Epic_RN

Yep. I chose to have my son circumcised by my OB rather than his pediatrician simply because my OB charged less

Ortho med surg 5:1, regardless of shift. Occasionally with low census we'll have 4:1 with total pt care. When all 30 beds are full, there are 3 CNAs but max ratio for pt:CNA is 15:1. I'm in CA.

Funny, my aunt in Los Angeles had a male do her mammogram 3 years ago...... just sayin'

Not sure what you're referring to, my CA hospital has not let any ancillary staff go.....

It's Modesto and no, I haven't.

Sam, that is just beautiful .... brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing that, off to hug my babies now....

This, this and this. Could not have said it better. Pain is pain, regardless of what our personal opinions are of the pt's pain control regimen. Would rather be snowed out of my mind than feel that severity of pain. I've cared for post op chiari pts and the relief they've expressed in the reduction of their pain level has been enormous....

Love it!! This gave me a much-needed chuckle this morning!

Nope, pharmacy splits pills for us too. Had a pt this weekend who was getting 50 mg of Nucynta every 4 hours and they were splitting 100 mg tablets. Pharmacist finally called and suggested Dr prescribe 100 mg every 6 hours lol... I guess he was tired of the hassle, too!

As a new nurse, I don't like this.... I freakin' LOVE IT!!! Wow, I needed that laugh, thanks Gitano! :hug:

I knew for ten years that I would be a PICU nurse..... Then I had my peds rotation lol. Kids, I can handle. Parents, not so much. During my last rotation in school, I loved ICU. I didn't apply for anything else. I ended up on an ortho/med surg floor and love it. Will I stay here forever? Nope. I know my niche is in some type of critical care but I will learn everything I can where I am and take it as it comes

Wooohooo! Good for you!

The cc I attended in California is based on a lottery system, not GPA like most programs. I had aC in a few prereqs and still got in, graduated in December. PM me for more info. :)

FYI -- Merlyn is not the OP, and not in school. He stated just a few posts back that he has over 40 years in the healthcare setting......

Sounds like it went well! Thanks for the update and let us know if (when!) you get the offer

Can you tell my boyfriend that, please?? It's been two months since I got any and reading this thread isn't helping me any here lol

Congrats on the interview! Research the hospital so they know you're interested. Also, if it's s residency program, a good question to ask is how you would go about becoming a preceptor down the road. And emphasize teamwork. Good luck!!

I usually see orders like this: Vicodin 5/500 mg one tablet every 6 hours by mouth as needed for pain scale up to 5/10 Vicodin 5/500 mg two tablets by mouth every 6 hours as needed for pain scale 6/10 or greater So you assess the patient's pain and have them rate it on a scale of 1-10. Based on that assessment, you give the indicated dose of medication. I also see orders such as: Hydralazine 5 mg IV push every 6 hours as needed for systolic blood pressure >160 mmHg So if my patient has a bp of 165/100, I can give this medication but if the bp is 158/100, I can't give it. Hope that helps!

Having just gotten my ACLS certification, this greatly disturbs me. Per ACLS guidelines, you do not attempt compressions only if there is a DNR or rigor mortis present. In my facility, we attempt resuscitation regardless of rigor mortis being present unless there is a DNR.

When you ask your significant other if he gave cold medicine to your son and he replies "It wasn't on the MAR" -- and he's not a nurse lol! True story, happened tonight when I got home from work :)

Love the Android AN app, just wish I could figure out how to "like" posts on it. OP, I can relate to every item you listed and I've only been a working RN for 2 months! I was actually contemplating posting a thread of my own on the reality shock of actual bedside nursing vs nursing school and how disillusioned I've become in only 2 short months, but after some of the responses I read on here, I'm hesitant to.....

I love my job, my unit, my coworkers. I'm still in orientation but am progressively taking in more and more of the full load with my patients. My only complaint is that I can't work overtime yet -- I'd love to pick up another shift a week! Who knew I'd love ortho so much?

I will freely admit that I call patients honey and sweetie all the time. It's a habit and it sure is hard to break. That's how I grew up though, we only used given names in anger or annoyance in my house so it became ingrained. My boyfriend appreciates it because he can always tell when I'm mad lol. I've never had a patient complain. I do ask what they prefer to be called and try to use whatever that is but I catch myself slipping back into the honey and sweetie thing.

I'm in my 2nd month as a new grad and yes, I feel like I don't know anything! I think that's a pretty common feeling. I wouldn't worry, the learning curve is steep as a new grad but not impossible. I'm sorry your preceptorship is not what you imagined, I know that's disappointing. Hang in there, you're almost done! And definitely ask questions and be proactive about getting to do skills -- the worst they can say is no.

I am also in a new grad residency program with a 3 year contract. The reason they charge so much is because they spend so much to put you through the residency and then nurses would just take off. My fellow residents and I were told that our hospital shelled out over $5000 for each new grad just for the training, not to mention preceptor pay and pay for the educators. Can you really blame then for wanting to recoup their losses? You knew what the contract was when you signed it, you can't alter it just because you want to leave now. Just MHO.