smiles13

thanks everyone

My thoughts and prayers are with you

It's really sad , but nice to hear others talk about having a mental illness and being a nurse. I'll never forget some of the things that were said to me while I was in school WORKING on my depression and recovery from an eating disorder (I always made sure I was safe to work with my pts.).It's hard right now because I'm having some trouble (especially since I moved far away from everything/everyone I know), I know I need support, but I felt as though nurses should be "perfect," therefore I fear even telling one person. I guess reading this really helped make me feel better about being... ME. Thanks everyone! :)

OK... between handwashing and the "conditioning" hand sanitizers 5days a week, 8hrs a day, my hands are SO red and painful regardless of using STRONG lotions after I leave the hospital. I work in the NICU, and I have to be pretty careful about what I put on my hands so it does not cause a reaction in the babies. ANYONE have advise as to how to help this situation while I'm at work?

Don't worry MryROSE! :) Everybody has their area they are meant for in nursing... I disliked med/surg because it was very physical for my small frame... if you like to dig in and multi-task, you will do GREAT! I was rarely bored, although sometimes it is "feast" or "famine." Nurses are all ages, too... don't ever let your age determine what you can or can't do (unless it's health, which can happen at any age, too). Go for it!

Go for it! I graduated in December and started in Feb. in the NICU. I knew I would like to work in peds, OB, or the NICU when I first started school, but my advice is to use nursing school to explore where you belong. My last semester experience where I worked one on one with a nurse for HOURS... I worked in OB. There were not any opportunities in my area to work in the NICU, but I have heard of internship opportunities which would be a great chance to see if this area would be right for you. So... keep dreaming! :) I dream of becoming an NP, but for right now and at least 5 more years... I'm becoming a true nurse! Good Luck

I just started in the NICU 2 weeks ago... Right now I LOVE it. I NEVER had any NICU experience. I went into it after doing an OB rotation, I love working with the sicker babies (I guess I like a challenge :) ), I like teaching parents, and I am feel very comfortable dealing with, and helping others through difficult situations. I think the BIGGEST decision for me going into the NICU was the hospital's orientation program in the NICU. The NICU is a WHOLE different area of nursing... make sure if you decide to go into this area, that you have good support. Good Luck!

I think a lot of times it's a nose thing... I come home and even though I know there is nothing on me, the smell is there. At work, I make sure my hair is back and other items (name tags, etc.) could not get into anything... Then I usually take off my clothes ASAP and shoes (they can get a lot of junk on them), shower or wash up, put clothes in the washer, or bag them up until they can be washed, and drink some coffee or something that gets my mind away from the smell if it still bothers me. I do have one word though, FEBREZE! I use it as a short solution when I have to drive with my clothes on. I hope this helps a little...

I feel dumb asking, but what is a code brown?

I can stomach ANYTHING, but watching newborn male circumcisions gets me light-headed. I'm female... but it still really gets me. Burns also really bother me...

I was searching on Webcrawler for NICU nursing information. I just about went back to my search, but I looked around and was suprised :yelclap: I plan on telling my friends about it!

From babysitting I realize that once baby boys are undiapered, they usually pee... So, in the nursery I tried to be careful and cover them ASPA. One night I wasn't so lucky... changing a one boy, I got myself of the forehead. Then... I had to weigh another boy. He had just gone, so I set his little naked body on the scale and I looked up to see a raining stream of pee that went from one bassinette almost them all as he squirmed his little body. Not only did it get other babies... he got my preceptor, too.

In nursing school, my friend couldn't say the anatomical names so she called them "Bamm Bamm"- testes, "Fred"-member, and "Pebbles"-breasts "Wilma"-lady parts... I couldn't even remember all the names I heard them called as a CNA!

I loved my OB and Psych experiences. Psych was more observation and theraputic interactions, as for OB we did basic exams on mothers and babies, gave pain medications, and watched procedures (my first male circ. just about made me faint, but it was great experience). Just a note to add... don't feel bad if you don't like an area. I had classmates that HATED OB and others who really didn't care for psych. The nice thing about these areas are that they're specialties, and once you are done... you do not have to go into them again... although, remembering what you learn in these areas is important because you will run into these areas, ESPECIALLY psych in med/surg. Relax and enjoy it!

GO FOR IT!!! I'm only 24, but in my class having an older student in my class was a relief, gave great generational perspective, and was very inspirational! Not only will you change your life and follow your dreams... you never know who else you will touch. GOOD LUCK!!!