Benj2610

Agreed... float pool as a new grad? (set up to fail!). 1. Get a new job 2. Be honest on interviews but don't be negative Its such a common situation & really needs no explaining. You just say "it was a little more than I was ready for" or something to that degree. Then have a positive thing to say about it (don't say it wasn't fair, they didn't do this or that, etc.) My story for example... "I enjoy talking to people, thats my biggest strength. Well in the ICU, everyone was intubated so I realized maybe this wasn't the place for me." (And that is the honest truth by the way. And I still maintain that even a negative experience is a good experience). You will get through this, you just need to find a place with some consistency and float pool aint it! Network like all hell, get on LinkedIn just to find names (contact nurse managers directly, they make the hiring decisions not HR). Keep your head up and keep at it. You have no idea whats ahead of you and things can be completely different simply with a good preceptor and the right job.

I'm about half way through. Not that difficult because you are already a professional. To quote my pharm professor: "you already know this." So far its been a review of nursing school but I suspect when clinical starts, the real learning will begin and it will be harder. So far its been tough because I'm working at the same time (like most of us) and there is always school hanging over my head when I'm not at work. Always in the back of my mind that I have something to do for school. But there is nothing new or super challenging in terms of academics. In general, I'm entirely negative & skeptical about school to begin with. In my opinion, its a business, end of story. Its about what YOU do (in and after school), not about what the school does for you. So you might as well go where its least expensive. FYI: I don't necessarily think this is the case with Law school or MBA's.

I just combed through my emails and stuff... looks like when I applied in 2016 (for Fall 2016 semester), decisions were available on May 15th.

Depends on how you do things... & if you plan on going to school full time. I am part time as I am working and since I don't want to take Patho & Pharm at the same time, it will probably be 3-1/2 years for me. Here is my sequence... Last Fall: 2 classes Last Spring: 2 classes This summer off... ** Note: These are 4 classes that everyone must take (core stuff). Research, Health Promotion, Nursing Theory, Nursing Systems & Policy. Year 2: One class Fall, Spring, & Summer Patho, Pharm, & Assessment Remaining: 3 Clinicals + 1 elective (not sure if I can do clinical over summer) So its either Fall, Spring, Summer, or another fall semester Hope this is helpful...

Very helpful... thank you all! I type too slow, missed that last response. Disregard my last question.

I figured that the IJ might be removed and the patient on the way to the floor before you have the opportunity to do the dressing change. So assuming a patient is in the ICU for say 9 days for instance, you would change the IJ dressing and do the CHG bath per protocol just like a floor RN would do for a PICC?

Doing a PICO project and it would be helpful to know from any ICU RN's or anyone that may have an answer... Do ICU RN's do dressing changes on IJ's / central lines? and Are Chlorhexidine baths standard practice in the ICU (for IJ's/Central lines) - Thanks

Meant to say was NOT so much about the code...

My essay was so much about the code experience as that was just my opening. I transitioned my code anecdote into how I love learning and want to be the best at what I do along with overcoming obstacles as my story (first job out of school being a tough experience) is a common one. Remember, they've heard it all before (I want to help people, save the world and so on)... Let's assume it's a given. You are a nurse, you enjoy helping people... They know that. What can you tell them that will make them remember your essay, your story, your path, over all the rest. Good luck...

Thanks for that...

I say write from the heart... Don't reference anything. What are you passionate about? What experience has had a profound impact on you in your nursing career that makes you want to go back to school and be an NP? I wrote about being the first one on the scene during a code and saving a patient (and earning respect and getting a lot of credit having been only a week on my own w/out preceptor)... And the irony that only 3 months prior I had crashed and burned in my first job out of school in an ICU. The main take away from that first experience was that as glamorous as it sounds being in a CT-ICU, it wasn't for me. I like to talk to people, educate, etc. In the CT-ICU, everyone is intubated... Not talking to anyone.

I applied for next fall (2016) and got my acceptance May 16th

Been accepted to both schools for Adult (Primary) Care NP program... Price aside (work will pay for school), any thoughts? Any opinions or comments on either school/program is appreciated. Thanks

Any opinions on which would be more beneficial for my Med-Surg certification? Although I found a summary highlighting the differences between the two, I don't know if any of these things are really significant. Any input re: Med Surg Cert is appreciated...

Been a nurse for 2 years now... its exhausting, frustrating, challenging, rewarding, and I love it. I'm on a busy med surg floor and I work with great people, make good $, and could not have made a better decision than going back to school at 37 years old to become a nurse. That said, the time will come when I want to advance my career and so I'm considering grad school. While I do like clinical/direct patient contact, I'm sure at some point I'll want to move in a different direction. What gives me more job options further down the road? NP program or Masters in Public Health? (I know it depends on what you want to do... but I only know what I want to do now) Is it unrealistic to think that an NP can transition into a public health role?

Whenever the subject comes up (needle sticks & odds of being infected), I never read anything specific about the kind of needle involved... and I'm trying to get a better understanding of how sticking yourself after giving a subQ injection can get you infected (w/Hep, HIV, etc.). I can understand butterfly needles from a blood draw but I'm unclear about how a needle used for a subQ or subdermal injection transmits a blood born pathogen. Any good sources I can check out (besides CDC?) Thanks

Patient on continuous KO feed with what seems like pretty standard orders... 50 or 60 ml/hr of feed, flush q4... pump programed & running. Peg Tube has a larger port which is connected to feeding tube/pump & then a smaller Y-site port is also present. If I choose to use this smaller site for my meds (the Toumey syringe has a little adapter), do I need to put the pump on hold? and/or Flush? Thanks

Thank you all... I figured not to do anything more than CPR if it was needed (which I am qualified & certified to do). And I certainly know/knew not to try to move her. Even feeling her pulse... her arm happened to be conveniently accessible. Its interesting to read your response JustBeachy because I once read a discussion about an EMT (or someone in that area) describing a dispute with an RN regarding Hi or low flow O2 in a COPD patient in an emergency situation. And the take I got from it after several comments was that RN's need to be aware that the bedside setting is very different from emt/first responder situation. And I detected a little frustration from the EMS side that this point is not emphasized in Nursing school. I can tell you from my experience as a 39 year old nursing student (when I was in school that is), I really resented the pressure put on us in clinicals to (for lack of a better term) "jump right in." Its good to be ambitious, but you don't want to be reckless.

This morning as my bus turned the corner entering the bus stop, I heard a shreik from the back & saw that a woman had been hit by a car. She was lying prone with her cheek pressed against the ground. Two guys were standing over her. I ran over & found that she was responsive & one man was on the phone trying to answer 911 operator questions... to which I said "she's responsive." I didn't want to mover her as I didn't see her get hit and nobody else did either. So I don't know if she bumped her head or whatever neuro or muskoskeletal problems there may have been. But I asked her if she could hear me & in a soft dreamy voice she said yes (& her pulse was +2 and didn't seem tachy). So while waiting for EMS & NYPD (which were there in less than 5 min), should I have asked her to tell me her name and/or asked her to wiggle her toes/squeeze my fingers? Anything else I should have assessed while waiting for EMS? Sorry for all the detail... new RN still trying to learn how to give report! Thanks...

Thank you... that makes sense to me.

Not talking about sump... The thin yellow tube for feeding & PO Meds used with the KO pump has two ports at the end.

New RN & I really need to practice getting & receiving report. I know it will come with experience but the inability to articulate can really cause people to prematurely question your competence. Do you know of any resources outside of work that I can use to practice (part of it is simply short term memory!). Any websites perhaps?

Thank you all... so many little details are left out in formal education! So I have another question about an NG tube... the thinner tube (used for feeding & meds with the ko pump which I believe they called a "cortrak" at my last job - brand name). I had a patient with the NG tube who was NPO, it was only used for administering PO meds & was never connected to the pump. Does it matter which port I use to administer the meds knowing that it was never used for feeding/never hooked up to pump (no formula had ever been out into the lumen) I ask because gravity alone didn't do a whole lot, my preceptor showed me using a bulb syringe going through the main port typically for feeding. And I was wondering if there would be less resistance using the port designated for PO meds. In my last job, my experience was always with someone that had continuous feeding and I seem to recall the meds going down easier.

Thanks pooh1258... Its exactly that last part of your post (experience) that's been on my mind.

Thanks CapeCodMermaid... I guess any experience is good experience & I don't have a lot of options (I need to be employed) but I'm nervous about how this might look on my resume if I want to work in a hospital. I'm also skeptical because it was hardly an interview (as if anybody that applies gets hired) along with it being per diem (until after orientation) indicates high turnover. (per diem in contract position/travel nurse/part time kind of thing makes sense to me... but per diem when I only have 3 months professional experience thus far indicates high turnover).