firstinfamily RN

The only government program that I know of that often offers to assist with student loan debt is working for the Indian Health Services. I don't know what is out in Seattle, but you might look into it. Also, being a new graduate your options will b...

We all want only the best for you and your family. All of us have made some sacrifices between our nursing careers and family needs. It does help to have a mature mate who understands that just because the shift is 7a-7p that does not mean you get ...

I am just guessing, but it almost sounds like you have not been married for very long. Working night shift takes a toll on any relationship. My husband and I have been married for 30 years, and I have worked various shifts. The best shift for me w...

Personally, I would not have been very objective with my family members and you made the right call. As we all know, those who look "normal" at the scene can develop complications hours or days later, having them checked out through the hospital was...

I'm only 57 and thinking that I have at least another 10 years that I will have to work. I don't know all the names of the new medications nor the mattresses that we use. I most likely won't know that information 6 months from now. But I do know h...

Is there an admission criteria or nurse/pt ratio listed in your nursing requirements/job descriptions? If so, then the facility can be held liable for this---do a little digging, maybe see what they advertise on line etc.

Instead of calling out individual nurses, it is something that perhaps has been "accepted" as standard practice on this unit. Has a new manager taken over recently? Do you have a Quality Assurance team/person you can address the issues with? It s...

I think every nurse goes through this when changing shifts. The focus on each shift is different, having the MDs available on day shift also makes it an opportune time to learn more. The flow of patients is different on day shift, and I found littl...

WE still have an IV team in place who change all central line dressings and central line tubing. Nursing staff is not to touch either of these.

At my facility, I get upset when the stroke patients are told by the ER staff they can have something to eat when they get up to the floor. Its not like I have a swallow test ready to give them before they want something to eat, and I don't have any...

You know it has been so long, I really don't remember. I most likely put some towards my student loans, paid rent and put some in the bank to enjoy later!!! It is a decent living, but I don't think any of us have ever made more than we could spend ...

I interviewed for Fresenius in my area and went through about a month of interviews before I accepted a different hospital position. From what I was told working dialysis can be very long hours, so perhaps more than 12 a shift. It is a controlled e...

The SBAR tool for communication has been mentioned here and it is very helpful as an organizational tool. It is great when you can cluster the phone calls together. When there is an acute change and you need orders, you call. Never feel that it ...

We stopped using restraints on our intubated pts about 5 years ago, there are some who extubate themselves when the sedation wears off. We also follow-up with incident reports, sometimes it makes changes happen, sometimes it does not. This is a ver...

This is happening in Maryland, but the nurses are NPs and able to prescribe, do orders under their MDs guidance. They do not partake in the hospital regulations that apply to nursing staff who are employed by the hospital. Your employer will be the...

I started my nursing career as an ADN/RN, I had wonderful experiences as an ADN student, to the point that I was hired as an ICU nurse graduate and did well in that environment. I also continued my education for my BSN as soon as I graduated because...

It will be more difficult to get a position when pregnant as a new nurse. I did not have this experience, so cannot give you solid advice. However, it seems new graduate nurses who are not pregnant are having difficulties finding positions. You wi...

When I did home care and the snow was too high for me to drive through I checked on my patients by telephone. I always made sure my oxygen dependent patients had their extra tanks filled way before any storms were coming our direction. Our acute ca...

There are resources on EKG's on the Web, printed materials are still available----I recommend a workbook type where you can review what you have learned, one good book by Dubin covers basic EKG's, see if the fire/paramedics in your area offer classe...

When I returned to my acute care facility this was in place, at first I found it a little intimidating, but now I am use to it. The white boards are updated every shift and giving the pt information about their tests, current status, discharge plans...

Telemetry is a wonderful tool, it still requires rounding on the units to observe patients. Physical symptoms will appear before they show up on a telemetry monitor. Please encourage nurses to make routine rounds on their units. Having alert CNAs...

During my initial assessments I always look for a grimace when doing deep palpation of the abd. Pts may have abdominal discomfort but unable to rate it on a numerical scale, so stimulating a grimace gives me a better idea of the discomfort/level of ...

In the acute care facilities I have worked, RT has always done the neb treatments and follow-up of these treatments. The only place I worked where this was a nursing responsibility was in LTC where there was no RT personnel. I emphathize with the ...

Make sure you emphasize your organizational skills on your resume. Also, can you use your clinical experiences from nursing school on your resume? Any acute experience will need to be documented on your resume, can you use any of your instructors f...

I notice the younger nurses doning gloves as soon as they enter the pts room. Whatever happened to "therapeutic touch?" I wear gloves when coming upon contact with body fluids, removing dressings, etc. I do not feel it is necessary to wear gloves...