patches

Hi, everyone. I am taking an independent study for a nursing elective this fall. I have never done this before and am clueless of what to do. The only thing the instructor keeps telling me is it has to do with nursing and advance my education in some way. Well that is pretty vague. Has anyone here done this or does anyone have a suggestion of a project? Thanks in advance

I have a debate in two weeks, we were paired up in partners and my partner chose a topic that is really one side, so I am looking for an alternative. I need a debate topic we both can find plenty of information on the pro and con side? Any debates you can think of would be helpful.

At the CCU I work in, we rarely keep Swans in place for more than a few days and we check PAWP q4 hours. I also work in a CCU that are acuity of patients is the sickest of the sick. The only people other than acute problems are our Cardiomyopathy pts, who have them while in the unit waiting on a Heart and their meds are based on the pressures. Most of our docs want an actual wedge pressure, not the PA diastolic, only if their is a question of it validity can we use the PA diastolic and then usually they insert a new Swan-Ganz catheter if it is vital to the pts care.

I think there has been a lot of good responses. I am a new grad too. I am going straight to CCU, but I have also worked as an ER tech for a few years. I really enjoyed my time there. I am also at a LEVEL I trauma center that has one of the largest med schools around. It was a great learning oppurtunity for me and everyone acted like a precepter to me once they found out I was in nursing school. I actually was in nursing school before I started work there. I did an internship at another hospital in CCU and loved that area. I found my nich and am happy. I had clinical experiences in many areas throughout school. There were the places I would prefer not to ever nurse and there were places I thought, "I can do this when I graduate." But when I did that internship at the other hospital I fully and completely loved CCU. I loved the patient population. The families. The staff and the physicians. I went back to my regular job part-time when my last semester started and told people where I was interested in, so anytime a chest pain or SOB person came in, they would send me in the room and include me and teach me in the ER. I applied for CCU at this hospital and am starting there soon. I am excited. I did however ask the important questions, such as: "As a new graduate, what will your expectations be of me, before and after my CCU training. How long before I will be expected to run a code situation and what kind of orientation will I have. They told me my enthusiasm for this area is why I received the job and that their normal orientation for someone that has already been ACLS certified is 10-12 weeks. My manager said that they are making an extended orientation and that they were going to send me to several classes. He asked me if I was ready to put that much learning and work into it I feel that I can believe what I was told because as someone looking for a new job, I researched the managers reputation and the units reputation as well as if their were any staffing problems and their system of doing things before I even applied for the position. Their are so many things to consider when looking for a job, but I agree with the nurse that said if you find the place you belong and your interest is there you are going to be a little more tuned into things than if in a place you feel your skills are wasted and your just flat at bored with your job. Good luck on the job search, remember the not so obvious things about a unit before deicded to even apply.

someone suggested to get my own malpractice insurance when I start work as an RN. I am not sure of what kind. Any names of any good companies or anything. This is all new to me. I want to do the right thing. I have even had nurses tell me it is unnecessary. My best friend is an attorney and she said to get some. I also am going to be working in CCU. So I hear that type of setting is a higher risk area for being included in lawsuits. I just hope someone can teach me what they know about this type of insurance and what I should be looking for and some names of some good companies to compare. My children are trying their best to type with me so I gotta go. Thanks for your help!!!

Wow, I just graduated nursing school last month. I am planning to take my boards in a week. I am excited though. I also am an ER tech in a level I trauma center. I love nursing and I know what you mean about discouragement. I remember when I decided to go to nursing school. I actually was a stay at home mom. My husband teases and he tells people I went into nursing for my undying need to care for someone and that my 3 children will leave me eventually. The youngest is 3. anyways, there is a nurse I work with that spent two hours trying to make me feel stupid for choosing nursing for a profession. After that conversation I felt sad, but not sad at nursing more sad for her. I watched her throughout nursing school and learned a lot from her. She is simply someone who does not enjoy nursing. I learned how not to be. I always tried to go behind her and make her patients feel special. In an ER sometimes the patient gets overlooked while we are fixing the problem. I also was able to learn who I loved being around and learning from and those are the nurses I want to be like. I was extremely surprised when that particular nurse came up to me the week before my nursing finals of my last semester. I always avoided conversation with her, but this time she sorda had a different look to her. She hugged me and told me she thought I would be a wonderful nurse and that she is jealous of the way I seem to click with people and maybe if she had that characteristic she would like nursing. I left there feeling great for the compliment and kinda sad for her, because I believe to become a nurse you have to have that people-friendly trait, I think sometimes people lose it and don't know how to get it back, so I guess what i am trying to say. I cherish my interactions with my patients almost as if I learn something new from each and every one. That way, each person is an individual, instead of another chest pain or shortness of breath or flu. People are interesting and I enjoy making their life better, whether it is advanced life support or holding someone,s hand.