grace_device

Overall, I think it looks pretty good. I agree with a lot of what MrChicagoRN said. My thoughts... - add more detail to the clinical placements in the resume - what skills or experiences did she learn or have? How many pts was she responsible for? You don't need to add in everything, but highlight things that would be relevant for a new employer. - for the non-clinical work experiences, she really needs to focus those duties on transferable skills. Look at some nursing job ads that are very descriptive for ideas. Did she work independently or in a team? Did she have tight deadlines to adhere to? Multiple priorities? Things like that are worth highlighting. Especially with the private tutoring role - patient education is important as a nurse, so she should expand on that. - for the cover letter, the first paragraph is a bit unclear to me. She graduated from a nursing program, then got her license, and is now in her BScN? Is she wanting to work while doing her BScN or waiting until graduation? I would clarify that a bit. Maybe "I am a recent [degree] graduate from Kingsborough College and received by New York RN licence in June, 2011". Then near then end, add in "To further my education, I am currently enrolled in the BScN program @ College". Go on to explain why this continued education is important and why it makes her a more attractive candidate. - "I am interested in a career at redacted Hospital because I have heard many wonderful things over the years from both peers and professors alike." - What wonderful things? Level of patient care? This would be a good place to tie in how she can contribute to the hospital. Good luck!! Grace

We have a chart from our pharmacy... you choose the time of your stat/now/first dose, the frequency (q6, q8, q12), and it will give you the times for the next two doses to get back on schedule by the 3rd dose. If my patients don't have many meds ordered, it's nice to be able to keep them on the same schedule so you can give all your meds at once, especially if you have to wake them up to give some. Your pharmacy might have something similar.

I had a really hard time getting used to manual BPs as well, and even now it's not something I'm great at since I usually use the monitor or doppler for BPs. I found it helpful to have a baseline to go from... have someone else take the BP first (or use an electronic cuff), then you have an idea where you'll first hear the beat. That way, if the systolic was 120, you can pay extra close attention between 130 and 110, and you might have a better time learning to identify the first sound. Also, as others have said, make sure you palpate the pulse first so you are definitely going to hear it when you place your stethoscope there. I usually hold the patient's arm with my fingers under the elbow (holding it straight) and my thumb holding the head of the stethoscope in place. A fellow student can be a lifesaver... In first year, I checked one of my classmate's BP about ten times a day until I felt like I knew what I was doing... she was really patient, and kept her arm nice and still :)

The only prerequisite to being an atheist is not believing in god(s). However, there are two 'types' of atheism. Weak atheism is defined as lacking the belief in any god(s). Strong atheism is more along the lines of actively denying the existence of any god(s).

Some things I'd include in your letter: why nursing interests you; what motivated your decision to become a nurse; what knowledge/talents/assets you have that would help you in nursing; maybe some of your future career goals (i.e. what field you want to work in, any specific interests you have, etc.). I wouldn't include the cutbacks/outsourcing in your letter... you want them to know that you're choosing nursing because it's the right career for you, not because it's the only option left :)