javaRx

Atorvastatin, metoprolol, heparin, lisinopril, zosyn

I would just say brace yourself for the next shift... And the next few months. And learn from the experience. It's all you can do at this point.

It's tough when you have patients that need toileted, requests for pillows, can I have a ginger ale, can I have a Tylenol, etc. sometimes it's rough if you peek down the hall and there are no aides to be found. Sometimes, if I know an aide is hiding in a corner of our unit, I will vocera her to toilet a patient or grab requests. If it's a "can I have a snack" type request, I have learned to respond with something like, "I will absolutely do that for you. There are some patients who need important medications, so after I finish that I will be back with your ______." You seem well rounded enough to know all of this though. Sometimes it's easier just to grab the pillow that would take you 15 seconds to get just to have it off of your brain. The time management will come in time. After getting through a few difficult shifts without completely losing it gives you a sort of confidence that you can tackle anything... And you worry less about time management and just know that you're smart enough to figure it all out. Good luck!!

I agree with emtpbill. Sometimes we can give a verbal warning on what it may feel like and what to expect (i.e. Out of body experience/painful and you might see a flatline for a few seconds). On the other hand, sometimes we are so focused on critical tasks and timing of medications that we don't have time or forget. Sorry you had to go through it!

I use it probably about every other shift. The other day I had to sign off that the cardiac drip was correct based on their weight, so we had to run through the whole equation. The other day I was worried about a patient who was having out of the blue changes in LOC. I was brainstorming, and needed to check that a patient wasn't getting too much of a certain med... Looked up max dosage based on weight and had to run through the whole thing. I used a calculator for both but needed to know how to set them up. These type of problems come up less. I always use dimensional analysis because it makes the most sense to me. Off the top of my head, I also use it when figuring out how much IV medications I need like morphine or solumedrol. Also when figuring out if I need to split a pill or not. These you can do in your head and come up pretty often, maybe 5 or so times per shift. Our hospital requires you pass a basic math calculation test in order to be hired. Then, our specific unit required that you pass two other tests that were harder. There were some very smart people in nursing school that just didn't get it...and it was because dimensional analysis just didn't make sense to them. Once they found their own way they breezed through it. There are several ways of solving every math problem so just keep at it until you find a way that works for you!! We can use nursing apps, I have a 6+ too. I have an ECG app that I use often. An ACLS medication app that I use to refresh my memory, and an ABG app that I use to double check myself if I'm beyond tired on a night shift and my brain decides to quit working. Also, I saved a webpage of common cardiac meds that I use. (These apps were all free)

Why don't you share your opinion first? Or is this homework assignment?

I wrote my response before reading the others. Missind33 we think alike! I feel like my post is a copy of yours

Stay positive. I walked out of the building crying bc I thought I failed. I had 23 SATA. Told my whole family I failed when I got home as well. I passed. There are countless stories of self doubt after taking the nclex if you browse through this site. Don't beat yourself up until you get the results. Keep us updated.

I don't mind the cursing like a sailor- I appreciate that she trusts me enough to give me the unfiltered version of herself. On the other hand, I understand how that may not be a quality that you aspire to as you orient new hires 😉

I know as a new grad I combed the posts about new grad orientation as I nervously waited for my first day on the unit. I worried about all the skills I didn't practice in school, all the computer charting I was "fuzzy" on, and whether I would get a scary preceptor that would eat me alive and tell me I wasn't cut out for nursing. Here is a positive story to balance out some of the bad experiences that I've read about orientation. (Not that their stories aren't valid... Just another side of the coin). My preceptor is a great teacher. She lets me do what I'm comfortable with and answers every stupid question I have. I don't get huffs/sighs even if I've asked before. "You put the wrong cap on that tubing? Oh, no problem. Let me show you the right way." I get positive reinforcement all day. I live off those compliments on days that I feel like I'm not doing so hot. She's hilarious, curses like a sailor, and tells wildly inappropriate jokes. She catches doctors mistakes left and right. 85% of her patients ask for a hug before she leaves her shift. And you know what? She doesn't cut me down and she treats me like I'm on her level. I don't feel like I'm a genius every day and marvel at how easy it is. I struggle through it all just like all the other new grads. But she has made me feel welcome, and it makes want to work my butt off to impress her (and myself of course). Just wanted to leave all those nervous new grads who are preparing for the worst as I did. I'll have to pay it forward to the new grads I will train one day. Good luck to you all!!

So, technically they will tell you it must have Kent state logo, blah blah. The cargo ones seem to look a bit too different than the ones we were "required" to wear. If the pants were half decent, I would say buy them. But they're not- they're awful. So skip it and just buy normal white pants- mine had a back pocket (not a big deal). Try to make them look like the "required" ones so it looks like you're following rules ;0)

If I could do it over, I would buy the top only and get your own white pants that are comfortable (theirs are awful.). And they say white shoes but by second semester everyone was wearing colorful nikes (or whatever brand you like). don't buy their stethoscope, pick out one you like. Don't buy the name tag, none of us ever wore them.

Yes, you can work on the opposite weekend day if you don't have Clinicals (towards the middle to end anyways). Parking was free and as close as you can get. UH and Kent didn't feel it was safe to have students walking downtown Cleveland at night (obviously) so we we in a parking garage that connected to the hospital.

Clinicals were 100% weekends only. There will be some trips to Kent, maybe a few (3 maybe ?) every 7 weeks. The majority of the time, you will be driving to Cleveland. The program included Sundays towards the beginning, but those tapered off towards the middle through the end. Please don't be nervous about the workload. It is very manageable. Yes, some tests I literally studied for 15-20 hours and still got a B. I have two kids and worked 3 days a week. When something is important, you just make it happen. I had no previous hospital experience and I loved every second. Classes, ehhh. Clinicals, simply amazing. You can do it!! We had 4 people that didn't make it out of 20. Awesome people that I am sure will find their own path to their nursing degree. Now for the negative. The program is very disorganized. Your group will be used to test new strategies on. Other cohorts will get treated differently. Ignore all of this and get your degree. Don't get caught up in all that drama, just concentrate on YOUR degree that you paid for. Best of luck!! Also, message me with all the stuff they tell you to buy. I will save you a small fortune.

I just graduated from that cohort. With those stats and experience, they'll love you. A 3.5 is more than enough. Good luck!