Erikaaaa

WOW! Thanks so much!! I'm definitely including this in my presentation! =D

Congrats! I got 84 on my first! I was so proud that I passed because I was SO SCARED! Keep up the good work :)

It's such a scary, but exciting thing to go thru! Just keep yourself motivated because someday, all this hard work, sleepless nights and stressful days will be worth it! GOOD LUCK!

"no one said it would be easy, but they promised it would be worth it" keeps me going!

It WILL get better and you're doing such a good thing by putting yourself thru school! Keep your head up and focus, it'll be over before you know it! =]

Congratulations to everyone who is starting! It will fly by! After next Thursday, I will be officially half way done! I still remember the very first day.. where I sat, who I sat next to, what I was wearing.. Keep yourself motivated and driven to finish. It WILL get tough, you will want to cry out your frustrations (I have yet to do so, but I've come close!) but you just gotta keep thinking about a bright future =] Read all material before the instructor lectures about it so you're not lost. Keep all your notes. I got an app on my iphone called 'flashcards' which are literally like flashcards so I can study on the go. Record lectures to listen in your car (they really help!) The school I'm in is a 2 year program. We started with 50 or so students, and a year into it, we have about 30. You will make friends and then there will be the people that you realize you don't get along with. Just keep the peace if you're in a program like mine, I'm stuck with them for another year so there's no point in creating drama! Good luck to everyone! Wish you the best! :redbeathe

How exciting! I was super nervous/scared/excited for my first day of clinicals but it wasn't so bad after all. You start off with doing basic patient care like bed baths, changing briefs, feeding. NEVER do anything someone that isn't your instructor asks you to do, even if you'll sound like a b***h to the person asking you. Trust me, I've been asked to do this and that, and I have to decline which leads to that person giving me attitude. but sorry girl, I'm not doing something I'm not supposed to do because you're too lazy to do it. At the first facility I went to, there were CNAs who were happy to have the free help, but then there were the CNAs who purposely made us feel like we were in the way. Oh well, just gotta deal. Try to do everything you can (that your clinical instructor lets you)! Catheters, g tube dressings, etc. There was a pt who needed a cath, and EVERYONE in my class wanted to do it but me (I was scared!) so my teacher made everyone pick a piece of paper and the person who picked the paper with a star was the winner. Of course, I picked it. I COULD have given it to another classmate but I'm so glad I have the experience now! Don't forget to eat a nice big breakfast! There were a few times that I skipped breakfast and it was total hell feeding a patient their yummy looking breakfast AND lunch while my stomach is making all kinds of noises! Good luck to all you who are going to clinicals for the first time, it's a great learning experience =D

-Read the lesson before the lecture so you know what's going on -Buy millions of highliters, post-its, pens, paper to help with notes -Stay organized (I have a labeled folder for each lesson, so there's a lot!) -If you have a smart phone, download the app called 'flashcards' and put test questions on there to study on the go -Do as many example test questions from the book regarding your lesson! My school would throw some of those in our exams ;] -Rewrite notes over and over! It helps to get them and keep them in your head! -And don't forget to get some sleep haha I wish you the best of luck :)

I wish all of you the best of luck! After next week, I'll be half way done with my LVN program already! :yeah:That year goes by super fast! It was definitely a tough journey but if you have the drive to succeed, you can do it =]

ALL the negative reviews are 100,000,000% true. I'll leave it at that.

Thank you so much, but I'm unable to PM! (I'm new here!) =[ Would you mind PMing me? Thanks =]

I'm currently enrolled in vocational nursing school and one of our projects is to research information, data, salary, statistics etc on a field we are interested in. I chose correctional nursing! Being a corrections nurse sounds like a very interesting and different experience that I would love to learn more about after reading other posts and articles. I was wondering if there are any current or past correctional nurses @ allnurses who would be so kind to help me out =] I want to know all about your experiences and ask you questions via email or phone! Maybe even in person if you're in the Orange County, CA area! Please send me a private message if you don't mind being asked questions regarding your job duties, stories, and salary! It would really benefit my project :) For other correctional nurses who would rather answer on here, I have a few questions! 1. What brought you to become a corrections nurse? 2. What was going through your head on your first day, or what were your fears, if any? 3. How would you compare a corrections facility to a hospital? 4. Crazy stories would be cool to hear! Any other information or tips based on YOUR experiences! Thanks so much :heartbeat