akulahawkRN ADN, RN, EMT-P

Emergency Department

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All Content by akulahawkRN

  1. akulahawkRN

    hours per day

    akulahawkRN replied to schoolforever's topic in Pre-Nursing Students

    During my first go-round in college, I probably spent about 1.5 hours studying for every 1 hour in class. I did OK. Turns out that while I was getting results, I wasn't studying using what really...
  2. akulahawkRN

    How old were you when you started nursing school?

    akulahawkRN replied to Joe V's topic in General Students

    About a month before I turned 38, I started nursing school. I will be graduating at the end of this academic year, at 40 years old. I started down the healthcare path when I was approximately 16 years...
  3. akulahawkRN

    First successful IV start

    akulahawkRN replied to ruralnurse84's topic in General Students

    What you learn from practicing on a dummy arm is the mechanics of starting an IV. You learn how to do site preparation, IV line preparation, and the like. On a dummy IV arm, you really don't learn IV...
  4. akulahawkRN

    Dr said no hope for lpn for me :(

    akulahawkRN replied to NoWomanNoCry's topic in LPN, LVN Corner

    While ER Docs are pretty good at many things, they're usually not specialists in orthopedics, neurology, or pain management. Before you accept defeat, let de feet take you to a physician that...
  5. akulahawkRN

    Thought I would never see this day happen :(

    akulahawkRN replied to barcode120x's topic in General Students

    Most semesters I've been in school has had at least 2 students drop out. The biggest drop was in 1st Semester. At my school, if you pass 1st Semester, you stand a very good chance of passing the...
  6. akulahawkRN

    High PT, Low INR

    akulahawkRN replied to Stephalump's topic in Nursing Student Assistance

    One of the references I just looked up indicates that the PT is at the high end of normal and the INR is just a little elevated. Could be the local
  7. akulahawkRN

    First successful IV start

    akulahawkRN replied to ruralnurse84's topic in General Students

    Congratulations! You'll come to realize that IV starts are both incredibly easy and something that can kick your butt... fortunately, not usually in the same stick. Incidentally, when I first learned...
  8. akulahawkRN

    How long did it take you to master inserting an IV?

    akulahawkRN replied to RunawayN's topic in Emergency

    Hand veins hurt a little more, but the technique is not really any different than the AC. It's been probably 10 years since I've started a line (inactive Paramedic) but I still remember how. Just put...
  9. akulahawkRN

    I feel truly sorry for new grads

    akulahawkRN replied to Concerto_in_C's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    The problem is that Nursing was in great demand. I can recall $10,000 sign-on bonuses just about 10 years ago. Then right about 2008 the market dropped off, causing a general slump in all sectors. The...
  10. akulahawkRN

    My scrub pants are killing me!

    akulahawkRN replied to Elizabeth Renee's topic in General Students

    I used to do sports med. Skin Lube by Cramer is very popular. It melts at a higher temp than Vaseline does, and stays in place better. However, it could lead to that infamous grease stain. There are...
  11. akulahawkRN

    Seeking advice.... Would you go for an RN degree if you were in my shoes?

    akulahawkRN replied to nybsn's topic in General Nursing

    I would say that if your "heart" just really isn't in it for Nursing, doing lots of patient care and the endless charting, then you probably should take a look at doing healthcare admin. You may be...
  12. akulahawkRN

    I have a patient in clinical whose labs are confusing to me....

    akulahawkRN replied to KJohnson31892's topic in Nursing Student Assistance

    A would have to agree! While the CBC values don't actually look all that bad (actually pretty good, if not quite "normal") there are medications that can suppress the bone marrow... On a more...
  13. akulahawkRN

    Got my flu shot today

    akulahawkRN replied to classicdame's topic in Disaster Preparation

    I got my flu shot a couple days ago and I wasn't all that sore. The person that did the injection was very good at her injection technique and I rarely get a sore arm if only 0.5 mL is going in. In...
  14. akulahawkRN

    Refusing food offered by patients

    akulahawkRN replied to Lev's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    I pretty much do the same thing. Where I work, however, there are quite a few people that I've gotten to know very well and, depending upon what it is, may accept food from them. Most of the time, I...
  15. akulahawkRN

    Questions about counting apical pulse

    akulahawkRN replied to Amcanarn's topic in General Students

    Usually the heart generates two distinctly different tones. When you listen to the heart, listen for the tones produced by that heart and pick one. Then count that specific tone for one minute....
  16. akulahawkRN

    Are you required to get a flu shot in the nursing program?

    akulahawkRN replied to cee cee g's topic in General Students

    The program I'm in strongly suggests getting the flu shot. It's a whole lot easier to deal with the hospitals if all (or most) of the students doing clinical time there have gotten the shot than...
  17. akulahawkRN

    Is it still possible to get into nursing school if i fail a class?

    akulahawkRN replied to msmith34's topic in Pre-Nursing Students

    At my current program, the college district will NOT allow you to retake a prerequisite course at any of their campuses for a better grade IF you passed the course... However, they will accept a...
  18. akulahawkRN

    How many men in your cohort?

    akulahawkRN replied to Caribbean Character's topic in Male Nursing Students

    In my current cohort of 43, there are 8 guys. In my clinical group, the mix is 3 guys out of 11. It appears that the gender mix is about the same on the floors I've been on over the past few...
  19. akulahawkRN

    Anyone doing well 1st semester?

    akulahawkRN replied to CeeCee82's topic in General Students

    It's OK to feel good about doing well in any semester! For now, you're not competing against anyone but yourself. You don't have to rub success (or failure) in any noses... My first semester I did...
  20. akulahawkRN

    Why won't people stop nagging me about being an LPN and not an RN?

    akulahawkRN replied to admiralqueenie's topic in LPN, LVN Students

    I will preface this by saying that I am in an RN program. At my school, the RN program is one semester longer than the LVN program. Some people might be tempted to put down LVN's because their...
  21. akulahawkRN

    ADN now or BSN later?

    akulahawkRN replied to Murse Wannabe's topic in Pre-Nursing Students

    Given the choice of going straight into a regular ADN program vs. BSN program, and having to wait for the BSN program to begin, I would rather go for the ADN program. On the other hand, if I knew that...
  22. akulahawkRN

    Being a shy nurse

    akulahawkRN replied to mtcowgirl's topic in Pre-Nursing Students

    You might consider taking an acting class before starting your program. It doesn't necessarily have to result in a stage performance, but you might learn some good skills to help you "act the part" so...
  23. akulahawkRN

    RN program with no pre-reqs?

    akulahawkRN replied to SweetHeartRN2Be's topic in Pre-Nursing Students

    It looks like Sumner's AAS RN program is brand new. They have no data for pass rate. Just looking at the course list, I noticed that there's no chemistry, biology (like Micro or O-chem), no nutrition,...
  24. akulahawkRN

    Anyone go the EMT route after becoming an LVN?

    akulahawkRN replied to pnkgirl25's topic in LPN, LVN Students

    To answer your question, no, an LVN can not work as an EMT under the LVN license. The jobs aren't similar. EMT has a very limited scope of practice compared to LVN and treatment is basically limited...
  25. akulahawkRN

    A thank you to those who hate/hated nursing school!

    akulahawkRN replied to AnimalRescueNurse's topic in General Students

    Throughout nursing school you will find that you will have instructors that you really hate and despise and you will find that you will have instructors that you really enjoy learning from. You also...