pghnurse527

I believe you can do subq/IM injections, IV antibiotics but not IV push or other IV meds, and change non-complicated dressings. I believe the rest requires a RN.

What exactly do you mean there is no difference? They are two separate degrees.

We know because we discuss it openly, but it is also listed on our badges.

In my hospital sliding scale is always given because it is meant to cover whatever the BS is. Meal insulin is held if the patient is NPO because that is meant to cover a meal the patient is assumed to be eating.

Pennsylvania 5:1 sometimes 6:1/2 I have worked with 6:0 plenty of times though.

Absolutely not. I work on a medical/certified stroke unit and we typically have 5-6 pts with 1-2 CNAs during day shift. It can be very stressful as many patients are high acuity, but my team is awesome and worth the extra hard work and intensity.

First, memorize normal values. pH= 7.35-7.45 pCO2 = 35-45 (I remember that pH and CO2 have 35 and 45) HCO3 = 22-26 Step 1) Look at the pH. The lower the number the more acidic, the higher the number the more basic/alkalotic. So if the pH is 7.34 it ...

If you understand drug classes and just have difficulty remembering which drug is which, memorize these: pam = benzodiazepine (ex. lorazepam) pril = ace inhibitor (ex. lisinopril) lol = beta blocker (ex. atenolol) statin = antilipidemic (ex. simvasta...

Take deep breaths in an out. I know it sounds cliche, but it really does help to calm you down. Say a prayer, put the headphones on they will cancel out some of the noise, and take your time. The room I was in was VERY quiet, I could barely tell anyo...

Congrats!!

This is probably unconventional, but as soon as I got my ATT (the day after graduation) I scheduled NCLEX for 4 days later. The computer shut off after 75 questions, and I got the good pop up when I checked an hour later! I'm pretty sure that means I...

Thanks! :) I see a lot of people listing how they studied, so I figured I would post how I did. HESI First, my school had us take a HESI review course in January. We recevied a workbook and a woman presented the information with additional tips and t...

We did everything online instead of submitting it via mail, I think that really helped!

I use formulas, and the fomula for this would be: total drug.....ordered drug _________ = _________ total volume...ordered volume 1000mg.......500mg _______ = ________ 3ml................X cross multiple to get 1000x=1500 x=1.5 so...

Nursing school was easy for me in the sense that I never feared that I would do bad on a test, at clinical, or in lab. It came naturally for me as well, and I think that is in part because I always knew it is what I would end up doing. NS was however...

I literally LOL'd at some of those. Thanks for sharing!

Our instructors told us they had a personal mission to weed out anyone who was not cut out for nursing. We just finished, and there is less than half of the entire class left. OP, I take your post to mean one of two things. Either a) your school is ...

I would think it would be easier to take your NCLEX in the state you are going to live in. A good number of the students I graduated with are taking theirs in a state other than the state our program was in, so I can't imagine the paperwork is very d...

My honest opinion is that private school is not worth paying 6x the price. I just finished my BSN at a private university and while I feel I got an exceptional education, and a TINY advantage for job placement, it is not worth the amount of money I h...

I'm not sure if this is the case across the whole country, but I have been hearing rumors that they are doing away with MSN nurse practitioner programs. It is going to be required to get your DNP to become a nurse practitioner and MSN will be reserve...

I feel you on this one! You bring up a great point about the retention rate, never thought of that.

We took a HESI after med surg 1 and 2, OB, peds, psych, and community. You had to score an 850 to get a bonus point, and we still had to take finals regardless. My last semester we had to take a different version of each specialty test AGAIN and had ...

I second the comment about safety. If you have questions about patients with SI/HI make sure you are doing what is best for their well being and the well being of others. Review therapeutic communication and what is appropriate for patients with cert...

A few of my friends had similar experiences with their preceptors. Some nurses do not feel comfortable allowing their students to do anything, which may be your case. I would highly recommend asking your preceptor if you could have your 'own' patient...

This is a decision only you can make. Do you have a good support system and is the father involved? I ask because a woman I went to school with had a baby during our second semester of clinical. She was able to come back after a week because her husb...