rowdysmomma

Thank you all! I am looking forward to becoming an ER nurse!

While working as a tech we had a pt come in who was freaking out about the threads coming out of her eyes. She had those scaly marks (Krokidil use) all over her hands and face. When the nurse I was working with asked her what they were from, she said her psoriasis was getting out of hand. My mom has psoriasis and THAT was NOT psoriasis... they look nothing alike.

Hello all! I am about to graduate (2 weeks!) and have already accepted a job at a small ER in my area. I am SO excited because I have always wanted to do ER and critical care. When I say always, I do not mean "Once I started school I knew I liked ER". I mean when I was growing up, my mom worked in the ER and I always found an affinity to it. So many people have told me "You will like it and then you will hate it" and other stupid advice like that. I am a tech that works in an ER and ICU already so I see a lot of the stresses that go on in both areas. My main concern is I am 100% FRESH MEAT! I want some good and sound advice on how to be the best I can be. I don't want to be the new kid that does nothing and I want people to see my drive and determination to be absolutely awesome. Since I am new though, I really have no idea what to do. I want reality and honesty from pros :) Thank you all!

I am an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) student. I need advice on the following situation. I have already thought out pros and cons. Unfortunately they are still pretty equal.... I have been given a job offer to work full time in an ER before even graduating from nursing school. It is at a smaller hospital but belongs to a major hospital system. I would be receiving GREAT benefits and salary. I would be on orientation for a short while before being "set free". It is a level 4 trauma expanding to be a level 3. I have also been given a job offer as an intern at a major medical institution. I would be working on a trauma unit and doing projects and presentations along the way. It is an 18 month position that can be completed quicker depending on one's learning. I won't make nearly as much money but it would be with a research and education institute with a lot of medical advancements. This is a level 1 trauma facility. My ultimate goal is to work as a flight nurse on the air ambulance services. Given that I am only an ADN student that hasn't even graduated, I would be in the best of predicaments at this time. PLEASE HELP!

I wish I had that same experience. I want an instructor who is firm but fair.

We do have "Focus Assignments" when we go to specialty areas. They are just fill in the blank type of questions and as long as you fill it out, you should get a 100% for it. I filled it out and turned in the same things but somehow got a terrible grade. After discussing the issue with the instructor, she realized she wasn't opening the computer document correctly. I had to show her how to open it.

I will tell you that there is going to be one answer for the G, then another answer for the T, and another for the P, A also gets his own number, as well as L. :) In all seriousness, the point of GTPAL is to give you a history of the mothers pregnancy past. G= gravida. How many pregnancies? T= Term. How many term pregnancies? (Full term is usually at least 38 weeks but some people I know say they were taught 37 weeks is full term) P= Preterm. How many preterm pregnancies? A= Abortions (Spontaneous, miscarriage, or surgical) L= Living. How many living children are present? These are tricky at first but they are like a fun puzzle after a while!

A piece of advice, you are already going to be stressed out enough from all of the work that you are going to have to do. If I were you I would consider just waiting until the fall if possible unless you get a scholarship or grant. No need to send yourself into a hospital for stress treatment :)

I am in the Associates degree program for my RN. I have one more year to go before I am done but I have a huge issue. I AM SICK OF HAVING THESE TERRIBLE CLINICAL INSTRUCTORS. I honestly don't understand how I keep getting these instructors... First, they are completely inconsistent on how they grade us. We will all turn in the same stuff and yet one person gets a 100%, another will get a 40%... They all have the same stuff with it. I just get so sick of feeling like I am paying for someone to make my life freaking miserable. It is days like today that I deeply consider throwing in the towel. If it wasn't for the fact that I have this deep obsession with nursing I would totally give up. I know the best thing for me to do is to just shut up and keep going but these instructors seriously need to realize that they cannot keep screwing with us! My future depends on the grades they give me and if they keep being inconsistent with it then I may not be able to go any further then my ADN. I wish they would open their eyes and see that we pay them to train us not to make us miserable every week.

WOW!!!! Esme12!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!!! I just got a better idea of what I am supposed to do from you than I did from anyone else I have talked to. I did not use that nursing diagnosis for my patient and dug for more clues. I am going to be using this method for my next care plan and hopefully get the grade I want. I had been using my assessment to guide me but I think I was looking at only the surface. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Think of it this way, most people who enter nursing school with a 4.0 GPA, end up having their GPA drop because of how hard the courses are. DON'T get discouraged. We all go through things in life that we either have to sink or swim. I agree with classicdame. Maybe try getting into a CNA course, GO TO TUTORING, and see a counselor. You can still get in but if you don't make the decision now to make sure you do much better next semester, you will regret it. ALWAYS USE RESOURCES!!!!!! Good luck! P.S. Before I got in, my GPA was barely at a 2.5. There is still hope for you.

I had a pt that was just finding out that she has bone cancer. I wanted to use a nursing diagnosis of "Grief R/T loss of health status AEB recent diagnosis of bone cancer, pt states a fear of what it to come, and pt's overall lack of interest in care." Does this work?? My clinical instructor is very difficult to please so since I don't have an awesome amount of evidence for this diagnosis, I am VERY hesitant to put this... Any help would be very appreciated!!!

I start school on Monday!!! I am very nervous and excited and pretty much every other feeling you can get!

I should have said oxygen concentrator not ventillator. The possible stroke victom was breathing fine and not in respiratory distress at the time I was told not to put the patient on a concentrator. I was just curious as to why a possible stoke victim who is breathing normally at the moment would not need an oxygen concentrator. Thank you :)

I have been told to NOT put a possible stroke victim on an O2 ventillator. Is this true and why? I figured you would want them on an O2 ventillator to increase the oxygen.

Thank you all!!! This information has set my mind at ease that I am on the right track. :w00t:

I am a brand new nursing student. I have tried to do some research on what exactly I can do with and ADN but the descriptions are pretty vague. My main question is am I going to be able to do the same things that a 4 year RN does? Is there any job differences? Just curious to know so I don't get blindsided later...

I haven't heard a whole lot of comment about things like that for nurses (possibly cause I am still a student) but I do run into that a lot about nursing school. If someone has never been to nursing school they just think its easy and you can fly through it. Maybe it is the same concept. There are some days that I would love to just give hugs all day so my legs could get a break and I wouldn't need to worry about my next test score!

I have been told that the major things they are looking for are anything like assaults, robbery, stuff that is like really severe. If you have a record of beating someone with a gun they probably won't let you in. However, if it is just a speeding ticket or a parking ticket, I can't imagine them not letting you in. The board will probably ask you to make an appearance. At that time, I suggest you be upfront and honest. Tell them why it hasn't been handled and what it is you got the ticket for. Tell them you are in the process of handling it and that you will give them any information they may need to verify what you say. It should go smoothly from there! Hope all is going well!