best for you without completly stressing you out. When I started nursing school I had no idea what a foley catheter was and other students were asking "when do we get to learn how to put in catheter?" At first I was a little nervous. I started nursing school just 3 days after my high school graduation and I knew NOTHING. As the semesters flew by (and they will) I learned that I was not at a disadvantage, and I graduated LVN then RN school and I now work in a neuro/trauma ICU and I love it. Most of the things I have learned have been by doing the things that I read in the books, not just reading them (although that in necessary to pass). I do still have my Med-Surg. book though because I am able to gain a better understanding of some of the things I see at work if I go back and read about them once I have seen/done it. So remember to take things as they come. Always stop to ask questions when in doubt

As a trauma nurse at a trauma 1 hospital, I have been faced with similar situations. I have only been doing trauma nursing for one year, but I don't think I have come across a case where we have removed pts from the vent because their bp was dropping, b/c there are meds you can give for that. The cases I have seen have been in people who had head injuries that left them brain dead which in turn would have made them vent dependent and they would have had no chance at a normal life. The doctor's and nurses at the hospital you spoke of must have believed that the medications to help your grandfather support his bp would have only prolonged death for him, in this case pts and family should be aware of the respiratory distress and changes that pts exp. when they are nearing death of a non-resp or chronic resp. nature. Of course the doctors and nurses had more insight into your grandfathers med. hx. I am very sorry to hear about your loss, thank you for helping me to become a better trauma nurse in the event that I am faced with a situation like this one.

You should feel great that you made an effort to protect the pt. That is what nurses should do. It sounds like you are going to be an excellent nurse. Great Job and GET SOME SLEEP.

:) I work the 7p-7a shift and I always "try" to start my shift by first getting report, then checking my med sheets to see what times I have meds due, and check my kardex to see if I have any procedures (dsg. changes, tube feeding ect). I write this information on one sheet of paper that I keep with me throughout the shift before going to see my pts. This also helps when the pt has questions about a medication or plan of care for the shift because I already have an outline of what I would like to do and when for that pt. As you know things can change quickly, so be flexible. I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use my 30min window in case the whole shift just goes to h***.

I agree that phone calls at work should be limited to emergencies. I have only seen one occassion of a nurse using a cell phone while in a pt. room and I thought it was very unprofessional.

To me it seems that care plans take more time away from pt care. I think it is a waste of my time to write down what a nurse should do if a pt has a fever or a foley catheter ect. We do write them at the hospital I work at, but noone ever reads them, we just go through the motions.

As A Critical Care Nurse I Frequently Assist The Doctors With Putting In Central Lines, A-lines, Swans Ect. Well On One Particular Day While Assisting The Doctor To Put In A Swan On A Very Unstable Pt (hince The Need For The Swan) I Was Setting Everything Up, And Of Course We Had Recently Changed Monitors Which Required The Swan Set Up To Be Different From What We Were Used To, But I Was Very Sure That I Had Set It Up Correctly All By Myself For The First Time. Once The Doctor Was Ready To Float The Swan I Inflated And Deflated The Balloon As He Requested. We Tried For At Least 20 Minutes Advancing The Catheter And Taking It Back Out, Without Being Able To Get The Swan To Wedge. After Causing A Few Ectopic Beats And, Rechecking The Set Up With Another Nurse (of Course The Doctors Don't Know What The Set Up Should Look Like) And Still Not Getting The Swan To Wedge The Doctor Decided To Leave The Catheter In Place And Have A Chest X-ray Done. Before The Chest Xray Was Done We Noticed That Although My Setup Was Correct My Transducers Were Not, And The Catheter Had Been In The Correct Place All The Time. The Patient Did Well, But I Hate That She Had To Go Through More Than What Was Necessary For Her Care, Because She Had Already Been Through So Much. Thank God For Fentanyl And Versed Gtts.

As A Critical Care Nurse I Frequently Assist The Doctors With Putting In Central Lines, A-lines, Swans Ect. Well On One Particular Day While Assisting The Doctor To Put In A Swan On A Very Unstable Pt (hince The Need For The Swan) I Was Setting Everything Up, And Of Course We Had Recently Changed Monitors Which Required The Swan Set Up To Be Different From What We Were Used To, But I Was Very Sure That I Had Set It Up Correctly All By Myself For The First Time. Once The Doctor Was Ready To Float The Swan I Inflated And Deflated The Balloon As He Requested. We Tried For At Least 20 Minutes Advancing The Catheter And Taking It Back Out, Without Being Able To Get The Swan To Wedge. After Causing A Few Ectopic Beats And, Rechecking The Set Up With Another Nurse (of Course The Doctors Don't Know What The Set Up Should Look Like) And Still Not Getting The Swan To Wedge The Doctor Decided To Leave The Catheter In Place And Have A Chest X-ray Done. Before The Chest Xray Was Done We Noticed That Although My Setup Was Correct My Transducers Were Not, And The Catheter Had Been In The Correct Place All The Time. The Patient Did Well, But I Hate That She Had To Go Through More Than What Was Necessary For Her Care, Because She Had Already Been Through So Much. Thank God For Fentanyl And Versed Gtts.