colleennurse

Since this is kind of what I was about to ask I will reply off this post. My family is thinking of moving to NC. I have an associates, am I going to have difficulty finding a job? I have 8 years exp as an RN, mostly in post-op. What is the yearly salaries like in NC? I live in upstate NY, so I am sure that the cost of living here is higher, just curious about pay. Thanks!!

Hello- My husband and I are considering moving to Pittsburgh in the next year or two. Just wondering about the hospitals there. I have looked on the internet and UPMC seems like the big one there, but it seems like there are several hospitals affiliated throughout the city. What is the pay range in Pittsburgh, currently I have 7 years experience and work in a short stay surgical unit of a large medical center. Also any one who lives there that would be willing to share some info on areas or info about schools as we have small kids. We would like to live close to the city. Thanks in advance!

I would say no if you are refering to patients admitted to an inpatient psychiatric area, they are admitted for a reason. You never know what one is thinking and you should never put yourself in a situation where you cant get away or be totally alone. If you are talking about inpatient psych I am not sure why you would be alone in an isolated area. If you are in a room with someone, never let them be in between you and the door. People can be very unpredictable!

All you can do is be honest and explain what you learned from it and how you might handle future situations. Honesty and being able to admit when you made a mistake are good qualities. Everybody has made some mistake at one time or another. Good luck with your job hunt!

Have you tried finding a co-worker that you can talk to? Sometimes just talking about your day with someone who understands can do wonders. Especially when something like a code happens. You have to get your feelings out. Plus I find that when you do talk to others, it helps you to realize that you are not alone. You are still a new nurse, time will make you feel more confident/comfortable in your nursing practice. I have been a nurse for 6 years and I still question myself (which keeps you on your toes :) Good luck!

Im sure you have your personal reasons, but if I were you I would just get it. As previously stated that benefits outweight the risks. I am sure you are well aware that vaccinations protect others not just yourself. I know for the Flu my hospital will let you refuse, but I am not sure about MMR or other vaccines.

I have to agree with Ashley. Why would you take a job for 6 months anyway? Not trying to be snotty- just wondering. In addition to what Ashley said, if you are talking about a nursing position- it costs an employer thousands of dollars to train someone. I would be very upfront about your situation. Good luck to you!

Awe it makes me sad when people "don't like psych patient's". I work on a behavior medical unit, so I guess my hospital is fortunate to have such a unit. Someone else said it, people with mental health issues know if you do not like them. They don't chose to be that way, who would? Hope you can remind yourself that they are people too and that the behaviors they have are symptoms of thier illness. Good luck.

Dont have words of advice, just want you to know that I am sorry that this happened to you. Like someone else said utilize your work EAP. I've been stuck before and the whole situation is just scary. (((Hugs)))

If you have kids- make sure they can go somewhere in the day when you get home so that you can sleep- if they are not school age that is. Also I take a benadryl, one 25mg tab to help me stay asleep. Good luck

I would tell them when you feel comfortable. I have had miscarriages before, so I asked my boss not to tell anyone until I was ready for that reason. I think usually around 12 weeks is the norm. As far as the contact patient's, as long as you follow all the "precaution rules" I think you would be ok. Although I did homecare when I was preggers, so I am not completely sure on that one. Good luck and congrats!

practice, practice, practice and more practice. This is a learned skill. Even if you are trying and blowing them and having to ask someone else to place it, that is much better than not trying at all.

lol- sad but true. No offense to the OP- I just thought this was funny

Scissors definately, you will need them for many things. usually when you need them you cant leave the room to get some.

I would say that I am mediocre. I agree with the above- ask the patient! They are gonna know if they are a hard stick or not. I also agree that the more you do them, the better you get. For me it is one of those skills that I try to get better at!

I dont think anyone can answer your question, because who knows. But as others have stated if you are prescribed Klonopin then it shouldn't be an issue. Good luck.

I would consider you a new nurse, since you have never worked as one before and I think your pay/orientation would be that of a new grad. As far as getting hired, just be honest about your situation, if you were working then at least you have that. If you are unsure what "specialty" you would like, I do think that Med/Surg is a good place to start. I am not sure about what others are saying in regards to job shortages, I live in western NY and there seem to be nursing jobs here. Good luck!

I usually tell people that it is not at all what they see on TV and that if they are serious that they should go shadow a nurse for a day to see what it is really like. I just make sure to point out that they should investigate it more before inesting time and money in school.

I did not take a course either. I just used the Saunders book and CD's, they are mostly for content review anyway. I did 100 questions a day from the time I graduated till I took the test which was about 2 months and passed with 75 on my 1st try. I agree with others, if you know HOW to answer the Nclex questions you will pass.

We just transitioned to EPIC. I like it and it seems to be going well. The hospital I worked for put a lot into the training and staffing when we transitioned. I think it helps you to remember things during your assessment, it does not really save time though, but does make care safer. Matter of fact today we get a free catered breakfast to celebrate how well we are doing with it since we made the switch about a month ago

It does always seem that admissions and all other things happen at shift change. When an admission comes at that time, I usually settle the person, get VS and let the oncoming nurse do the rest. It is a 24 hour business and I would not expect a nurse to stay to do those things if I was the oncoming nurse. YOu have to draw the line somewhere or like you said you would still be there. If I had all the tasks you suggested above, I would have spoken to the family and possibly medicated those 2 pts if it were a PRN.

Wow I guess I am lucky! I live in western NY. I work on a behavioral medical (we have some tele beds) and it is 5:1 on any shift. 1 time I had 6 on nights d/t a call in. Plus we usually have at least 1 tech if not 2. I worked med-surg tele at another hospital in my area and it was 1:5 on D/E and 7-8 on nights.

yup I do hospital corners as I was taught in school

dont be afraid to ask questions, no matter how dumb you may think it is. Try to help the techs (or other nurses) out when you can, dont just give them orders to do things I second the above to stay out of the drama. Good luck!

As others stated you may be able to find non hospital jobs, but I do not think it will be easy. I am not trying to sound mean, but if you do not work in a hospital, how will you learn? I worked in home health after a year of hospital and I could not imagine having gone straight to HH. I would have had no assessment skills. Just curious? Good luck- I hope you find what you want! :)