Harmony213

It all depends on what specialty you think you might want to do when you graduate. The small hospital might not have as many choices. Personally, I think hospitals w/ trauma centers offers good experience. I work on Ortho as a tech and when the trauma center is at our hospital (it switches every year), we get more of a variety of things on our floor rather than just the total hip and knee replacements. I would prefer to work at a big hospital just because there are more opportunities and it seems like better learning experience even.

Do I write the letter and hand it to her at the beginning of the shift (I only see her when I work evenings)? Or do I come some day when I am not working and hand her the letter? I'm sorry this is all new to me. Thanks for all the great responses!

I do not know that I got this job, and if I don't, this will be for future reference. But how do you tell your supervisor that you are quitting and going to another hospital? I am not very good with confrontations and my supervisor really likes me, but this other hospital pays better and it will be on a unit I am more interested in. I will be really nervous when/if I tell her this news too. So any advice on how to tell her this would be greatly appreciated.

From looking at your profile, it seems that you are a sophomore in college. That means you have lots of time to up your GPA even. Just study hard! :)

Hi, I'm a student right now and have been working on an orthopedic floor as a nurse tech for awhile, and am wanting to switch. I REALLY want to work in the ICU, because after graduating I would like to be an RN in the ICU, but they do not have any openings. However, the ER does and I was wondering if that is good experience while in school. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!:)

I know that physics isn't really a big worry, but SIU-Edwardsville and the Barnes-Jewish Hospital program in St. Louis both require physics as a pre-req to get into the program so that is all I was wondering about. Thanks for the responses :)

I have noticed that a couple of schools in my area require physics to be accepted into their CRNA program. I have never taken physics and am kind of scared of it. My school offers Conceptual physics (which is just the basics of physics) and I am considering taking that as the physics requirement. Do you think this will be okay? I know I keep starting threads about classes to take during my pre-reqs but I am really interested in becoming a CRNA and want to get all of these classes out of the way while I'm still doing my pre-reqs for nursing school. Thanks, Laura

Thanks!:)

I was reading a thread, which was about taking organic chem or biochem online, and I was wondering more about this. I plan to pursue anesthesia school in the future, and I am going to be taking organic chem next year. I can take it either at my community college which is 5 credit hours w/ a lab, at the 4 year school either with or without a lab, or online (of course with no lab). I would rather not have a lab, because I do not enjoy chemistry labs, but which would be the best for my transcipts if I plan to eventually apply to anesthesia school? Thanks!

How hard is it to take Biochem online, or any chemistry online for that matter. I know that I usually have trouble understanding something and need to go to the teacher for help. I know organic chem is a lot of memorize though, but I have never learned anything about biochem so I was just wondering. I am going to take biochem within the next couple of years and if I can take it online that would be great, depending on how hard it might be! Thanks :)

Congratulations! I'm happy for you!:balloons:

Wear good shoes :chuckle I am a tech on the orthopedic floor and everyone who works on the floor (RNs, LPNs, and Techs) all are on our feet so much all day running around. I know most nursing is this anyways, but it is especially true in ortho ,I think, because a lot of your patients can't even walk! So wear good, comfortable shoes.

Hi, I'm a Nurse Tech at a hospital and I have been doing this for a year and a half, and I will be going to nursing school in Fall 2006. Even though I haven't started nursing school yet, I think being a Tech is going to help out tremendously. I am comfortable with taking care of patients and know how everything works in the hospital. My friend just started nursing school this year and said that the people who aren't CNA's don't know how to do really simple things even, so I definently recommend becoming a CNA. I work on an orthopedic floor, so we get worked pretty hard (nothing compared to nursing home work though). A typical day for the day shift is: Get there at 6:45 am, listen to report for half an hour (doesnt always take that long, but we dont need to be on the floor till 7:15), get everyones vital signs, get their breakfast set up for them, deliver clean linens to their room while they're eating. Since it is an ortho floor, a lot of patients need physical therapy, so whoever has PT first, I get washed up first (most can wash their top halves themselves, and i just get their legs and back). Then we get whoever does have PT up in a wheelchair and take them down the hall to PT. This usually takes up the whole morning. We also have to fill out physical care and activity sheets once in the morning, once in the afternoon. Around 11, I get the Q4 hour vitals and any accuchecks. When lunch comes, we get their trays set up for them. The afternoon is similar, getting people up for therapy. If we have any surgicals we get the room set up and get surgical vitals for as long as ordered. During all this time, people may need to get on a stretcher for x-rays or any tests, and also helping people to the bathroom. As a tech, we can insert and remove foleys, do simple dressing changes, suction, and do something with a feeding tube (im not sure what bc we never see those on our floor). Sorry this is a lengthy post but its always a lengthy day!! PM me if you want to know more.

I work on the orthopedic floor and I have never seen a THR with no abductor pillow... Only hip pinnings and arthoplastys and what not but not total hip replacements. What would the knee immobilizer do?? They can still use their knee, its just the hip that had the surgery! Does this doctor always do this? I find this very strange...

Congrats but how are you getting in when you just finished your BSN? When did you get your years worth of critical care experience?

Where are you from in IL? How many people does that program accept and how does it work since your classes are in Peoria but clinicals are in Decatur? I'm from Springfield so I was just wondering. Thanks!

Why is it that Catholic hospitals pay less?

Just keep your head up (which it sounds like you are already doing). If you don't get in this year, then try for next year. Maybe if they see you taking extra classes and all that, they will like that for the next time you apply. I wish you the best of luck!!!

If you don't mind me asking, how many years of experience have you had and what is your GPA? I am a hopeful for nurse anesthesia school in the future (I'm only in college now) and my boyfriend tries to tell me that I study too much now and I get too worried about not getting into school in the future, but I try to tell him how competitive it is to get in!

Well at the hospital where I work, all the aides are Techs, and any Techs that are in nursing school have the title Nurse Tech II and can do a little bit more but I am not sure what. Techs do everything that CNA's do, but they can do something with feeding tubes (not sure what bc my floor only sees feeding tubes once every 6 months!), put foleys in and take them out, do charting, take out Hep-Locks, apply telemetry patches and hook it up. Just simple things to help make the RN's job easier.

I think that the Morphine PCA works best because it keeps their pain controlled best. But the only downfall is that the next day when we get them up for physical therapy, they sometimes get sick from the morphine.

I am just a Tech still but I do work on the orthopedic floor of a hospital. I have found that after almost every total hip or total knee surgery, they come up with a Morphine PCA and keep that for the first day or two. After that they usually get a strong pain pill such as Vicodin or Darvocet. This is just what I have observed.

I'm a nurse tech now (going through school at the moment) and have been doing it for almost a year and a half and because of being young, 18, i've noticed discrimination from patients and families. That really makes me mad. If I'm 18 and already motivated and working hard, I don't think that makes me incompetent! Sorry, just venting a bit :)

I work on a basic floor of a hospital and started at $7.79 and after a year get payed $8.51. We get a 3% raise every year I think and sometimes another 3% for other various reasons. This is in Central IL

Thanks. Anybody else have any words of wisdom?