Melissa0181

I'm in the process of applying for a FNP program and am trying to figure out how many hours I'll likely to be able to work while balancing school, family, bills, my sanity, etc. Perhaps it's just hopeful thinking but I'm wondering if you get any typ...

1:5-1:6 is the usual. I've had as few as 1:4 and there were a few night shifts I got 1:7 on an acute brain injury & stroke unit.

You were smart before nursing school but more to the point - YOU ARE STILL SMART. There is no way to gloss it over, nursing school is tough. You have to learn new skills and concepts and you have to learn them quickly, often while also having to wo...

Being a new grad I was in your shoes not long ago. I don't think you'll ever completely get over some anxiety when going into an unfamiliar situation but with time you should realize the flow of the unit and what to expect from the patient populatio...

I received similar messages a time or two while I was applying for jobs to only get a cookie-cutter no thank you response weeks (sometimes months) later. The good news is SOMEONE had to get a good response so hopefully in this case it will be you. ...

Many of my fellow classmates did study groups but I chose not to and for me it worked best. It largely depends on your study habits. I found that I study best when I'm relaxed and in a quiet atmosphere. My experience of study groups include those ...

Yikes. I can see you are in a tough situation. The problem with nursing school is something has to give...either less hours at work or less hours with your family. At the start of nursing school I had a conversation with my boyfriend (of 4 years),...

Nursing school is HARD. I was able to get A's in my prerequisite courses by doing minimal work and reading (I'm not bragging since that isn't a good habit but it is true). I had to completely change my study habits for nursing school. I had to rea...

Congratulations. From my experience I would say you will have your hands full but with determination and tenacity you will get through nursing school. The fundamentals and med-surg books I used had an opening section dedicated to A&P and I foun...

Review lab values and brush up on problem areas. Other than that eat balanced meals, exercise, and get enough rest. Stay positive you can do this!

Care plans were the end all and be all of our clinical rotations. We would go to our assigned hospital setting the day prior to clinical to pick out a patient to "work up". We would gather information on the patient's medical diagnoses and treatmen...

I would say it all depends on your finances. An older book is better than no book but realize there will be some changes that occur with each addition. These changes may include new chapters or new/deleted/updated pictures and tables plus confusion...

My nursing school offered morning and evening classes. Due to work I was always in the evening classes with weekend clinicals so my schedule usually involved theory classes from 5p to 9p several days a week and clinicals for 3p to 11p on either Satu...

I also live in Houston TX and was offered a RN job in the Medical Center within three weeks of graduation (as a 2-year ADN RN). I was offered the position in late May with a start date of late July. I thought I was dreaming and that during that tim...

I did all of my clinicals during weekends, sometimes in the morning, and sometimes in the evening since I had to work during the week. I would discourage you from taking weekend clinicals if that is an option. I found that my classmates that had cl...

I just started my first job as a RN in an acute rehab hospital. I've been told the patient load is typically 6 depending on acuity. Many patients are on tube feedings, the SCI floors have a decent amount of trachs, there is the occasional central l...

Yikes, talk about a biased poll "Visiting nurses should take full responsibility for finding somewhere to park, patients come 2nd." Really?? Patients should come first; however, the law is the LAW. I'm sorry parking is such a pain for you but rule...

My two favorite instructors were the toughest instructors. They each had over 15 years of nursing experience and did not accept incomplete work or sloppy work. It was because of their hard questions that I would spend 6+ hours on my care plans look...

Hi all, I'm a new grad RN that just started my first nursing position. I've heard about the importance of signing up with nursing organizations at the state and federal level throughout nursing school in order to support nursing legislative issues. ...

That choice is yours and yours alone. Do you like the organization and would you be willing to stay an additional 3 years upon graduation from your nursing program? I am faced with a similar problem. I accepted a job offer and have the option of g...

I tried to break the reading and studying down into manageable chunks. For instance read/study for 30 minutes then take a break and pick up again later. If I knew my mind was preoccupied and I wasn't paying attention I would stop early. Luckily, I...

The cheapest I've seen are on scrubs and beyond Littmann Stethoscopes

Wouldn't you HAVE to have a copy of DNR paperwork? From what I understood (which may be inaccurate) any healthcare provider would treat the client has a full code until they have a physical copy of the DNR paperwork.

The way I learned it was ABC's or Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs with physiological function the most important. Try to determine which patient is in the least stable condition. BP would relate to circulation and is a biggy. A patient in pain, while ...

Your multiple bachelor's degrees do not include nursing theory classes or clinicals. How can you be awarded a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (AKA BSN) without taking a single nursing course? I chose nursing as a 2nd degree path already having a B...