angie2927

I applaud your dedication, but one thing you said bugs me... you don't want to be a CNA because that is basically a "diaper changer". Good luck finding an RN job where you aren't sometimes the diaper changer. I went to nursing school with a girl who had never worked as a CNA. Boy, were clinicals a shock for her! I'm not saying that CNA should be your end goal, or that you need to work as a CNA before applying to nursing school. But in my experience, new nurses who have worked as a CNA and know how to interact with a person in that way, tend to do much better and have an easier time of learning the nursing role.

Hey, just wanted to make sure you got the med that I ordered 30 seconds ago started.

Thank you! I thought I might be the only nurse alive without a superstitious bone in my body. I'm still new and the more experienced nurses always remind me about not using the "Q-word" and other crazy beliefs they have. Come on! A car is not going to crash, someone isn't going to have a MI, a pt won't code, etc simply because I observed we're not very busy this shift. As for the full moon thing... we have plenty of crazy shifts all month long. But as soon as it's the full moon, somebody is always blaming it on that. What's the excuse for the rest of the month then?

Don't worry, I'm under no illusion that there will not be plenty of difficult times for me in the future. But I'm glad I was able to pass this first difficult time without falling apart :)

Thanks for thinking of us. Thankfully, my family is fine. I too am thinking of the families who have suffered in this storm. At least two families have lost loved ones, including a 5 year old child, and many more have lost their homes.

I am a brand new nurse (and I mean brand new- took NCLEX and got my license last week-type new). I work in a small hospital in northeast Nebraska near where the devastating tornados hit last night. Even though I'm really new, I think I may have already had what will be one of the hardest nights in my career. The shift started out normally. I am in training so I was doing some computer work. Then we were notified that we were in a tornado warning. Tornado warnings are nothing new for this part of the country so everybody knew just what to do. We got the patients out into the hallway, pulled curtains, closed doors, etc. Nobody was very concerned. But then we started getting news from outside. There really was a tornado, and it was close- very close. Then we heard that there was a direct hit to a small town nearby- Pilger, NE. Suddenly, things started getting serious. All hospital employees were called to come in as soon as it was safe and we began preparing for casualties. The more experienced nurses knew what they were doing and what their assignments were. Some went to the scene to conduct triage, others were preparing treatment rooms, and still others had to ensure that proper care was being taken of the patients already in our facility. I ended up in the front entryway helping families who didn't know where their loved ones were or what their condition was. My kids were in daycare. There were some reports of damage in the area, but I didn't know how bad or how close to my kids' daycare. I got off a quick text to my family to please go get them, but last I had heard was my significant other was stuck in a tornado shelter at work and my sister in law was holed up in the basement. So here I was, trying to comfort families who didn't know where their family was, while I was actually in the same boat. I tried to make sure I wasn't bringing my own situation into it, but it was hard. I may be a new grad, but I think I've already learned the hardest part of nursing. Nurses are the people who take care of other people's families even when they are desperately worried about their own.

I take it tomorrow too. I haven't been too nervous today but now that I'm trying to go to bed and get some rest I'm getting more and more nervous. Ugh!!!

Thanks for posting this! I take the NCLEX on Monday (June 9). I was definitely planning on trying the PVT- I know it's not official, but better than nothing. I already have a job lined up so I have a lot riding on this one test. Wish me luck!

I'm in my last semester too and I requested surgery at a decent-sized hospital for my preceptorship. I got it, but now I'm second-guessing. The nurse manager in charge of students told me she had no trouble getting me in because "nobody wants surgery". She said she thinks nobody wants it because they want rotations that will "actually help with NCLEX". Ugghhh. So maybe I made a poor choice. I think if I could choose over, I'd probably go with med-surg or something more general so I could get some useful experience to apply to NCLEX. Good luck, hope you get what you want.

I'm in my last semester of my BSN. During my clinical time, I usually do try to steer away from doing too much of the aide-type work. Not because I think I'm too good, or because I think I won't be doing that in my job, but because I am there to learn. I have been a CNA for several years and know how to toilet, transfer, ambulate, pericare, etc. What I do not know is IV med administration, checking for interactions, giving blood products.... The list goes on and on about nursing things I still have to learn, so I try to maximize my time by getting in on all the things I'm not comfortable with. That being said, if your classmate was doing nothing better than standing around while that patient needed help- shame on her. And good for you for taking care of the patient.