kat29

We are using Lippincott VSims, ATI simulations, and case study work. I love the NCLEX questions and rationales though- I may use those as well.

It looks like we will be moving the family to the Denver are in January. My husband is being transferred to Lafeyette and since I've never been there, I'm looking for some information about local hospitals, schools of nursing and school systems. I am an ICU nurse with MSN and 9 years experience. I currently teach full time at a school of nursing and continue to work PRN bedside to keep up skills. I would prefer to keep teaching but it looks like faculty jobs are not plentiful and the universities prefer a PhD, which I don't have (yet) but it is in my 5 year plan. So some questions.... Where are some safe, family friendly towns/neighborhoods with good schools within a 40 minute commute to both Lafeyette and Downtown Denver (in case I end up at a hospital in town)? My kids are 4 and 5 so parks and other children are important. Nightlife is not. We'll be renting at first so keeping rent in the $2000 range would be nice (we're still in sticker shock- coming from Atlanta). Do any of you recommend/not recommend particular hospitals/ICUs? Schools of nursing (most likely community colleges since most universities require PhD) ? Again, I would prefer to teach full-time and work bedside PRN but I am willing to just work more PRN hours at the bedside (even as a traveler) if I have to. I don't need benefits- only $$$ ;-) and unfortunately, night shift is not my friend. Can anyone give me information about how PreK and Kindergarten work there? Where I am coming from, PreK is state funded- runs from 730-2 and then my daughter stays for after care at appx. $65/week. My son has Kindergarten from 8-3 (state funded) then is picked up by his aftercare center (also $65/week). How does the schedule there compare? Costs? We're being forced to move on very short notice but not being given much of a choice by my husband's company (unless, of course, he wants to look for another job) so any and all information is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

I know this post is getting old but I haven't been on in awhile. I may be able to help you. I am one of the nursing instructors at GTC. We would LOVE for you to apply to the Bridge program. Yes, you have to be licensed as an LPN or Paramedic. No, you don't have to be practicing or have a certain amount of experience but you do have several prerequisites to take. You may apply before your prerequisites are done but you must have them completed before the start of the program in May. So if you are in progress of completing your last prerequisite class when you apply to the program in the spring, we will still consider you. Here is some info about the prereqs and the courses you would take. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more info. Associate Degree Nursing Paramedic Bridge Option (ADN) AD33 Program Description The associate degree nursing paramedic bridge option at Gwinnett Technical College is designed to provide nursing courses for students who have completed their education and obtained licensure as a paramedic. At successful completion of the program of study, the nursing student is awarded an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). Graduates are then eligible to apply and take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Upon successful completion of the NCLEX-RN and licensure by the Georgia Board of Nursing, graduates are employed as registered nurses in a variety of settings. (Program Length: 3 Semesters plus required core prerequisites) The Gwinnett Technical College registered nursing associate degree program has full approval by the Georgia Board of Nursing. Georgia Board of Nursing 237 Coliseum Drive Macon, GA 31217 478-207-1640 The program is accredited by: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850 Atlanta, GA 30326 www.acenursing.org Prerequisites Length of time to complete prerequisites varies depending on applicants' transfer credit and/or testing results. The time to complete prerequisites is not included in the total program length listed. File completion does not guarantee acceptance. In order to begin the program, students must complete a physical exam, tuberculosis skin test, supply proof of immunization, undergo a background check, and submit to a drug screen test. Prerequisites must be completed by the deadline. These include BIOL 2113 and BIOL 2113L, BIOL 2114 and BIOL 2114L, BIOL 2117 and BIOL 2117L, ENGL 1101, FYES 1000, MATH 1111 or MATH 1101, and PSYC 1101. The following core courses must be completed prior to starting the nursing transition courses. ENGL 1102, PSYC 2103, and a humanities/fine arts elective. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on all prerequisites. Please see the competitive health application at www.gwinnetttech.edu/forms for additional information. *Note that these courses must be completed prior to the application deadline in order to be considered for program admission. Additionally, BIOL 2113, BIOL 2114, and BIOL 2117 cannot be older than 5 years at file completion deadline. Employment Opportunities Graduates will find opportunities in a wide variety of settings, including, but not limited to acute care in hospitals, long term care facilities, ambulatory clinics (inpatient/outpatient), physicians' offices, home health care, private or governmental industries, school and hospice facilities. [TABLE] [TR] [TD]COURSE TITLE[/TD] [TD]NUMBER[/TD] [TD]CREDITS[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: essential] [TD] Essential General Education Core Courses[/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD] 15 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 3] Area I – Language Arts/Communication[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Composition and Rhetoric[/TD] [TD] ENGL 1101[/TD] [TD] 3 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Literature and Composition[/TD] [TD] ENGL 1102[/TD] [TD] 3 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 3] Area II - Social/Behavioral Sciences[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Introductory Psychology[/TD] [TD] PSYC 1101[/TD] [TD] 3 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 3] Area III - Natural Sciences/Mathematics (Successful completion of MATH 1111 or MATH 1101 is required)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] College Algebra[/TD] [TD] MATH 1111[/TD] [TD] 3 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Math Modeling[/TD] [TD] MATH 1101[/TD] [TD] 3 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 3] Area IV – Humanities/Fine Arts (Choose ONE of the following)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Art Appreciation[/TD] [TD] ARTS 1101[/TD] [TD] 3 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] American Literature[/TD] [TD] ENGL 2130[/TD] [TD] 3 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Introduction to Humanities[/TD] [TD] HUMN1101[/TD] [TD] 3 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Music Appreciation[/TD] [TD] MUSC 1101[/TD] [TD] 3 [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: essential] [TD] Essential Technical Courses[/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD] 46 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] First Year Experience[/TD] [TD] FYES 1000[/TD] [TD] 2 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Anatomy and Physiology I*[/TD] [TD] BIOL 2113/L[/TD] [TD] 3/1 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Anatomy and Physiology II*[/TD] [TD] BIOL 2114/L[/TD] [TD] 3/1 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Introductory Microbiology*[/TD] [TD] BIOL 2117/L[/TD] [TD] 3/1 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Human Development[/TD] [TD] PSYC 2103[/TD] [TD] 3 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Pharmacological Concepts and Drug Calculation[/TD] [TD] RNSG 1102[/TD] [TD] 2 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice[/TD] [TD] RNSG 1500[/TD] [TD] 5 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Bridge to Professional Nursing for Paramedics[/TD] [TD] RNSG 1520[/TD] [TD] 5 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Concepts of Maternal Nursing[/TD] [TD] RNSG 2101[/TD] [TD] 4 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Concepts Pediatric Nursing[/TD] [TD] RNSG 2102[/TD] [TD] 4 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Concepts of Adult Health III[/TD] [TD] RNSG 2103[/TD] [TD] 10 [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] Transition into the Profession of Nursing[/TD] [TD] RNSG 2105[/TD] [TD] 2 [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: total] [TD][/TD] [TD] Total Hours[/TD] [TD] 61 [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] **Suggested First Semester classes: FYES 1000, ENGL 1101, PSYC 1101, and BIOL 2113/L

Have a really confused patient who insists on throwing off the sheets and displaying themselves to the world? Take a hospital gown, with snaps- turn it upside down and snap the armholes around the thighs. Makes a great pair of shorts for the 'less than modest' patient. We used this a lot for our very squirmy TBIs. Also, run the foley tubing down the leg out the shorts and they won't be so likely to pull it out.

Sorry to ask what seems like the same questions others are asking but for the life of me I can't find a clear answer on this forum. I'm talking with a recruiter for my first travel assignment. I have NOT signed or agreed to anything as of yet. My question is about the nontaxed vs taxed amounts. Ive been offered this... $19.50/hr (which seems absurdly low since thats the hourly I make as a staff nurse in MO) $2800/mo housing and the usual 1.5 after 8hr & OT (its California) $.55/mile travel reimbursement Heres my question. I know that the housing is tax free (yes I have a legal tax home elsewhere). But she mentioned that the IRS allows a certain amt of money a month tax free (she mentioned around $3000). Is this what the IRS calls "per diem" and is it untaxed IN ADDITION TO the housing stipend? Does this mean that ~$3000 (or whatever the IRS allows) of my HOURLY wage is untaxed? AND my housing stipend is also untaxed? And does this make $19.50/hr a decent rate for a California area. thanks to anyone that can help me understand this!

We have a similar set up at our hospital. The acute dialysis unit (4-5 beds) is actually a part of the ICU. We have a number of nurses who work both dialysis and staff the ICU. If an ICU patient has to have dialysis, the unit nurse scheduled for dialysis that day will come to that persons room and dialyze. The patient would essentially have 2 RNs (their ICU nurse and their dialysis nurse-who is also one of our ICU nurses). If there are floor patients who have treatments scheduled and also ICU patients, we get another of our cross trained RNs to help out. These nurses have been working both dialysis and ICU for years though and are very experienced. We also have some PRNs that are strictly dialysis but again, it is considered part of the unit. It works out well, expecially if the patient suddently becomes unstable. We (the rest of the ICU staff- and the code team) are right outside the door if help is needed. Feel free to PM me if you'd like any more info. Let me clarify too that the RN scheduled for dialysis on a particular day is just that...DIALYSIS. He/she is NOT at anytime the primary nurse for that patient. You should never be staffing the unit and dialyzing at the same time!

So the hospital I work has had JCAHO come down on us for having unsigned telephone orders. We've struggled with docs over this for awhile now. We remind them, we put colored flags on the each unsigned order with the docs name on it. The doc himself doesn't even have to sign...any partner within their group that rounds on the patient can sign for them, yet nursing is now being held responsible! Here's the newest.... EVERY telephone order has to be faxed to the physicians office immediately (very time consuming). Then the doctor can sign and fax back. The result is duplicate photo copies all over the chart, especially if more than one doc has a telephone order on the same page. Here's the worst. If the order isn't signed in 48 hours, administration is holding THE NURSE THAT TOOK THE ORDER responsible. So if I take an order, fax the order, have two days off and the doc still hasnt signed then its MY responsibililty? Does this seem a bit rediculous to anyone here? What would you all do?

Thank you so much! Aureus, that makes more sense. I too thought that just calling the unit searching for staff was "fishy." I am a few months away from being ready for any agency nursing so I have time to do a little research. I certainly wont be using them thought. I appreciate your time! Thanks!

Anyone heard of RES Medical Group. They called my looking for potential staffers and I was off. Another nurse, a friend who knew I was tossing about the idea of some agency work on the side, gave them my number and they left me a message. I thought Id look them up on the internet before I started answering their calls but I cant find anything. Has anyone heard of or worked for them?

Hey allnurses! Im an ICU RN w/ about 2 years experience and my husband and I are looking for a good place to put down some roots and start a family. We're game for just about anywhere as long as it satisfies "a few" requirements! We currently live in Missouri but I cant deal w/ the climate and we're both bored. Unfortunately, I'm very, very happy w/ my job and the hospital I work at, makes it hard to move. I never have more than 2 pts at once, rarely get pulled, and the environment is friendly. Most of the docs are nice and take suggestion well. Pay isnt the best (between us both, we make about $70,000) but its enough to get by on here and I can have unlimited overtime. Problem is that its too hot, too humid, not enough snow and not enough outdoor activities. You have to drive 2-3 hrs for any good canoeing/camping. Please let me know of any towns where you love your hospital and can still afford a nice home that's not in the middle of a big city. Small cities/towns are good. We'd like to be able to afford a couple acres. He will be a rec. therapist soon but his degree will allow him to do just about anything in recreation. We love the outdoors. We scuba dive, camp, canoe. I love the snow and mild summers. Mountains, lakes and/or ocean would be great- we're tired of rolling farmland, brown murky ponds, and the Big Muddy! Id prefer not to drive more than a half hour to work....and yes I know we're picky! Any suggestions? Feel free to PM. Thanx!

Yippee!! I passed!!!! I think now I can get some sleep... (long long LONG sigh of relief.........)

.....also, did anyone notice an awful lot of "infection control/ PPE" questions? I hope these were the experimental ones!

Shudder is right! I took mine today and got 9 of those awful questions. My fingers are crossed that I never have to do them again. There really is no way to study for them. You just have to know your stuff. Im pretty sure I didnt. What sucks is that you can get all of the options but one and you still get it wrong.

I took them this morning too. Cut off at 75 questions and I know everyone says that they think they failed but I seriously got the bad end of that stick! I counted 9, YES 9, "choose all that apply" questions!! And the strangest barrage of off the wall questions you could think of! ...and if you're studying drug side effects, which I highly recommend...don't bother with the obvious ones! Every time I got a drug questions and thought to myself "O-o I know that one!" there were none of the effects I was familiar with in the options. NONE! I think they chose the side effects to list that were at the very ends of the lists. Good luck to everyone and thanks for letting me vent....keeping my fingers crossed.

Not sure how much I can help but Ive just graduated in December. I was a Nurse Extern in the program for the hospital that I work at for a little over a year. The difference at our hospital is that you have to be in your LAST year of nursing school. So most are little more comfortable at the bedside. We could do much of what the nurses did. Assess, chart, pass meds, do procedures, etc. What we couldn't do was IV push, give controlled drugs, initial blood hangs (we could not be the only one in the room the first 15 minutes, but could manage the transfusion after that), and taking physician orders. We were able to change units every ten weeks and if we found a unit we liked, and the unit staff & manger agreed that they wanted to keep us, we could stay until graduation. It was/is an absolutely wonderful program that for me turned out to be 6 mos of "on the job" ICU training. We made our own schedule as we are not actually part of "staffing" and are paid by the education department." Most of us found favorite preceptors and would schedule ourselves when that person worked. We could take as many, or few, patients as we wanted and the nurse would verify our assessments, check and sign off on our charting. Naturally, if you were new to a floor and hadn't "proven" your competency, you'd double-check everything with the nurse. Some nurses trusted me enough to "let me fly" on my own once they knew that I wasn't one to pretend I could do something that I was unsure about. Others were more strict. Most were very good teachers. I asked a lot of questions and picked many a brain!! The best advice I can give you for your externs is to give them a couple patients of their own, as they (and you) feel comfortable, and have them paired with a select few nurses that enjoy teaching. That way they get structure, attention and aren't just "running errands" for the other nurses. If you like, I can get you in touch with the manager of the extern department at my hosp. She probable has lots of good info. Just PM me.

GUMMY BEARS!!!! my personal snack of choice... ....but if I actually want something healthy, I go with a granola bar (Kashi makes good crunchy ones) or Fiber one with skim milk.

With the caffeine-miscarriage studies now out, I guess we have to quit the coffee! I'm looking to start a family soon and I can't remember the last time Ive gone without a few cups a day. I'll admit it, I'm addicted! So badly that my head pounds if I haven't had any within a few hours of waking. If I can't get to some coffee, I carry Excedrin migraine (caffeine included!) To make matters worse, I start working nights next week!! Anyone out there quit drinking (caffeine) and have some tips for the rest of us?

I take NCLEX on Feb 11. I'm trying to take as many practice questions as I can. I've been to a Rinehart review, have a Saunders book, a Hurst book a Hesi book/disc and several random CDs (saunders, springhouse, thompson-delmar, Drexel, and NCLEX 3000). So what I'm reading here is is that NONE of these are similar to NCLEX??? Most of these questions appear too simple and easy, Im getting 78-80's on all the practice exams. What should I be doing? Does anyone know which review questions are MOST like NCLEX???? What do I need to be practicing with? HELP !!!

Hello. I need to answer this question for a management class. You suspect an RN is abusing drugs but have no real proof-what do you do? I cant just use my own opinion because I have to cite something. My text says that may be mandatory to report this per the state's Nurse Practice Act. Ive looked up the NPA for Missouri but cant find anything about substance abuse. Can someone give me a hand with an answer?

I'm a last semester student (finally!) who needs a little help choosing a paper topic please! Its just a short paper about a nurse that we feel would be "exemplary." It cannot be someone we've worked with but must be a nurse of any level who has been recognized internationally, nationally (any nation) or at the state level. We can use any of the historically famous one's that you learn about in your very first nursing class but everyone uses them and Id like to be a little more original. My personal thoughts are that patient advocacy, standing up for the patient the cannot do so for himself, is a prime example of how an exemplary nurse would act. So, does anyone know of a special nurse who was recognized for advocacy, either in the work setting or in some other type of human rights? Maybe something within the last 20 years or so? Any other ideas? **the outcome of the situation does not necessarily have to be positive. For example if the nurse were fired or harassed for her role, or even, god forbid, executed for it, that nurse would still be a hero to her patients (or his) patients and a great topic for my paper.

Yea...can you rephrase that? I think what youre saying is that I need to study up on my ECGs Im working on that too! I took an extra cardiac drug, basic arhythmia & ECG seminar and Ive been reviewing my handouts and notes for that. Thanks for the advice!

Hi everyone! Im a senior nursing student and Im being allowed to do clinical time at a local CCU. Cardiac care just fascinates me and I really had to be on top of my game to be allowed clinical time on this floor. Here's my issue. I want to study up on things I may see/do on the floor. I only have eight weeks here and I want to make the absolute best of it. Ive already started reading all the CCU posts and looking up anything Im not familiar with. What other things should I be looking up and studying in the two weeks I have before I start. I have a few months of floor experience as an extern on a med surg floor. I want to extern here before graduation and work here after I graduate so I need to make a great impression! Any advice would be wonderful...

HI! I'm a student nurse senior year and an extern on a busy medical floor. I'm having a difficult time finding some sort of organization chart that I can use to keep my patient assessments, notes, med times, etc, handy. If anyone has any ideas Id appreciate a link or sample or anything! I usually take 3-4 patients at a time. Thank you

Good evening! Heres the situation Im a student on med surg unit. One of my pts came back from surgery this morning and although the report from recovery room claimed she was stable, I recieved the patient w/ RR of 7, pinpoint pupils, and she was barely responsive- very obviously snowed on MS. (she had been given MS 15 min before transport to my floor) I got my preceptor and we gave her narcan, put her on a 50% venti and she stablized within a half hour or so. So about an hour later, she was given toradol for pain (she's allergic to most everything else) 45 min later, she starts again w/ the resp or 7-8, tiny pupils and barely responding. My preceptor gave her more narcan/venti at this point. Heres my questions...does narcan work for Toradol ( I thought it wasnt an opiate)? or would the morphine have lasted so long on her that the narcan wore off before the MS?? AND at how many breaths/min would I have had to start rescue breathing if no one had been in the room when I found her? Please help me clear this up. I love the experiences but sometimes I dont come up with all my questions until the day is over!

I will graduate soon and my fiance and I are wanting to locate to WA within a couple hours of Seattle. Through internet research, we like Port Angeles best although we have not yet seen it. Can anyone tell me first hand what its like to live there and work there? Is it difficult for a new grad with one year extern experience to find work?