SillyLilly

The Surgical museum in Chicago had/has an exhibit on the history of nursing. But I would agree that there could be a lot more out in the public to understand nurses and the history of nursing.

Did you call back and ask about the status of your resume? That worked for me.

Truman college has a night/weekend ADN program- I believe it works along with UIC. I am not to familiar with how the program works, though.

I have attended the CCC for several years and graduated with an ADN from Truman. The ADN program had its moments of disorganization and inconsistency, but over all felt the instructors were mostly dedicated to what they do. Mind you, this is not what I have heard about the other ADN programs at other CCC colleges. I took my pre reqs at Wright, and I felt I had a good education. Many of my teachers were wonderful. I know other people who have gone to Wright college and have succeeded in other programs as well, such as med school and pharmacy school in recognized Universities. Those are my experiences.

650/hour....

Hello, I am looking to get my RN-BSN completion. I want to attend a school that meets only 1-2x a week or has internet classes. I want to attend a program that others would recommend. Preferably a school that has interesting, challenging, interactive coursework and good clinical experiences. I am currently looking into Loyola, North Park University, and West Suburban. I also will look into Rush and Lewis. If anyone has any experience, opinions, please share. I would appreciate any responses!

This is a quote from the end of the article. "Katherine is a role model for many women, especially in the healthcare industry. It's only natural for them to want to emulate her style." What has she done for the health care industry that I would look at her as a role model? She is an actress on a show that does not even portray the medical field realisticly, especially the nurses for which the scrubs will be mostly marketed towards. Anyways, Im not going to get upset about it. Its nice to have options out there for scrubs, but that quote annoyed me.

WOW.... That is ALOT to handle. How many vent patients were there one the floor? Were they evenly divided? Plus a person in bilat restraints who sounds like he may have needed a one to one.... That is way to much to handle. You said that you are trying soo hard, and it is evident that you did! Its not you, it was the assignment. I would not stay at that hospital if this is a usualy, even somewhat occaisional occurence. I just started (well.... 9months ago) on a tele/ortho/medsurg floor. We are a smaller unit -20 beds, but will never have more than 2 vents per floor, much less per person. We would be on the phone with the nursing supervisor, manager, everyone- every 5 minutes- if any of our nurses had a situation like yours. I appreciate that I work with nurses who stick up for each other!

3/10 for many of the same reasons critter lover stated.

I do not get my period unless I am on BC. Blood tests show up ok. My gyno said that I should be on BC because its good to have my period to decrease my risk of cervical cancer. As far as I know, Im not at an increase risk for cervical or ovarian cancer. I have heard that its safe to not have periods, I have heard it unsafe too...

Well I feel like the odd one out. I am a nurse, 3months off of orientation. My shift ends 730pm, I get out around 830pm, sometimes later. Why? Because my floor is so hectic, and I am still practicing time managment skills, and I am still new to alot of stuff. I am slower. I sometimes feel that I am cursed with so many things going on at once. I also think I put patient care as a top priority, and charting last. We still do paper charting. I also will not depend on the assistance to get things done (not all-just some, and its alot to get into) Today, I got out at 830. I start again at 7am. We will see how it goes tomorrow.

Thanks for the links, Pumpkin! I will look at those. I know there are worse things than crying. It is just that crying impedes me from doing my work. And sometimes, it takes me a while to get back into multitasking. I have been struggling lately with critically thinking, and have been making a few big mistakes...... I am learning, but at what cost? When I come across an issue, I talk to other nurses, but they sometimes do not have the time to give me the best anwer. I talk to the residents, and I realize I cannot depend on them, because they are learning too. Then, Ill go and do my own thing, and it ends up being wrong. I am trying to figure that out now. Ive been off of orientation now for 4 months, and recently, every day is more nerve wrecking than the next. Im so tense for most of my 12 hour shift, that I can barely chat or relax with patients or coworkers. And I do deep breath, Ill take the stairs up-6 flights, to releive stress, I eat well, exercise, all of that..... Oh, and I cry in LOTR as well, even just when they are playing the theme music, if I am feeling especially emotional.

1. why did you enter the nursing profession?always felt i would be in a career that helped people and/or animals. was looking into social work, came across nursing and never looked back. 2. what do you like about being a nurse? i like making someones day a bit better when they are at their worst. i like talking to people from different backgrounds, educating and reinforcing education, advocating. learning pathologies of certain diseases. 3. what do you not like about being a nurse? the angry frustrated over worked co-workers, doctors, techs, etc. (sometimes understandably) watching patients who are stuck or lost in the system. 4. do you think you get paid what you deserve? for now, i think its fair, considering i am a new grad. though i see some nurses who should be getting paid more. 5. do you think that nurses are respected by the doctors you work with? some of them, yes. it depends on the nurse and depends on the doctor. 6. what do you wish you would have learned in school to help you in the real world? they were straigh forward with us in school. but you cannot really be prepared until you practice having 5 patients and no clinical instructor. 7. what is the worst situation you have ever been in? it was just last week, it was something i should have noticed sooner but did not act as fast as i should of. it ended up ok, but i was nervous, unsure of what i was doing, and did not think ask for help. ask for help!! 8. what is the most rewarding thing about being a nurse? when you can fix a problem and see its result (not always possible). when someone is better off in a small or big way, physically or emotionally, because of the time you spent with them. 9. do you think new-grads should start in the er? for the most part, no, but it is up to the individual and their past experience. 10. are you thinking about leaving nursing? yes, everyday. it passes my mind. i would like to do something less stressful, and something that involves nature and/or children. i keep saying i will be a camp nurse. but i have alot to learn still, and would like more experience before i change anything about my career. 24, f adn tele/ortho/ms floor.

I either have a scrub top on or a lab coat--either way, I must have 2 pockets. I have a little pocket organizer which is not too organized. I have 2 pens, a highlighter (lost the combo), alcohol wipes, pen light, scissors, bandaids and tape. Also, my tele pager, PDA, and yes, my cell phone (the only thing in my pant pocket. We have to still draw up our own flushes, so i carry around a blunt needle, lil saline bottle, and syringe, just in case I need one while in a room. Other random things end up in my pocket by the end of the day-like stips/lancets, labels, iv tubing because i thought this one room needed tubing change and IVF dc'd last minute, several half empty lil saline bottles, straws/spoons (wrapped of course). Steth goes around the neck that has a mini stop watch attached. I have a multi pocket folder from target that has my flow sheets for each room. My own report sheet is taped to the front, with a second sheet underneath to write down what I need to do (document this specific thing, check intake, call this doctor at this time, etc). If I do not write everything down, I will remember 2 days later!

Thank you all for your posts! My unit manager did want to talk to me and review what could have been done differently (regardless of me crying). She seemed very supportive. We did talk for a minute here and there but we both were so busy we didnt have time to talk about it in length. And the rubber band thing, yeah, I used something similar to that in the past, and it did work. I will wear a regular rubber band around my wrist. I dont wear much makeup, but I think I will bring some just in case! I remember I was looking at the IVPBs in the refrigerator and how great they would be over my eyes. Maybe I will just take some juices next time... heh. I do not mind crying on my way home from work. Sometimes it feels good, and by time I am home, I feel less tense that I do on a 'regular' day. Crying is a big way I release my emotions. I used to be ashamed of it, but it is better than bottling it up and taking it out in other ways...... Also I realized if I cry and/or have a panicky episode at work, the next time I have a situation similar to that, I handle it much more calmly. So I do have hope. Again, thanks for the responses and understanding!