smilin_gp

I work on a surgical/telemetry floor, and really like my job. At night we typically have 4-5 patients, occasionally 6 if we are teamed with the LPN-who is a great nurse, and those nights are very smooth generally. Keeping busy though because much of the VA patient population has many comorbid conditions.

I almost fainted while watching a PICC line placement as a student. Saw black spots and had to excuse myself out of the room holding the walls to stay upright. I think I didn't have my mask on correctly, because once I took it off and got some air, things cleared up! A week later, I managed to stick through open heart surgery, but a medical student fainted into the sterile field.

Ooh this was posted awhile ago, maybe you are still interested. Yes there is a focus on community health. I did not feel shortchanged on acute care hospital time, nor do I feel unprepared for my hospital staff nurse job. Our last semester is basically a full time preceptorship in our area of choice. One thing with Linfield, if you do not choose ICU/CCU as your preceptorship area, you will not get any ICU experience.

Good luck!!

Hello, is anyone familiar with any reputable CNS programs on the West Coast? Are there any that allow students to complete clinicals in their home area? I am just beginning to investigate my options for working towards an advanced degree once I am more comfortable in my staff nurse role. At this point, I am interested in continuing to specialize in Med-Surg, and maybe into an area such as pain management or wound care. Any advice greatly appreciated :)

I've only been with the VA as a nurse since June, but I agree just about word for word with Daytonite's post. The VA that I work with does still see victim's of agent orange-particularly my floor, which specializes in posttransplant care. Many of the patients are very appreciative of their care, and many love to talk about their service history. I don't now how the pay scales work for LPN's (sorry). Where I work, LPN's are mainly working on the IV/lab draw team. There are also a few working on the acute care floors in RN-LPN teams. The pay scales are somewhat dependent on experience, but they also depend on degree-ADN vs BSN. After a year or 2 of VA experience, an ADN who started out as a new nurse in the VA would catch up to the step of the BSN. Staff nurses are usually categorized as Nurse 1. A new grad ADN would probably start at step 1 and move to step 3 in a year (I think, someone correct me if I am off the beam here), but I don't know how your LPN experience would affect this. Good luck!

You can also check your area hospital websites, many list available RN positions with current salaries.

Merrell makes a white professional enclosed shoe in large sizes.

Banana republic and Old Navy have these great thin 3/4 sleeve tops that are very light under scrubs, come in both white and navy blue and may do the trick covering a tattoo that goes to the elbow :)

I graduated May 28, took boards June 1st. In my state, we get our ATT prior to actual graduation, and then it is null and void if we don't graduate at last minute. I used only the Saunders Book and the NCLEX 3500 practice question CD. Passed it :)

Owner of my own coffee shop/cafe, for which I would be "forced" to travel around the world to find new beans, flavoring, food, and decorating ideas!

I was a wreck my first week on nights, and have now realized that at this point in my life, when tired..I can sleep anytime, anywhere. I know that this is not so for everyone, but I would never have known this before so I'm glad that I gave it a shot. Like someone else posted, I am really appreciating the one-on-one patient care time that I have at night. I really enjoy helping patients get cleaned up and comfortable. I was on day shift orientation for 6 months and never had time for this kind of care. Good luck!

Congrats! I'm on a floor that is cardiac, transplant and surgical overflow. I am pretty new too, and my only advice is to take it all in, and when things do get busy and you feel overwhelmed, remember to ask for help, delegate, and take things one step at a time :)

I think this might actually be a good one for Mythbusters. I can just see it now,and what they'd have to eat to emit the various forms of gas/particle combinations!

9 patients as a new grad! Wow, I've only been off of orientation for a month, and I usually have 4-5, occasionally 6. Patients are typically telemetry, transplant and postop. I still feel that I am going at max speed to get things done, and I can't imagine doubling the load!

Are you at all close to another town or city with a hospital? It does sound like the work environment that you are in is toxic to a point. Maybe worth a commute to escape this?

I was an MT through most of school, I actually started with a small hospital trascription department in a night clerk position, I worked my butt off and showed that I had decent grammar skills and a working knowledge of medical terminology. They trained me-while I was getting paid! When they were outsourced to a national company- the new company allowed me to take their transcription test despite my lack of certification, and I passed. I was then able to work part time from home. I'm just posting this to show that there are different ways to get into transcription if you think outside the box.

NurseAnita- Maybe try applying at the VA hospital? VA internships don't start at specific times. Good luck :)

There was a huge thread about physical therapists making more than RN's. I have no idea about PT Assistant pay though, sorry

Midnight crawl for me too I guess, I don't work tonight, but can never get to bed before 2-3 am on the nights off. I wish there was more to do late nights! Husband in bed since 10 pm.

Downtown Portland rents/housing = expensive. West and East suburbs are cheaper, though traffic can stink for day shift. There are some avoidable neighborhoods, especially in NE Portland.

I have a similar schedule to Hoozdo I think. 3 12's in a row the first week of the pay period, then 3 12's and an 8 all in a row the second week. Every other weekend is mandatory- which I don't mind because of the differential. 1900- 0730 shift, which I actually prefer to day shift so far.

I remember that mine were numbered, but they were in one of the corners of the screen-not where I'd usually look for a question number.

Congratulations! It seems that the year has really helped you to discover and build on your abilities to be compassionate and to effectively take charge of situations. :)

I actually do like my Surgical/tele position. I used to think that I might go into critical care after a year or so, but now I'm loving the opportunities for patient education that are available on a Med-Surg floor.