kRN0512

I have also found that people who know you're a nurse (family, friends, etc.) just expect you to jump right in and do something...even if the situation is being handled.

Definitely! I began working as a CNA about 6 months before starting nursing school and continued to work as a CNA throughout. It was extremely beneficial and I learned so much. It allowed me many great learning experiences and plenty of opportunities to apply what I was learning in nursing school to "real life" situations. Being a CNA also gave me a much better understanding and appreciation of how much work goes into this job. I'll never forget this and all the other lessons I learned. I truly believe that my experience as a CNA has made me a better nurse.

Thank you for your responses! I definitely considered liability and the "Good Samaritan" law and then realized that this was true only in emergency situations. It's just been something that I've been thinking about alot lately, not necessarily because of this situation...just in general.

I've recently been thinking alot about how, as a nurse, one is supposed to handle injuries/medical situations in the public setting that may come up when one is "off the clock". I want to be helpful but I'm also concerned about liability and the appropriateness of it all. For example, I was at a softball game one evening and a player took a hit to the face. All the other players and the coaches immediately rushed out to the field and seemed to be handling the situation appropriately (ice to injury, asking appropriate questions, assisting to seated position, etc) and ultimately sent him to the ER as a precaution. I just kind of hung out in the background monitoring it all and asked a question or two but, really, had no part it the process. They were doing everything I felt I would've have done anyway and I felt like I would have just be in the way. What would you do if a situation like this or any medical situation came up in a public setting? Would you feel obligated to respond or give advice on what should be done whether or not you're asked to help?

A lot related to my previous experience and my outlook on teamwork and working with a variety of healthcare professionals. No triage questions....but I was sure to study just in case!

I got the job!!! I'm so excited to start Thank you for your help and advice!

Thanks! I feel it went pretty well...I love the environment! I will find out either Monday or Tuesday...fingers crossed its good news

Thank you very much for your response. I've considered that telephone triage might very well be the specific duty that I am interviewing for and have done some research on it. It seems that some clinics/offices that utilize this have certain protocols or some type of framework to follow with certain complaints that are called in. Do you know how common this is?

Good Morning, I am very excited about an upcoming interview I have on Friday with a Family practice office that has a great reputation in the community. Working in a family practice setting is something I've always had an interest in doing...even before nursing school! Currently, I work in LTC and have about 10 months or so of nursing experience as a RN. I would like to "brush up" on some information that I think would be important to be knowledgeable about in this type of setting and have a few areas in mind like immunizations, common lab/screening tests, and managing chronic problems (HTN, asthma, etc.) My questions is...what did you do to prepare for your interview and what types of questions were asked of you during the interview? Is there anything else I should be focusing on, as well? Thanks :)

Well, one month later and I stil haven't heard anything yet...she had initially said "after the holiday" and I assumed Thanksgiving holiday but maybe she meant Christmas/New Years holday? The position is still up on the site so I am assuming they are still leaving it open but I don't know. I really,really hope to hear somthing soon. I have recently picked up a part-time night shift position at a local nursing home to try and keep up my skills/experience and meet financial obligations for our family. Night shift is absolutely killing me! Something has got to give

I've had three nights of orientation a this point and so far...I think it's going as smooth as possible. What's hardest is getting to know the residents and match faces to names because they're mostly sleeping, but I know this will come in time. I found out, though, that if I'm on a certain side of the building on my own my resident ratio will be 1:60 which is quite a bit more than I was originally told before accepting the position

Thanks for letting me know about the death certificate information. I'm not positive yet if I am responsible to this or not...I just got my handbook and am working my way through it. If I can't find it, I'll be sure to ask first thing Monday when i start. I'm very excited :) Thanks again so much for your responses :) They've really helped put my mind at ease!

Thanks for all the replies! The way the facility is split I will be the only RN on my side which is definitely a little scary! But I'm sure I'll get into the swing of things and it will become routine. The biggest problem I have is being patient with myself when it comes to learning new things....ugh So what about getting used to night shift in general? How long do you guys feel it takes to get into the whole night shift mentality? I'm hoping it won't be too terrible because I'll be only part time but I honestly don't know how easy/difficult the adjustment will be for me.

Thank you so much for your replies! I feel like I have a better idea now of what to expect. I am actually really looking forward to getting started and "getting in the groove". I used to think during school "I'm never going to work in LTC as a nurse!" but I have to admit I've kind of missed it since I've been in the hospital the past few months

Darn! sorry about the emoticons...I'm not really sure why they decided to pop up.