CaptCrzy

Pt who came in because he had a mango stuck up his butt. This story will be forever talked about in our ER. People just love to put things up their butts! We had a guy the other day who was shot 6 times, twice in the face and came in walkie talkie. Maybe it was the adrenaline.

As a Babysitter? These are typically paid under the table types of jobs. Why wouldn't it be acceptable? Would you expect to pay taxes or sign legal contracts for babysitting someones child? Why should it be any different for an elderly person? Be clear that you are not offering medical services. Ensure that you are paid at least once a week to an agreed upon amount or you don't return. If they seem shady, don't agree to work for them.

Stop wasting time. Just do the BSN program now. Why are you delaying your goals? Go out there and get what you want! That being said: do NOT choose a for-profit school. They will charge you tons of money whereas a non-profit school and/or a public education will not. It is not realistic to think that the amount of student loans doesn't matter: it does.

I have officially finished orientation in the ER and last night was my very first shift all by myself as well as my first night. I survived but it was an interesting and at points very scary. It was scary when my patient's O2 monitor started beeping because she wasn't breathing. I tried shaking her, saying "wake up!" (no response). I yelled it and shook harder (no response) O2 Sat now 62........ "Can I get some help in here!" I give her a brutal sternal rub and nothing! I'm freeking out, thinking to myself "Seriously? On my very first shift alone? "Don't let my patient crap out on me!" She's unresponsive. I do 3 more sternal rubs.....nothing. I grab the O2 mask and put it on and then.... My amazing wonderful tech comes in and does another sternal rub and the pt. wakes up from her deep drunken coma "bi*@$! that hurts!" Sigh of relief! She proceeded to do that 4 or 5 more times throughout the night. My other patient was found by police and brought in by EMS because she was walking along the road in an intoxicated state of psychosis. She was also a transvestite...... Oh my she was a character. She spent her night flirting with our security guards and singing Brittney Spears "Toxic" and asking me ridiculous questions. She was apparently having a hilarious conversation with the voices in her head. She also asked me if I was ever a stripper and kept yelling about black, I mean African American .... um..... male appendages. Only in the ER. On a side note: my sister is spoon feeding me cookies and cream ice cream. Gotta go!

I get it. Men in uniform are sexy but it has been my experience that the stereotype rings true about them. They are often womanizers. I am happily married to a chef now and it's glorious. Working in an ER I interact with many police officers, firefighters, and paramedics. I have had plenty of them "put in their application" knowing that I am married; they don't care. I just brush it off. I'm here to work and even if I wasn't married, I've been told it's never good to mix business and pleasure.

Yes, Utah! Lot's of new grad nursing jobs there! Utah is also the safest state in the U.S., as it has the lowest rates of all types of crime. I interviewed for a position there too. Salt Lake City and Provo are great cities and have some of the top hospitals in the country. Don't be scared away by the Mormans, they are actually really kind and friendly people.

I'm not sure what makes you think that people don't research BEFORE going to nursing school. Knowing the type of people who get accepted and who are successful with nursing school..........trust me they know! Are you suggesting they should never have gone to nursing school, applewhitern?

There are lots of nice cities in New Mexico. I'm not much of an expert on what areas are good but the surrounding cities of Albuquerque and Santa Fe are nice in my opinion. If new grads can get jobs there, I see no reason why someone with several years experience couldn't. Good luck to you!

I too am from Southern California and couldn't get a hospital job here. I sent out tons of applications. I had a fantastic resume, volunteer and CNA experience, a BSN, graduated with honors, had tons of certifications. I got fed up after almost 5 months of searching and applied out of state. I got 3 out-of-state phone interviews a week later. I received two job offers and picked the one with the better pay in New Mexico. I was offered nearly the same pay as my friends who got jobs in Southern California and in the department I wanted. If you are from Southern California, I strongly suggest New Mexico. It's dry heat like here and the pay is great. They love new grads and the cost of living is SO cheap! Yes, it sucks to leave everyone behind and start fresh somewhere else but just think of it like this: Isn't it better to start working on that 1-2 years of hospital experience now, instead of staying and working at Starbucks for God knows how long, until you finally land a job here. How long are you going to be looking in this area? Just move! I wish I would have applied out of state earlier. It can take some people more than a year to get a hospital job here. All that time could be spent working out of state and earning big $ and gaining that first year of experience! Go for it!!

Is this a joke?! Dump him! Never take the blame for a crime you didn't commit! That is madness! Say goodbye to any chance of a nursing career! Someone who would let you take the fall for them clearly doesn't care that much about you. Just selfish. Time to start making some better judgement calls. Two words: NOT GUILTY! Tell the truth.

But if you try sometimes, you just might find.......... You'll get what you need!

You are the only one who can make you dreams a reality. If you want it bad enough you can have it. Getting through nursing school takes a considerable amount of determination and motivation. Honestly, it doesn't sound like you are in the right place mentally to get through a program like that at this time. You need emotional support more than financial support to realize your dreams and you will have to make sacrifices. In 2008, my husband and I were living in poverty with only our high school educations and a new baby; I was 20 years old. I had to go back to work part-time when she was just a few months old. After a year of being underemployed and under-appreciated I decided the only way to ever escape poverty was to go back to school and get a degree in nursing. Like you, I knew that was my calling. I enrolled in community college and researched every possible resource to fund my education. I was on food stamps, welfare, WIC, financial aid: you name it! Welfare will pay for your tuition! Without my drive and determination, extensive research and utilization of available resources, and the love and emotional support of my amazing husband I would have never reached my goals. There were many tears shed along the way but it was SO worth it! Completing my BSN was one of my greatest accomplishments. Now my daughter is about to turn 7 and I graduated with my BSN 6 months ago. I just accepted a position as an ER nurse 3 states away. I have to leave so much behind to move forward but these are the kinds of sacrifices we have to make to make it in this world! A month from now I will no longer be living in poverty. I will be finally be living middle class and working my dream job. You can seriously do ANYTHING you put your mind to! You are the only one who stands in the way of your own destiny!

My dream job is to be an trauma ER nurse. I've recently graduated and just accepted a job in another state working nights in the ER. It doesn't have a trauma center but it's a great hospital. I figure it's a step in the right direction and a great way to gain valuable experience.

I think 1 year is enough experience to start looking for something in Denver. Most job postings say, "at least 1 year of experience". You can probably get a phone interview and move out there once a new job is established. Remember if you have the job lined up before the move, all expenses related to your move are tax deductible!!

I would also suggest working in Arizona for a year in the field of your choice before going back to Cali. I am a new grad leaving San Diego for New Mexico for work. It is super hard to find that first job here! You will likely have much better luck in Arizona. Getting a job in acute care with a year of experience in California is significantly easier than getting hired here as a new grad. I don't care how fantastic you are, it is just really hard for new grads here!

This situation would piss me off if I were in the OP place but I think it is important to take the high road here and act with a little grace. Don't mess with your special day by holding on to a grudge and acting maliciously; turning your backs on her or walking out is really immature. Make the day about celebration and not a vendetta. Let it go! That being said, the cheater should also act with a little grace and step down but she obviously likes to make poor choices and is selfish. We all have to live with our choices; the good and the bad.

Don't drug dealers and strippers make a lot of money? No, I'm just messing with you.

My uncle got polio as a child and lost much of the function of his legs. He has had dozens of surgeries since his illness and as an adult still has to use special crutches to help him walk. This is probably just one of the many reasons why I have always been such an advocate of vaccinating. Could you imagine having to worry that this might happen to your own child? Thank goodness for modern medicine!

Thank you! Great advice. As a patient, I wouldn't want my nurse to treat me with suspicion when it came to needing pain meds. One time I had kidney stones and asked my doctor if I could get something for the pain. He said, "drink cranberry juice". hahahahahha! I'm like, "Are you kidding me?" I was in nursing school at the time so I knew I had to be my own advocate. After making the doc feel like a complete ass I got exactly what I needed and wanted. I refuse to suffer especially when I know there is no reason for it. I hope I never forget to treat my patients the way I would want to be treated.

Hey! Welcome to sunny San Diego! You are looking at about 35-40/hour in the hospital setting with your experience. I live in North county San Diego and it is very affordable by San Diego standards. If you are looking to rent a home in North county you are looking at around 1600-1800/month for a 3-4 bedroom home with a yard in a nice neighborhood. You could also rent a 2 bedroom duplex for about 1200-1400/month and save up for a home. If you are looking to buy, homes in nice neighborhoods cost about 400,000-600,000 depending on the area.

Do you have any work experience? Misssrblake is right, elaborate on ED experience. Maybe put it under "Professional experience" and list a summary of your roles and responsibilities. If you have work experience, add it to professional/work experience as well. "Activities" sounds very elementary. You want to impress these people! Activities sounds like a hobby...... like knitting or something.

Hey Everyone, I am a new grad working in the emergency department and find I am really bothered by something. I notice that the staff seems really jaded when it comes to treating pain in the ED. There was a patient today who was in a motorcycle accident and I was told they were a drug seeker so they under-medicated the patient. After vomiting up all of their meds, the nurse tells me she can't give the patient anymore because they vomited them up on purpose. I was there and it didn't seem like that to me. Regardless, I thought pain is what the patient says it is. Do we really care if they have a drug problem? Is it our responsibility to make sure they don't get a fix? I thought it was our patients right to be pain free. It seems like these nurses may be running a little low on compassion. I know I am a just a new grad so will someone please tell me what is going on here?

Hey Everyone, It's been nearly 2 years since I posted the original post. I will be graduating from National University's BSN program in 3 months! It wasn't easy. Out of the 50 people who started with me only 1/2 of us are still together. Most people quit or failed a class and got held back. I refused to believe I could fail and was fiercely motivated to make it though. I still have a 3.7 GPA and worked part time until Med-Surg. I have a kid and a husband too (for all you ladies out there wondering if you can make it with a family to worry about). You just have to believe in yourself and never give up! Now to pass the NCLEX and get a job. I feel confident about passing the NCLEX, as National University prepares you quite well for that. Hopefully I find that ER job I want. I guess I will just do what I've always done........keep trying until I get what I want!

I bring my kindle and read or play Sudoku or Candy Crush. Sometimes I do my homework. Make sure you know how to set up a mobile hot spot on your phone, as old folks don't always have wifi. Bring your laptop, textbook, nail file, and lotion. Make a to do list, check your emails, message your friends/family. Look through some of their cookbooks and get recipe ideas. I always bring my backpack just in case. If your not a student, you might as well go back to school because home health can have lots of down time.

Wow, that was a great link!