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I am a new grad (4 months in so far) so take this for what it is worth. Both days and nights are very busy on our unit. I work a medical tele unit in a 900 bed hospital that takes 5 both days and nights. During days, we have a UC, charge with no pati...

Really? You stand by the decision not to tell the nurse information about her patient? I don't care how rude she is; how difficult she is to work with or how hard she is to get along with. You are a studen tasked with assisting the staff in their ...

So, I'm looking for some help. I have my first interview scheduled in 3 days and I want to make sure I am well prepared. I graduated last month and have been in ongoing discussions with the Nurse Manager of the floor where I had my preceptorship. A...

I wouldn't necessarily say it was easier, but definitely more familiar. I graduated this spring under a quarter system. First quarter was crazy hard because it was new and unfamiliar. The method of testing was new and the information was difficult...

I don't think that there are any hard and fast rules. I often read that X hospital only hires grads from Y program or only hires BSNs or ADNs or people who work there, etc. I think that there are a lot of things that you can do as either a BSN or A...

I am thrilled to say that you were right. I was hopeful that the whole thing last week was just a big formality, and it was. The HR recruiter asked the standard -- tell me about a time when you had a customer and what you did, what you did when som...

I am hopeful that it is on the formality end of things. But, I don't want to make any wrong moves, etc.

Okay, regardless of whether you have your own private policy or whether you are covered through your employer, you have insurance. The plaintiff in a lawsuit already knows that, as an employed nurse, you have some sort of insurance. But, they are n...

You are welcome. We spent a lot of time on prioritization questions. Stable v. unstable Acute v. chronic actual v. potential newly diagnosed v. diagnosed 24+ hours ago fresh surgical v. old surgical or medical unexpected symptoms v expected symptoms...

I think Ashley said it all beautifully. The only other thing I wonder is that you said that the instructor is rubbing you the wrong way, yet your classes don't even begin for a week. I am wondering what necessitates enough contact with an instructor...

Absolutely those are all possible signs of a severe allergic reaction, but just because you have itching or a red rash does not mean that the patient is in the middle of a severe allergic reaction. At this point, this patient has a potential problem...

The tele floor where I am hoping to start next month has 30 beds is 1:5 days, 1:6 nights with techs at 1:10, plus a unit secretary and charge nurse who does not take patients.

I actually had basically the same thing happen to me. I went to go get my test and my kids were with me. Well, the lab wouldn't let me leave them in the waiting room by themselves (at 8,6 and 4) for the minute it takes to fill a cup. So, I had to ...

I wonder what your other choices were. There are things that you can do for a patient with a high potassium level that are neither transferring (which is very rarely the right answer - instructors and NCLEX want to know what you know, not have you p...

I precepted on an MICU my last semester. I had a great experience, made a couple of good catches and had a very good relationship with my preceptor and the other staff on the unit. There were no positions available when I left. However, I told the...

I had all of my pre/co-reqs out of the way before starting the nursing program. I am also a non-traditional student with 15+ years in a previous career. I also have 3 children who were 8, 6 and 4 when I started the program and a husband who works l...

The signs/symptoms of DKA can be figured out from the initals of the disorder. D - dehydration. Think about all of the signs and symptoms of dehydration - low BP, Increased HR, increased temp, dry mucous membranes, confusion and irritability, etc. K...

I agree that studying smarter is better than studying more. However, if you are spending lots of time studying and barely passing, I would suggest asking for help from your faculty rather than simply changing your study habits. Presumably if you kn...

Are you really sure that your textbook tells you to give someone FIVE pieces of candy or EIGHT ounces of OJ? Sure candy and OJ can be used, but the amount is the problem. This isn't a question that requires guessing, it requires knowledge. Just bec...

Specifically you don't have to work as a CNA to have connections in the hospital. Nurses who work on the floor are a great source of potential help to employment. I absolutely agree that, at least in my area, getting a job as a new grad can be diff...

While I agree that having a job in healthcare while in nursing school can be a great in for a job, I don't think this statement is true. There are absolutely reasons for a hiring manager to choose a new grad without experience over one who has exper...

Your school is not going to risk its clinical site placements in order to allow you to refuse a vaccine. The clinical sites don't have to allow exceptions (except possibly medically verifiable exceptions) to the vaccination rules. You aren't an emp...

I graduate in 2 weeks. Our clinicals have built from term to term. I am now in my capstone course in a preceptorship. I have slowly built up and am now doing total nursing care for 4 patients. I have one more week left and may get up to a full loa...