FLmed

I love the above advice!! This is for your future and it's very demanding!! It's a really tough "job" to be in a relationship with a nursing student. So, i do understand how lonely your man might feel. Nobody understands this type of intense schooling we (as nurses) go through (unless they went through nursing school). A man who will stand by your side, be your cheerleader, take what free time you have, and doesn't complain is a keeper! Then, you can kindly remind that wonderful man that your education is for YOUR future together. :)

When I think of PRN, the first thing that comes to mind is no benefits. You should be paid more if they don't give you benefits.

Thanks for sharing your heart with us. Keep us posted, and continue to apply everywhere!!

I know the exact patient you are talking about. Just an update, he did get 3 of his fingers amputated. It was a glorious day. He also got a heart transplant. So, now, this patient (like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz) has a real heart now.

I graduated in May of 2012. I scheduled myself for NCLEX-RN the first week in June. The only thing I used was Kaplan. I did ALL of the Q bank questions and 7 big tests. I passed with 75 questions on my test day. Kaplan even formats the screen to look just like what you'll see at NCLEX. If I got questions wrong, I would read the rationale and then go to the Kaplan book to read more on the subject.

I agree, and if anybody should understand prioritization of who gets seen first, a nurse should. Don't sweat it, honey. Glad you were able to vent though. Sometimes it just feels better to put it down in writing.

We are understaffed at our hospital. We are frequently getting very high acuity patients that have no business being on a Med-Surg floor as well. I had a patient with a blood sugar of 800 and I was required to check blood sugar every hour. What? Really? I had 5 other patients that day. How does one juggle this? Needless to say, I got behind on everything. I just keep saying to myself, "I can only do the best that I can do." This patient should have been upgraded to ICU or at least PCU to be on endotool, but there weren't any beds available. The computerized charting can make it easier, but when you're interrupted 13 times while you're just trying to assess your first patient, it's very easy to have holes in your documentation. That's why I stay late to ensure that my documentation was done correctly. If ED calls report, we have 2 minutes to get to the phone. Got written up the other day because I was gowned up in a C Diff patient's room taking care of the code brown without a CNA to be found. I'm okay with cleaning the patient up-- even with the lack of help. I realize the CNAs can't be in 14 different places at one time, just like the RNs can't. I would never leave my patient soiled, and I did what needed to be done. But, to get written up because I didn't answer ED's call. Really?? Annoying. Why can't I just call them back when I'm done cleaning up the patient. I love being a nurse. I really do, and I love my patients (well-- 85% of them). I do not like management. Things have to change. I don't have the time with my patients like I want. I am not sure how much longer I can go on like this, and it's a shame. My hospital will be losing a damn good nurse who genuinely cares about her patients. I really think I would like Med-Surg nursing if the ratios were lower and management had our backs.

Hahaha

Could wear a fake mustache and glasses! I'm kidding-- of course. Lol. But, the paper bag would be super clever.

I agree. Each case will be different. Use nursing judgment and use resources like the pharmacist on duty.

I was sooo cute before nursing school. Nursing school aged me and I put on 15 pounds. I was determined to lose it after my BSN. Now I'm working full time and in a masters program. I just finished my first semester towards my MSN, and it ended up being too much. I had to drop a few classes. I'm determined to get this 15 pounds off. I was a runner before nursing school, and I'm committed to shutting my pie hole and getting on a treadmill! I'll get my swag back.

The things I love: my patients, educating them, my coworkers on my floor, seeing how my care plan helps in the healing process, labs and pharmacology. I don't like: management trying to put more patients on you (our ratio is 6, but they often give us 7 on the day shift), management expecting the impossible, management expecting customer satisfaction to be perfect when a nurse just can't be in 10 places at one time, being written up for not taking report in a timely manner from the ED (but you were gowned up taking care of a C-Diff Code Brown with no help from a CNA), being interrupted 12 times while you're just trying to finish one task for your current patient. There really is a huge difference in what you expect nursing to be when you get out of nursing school. I really do try to make a difference and I'm a very kind person. With that said, I just wish the ratios were lower. I would really love to have the time to holistically treat my patients. I work on a Medical/Surgical/telemetry floor. We also deal with a lot of stroke victims. I like the fast pace! It makes the day fly by. I've already told you how much I love my patients, but I hate having to tell them, "If I can get some time later, I'd love to sit and chat with you more. Right now I have a man who (insert Emergency here -- and it's not a lie)." There's always something that goes wrong. It could be that the pharmacy didn't send up your drugs, a blood glucose is 400, you get a critical lab, somebody wants to leave AMA, somebody falls on you, you get an admit and a discharge at the same time, somebody codes on you, somebody pulls their IV out, a patient who has altered mental status and they are scared (but you can't sit with them-- there's not enough time), a man has a distended bladder and isn't peeing, somebody yells at you because you didn't bring their pain meds on the exact minute that they were due, oh this list could go on and on. I just want more time with the patients!! Management wants patient satisfaction to go up, well doesn't it make sense to give the nurses less patients? Outcomes for excellent patient satisfaction might actually be attainable. I know job satisfaction could potentially be impacted positively too if we just had more time with each patient. I'm a very loyal person with a strong work ethic. I've always had glowing reports from prior employers. Since management makes our jobs so hard, it makes meeting their objectives impossible. It really has affected my self esteem. I'm a good nurse, but on paper, I don't always meet their expectations. : ( Nursing is extremely stressful in the acute hospital setting. I heard a fellow nurse say, "I don't know many nurses around here who aren't on an antidepressant or a benzo." Of course there are exceptions to this. I'm not on anything... yet. I don't want to generalize either. I do know plenty of nurses who use other methods for stress reduction. I run and it has worked well for me so far. Oh, one more thing, I'm going to be working Christmas this year. I have a young son. He's only going to be little once. I went into nursing knowing that I'd have to work holidays, but it still makes me sad.

Just wanted you to know that I read your post. Sending you hugs.

I wouldn't recommend taking these online. Most employers want these to be American Heart Association certifications. Most AHA certifications have a test to pass and also a hands on skills portion. This demonstrates that you can be competent in following the protocols.

The Hospice nurses that I worked with for one of my clinical rotations were AMAZING! I remember seeing a chart of a patient who had diabetes and yet there was a chocolate donut served to him. One of nurses said, "He doesn't eat much, but he likes those donuts. I can fix his sugar if it gets too high with insulin, but he's dying. I'm letting him have that donut." I will never forget that nurse. I also watched her cradle a female patient with pillows, braid her hair, and hold her hand. She had a celestial discharge that day, and it was peaceful. This patient passed on with little to no pain, she had a precious nurse holding her hand, and it brought tears to my eyes. I was reminded to be very careful of what I said. The Hospice nurse said, "The family members will never forget the words you use or how you make them feel."

I'm a University of South Florida alumni! Go Bulls! All of the schools you've listed have excellent programs! I would definitely apply to all three. I loved my nursing school experience. You will graduate with all the tools you need to be a successful and critical thinking nurse. As you can tell, I am a little biased towards USF.

So happy for you. :-)

I've always said that Hospice nurses are angels!!! Thank you for your service, Daisy!!! I admire what you do very much! Cat, good luck with your assignment!

If you all don't need your income, I would definitely recommend you to be with your baby. I did the stay at home thing for the first 5 years of my child's life. It's the best decision I ever made. They are only little once. You will blink and this precious little boy will be graduating high school. Most employers will understand gaps in employment due to expanding your family or being a stay at home mom. When you interview for your next position you can tell the interviewer that you ate in a great place in your life for a career now. You will have gotten that golden year of experience under your belt, and if you give 3 weeks to a month notice and leave on good terms, this employer might even rehire you. Just as everyone else has said, only you can make this decision. I hope that they will work with you and cut down your hours. I think that's a great solution. Gives you the best of both worlds.

Agree with your statement about management and resources. I love my coworkers and my patients, but it's impossible to get everything done that management wants us to do. They are sucking my spirit out of me.

Congratulations!!!!!

I had a pt who had cardioversion done. It worked for awhile but then converted back to A fib. His HR was bouncing between 58, 60, then 65, then 68, then 61. That heart was quivering away but within a few hours, he was doing between 80-95. So you can see lower HR with AFib from time to time. Most patients will present with HR over 100 though. Digoxin is prescribed most commonly for A fib and also for congestive heart failure. I was just trying to get a feel for what kind of comorbidities this pt had. Sounds like your pt probably had CHF since he was receiving the Lasix too. Ejection fraction was probably low too since you mentioned doc wanted to put a pacemaker in the pt. I can only speculate though. At our hospital, we have a policy that states to always give the digoxin if HR is over 50. Some facilities state 60. I think you did the right thing to call the doc and then document what he told you to do. I'm not really 100% sure of the legal ramifications on your part if the pt died. You were just carrying out an order. It's a great question!!!! I would venture to say that as long as vitals are documented and your conversation was documented with the doctor, I think it would be hard to pin it on you. This isn't a gross negligence situation. Now-- if you gave too much Dig or gave Dopamine instead, then yes-- absolutely would be liable. Do you have insurance? If you don't, look into NSO. Again, great post. Really makes you think.

Did he have hx of A-Fib?

Your story was so heartbreaking. I'm so sorry that you've had to go through so much. I just wanted to give you a little encouragement. I've had many friends who didn't pass a semester and had to repeat it. In fact, I'm really looking forward to attending a friend's graduation next May. She was supposed to graduate with me in May 2012. Anyway, life was extremely unfair to her as well. She went through a divorce and an unexpected surgery. She picked herself back up from these hardships and kept pressing forward. She's going to be an awesome nurse. Like my friend, you just have to dig deep. If you want this, you might have to redo this semester. I do agree with another poster that said these experiences might actually make you an even more empathetic nurse. You've seen loved ones battle from horrific diseases. You know how you would want your family member treated, and you can make a vow to always do your best to treat your patients as you would a family member. You are going to be in my prayers, as your story was so sad to read.

Congratulations, Belle!! I'm in St. Pete and it's really tough for new grads, especially without BSN. I'm very happy for you!!!