BeckyRN2006

I prefer mine to be at a length that I don't have to pull it all back in a ponytail. Man oh man, the headaches. I have mine just above my shoulders where part of it can be pulled back, but it's not long enough to get in anything or kids getting shots can't easily grab it.

My biggest peave is when I, a nurse, go to the doctor and the medical assistants are introduced and referred to as nurses, "The nurse will call you back in a minute." The best was my orientation OB appt 2 weeks ago. It was to be with a nurse. Surprise, Surprise, it was a medical assistant. Surprise, Surprise, I switched MDs. "The last nurse just pushed the medicine in my IV at once." "How do you get an STD?" Ten minutes after being admitted for possible obstruction, and 5 minutes after dilaudid and phenergen, requests jello and to go smoke.

You also might want to try the St Elizabeth Hospitals in Northern Kentucky. There are 3 of them with ICUs that are within 10 minutes of each other. One of which you can look out the window and see downtown Cincy. Pay is competitive with Cincinnati.

How I spend my day depends on what day it is. I do: WIC, immunizations, STD testing & treatment, family planning, cancer screening, well child exams. It is all centered on patient education and prevention. It is so much more different than acute settings because of that. You actually have the time to talk to your patients and educate them. Be prepared for busy days and then high no show rates. It is a very rewarding job, that does not kill you in the process. Your acute care knowledge will still be useful, especially in referrals and education. Good luck with your change and enjoy it. Oh, and by the way, public health nurses are a different breed. They actually encourage and participate in teamwork. I also have not seen the petty stuff that comes along with working with a group in the hospital or other larger settings. It is also not competitive. The focus is the community and the patients.

Our rationale is by separating the meds, you know exactly what they are getting. If for some reason there is a spill or your syringe would come undone, you know what has went in and what you have left. But of course, cocktails are easier.

Scrubs is the best show! I love it when they stole jello/ pudding from the lounge because they were starving residents...remind me when i was school when me and my roomate would eat Top Ramen a week staight! AHH How thin i was!! YES!! Finally someone else who loves Scrubs. It absolutely cracks me up. I really enjoy ER, but Scrubs makes me laugh. Tuesday night is one of the few times I actually put the books down for a whole 1/2 hour.

I was in the same boat. Everyone was saying how hard the program was, and if I could to go somewhere else. I was seriously considering it. I got in at the last minute and was scared ****less. When I actually started, it was hard, but not as severe as everyone made it out to be. I sometimes think they enjoy the look of shear terror on the oncoming freshmen students. If you want it, don't let anything stop you. I am halfway through my first semester of nsg 101 and the things I have learned and the things I have done amaze me. It also makes me want to go to the next step. when you give your first shot, or find a problem in your assessment that no one else found, you will feel like a million $. Don't give up. You can do it. Being scared means you care that you do it right.

Roland I absolutely agree with you. I am in first semester currently doing physical assessments. We are lectured, practice on dummies and then use clinicals for the experience. We are encouraged to go home and practice these skills with our family, where it wouldn't be uncomfortable. Side note: my husband thought he was going to get sponge bathed for practice, imagine his surprise when I came home with needles instead. Of course I didn't use them, but I thoroughly enjoyed scaring him. I would be mortified to have a fellow classmate see me in that situation. These are people that I am going to be in close enough contact with for the next two years, without knowing them intimately. I do however see the point for either way. I am just glad I'm not in the bathing suit group. I think that also proves how much you really want to be a nurse. God bless you guys who endured that for your goal.