belabelisa

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. They are very helpful. I do want to clarify - I see the students do every skill I check off on in the lab - which turns out to be about 50-60 skills. So, by the time they go to clinical, I've actually seen them do everything. It's just that once we get to clinical, they have to do 15 skills at that facility. That's where I'm having trouble coordinating the time. I know that some other instructors let the CNA preceptor sign them off but I am wondering if this is the norm - or if there are better/different ways to go about it.Thanks again!

Hi There! I am a relatively new CNA instructor and I'm loving (almost) every minute of it. I feel like my classroom instruction is excellent but I'm just having a hard time with clinicals! At my clinical site, the students are paired up with a CNA preceptor for the day. We do clinicals for 9 eight hour days. I have to check them off on at least 15 skills. I usually have 10 students in clinical. If I watched them do each skill, that would be 150 skills I'd watch! (or 17 a day) That would be possible if I could watch the skills one after another but opportunities for skills come up at different times and it just doesn't work that way. I've tried to have students tell me when they are about to do certain skills but then they spend much of their time trying to track me down! I've thought about following one student each day but I still wouldn't get 15 specific skills checked off (i.e. the opportunity to apply a condom cath (etc)may come up once during the entire clinical). I also feel like that would be pretty intrusive to the CNA preceptor. I've been told that I spend more time with my students (I make rounds throughout the day checking on them) than any other instructor. But, if that's the case, why am I having such trouble? I would appreciate any advice you have for me! I know that most instructors don't actually SEE the students do every skill they sign off on, so I'm not necessarily looking for that - although if there's a way to do that it would be GREAT because that's what I'd like to be possible. Thanks so much!

I was in a similar situation and found that Mosby's CNA video set was VERY helpful. It's great too because they do the skills on real people. I was nervous about teaching CNAs since I had no long term care experience and was even more nervous about doing clinicals with them. After my first group, though, it was fine. MY lack of LTC experience really hasn't hindered me at all. Feel free to message me if I can help in any way. I know it can be daunting at first!

A good indication to me of my teaching skills on a particular subject is how well I am able to explain it to my 75 year old dad. I love him dearly but he is completely clueless when it comes to all things medical. So tonight my dad told me that he hasn't been feeling well and was thinking about taking an antibiotic that he had leftover from about a year ago. When I questioned him, he defended this idea of his by saying, "I was ONLY going to take one pill... you know, just to give my immune systen a boost." Of course this is a bad idea, I know that. I also know, for the most part, why it's a bad idea. I just found it VERY hard to explain to my dad. Any ideas about how I can simplify this? It's much harder to explain that I thought it would be! ~Thanks~ :flowersfo

I absolutely LOVE oncology. People often think of oncology as a depressing specialty, but it is really just the opposite. I have not yet met an oncology nurse who doesn't love it - I'm serious. Yes, there are people get burned out sometimes because of the death involved, but it's such a wonderful specialty in so many ways. I feel so grateful each day for the opportunity to work in this field... and I mean that.

As with my other post, since it's my question, I'll go ahead and respond with some of the things I think are good to know... Lab Values: PT, PTT, and INR. White Blood Cell Count Platelets The Cardiac Enzyme Markers How to respond to: Decreased O2 Saturation Hypertensive Crisis Crazy High or Low Blood Glucose Respiratory Distress Signs of MI Seizures Aspiration Fluid Overload Technical Skills: IVs and IV Pumps (Of Course) Dosage Calculations Trach Care Central Lines Feeding Tubes Drugs: Digoxin Morphine (I work on an oncology unit) Insulin Potassium Coumadin and Heparin Okay – that's a start.

I really need your help. I'm about to graduate and feel as if I don't know nearly enough! In school, we are taught SO MUCH and retain SO LITTLE. I feel like my brain has been overloaded with details about disease processes, obscure medications, and such (much of which I don't even remember) and I don't have the essential "down and dirty" nursing knowledge that I will use on a day to day basis. Don't get me wrong, the details that I learned in nursing school will be very useful and will provide me with a strong foundation for nursing decisions but, right now, I just want to make sure I have enough basic knowledge to not kill anyone (and to effectively respond to the common patient problems). When I get nervous, I make lists. And that's where I'm hoping you can help me. I want to make a list of the absolutely essential knowledge and skills that I need to know to be a somewhat competent graduate nurse. I think it would ease my mind so much to be able to go through and review the things that I absolutely need to know. So... what are some things that you think fall into the category of essential nursing knowledge? (particularly for a med-surg floor) Which things (technical skills included) will I encounter frequently. Which lab values do I need to make sure I know the meanings of? Which medications do I need to know? Which problems do I absolutely need to know how to respond to? Which diseases processes do I need to understand most? Thanks so much! p.s. I posted this on the Graduate Nurse's Forum as well, but I wanted the advice of some seasoned nurses too. (Ha! I just pictured a nurse sprinkled with salt, pepper, and oregano - but, I digress)

Since it's my question, I'll go ahead and respond with some of the things I think are good to know... Lab Values: PT, PTT, and INR. White Blood Cell Count Platelets The Cardiac Enzyme Markers How to respond to: Decreased O2 Saturation Hypertensive Crisis Crazy High or Low Blood Glucose Respiratory Distress Signs of MI Seizures Aspiration Fluid Overload Technical Skills: IVs and IV Pumps (Of Course) Dosage Calculations Trach Care Central Lines Feeding Tubes Drugs: Digoxin Morphine (I work on an oncology unit) Insulin Potassium Coumadin and Heparin Okay - that's a start.

I really need your help. I'm about to graduate and feel as if I don't know nearly enough! In school, we are taught SO MUCH and retain SO LITTLE. I feel like my brain has been overloaded with details about disease processes, obscure medications, and such (much of which I don't even remember) and I don't have the essential “down and dirty” nursing knowledge that I will use on a day to day basis. Don't get me wrong, the details that I learned in nursing school will be very useful and will provide me with a strong foundation for nursing decisions but, right now, I just want to make sure I have enough basic knowledge to not kill anyone (and to effectively respond to the common patient problems). When I get nervous, I make lists. And that's where I'm hoping you can help me. I want to make a list of the absolutely essential knowledge and skills that I need to know to be a somewhat competent graduate nurse. I think it would ease my mind so much to be able to go through and review the things that I absolutely need to know. So... what are some things that you think fall into the category of essential nursing knowledge? (particularly for a med-surg floor) Which things (technical skills included) will I encounter frequently. Which lab values do I need to make sure I know the meanings of? Which medications do I need to know? Which problems do I absolutely need to know how to respond to? Which diseases processes do I need to understand most? Thanks so much!

Oh - and one more thing. Someone said that you have to remember that a Navy Nurse is an Officer first and a Nurse second. Could someone explain to me what the officer part of the Nurse's role entails? Thanks Again!

Hi, it's me again - it seems that I started a rather interesting thread... but I haven't been back to say thanks. Thanks! Many of my questions have been answered (again, thanks!), but I do still have a couple. I have pretty much made up my mind to join and have read from previous posts that it is important to talk specifically to a medical recruiter. Any advice on where to find a medical recruiter? I know that I would be signing up for 3 years of active duty and 5 inactive. Could someone explain to me what is involved in inactive duty? If not called to serve during that time, what part does the Navy play in you life? Thanks so much!

I'm sure this question has been asked more than once, so please bear with me. I've been sifting through all the information I can find, but I still don't quite understand... I've just started toying with the idea of Navy Nursing. I graduate from a BSN program in December. But have very little knowledge about the military in general, less about the Navy specifically, and even less about Navy Nursing. Specifically, I'm wondering about the following: 1.What are the requirements for being accepted? 2.What is the minimum length for which you can sign up? 3.After being accepted, what happens as far as training? (What kind, where do you go, how long etc) 4.After training, then what? What kind of setting do you start off in, how long will you be there, and do you get any real choice at this point in where you'll be? 5.What about deployments? How often and how long? Do deployments differ for nurses and if they do, how so? 6.What other things do I need to know but I don't know enough to know that I need to know them? Thank you so much for any insight. I'm planning on speaking with a recruiter soon, but I want to be a little more informed first. You know... wouldn't want to have “sucker” written on my forehead.

So, no "boot camp" or anything similar to that? What kind of training do you get?

Sorry, I don't have any advice, but my mother is borderline and I'm looking forward to the replies.

A diabetic candy... that's hilarious!