RN-TO-BE

I am sure that you passed. I got around 120 questions and like you, I felt as if I had failed because my test didn't cut off at 75 questions. It doesn't matter how many questions you get...that doesn't mean anything...it is the level of difficulty of questions that you get. The test is designed so that you get 50% of the questions wrong so you feel like you did poorly even when you actually passed. Try to find something to keep you occupied until your results are up. I think the waiting to find out if you passed is more stress than the two years of nursing school put together!! Good Luck!!

Thanks for all the responses. I did call her back. I never said that I wasn't going to call her back but I was really taking the time to make up my mind if I was going to work for her or not. I had decided that I wasn't going to work when I called her and she talked to our boss again and our boss put her on call for tonight and said that she probably will not get called in. She wasn't mad. So, everything worked out for both of us and we will probably both be off tonight. I have got to get better at this!!

Thanks for the advice. I didn't tell her last night that I would work for her b/c we both thought that since it would be overtime I wouldn't be able to work for her. I also didn't tell her that I couldn't. But my one problem with all of this is that another girl that we went to nursing school with also works at this hospital and baylor. She has needed someone to work for her a couple of times. Once, because she had family coming in from out of town (just as this girl does) and the girl that wants me to work for her wouldn't do it for her and I ended up working for her. This coworker that is wanting off tomorrow doesn't like changing her schedule for anyone. So how do I know that she will return the favor? I wish I had just turned my cell off today! The extra money would be nice but I called my husband at work and talked to him about it and he said "If you work, I am going to be mad b/c that will leave me and the kids at home alone again on Saturday night and you will not be able to go to church with me on Sunday morning". So, either way I go I am going to make someone mad...although, I do live with my husband. I guess I am just going to call her and tell her I can't work.

Hello. I have really hard time telling anyone no. One of my coworkers (whom we are also good friends...we went through nursing school together) is needing someone to work for her tomorrow night(Saturday night). She told me this at work last night but the way my boss always works a situation like this is if you work need someone to work for you, you need to work for them one day during the same week so that it does not create overtime. Well, there was no way that my coworker and I could swap days this week...I would just have to work for her and get overtime. So, I didn't really worry about working for her when she said something. Well, she talked to our boss earlier today and she told her she would put her on call for tomorrow night but she would o.k. overtime if she could find someone to work for her. The reason my coworker is wanting off is that she is having family coming in from out of town this weekend unexpectedly. She has called my cell twice today while I was sleeping, leaving a voicemail one time, and I have not returned her call. I don't really have anything planned for tomorrow night so i feel that I don't have a good excuse to give her for not working for her. But, my husband and I work opposite shifts and do not get to see each other a whole lot, especially during the week. I really would like to spend this weekend with him and our kids. I am just having a really hard time calling her and telling her no. I know that she wants off but it is so last minute. When I got off work this morning, I was so relieved because I knew that I didn't have to go back until Wednesday night (except for an all day class on Monday). Should I put these guilt feelings aside and call her and tell her no or should I work for her because I might need the return favor one day? Why do I have such a hard time saying no?? Even when overhouse calls me in on my days off, I usually go even if I don't want to b/c I just have a hard time saying no!!

I also had around 116-120 questions and passed. Relax and go do something to get your mind off of the test. Good luck!!

I work on a 27 bed floor. I usually have 3 or 4 pts., sometimes 5. We are total care, no CNAs or techs. Our new CEO is about to change staffing to 6-7pts per nurse with no CNAs or techs...I think that I might have to think about changing jobs with that. I can't imagine having 6/7 pts. that are confused, incontinent....I worked too hard for my license!!

I passed with 120 questions. Good luck on your exam!!

I graduated in May 2005. Although I do work nights, I vary rarely have to work a whole weekend. Matter of fact, in December I didn't work any weekend days...even got Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Years Night off! This schedule, I am working every other Saturday night. Not too bad for a new grad!!

Take everything one day at a time. Tackle one task at a time. Does your school have a practice lab? Mine did. I, along with a couple of friends used to stay after class and practice for check offs. If we ever had a question if we were doing something right or not, we would find an instructor and ask her to come and watch us and give feedback. I just graduated from an ADN program in May 2005, so it is still fresh in my mind how much stress you are under. My best advice, as I wrote earlier, is to take everything one day and one task at a time so as not to get too overwhelmed. Let me know if you have any other questions.:) :balloons:

Thank you for all the replies. I worked last night and took care of this pt. again. His pain was somewhat better. The doctor did d/c Zofran yesterday and given Phenergan IV PRN. i think that is what made the pain more tolerable. I also gave hom 2 units of PRBCs last night which he said made him feel better. I am so frustrated with all of this. When I came out of report last night, I discussed this pt. with the day nurse. She totally agreed with the MD. I told her my opinion of it all. I didn't degrade the doctor at all to the pt...in fact, I didn't even mention the MD' name to the pt. but I did talk to him about a Sickle Cell Clinic that treats only sickle cell pt. about 60 miles away from where we live. He didn't know about it but said that he was going to check it out. Thanks for all the replies!!

I took care of a 28yo male pt. last night that was in sickle cell crisis. He is what they call at my hospital "a frequent flyer". He was previously hospitalized for 2 weeks and was discharged last Friday. He was readmitted Monday in another crisis. He has c/o pain in chest, lower back, and bilateral hips. On previous admissions, MD had ordered Demerol PCA...can't remember the dose but pretty generous...would change PCA vial out twice a shift. At the beginning of last week, MD swapped Demerol PCA to Morphine PCA 1mg/6min. Had pt. couple of nights last week and Morphine and Phenergan IV worked good to control pt pain...but did bottom out BP 88/43, but asymptomatic. When pt. came in Monday, pt. stated allergy to Morphine so MD ordered Demerol PCA...this was controlling pain well but MD d/c'd the Demerol PCA and Phenergan yesterday...stating that pt. like it way too much. MD ordered Stadol 2mg Q3H PRN and Zofran 4mg Q4H PRN and Ativan 1mg IV Q6H PRN. When in to assess last night at beginning of shift, pt. crying in pain, mother at bedside, asking for pain med. Explained that could not give pain med until 45 mins. later (and that was giving it our allowed 30 minutes early), pt. continues to cry. Go back in and give pain med. Pt. requesting nausea med...explain not time for nausea med. Give Atian 1mg IV 30 minutes later. PT. states Stadol not helping at all. Pt. does drift off to sleep after Ativan. Awaken for VS around 2300. Stadol given @ 2310 and Zofran @ 0000. At 0100, pt. in room moaning and crying out in pain. Has called mother back in to be with him. Not time to give any pain or nausea med. Call MD at 0120, Vistaril 75 MG IM X 1 dose ordered and given. Recheck on pt. @ 0200, pt still crying and moaning. @ 0215, Ativan given again IV. Pt. rests until 0400,when he is again awake and crying. Stadol given again IV. Recheck in 30 minutes, states no relief. Zofran given @ 0545 for c/o nausea/pain without relief. Stadol given again @ 0640 for pain. MD comes into make rounds before I left this a.m. Speak with him about pt. pain and MD is irrate. He says that he told pt. that he could either have the Stadol or Morpine PCA..he is not getting Demerol. I guess it doesn't matter that pt. states allergy to Morphine. Then MD proceeds to say, come with me to room, I guarantee you he will be asleep. I tell MD that I have just given pain med. Go to room with MD, pt. is asleep. MD wakes him up and states "I hear you had a bad night. Is the stadol not helping at all?" pt. states maybe a little. MD states "You can have your Morpine PCA", pt. and mother both say no MD says "Well then Stadol it will be. You are not getting Demerol again...you like it way too much". Not only did this embarrass me but it made me angry b/c how can MD say that the pt. is not in pain....on top of it all MD ordered XRAY of Bilateral hips this a.m. for necrosis of femoral head..but he is not in pain! What do some of you use at your hospital when pt. come in with Sickle Cell Crisis? I guess the MD is saying that the pt. is addicted to Demerol. That is not for me to say but MD has always gave Demerol generously to this pt I know for the last year whenever he was in Crisis and now he takes it all away. I am very upset over this situation and I hope when I go into work tonight, there has been some kind of change..but I doubt it, b/c day shift nurse took MDs side. Thanks for taking the time to read this, looking forward to your responses.

I work on Medical unit. We also use the cordless telephone and are required to write our numbers on the white board in the room. I very rarely have a patient call me on the phone, they mostly use the call light. I think that I would actually prefer the pt. to use the phones b/c then I would know exactly what they wanted and would not get everything second hand and cause me to make multiple trips down the hall without what the pt. wants. That is just my preference.

Went to work last night and no email or anything. Nothing said about the pt. at all. Looked in the computer and MD sent pt. home last Friday! Thanks again for all the opinions!

I work on a Medical floor and have usually 4 pts. sometimes 5. That sounds pretty good but we are total care...no tech to do VS, I&O's, wts, diaper changes, etc. The nurse does it all...gets pretty rough sometimes with 3 or 4 total care pts. in diapers, need to be turned q2h, etc. Rumor is that nurse:pt. ratio is going to 7:1 beginning sometime this month. If it does and they do not hire techs, I might be looking for another job.

Thanks to everyone for your opinions! They are well appreciated. The more and more I think about it I believe in my heart that I did the right thing. I go back to work tomorrow night so I will have to wait until then to see what happened the next day. Yes, I did very careful charting on everything that happened with that pt. that night including BP and MD orders. I will let you all know what happens at work tomorrow night.