JanInTexas

First of all, to DG: so sorry to hear that the patient died. But thank you for starting the topic, for hanging in there and keeping us updated throughout the entire 20+ pages, and for letting us know the final outcome. So, brand new RN BSN here. Graduated in December. Passed the NCLEX on 1/23. Employed on a GYN-ONC unit in a teaching hospital. I learned a lot from this discussion. It also gave me food for thought about several different issues. Even if I didn't agree with some of what was said, the 2+ hours I spent reading all of the posts was time well-spent. On the poll, I voted to up the O2. Yeah, like a lot of other folks who posted, we were taught that you don't give COPD patients too much O2 so that you don't knock out their hypoxic drive. However, last semester in our Critical Care Nursing class, we were taught that you don't withhold O2 from them if they need it--and that if they are hypoxic, they're probably going to be on a vent or some sort of respiratory support anyway. As far as respecting the wishes of the patient, it's a gray area for me in this case. We are taught that NO = NO! But, I don't think I would just walk away and say "whatever" when a patient says no. On the floor, if the patient says he/she doesn't want a test, procedure, medication, etc., I would definitely provide information so that the patient/family could make an informed decision--you know, this is what the treatment could do for you, these are the side effects, and this is the impact of choosing to refuse treatment. I could even call in a more experienced RN, or the Resident/Attending, to talk to the patient/family. I see nothing wrong with that. If the patient still refuses after that, well, okay then. However, the field (and I include the ED here) is very different from the floor. So, I'm still thinking about this...

I'm a senior nursing student. The first 2 semesters, I wore some shoes I bought in a scrub shop--don't remember the brand, they killed my feet. This semester I'm wearing New Balance walking shoes, along with some compression support hose, and it's a big improvement.

This is good to know! Going by the syllabi, we only need a few books. Looking at the bookstore, there seem to be a lot more books "required" than the syllabi lists. My friends and I got kinda flustered by that and weren't sure what to do. Some of them just got the Pharmocology text and the others in which we were assigned reading. I haven't gotten mine yet--my funding requires me to submit the list, they pay and I pick 'em up. Unfortunately, I listed all of the books that the bookstore said were "required".Any other tips for us Junior I's?

A "sophomore" lit or philosophy class is required as a core course, but I wonder if it's just one of those classes you can take anytime before you graduate--you know we can take our Woman's Studies and Multicultural classes after we start nursing school, right? I wonder if it's like those courses. You should definitely ask someone in the nursing department as quickly as you can. Even though it's your responsibility to submit your transcripts and know what classes you need to complete before you start nursing school, it's THEIR responsibility to review everything and make sure you'll have completed all of the prereqs before they admit you. If they accepted you, it's probably fine, but I'd check it out. Have you had orientation yet? Ours was yesterday (Friday).

Making an A. Our instructor tests us on his lectures, not the book. The book is not a good read, but is a good reference. Our instructor allows taping, and some people do tape. He's a good teacher, and I think we're getting what we need.

you're right. i wasn't thinking. i'm sorry.

Hi! I'm excited about orientation on Friday in Dallas--thanks for the info about what to expect. I'm also taking Patho this semester at the Denton campus, to get it out of the way before nursing school starts. There are a lot of us doing this, to make that first semester a little easier. This semester before nursing school starts has been wonderful. I've met up with quite a few other women who are starting the nursing program in January, and it's really nice to already have friends going into it. But, I've got a really bad case of the "I don't want to's"--I haven't even started studying for the final Micro lab practical tomorrow morning!!! So, I should get out of here and get cracking on the books!