vanillacupcake17

from what i've learned on the job (i'm a nurse care tech on a rehab unit), wound drains should be emptied at least every shift. we usually empty them at the end of every shift. unless it needs to be emptied more often.

greys anatomy fits small to begin with. and they are the softest scrubs ever.

oh man chem. ugh i hate chem. the first semester, I got a C- and barely passed. it was horrible and i was so upset about it. i also had a horrible professor. second semester i switched professors and i wound up getting a B+. chem is a really hard subject sometimes you just need some one who can really explain it well. don't trip a C isn't too bad for chemistry :)

some nurses only swoop in 3 times a day to pass meds b/c that's all they want to do. no offense to the many RN's who truly care and make a huge difference in pt's lives by getting to know them and spending quality time taking care of them. however, i work on a rehabilitation floor in the hospital and many of the RN's rely on the NCT/CNA to do everything and the nurse just comes in to pass meds and ask about pain. I think being a nurse is what you make of it. if you want to be an RN in an LTC facility you should do it. I'm sure your CNA would appreciate you doing more than passing meds! I'm sure you CNA would love for you bath and feed your pt's if you have time. I think you should finish out your BSN. It's well worth it! Congrats on being in nursing school and making it as far as you have. and good luck

well good luck with whatever you choose to do!

may hurt if you are planning on taking pathophys. may also be a problem in pharm. go back and look at the cardiovascular system for sure, as well as renal. you won't need to know the exact parts of every system or the function of every single thing, however, to understand many pathophysiological mechanisms in the body, you should know basic A&P of all systems. Same with pharm, to understand how a drug is affecting a certain system, you should know the basic A&P. Just go back and read the chapters you missed to get a basic idea!

you're all so lucky! I have class everyday next semester. clinical tuesday, thursday. and then pharm, nutrition, and med surg 1 lecture monday, wednesday, friday.

Why don't you work as a medical assistant? just curious. And, you apply and interview for the position and then there is a 2 week training session in human resources. then you work with another NCT on the floor you would be working on until you feel comfortable enough to work on your own.

NCT's (nursing care tech) are essentially nursing assistants. however, you do not need a CNA certification to work as an NCT, the hospital will train you on their own. However most of the NCT's i know do have their certification. NCT's do everything CNA's do, vitals, transferring, bedmaking, cath care, charting, etc. However there are a few extra things NCT's can do such as cath removal, blood draws, bladder scans, there's some more things I can't remember.

Nope. Basically I stayed with 1 pt at all times for all 8 hours of my shift. many of them had fallen and needed some one to watch them at all times. some had TBI's and were confused. I basically fed them, helped them to the bathroom, whatever else they needed. I could not do vitals or other things the NCT's on our floor do, such as bladder scan, blood draws, cath removal, etc. Anyways, it was ok bc i got a lot of studying done but I was pretty bored most of the time. Plus I had my CNA certification so I was kinda overqualified! But it was a good way to get my foot in the door, b/c there are a lack of available NCT/CNA jobs in my area. Plus most hospitals want fulltime NCT's, not students

Originally, I was sitter on rehab and made 11.47. I have my CNA and recently got promoted to NCT. My pay is the same for the first 3 months (probationary period) and then I should be making 14.50.

I am in nursing school getting my BSN. and am a part-time NCT. i'm not sure full-time is a good idea. Also what shift would you be working?

I started my BSN at 17, so I was one of the youngest! I am just finishing my sophomore year and will be 20 in september. Which means I'll graduate when I'm 21! Some of my other friends think it is so cool that I'm gonna be an RN by the time I am 21. Think how badass everyone will think you are for finishing school in 4 years and becoming an RN by 21. Pretty cool!

100% on an exam does not happen to often. it was a valid question. i would just let it brush off your shoulders. you know you did not cheat and you know you deserved the grade. in the end that's all that matters right?

Honestly, it is super hard to find a job as CNA while being a student. Staffers are looking for long-term employees who will work a lot of hours. I took a CNA course last summer (I am a 2nd semester soph. getting my BSN) and was applying like crazy. Before my class ended, I got a job as a sitter on a Rehab floor. Basically, I sat with pt.'s who needed assistance 24/7. There are NCT's (same as CNA) on my floor and there was a spot open and they finally gave me the position. I had been applying to different floors in MY current hospital for months and did not get anything. I feel like the only reason I did get the NCT position was b/c it was on my current floor and I had been working there for a year or so. Try a nursing home maybe? But don't be discouraged keep applying, or maybe also apply to unit secretary positions.good luck

It really depends on how quickly you learn. I was able to pass the Oakton BNAT class last summer with an A without studying for any of the tests. Basically, there's about 4 or 5 written tests during the entire program which have questions comparable to the state exam. Then there's CNA skills you must pass with a 3 or higher ? (I can't remember how they do it I think each skill is worth like 4 points). You must pass the skills before going to clinicals. The skills do not really require study time b/c they demonstrate them for you and then you get to practice them in the lab. All in all, there is almost no outside homework, maybe once or twice they had us read an article or something. good luck, its a great program and i learned a lot!

i took the entire BNAT program at oakton last summer and enterance test was very easy! basic math, adding and subtracting small and large numbers, multiplication, division, etc. i'm pretty sure you'll pass it. its super easy. good luck its a good program i learned a lot!

I dont think I ever said ALL. I'm speaking in general terms. And I understand that not everyone can for their BSN all at once. People have jobs, families, responsibilities, etc. And I applaude anyone for going through any type of nursing school b/c all nursing schools are hard. And yes, clinicals are equally hard. I'm talking admissions and the pre-req's it takes to get to clinicals. Generally, Universities are harder. I'm not saying that being a BSN makes you any better than being a nurse. The only reason I posted was to say that maybe BSN's should get compensated for extra time/work in school. Bottom line, your assuming that I think BSN's are better than ADN's and I do NOT think that, being a nurse is based on so much more than school. Do I think that BSN's should get compensated for more time/work in school? YES. And I personally do not care who I'm ticking off. I was never trying to diss/hurt anyone. It's an online forum, not the end of the world

Hmm thats really interesting. Every class I've taken at CC has been much easier.

Classism? No. No one is dissing ADN's or saying that an ADN with 20+ experience is less than an a new BSN. I completely agree that some one with experience trumps any new person to the field. But let's be real here the classes at a University versus the classes at a community college are different. Not to say all CC classes are easy, but most University classes are twice as hard as CC classes. Does that not count for anything??

BSN is the way to go if you have the time, money, and motivation. No offense to anyone out there, but people think that the only difference between ADN's and BSN's is the difference between years of school. I took a psych class at a community college over the summer as well as the CNA class. Both were wayyyy easy compared to the workload/amt. of studying I do in not only my nursing program, but even for my gen ed's. Maybe there is a higher NCLEX pass rate for ADN's, but studies show that pt's have a lower mortality rate when cared for by BSN nurses. BSN nurses have stronger critical thinking skills and are usually hired over ADN nurses as well. No disrespect to any ADN's/ADN students out there, you should be proud of your education as well as your amazing future career. But as a BSN student, the expectations from professors is so high, and the caliber of classes are so rough BSN nurses deserve to be paid slightly more.

purposegames.com they have a ton of labeling games. they also have games where you can label the actual body part (i.e. labelling a sheep's brain). so helpful!!

I am currently taking patho. it is so difficult, but it may depend on your program. but i'm learning a lot!

bringing all the stuff does not mean you are going to get the job, however it does mean they are seriously considering you. and meeting with a nurse recruiter is standard. they should also have you interview with the manager on the floor you have applied for. i'm a cna at a hospital, and that's how my interview went. i also interviewed at a diff. hospital before my current one and they had the same procedure. as for the test, it should be basic math.

Get your BSN. Many hospitals are pushing ADN's to get their BSN's. Plus, if you ever decide to go to grad school, you'll be able to apply right away instead of having to go get your Bachelors and THEN applying to get a Master's. Not to offend anyone, but BSN programs go into much more detail when it comes to patho, pharm, etc.