MelRNNC

Rocky Mount is quite boring... my husband's family lives there and wanted us to move there... NO WAY! Although it would be easy for you to find work there, the job market is quite challenging for those in other careers. We live in the triad. There are some really good hospitals here - Baptist, Forsyth, and Moses Cone are excellent. I have to disagree with djv about High Point's hospital- I did some clinicals there when I was in nursing school and was NOT impressed at all. As far as the area goes, there is lots to do, and the three major cities are not that far from each other, plus there are little towns in the outskirts that are good to settle in. I've also heard good things about the triangle area hospitals, especially WakeMed and Duke (obviously). Hope this helps.

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)

A nurse is caring for an older immobilized client. Which nursing intervention will prevent respiratory complications in the client? A. Monitoring vital signs B. Decreasing fluid intake C. Changing the client's position every 2 hours D. Instructing the client to bear down every hour and hold the breath. I would say it is "C". Monitoring VS is assessment. Decreasing fluid intake is not what you want to do, perhaps if they had said the pt was in CHF, it might be an appropriate answer. Changing position will help mobilize secretions, preventing pneumonia. "D" would be a good answer if it said to "instruct the client to deep breathe and cough, or use an incentive spirometer qh". Think TURN, COUGH, DEEP BREATHE. Hope that helps.

I too passed the NCLEX w/75 questions. I did not have any of the "alternative style" questions. A lot of it was prioritizing (Which pt do you see 1st?, for example) and I had a few med Q's and a few on isolation precautions. Get an NCLEX book now, and do a few practice questions everyday. Use the CD w/the book to get used to computerized testing. Good luck!

I work in an MSICU and a GCS below 8 indicates a coma here, that's probably why they told you that, even if he is responsive in some respects.

Starbuck's bottled Frappuccino and a Power Bar at 3 AM

I think about quitting nursing every day that I have to work... and I've only been a nurse for 6 months! I would say that 1/2 the doctors I talk to treat me like garbage. I go home and cry nearly every day. I try to think about the nice things that pts and families say to me and the things I do well, but it all seems to be overshadowed by the negativity I experience at work. We have a system to report physician abuse, but don't you think that they can figure out who reported them? Obviously they wouldn't get fired... and it would make working w/that particular MD especially hard after that. I'm trying to develop a "thick skin" like the other new grads on my unit suggest, but it's hard, maybe I'm too sensitive to be a nurse? Maybe I should try looking at things from the doctor's perspective? Who knows?

Hello. I am a new grad RN myself, and I have seen that it is very difficult for a new grad to get a job in L&D or NICU right out of school... So many people want to work w/babies that a lot of hospitals hire more experienced nurses for those positions. My advice is to work in med-surg for a year or two and then apply for a job in L&D or NICU, if that's still what you want to do.

accountant

I have a Littmann Classic II S.E. It works well. Which ever kind you get, make sure you put a name tag on it, or else it'll be snatched up (I know this from personal experience!)

Paula, Let me tell you that I graduated from nursing school this past May, and I was just like you, very shy and unsure. Believe me, by the time you get to your last clinical, you will feel much more comfortable. Most patients enjoy having two nurses anyway, and will want to help you learn. No one expects you to be an expert, so try not to put so much pressure on yourself. Good luck in nursing school! And remember to lean on your classmates. You need each other.