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.

Hello, I am a relatively new grad RN with several months experience in acute care as a RN and 2.5 years experience as a CNA in memory care prior to becoming an nurse. Long story short...I took a swing at hospital nursing and found that it wasnt a good fit for me and I wasn't very happy so now I'm looking for something different. I've been offered a part-time night shift position in a local nursing facility that is minutes from my house and I am very much considering taking the offer. I am very nervous, though, about the high nurse:patient ratios (in this case approx 1:40-42) on night shift and about the fact that I've never worked nights before either. I am kind of hoping that my experience as a CNA will help me adjust a little to LTC nursing...but I'm just not sure... I have a few questions for you guys who have loads more experience with this than I do: 1) What, typically, are nursing responsibilities when working night shift and how does your shift typically run? 2) Is this a normal nurse:patient ratio for a night shift and how do you handle these high ratios? I knew it would be much higher than it is on days and evenings but I don't know if this is "normal". Any tips or advice would be much appreciated as well!

I recently applied to a position at INOVA and have a few questions about the hiring process that I am slightly confused about. I received several emails requesting that I take a survey for some positions that I had looked at but did not actively apply for. Is this normal??? Also, for those who have gone through this process, how long did it take for you to hear back from nurse recruiting regarding wanting and interview or not? Did you call or was there anything else you did that was helpful in this process? Thanks! :)

Thank you for your comments everyone! I'm hoping to hear something at the beginning of next week and if not....it just wasn't meant to be.

Hello, all! I have a quick question regarding job-search etiquette. Is it appropriate to ask (during a follow-up phone call regarding a position appplied for) when a decision will be made for filling the position? I made such phone call today to ensure that my resume and cover letter were received through the mail and to ask about my application status at this time. After confirming the above, the question "Do you know when a final decision will be made regarding the position?" just spilled out....yikes! I think the manager was not expecting me to ask this question but she thanked me for calling and asking about the opening.... now I'm second guessing whether I screwed up big time by doing so....ugh So, in your opinion, is this appropriate...or not so much?

Hello, everyone! I am a new member and first time poster and I am so glad to have discovered allnurses.com. What a great place! I am a new grad (05/12) who is currently a couple of months into Orientation for the Emergency Dept. The ED at my hospital has a great orientation program for new grads and I have learned/done more than I ever dreamed I was capable of and the staff is extremely supportive and willing to help out. I have enjoyed the past couple of months, however, I have found myself wondering over the past couple of weeks if the ED is really the right place for me. I am finding more and more that I enjoy being able to cultivate relationships with my patients and their families and watching them progress which is not very typical in the ED (Perhaps this is coming from my background in LTC). I have had a few patients that remained with us in the ED for extended periods of time (8 hours +) and I have found that these were the patients I enjoyed caring for the most and I find myself wanting "closure" with them and knowing what happened next and how they progressed through their stay. This realization has been very unsettling to me and I have tried to give it a few weeks to see if my feelings changed but they have not. I am feeling so frustrated with myself at this point because I was SO sure that ED was what I wanted to do! I enjoy so many aspects of ED nursing but I can't deny the fact that there are some aspects I don't feel are right for me as well. I shared my concerns with my preceptor and nursing manager and they were both very understanding and helpful and I have a shadowing experience arranged up on the floor to get a better idea of "floor nursing" in general to try and determine if it would be something of interest to me. I am excited for the shadowing experience but also feel like I have let not only myself down but also everyone who has had a hand in my time in the ED as well. I am so ashamed of myself! Has anyone else had similar thoughts or experiences like this ? If so, how did you handle them? And for any nurses who work on the floors, what aspects of your career do you find challening and what aspects do you enjoy? Any advice or comments are welcome!