SuchanSuch

I'm a semi-new RN on a surgical floor. Ratio is 5:1 and I work nights (12 hour shifts). The past two shifts I worked we were short staffed, 36 bed unit with only 8 nurses and no tech. One of my pts was a quad who was a turn every 2. A sling and lift were in use for this. However, she continually was calling staff in to move her hips, shoulders, etc. All of which were things that require physical manipulation. The pt became very upset if told that she needed to wait until I could find another staff member, as this could take around 20 minutes to find someone who was free. I would try to make some adjustments myself, but the frequency of repositioning led to a very sore body today. I am very frustrated that I felt I had to assist this pt unsafely for myself due to short staffing. I don't know what my options are to avoid this in the future? How can I protect myself from injury while keeping the pt comfortable?

FLmed, oops, yes, 2013, haha. Trust me, I will be taking the NCLEX as soon as school lets me, however, we have to go through a whole ATI process before my college will "approve" us to take the NCLEX, horror stories suggesting that some people had to wait up to four months. Thank you for your positive thoughts and words! It helps a lot! :)

OB is hard for a lot of people. I learn visually, so I'm afraid I don't have any good tips for you. Perhaps see if you could set up with the hospital or your instructor to shadow with some OB nurses? Or maybe you can role play with some study pals? Best of luck! Hopefully you are able to rock OB the second time around! :)

I will graduate in May 2013; hoping to take my NCLEX in July, but that depends on school. I will have my BSN and 2+ years of experience as a PCT at a rehab unit tied to one of the major hospitals here. I am hoping to move to a large city within my state (midwest), but I don't know when I should begin applying and what I should do to prepare/stand out? All of the discussion of people taking months to get a first job makes me nervous. Any advice is appreciated!

I did finally get a position as a PCA at a local rehab facility. I start soon and am super excited. Everything you all said helped boost my mood, so thank you!

Background: I'm a nursing student going for my BSN. I'm a week and half (YAY) away from completing my second clinical (first med-surg). I currently work at a fitness center, but pretty minimal hours, and it's somewhere I'd like to get away from. So, I've been applying like crazy to all five hospitals in town. For pretty much every position I can do. I can't work full time (I would like to keep a bit of my sanity =P), but I'm willing to work evenings, nights, weekends, whatever. I'd just like to get my foot in the door at a hospital and get some more experience. I've only received one call about my applications. And, I totally floundered on the phone call and ended up getting the rejection email a day or two later. I don't have my CNA, but profs have stated that the clinical experience we get should be equivalent. Has anyone ever gotten a job just based off their experience? Or have you done the whole CNA-challenge bothersome steps? Would it be worth it to invest a few hundred to have the certification, or is my schooling enough? Also, any tips of ways to get my applications to maybe shine a bit more and give me a better chance would be appreciated! Thank you for your time and help! (Mods, this is my first thread, so I hope it's in the right place and everything! =) )