eukaryote

I'm in Bismarck ND and there's still tons of nursing positions open here in all specialties. Although oil has slowed down in the northwestern part of the state, business is still good in Bismarck which is the state capital and an agriculture and rail...

I think you did the right thing. You assessed the pt's vital signs and found he had a high blood pressure and increased pain. You gave the blood pressure medication that was scheduled *at that time* and gave appropriate pain medication per the orde...

Like the previous poster said, it is a core measure for stroke patients to be on ASA, antithrombotic and a statin by day 2 of admission. There is a risk of conversion, like you said, but it is small. I also work in a stroke center, and I've only see...

Our floor also accepts these types of medical patients as our hospital doesn't have a step down. The floor I work on hyponatremia is often managed (SIADH, etc..) I admitted a patient this weekend with a Na+ of 113, K and low Mag...can't remember wha...

It's really important for floor nurses to understand the way the ER functions. It's literally crazy down there. I've had to float there a few times, and yeah, I can understand the need to get ppl outta there! When they call report, we usually do a s...

Does the ER have an admissions RN? We had a similar issue to this at our ER, and they hired an admissions RN which has been immensly helpful. The problem I have with quick throughput times and not getting report on ER patients, is that often patient...

The problem is that if it's stocked and labeled in that patient's med cart, they are being charged for those meds one they are deposited by pharmacy. That is why you should not give them to another patient (other than that it violates the 5 rights)....

Seriously. My daughter has epilepsy and I have witnessed hundreds upon hundreds of seizures of any and all types. Never once has she injured anyone and/or herself for that matter. If she ever wanted to be a nurse I would be thrilled because of all he...

How could she hurt someone during a seizure? By falling on them? I know plenty of nurses w epilepsy, and even met an NP w epilepsy the other day. Epilepsy has a spectrum of effects on a person, however, most people who are well controlled live norma...

Being a CNA is much more physical toll on the body then being a nurse. Nurses endure other kinds of stress, at higher rates than CNA. I have been both. Being a CNA can be backbreaking work. I had shifts where I cared for 14 pt without sitting down t...

Need to understand more about what was going on. Why was she asking you for help with a bed change? Was it a code brown? Bariatric pt. about to fall off the bed? Did patient vomit? Was pt. agitated? Confused with tons of lines? Was it a patient wi...

If you're a military spouse, you can work as a Red Cross volunteer nurse at Tripler. It's unpaid, but it counts as experience and I know of a few people who've eventually been hired that way. Otherwise, you need to have 3 years as a civilian nurse ...

I would say that it depends on the area you live in and the facility's policy. In my area, it's common for new grad RN's to work as a PCT for up to a year after licensing before securing a new grad position - it's a very competitive area. I did thi...

No it wasn't offered online when I took it. And honestly I don't recommend taking pharm online. It's a really crucial class to understand for nursing. The Maui one is the notorious online one.

I took pharm at Windward. I won't lie, it's a tough class...but she offers tutoring. I found that I knew my drugs way better than the students who took the Maui or Leeward pharm. so if you want to learn, take Windward.

Hi, I got a call and was asked to interview for a unit I had not originally planned for. I'm very excited, however, one of my husband's extended family members is a physician on this unit. I didn't list this person on my system application as a re...

Thank you, I did mention it. It was not a big deal. :)

Hi! I am in my last semester of nursing school and starting a 300 hour preceptorship in my specialty of interest. I am super excited and want to learn as much as I can on the unit. Just wondering if there is any advice from preceptors or post-prece...

Thank you everyone for the great advice! Just wanted to give an update and say that my preceptorship is going awesomely so far. You are right, I have made a few mistakes but I have looked at them for opportunities for growth and reflection; and I kn...

I graduate in December and had been hoping to follow the advice that is commonly given on this website which is to work as a PCT/CNA or intern while in school. Well here I am with o e semester left in school and still jobless. Unfortunately, I live i...

This is great advice. Thank you for bringing me back down to earth! I always get so worried that I'm doing everything wrong. And as students there's so much pressure on us to be perfect and if we don't follow the perfect path (CNA in school, med-surg...

I have done a lot...trach care, trach auctioning, IV insertion, IVPB, wound care, burn care, NG insertion. Pretty much most general nursing skills. The only thing I haven't done is hang blood, simply because I haven't had the opportunity yet. In my p...

Hi, I am a massage therapist and have been licensed for 15 years plus BSN There are in fact many nurse massage therapists! Many of them work in palliative care. Please check National Association for Nurse Massage therapists. You can also join America...

I understand your frustration. I too live in an area where I am a cultural and ethnic minority, although were I am 80% of the population is Asian or Asian-American and am often assumed to be a foreigner soley based on what I look like. Which is ext...

I should also add for clarification. The way that we have been assigned patients really depends on the clinical instructor and charge nurse for whatever semester and floor we are working on. I have had instructors who chose our patients for us, aft...