ADAngel

I am looking to move into the Detroit area, specifically Warren/Troy area. I have been trying to research what are the preferred hospitals to work for in the area. I have looked into Beaumont in Royal Oak (which was preferred by a co-workers friend), there is also St. John Providence Macomb, Henry Ford in Troy & Royal Oak, Children's Hospital in Troy. I have two years of experience working on a general surgical floor. I have my BSN. I have several certifications (ACLS, telemetry, and wound treatment associate). I am open to looking into healthcare facilities or surgical facilities outside of the ones listed but I am not really looking into the Detroit-metro area. I am hoping for some feedback on how these hospitals treat their nurses, how their pay and raises are, how patient-nurse ratios are, and how HR's work at these facilities (my facility goes based on nurses in OT, then requests, rotation, then resource pool). I plan on meeting with some nurse recruiters from some of the facilities but I would also like an outsiders opinion if possible. Thanks in advance!

NANDA, NIC, NOC -- Lifesavers! As for databases, my favorite is CINAHL. I think almost every EBP paper I did during school, I found most of the articles on there.

Relay for Life, Health Fairs (nursing students would do BP tests; nutrition students would do nutrition; etc.) Events that I have put on outside of nursing but still relatable was called cookies and condoms. Basically it is an informational session presented to the student body about sexual awareness, STI's, safety, rape, etc. it's quite popular, whether its due to the cookies, info, or free condoms - I have no idea. As for a community service side, you can collect donations and give them to inner-city schools. On top of that provide information to those kids such as oral hygiene (can ask dentists to donate toothbrushes etc), nutrition and exercise (ask perhaps the YMCA or other gyms for donations), etc. Benefit dinners are also a great way to give back to the community or a certain organization. Not exactly sure if this is the kind of info you were looking for but hopefully it is useful!

Have fun with quadrant streaks.. They were my absolute favorite part of micro! I think it is relatively easy to remember the names of the bacterium once you have become accustomed to the Latin.

You have to wait an entire year and not a semester? If that is the case, then I am terribly sorry. At my school, they give you the chance to retake the semester the following semester if you fail. In my cohort, luckily no one has failed or had any circumstances preventing them to move on with the program. But we have had three students join our group after having to retake the semester. Sorry to hear about the misfortune. I wish you luck! As for whether or not there are schools that will accept your nursing courses, I believe they're out there. Good luck finding them or continuing with your program. P.s. when I graduate, I will have 8 years of undergrad so don't let the number of years taken to graduate get you down. Just think of the additional knowledge you have gained from the extra time!

Hey y'all! I am currently in a nursing program and researched a topic last semester regarding withdrawal assessment tools that can utilized for children > 4 months old. The hospital that posed the question did not currently have a tool to assess withdrawal symptoms from opioids, benzos, etc for children older than 4 months old. They were hoping for a tool similar to the Finnegan scale. So I was curious what kind of assessment tool do other hospitals utilize. Based on my research, in which not a lot of research has been done, the WAT (withdrawal assessment tool) seems to be a useful and concise tool. The nurses at the hospital I mentioned before used nursing judgment to assess children who are going through withdrawal. Thanks! Ashlea

I think you stand a fair chance on getting into a program. I am not exactly sure what a TEAS test is, but you have improved greatly on your latest score. I was attending ASU and realized that my scores could not compare to those of my competitors so I decided to transfer universities. I moved back home to Michigan and started to attend a smaller university and was accepted into their program on my 2nd try. My cumulative GPA was a 2.9 but I was able to get that up to a 3.4 after 3 semesters of classes. The program here is based off your GPA, group interview, and the number of classes taken at the university. Are you unable to get financial aid besides the scholarship? Best of luck to your future endeavors and nursing school!

It's not going by fast enough. I am graduating in May 2014 and it feels like an eternity. I have a mantra though, "just 3 more semesters, just 3 more semesters.." Granted, by time I do finish, I will have 8 years of university under my belt..

Like Racer stated, it depends on varying factors. I am currently completing my BSN at an university who's program takes 3-years to complete. However, there are some schools that have accelerated BSN programs. I know when I attended Arizona State University, they had an accelerated program that was 18-months and 2 year program (or it could have been 2 1/2). If you are going to a community college, they typically have waiting lists that vary in how long you have to wait. Then there are programs where you apply directly to the program, and if accepted you start the following term. If you want specifics about a program, I would suggest you talk with an advisor (high school or college) to find out more about a particular program. If you haven't completed pre-req's, that will also add some time. Best of luck!

Hey y'all, I was curious if you can interchange the bell/diaphragms of the Littmann stethoscopes for a pediatric bell/diaphragm. I have a classic ii Littmann, and figured it would be cheaper if I could just swap out the bell for my ob/peds clinical. I found a really cheap infant/peds stethoscope but I really don't want to waste my money on something subpar. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you, Ashlea

You have to be careful of the cardiology littmann's.. at least the single head stethoscopes.. our professors would not allow anyone to use these since it takes a certain amount of pressure to use the bell and diaphragm.. I got a cheapie when I ordered my scrubs (my school sold a package with everything) but since it was not a very good one I got a classic II s.e. It's awesome. I found the best deal for littmann's through medisave.com (it includes the engraving)

Hello, So I am working on my first Initial Assessment for practicum.. I need to write about the patho of small cell lung carcinoma, acute renal failure, and diabetes mellitus. I am working on the lung CA and I remember that my patho professor once told the class about the affects of smoking related to the lungs. He had told us that cigarette smoke, when inhaled, burns/destroys the ciliated cells of the respiratory tract and over time the cells of the resp. tract begin to compensate by producing more globular cells. I have been trying to research this but I have not been able to find anything about the cells (cilia) evolving to globular cells. Has anyone else heard about this compensation or was he over exaggerating the affects. Aha! I found a resource the sort of supports the info I was seeking. Smoking actually paralyzes the cilia preventing it from being able to sweep away the mucus and pollutants. And the mucosal cells are actually over activated, therefore, they produce more mucus. I also got this from a reputable resource so hooray for me!

My clinical instructor told me that the VA in Mid-Michigan has both 8-hr shifts and 12-hr shifts. She said that she used to work 8-hrs but decided that working 12's would be more feasible; so now, she works 3 12-hr shifts. I'm not exactly sure of how the whole system works; hopefully, someone who knows more will post something. Hope that helped in some way.

For the most part, my school is a mix of both. Our instructors lecture but we are expected to know and learn techniques and skills in the lab. For instance, two weeks ago we had gone over transferring. We were expected to know certain transferring techniques but then they had some PT students come in and actually go over the techniques with us. I really like how everything is taught thus far (I am in my second semester - the first semester was strictly lecture (Pharm and Nutrition) and this semester is lectures, labs, and clinicals). I have no issue with self-learning as long as the instructors or lab techs are available to assist in my learning and so far they have been. With our head to toe checkoffs, which was this week, we were expected to learn the material at home, then they did a head to toe on a student in lab, then we were able to practice the head to toe in lab. I feel that my program makes sure that we know the information and skills but it is our responsibility to make sure that are able to do these.

Thank you! That was really helpful and clear. I will probably stick with the ice cream idea but I will double check with his wife to make sure that is allowed. Would it be a violation of HIPPA if I called the facility to ask if ice cream is allowed in his diet? HIPPA is still in the gray area for me, so I am still a little unclear about all the contingencies.

Well, I have passed my head to toe. I was really nervous before doing it but once it started I calmed down. I only forgot a few things and made a feel silly mistakes. I confused left from right when I was doing heart sounds, I realized once I got to Erb's point and I switched over. I also forgot to check for nose patency, edema, and side rails! Overall, I did really well; I received some great feedback and the instructor was impressed with some of my techniques (percussion and auscultation) and also said I was very organized! Thanks for the tips, they were greatly appreciated! Tomorrow is my first day at clinicals. I am going to be in the long-term wing at the VA! Super excited but nervous - mainly, I am nervous about transitioning from CNA roles to those roles of a student nurse. I guess that I am sort of confused of how the roles will differ - I know that I will be able to administer meds in a few weeks - but that is all I know of the difference.

Hello all, So I used to care for an elderly man with Parkinson's with whom I am still in contact with. His wife recently shared with me that he has been diagnosed with dysphagia and is on a diet of pureed foods. It has been a while since I have worked as a CNA but I am currently a BSN student (my first day of clinicals is tomorrow at a long-term care wing of a VA hospital); so I can not remember what types of foods are for pureed diets. I remember certain things that are pureed, thick milkshakes, pudding, etc. So here in lies my question, I would like to bring in a snack for him this weekend: what type of snacks are allowed for pureed diets. I thought about making some sherbet or ice cream, or pudding. When I had helped him out a few months back, he used to love chocolate and cookies - are these still allowed? Any tips or advice is appreciated. I have researched a bit on the internet but the types of foods are something that I already know about or not very appetizing.

I start my clinicals at the VA this coming week, so I can let you know whether or not that is true of all VA's. Best of luck.

To answer your question about whether or not assisting people with their personal needs, it does get easier. Every time I have to do peri-care or anything else invasive, I treat it as any other medical care while ensuring the patient is comfortable. Personally, being a CNA did not strengthen my desire to be a nurse. It's a very tough job, physically and emotionally. If you're undecided about whether or not nursing is for you.. Think about why you want to do it. Is it all about finances? Do you truly care about helping those in need? What is the driving force? You can also go and check out the nursing program at the school you want to go to. Also, talking to a nursing advisor at the school can help clarify the route you may need to go, academic wise. Again, volunteering and job shadowing are great sources of information. Good luck on your decision!

I agree.. Go back and hold your head up high. You have to have confidence or your patient won't have confidence in you. I am all too familiar with that. When I worked as a CNA, I was the same way - shy and reserved, not very outspoken. Patients had seen that, and walked all over me and lost confidence in me as a caregiver. I even had one patient kick me out of their room. Take this as a wake up call, if a clinical instructor felt that way and spoke out about it, then a patient will do the same. Good luck and don't let this affect your nursing abilities, just take it as a learning experience.

I have my H2T assessment next week.. I am beyond nervous and hoping that I pass it. So any tips are greatly appreciated! I've been studying my butt off this past week and still keep forgetting stuff. Wish me luck!

I agree with GrnTea.. Make friends, you will be working with these people for the length of the program! Your fellow students will be a great resource and hey, you're now in the program so they are no longer your competition! As for working, it is doable but it is stressful. Some people have no choice but to work while in nursing school, I am struggling with this. I work as a server on the weekends and to supplement my lacking funds, I had to take out even more loans! So, if working becomes too much, don't let it affect your schooling. I would suggest finding grants or scholarships that you can use to supplement your income and try to cut down your schedule - loans are there as well, but those are not free! Good luck and congrats! We're almost there! I have 2 1/2 years left!

Good luck on the relocation. I would try Banner Health, my friend who is a RN works there and told me they're always hiring RNs. I hope your daughter has fun at ASU, I went there from 2006-2008. I suggest going to the downtown Phoenix campus. Housing is amazing and there are MANY opportunities since it is a smaller campus. I moved back to MI in 2008, so after graduating from the nursing program here, I will be re-locating back to AZ. My friend said that she can get me a recommendation at Banner; she really loves working there and I always hear great things from her. Again, best of luck! If you or your daughter want to know more about ASU, message me. I used to do campus tours and lived on campus as a RA, so I know quite a bit about the downtown Phoenix campus!

I am still a nursing student but I am re-locating to AZ after graduating.. one of my friends, who is a RN, works at Banner in the PHX area and she loves it there. She already said that she can get me a recommendation when I am done. She also said that they are always hiring. Good luck!

At my school, we have navy blue tops/bottoms with our school's name and student nurse embroidered on the left side.. I really love them but the pants are not flattering... We can change the style of our pants but they have to match in color.