Guest70758

Don't be nervous about your reaction. Embrace it! I have found reserves of mental strength and faith that I never knew I had before. I have developed a deep appreciation for life, health, and family, and I am happier than I have ever been in my life - even in the face of personal tragedy. And no matter what you encounter on the floor and no matter how overwhelming it may feel, your colleagues will be there for you. The teamwork and solidarity on a NIC floor is better than on any other. The day after my primary passed away, I found cards and chocolates in my mailbox. When my baby is on the verge of coding, I have three nurses at my bedside asking me to delegate to them. In NIC, the tears may flow when a baby dies, but the very next week we regroup and throw a potluck. So I know that I'm rambling, but my point is... yes, NIC can be hard to deal with, but it is also extrememly rewarding and inspiring. Give it a shot, and you may suprise yourself with just how strong you are. :pumpiron:

There are two gaurantees: your GPA will go down and your jean size will go up!!! :chuckle It is the best and worst time I have ever had: I am more confident and outoing than I have ever been. Family and friends come to me for medical advice, and I am emotionally secure in ways I never thought possible. But I have also never been so stressed, so tired... and so fat!

I'm so sick of Britney Spears. Ever since she flipped off fans/reporters in Mexico I have lost all respect for her. The background checks don't bug me. But as far as catered food and roses... the words spoiled brat come to mind. And anyway how special are roses when they are demanded rather than given?

In postpartum we had an angry dad in the nursery telling off his wife's nurse and the baby's pedi. They had been there for 72 hours so their baby had to be seen immediately so his wife could go home and sleep! Understandable... but when the doctor explained that she treats all her patients equally and that discharges were done in the order of arrival on the unit the man told her off again talking about how important his baby was. The pedi said she understood that but that again she doesn't give any patient preferential treatment and she has all these babies to take care of. The dad said "well I don't give a damn about those other babies." This was in front of the parents of those other babies of course. That one really bothered me.

I hold down three jobs. 1.) Mariachi musician. Benefits: being comfortable onstage, in front of people. Constant interaction with many different types of people, and most importantly... STRESS RELIEF 2.) Violin teacher at high risk schools. Benefits: working with disadvantaged children, I know more about their culture, their environment, how to and how not to interact with them. Also, learning how to communicate with their parents. Will help if I choose Peds. 3.) Secretary. Benefits: learning to conduct meetings, organize large events, communicate with rude bosses. With no healthcare experience, I have had no problems adjusting to clinicals. Why? Because I know how to communicate, I know how to problem solve, I am creative. So in conclusion, although a job may not be in the healthcare field, it may help you develop characteristics/skills that will help your career in the future. Unless you can see no benefits whatsoever in your current position, a job change may not be for you. Consider wages, schedule flexibility, etc.

That stupid song used to traumatize me as a little girl. And the pictures in the pop-up book were terrifying! I used to freak out anytime there was a fly by my food, because I thought I would die if I swallowed it. I wonder why we teach that song to kids? Another strange one I used to love: Nobody likes me everybody hates me Guess I'll go eat worms Long thin slimy ones short fat juicy ones Itsy bitsy fuzzy wuzzy worms!

My clinical site runs rampant with MRSA and C. diff. Our instructor told us that now, after a semester in the hospital, we all probably have it colonized in our nares. While being colonized doesn't mean that you are infected and will be symptomatic, it can cause an increased risk for post-op infections in the future. I don't know much about MRSA either, and besides the risk for post-op complications, I don't know the long-term implications of being colonized. If I am hospitalized in the future, are my chances much higher of being infected wiht MRSA, or of devloping sepsis?

And I thought I had problems with insomnia before reading this post... :uhoh21:

My main concern as a prospective employee, especially as a new grad, would be the orientation/preceptor process. How long is it? How receptive are their preceptors to new nurses? How long will the training period be, etc. Show interest in the hospital. First do your research on it, and then ask about services they offer to patients. Find out about out-patient services, where patients go when they are discharged, etc. From what I have heard, it is best to focus your questions on your career development and the hospital itself than on your pay. Not to say that it shouldn't be mentioned, but just that it shouldn't be your first and main question.

13. Nurse, get online, go to surgery.com, and click on "Are you completely lost?"

These hang on the wall at my favorite bar: If you have a serious illness or death in the family, please notify the office by 8 am the day of the game. Getting things done around here is like mating elephants. Slow speeds, loud noises... and it takes years to get a result! In the women's restroom: You're too good for him In the men's restroom: No matter how beautiful she is, someone else is sick and tired of putting up with her crap!

Q: How many nurse manager does it take to change a lightbulb? A: Unknown. Policy is still being written, skill day has to be scheduled, the task delegated, and, of course, it must be approved to be included in the budget for next year. Q:Why didn't the nurse change the lightbulb? A: Because after state regulators came through and told her all the ways she wasn't supposed to be changing the lightbulb, the nurse said screw it in yourself, and went to business school.

We had a group that presented to young high schoolers, and they did a lot of hands on stuff, like taking pen lights and letting them watch the pupils react, having them listen for heart sounds on each other (no boy and girl pairs obviously), letting them use otosopes, etc. This all depends on how many people you are presenting to, of course. I have nothing creative to offer on what you could hand out instead of bookmarks. If your school has a recruiter, they may have some ideas. I agree... if possible take a man (or at least have pics/vids of male nurses), so that half of the class you're presenting to doesn't immediately stop listening. It should be fun, and I'm sure it will go well. Good luck!

Always keep in mind the difference between nursing diagnoses and medical diagnoses. A med diagnosis can be a PC but it cannot be a nursing diagnosis. Infection is not a nursing diagnosis because you did not diagnose it. The doctor did. It is a collaborative problem, you as a nurse cannot treat it on your own. Consider these: PC: sepsis Impaired urinary elimination Acute pain Anxiety Ineffective therapeutic regimen management Impaired skin integrity Remember that just because an ND applies to the disease itself doesn't always mean it applies to the patient. It must be individualized. Good luck!

WOW Thank you SO MUCH! Those were indeed excellent sites, and now my patient's apparently random peripheral weakness and intolerance of vent weaning are explained! Before I just had a bunch of nursing diagnoses... now I have a medical diagnosis to connect them with! Thank you!!