BonnieSc

BonnieSc

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All Content by BonnieSc

  1. Two years of med-surg are not magic.

    BonnieSc replied to BonnieSc's topic in Medical-Surgical

    I have thought about that, yes. It's much easier to transfer to a different specialty in your own hospital. But I really don't want to live here any longer, so the idea of transferring to the float...

  2. Two years of med-surg are not magic.

    BonnieSc replied to BonnieSc's topic in Medical-Surgical

    Yes, that's correct. I did a little bit of work as a summer camp nurse but was otherwise unable to find nursing employment of any kind in my area. My spouse at the time did not want to leave the area,...

  3. Two years of med-surg are not magic.

    BonnieSc replied to BonnieSc's topic in Medical-Surgical

    This is certainly true. But all the experiences and certifications in the world won't do all that much for you if there simply aren't any jobs to apply for. I've also been trying to talk my way into...

  4. Two years of med-surg are not magic.

    BonnieSc replied to BonnieSc's topic in Medical-Surgical

    MN-Nurse, yes, those are all good things to do; it would be silly not to. Just keep in mind that you may find yourself "stuck" where you are for longer than you expected, or you may have to choose...

  5. Two years of med-surg are not magic.

    BonnieSc replied to BonnieSc's topic in Medical-Surgical

    Working on it. I got ACLS when I was jobhunting originally, but it's lapsed; and at my hospital the classes are only open to people who need it for their current jobs. I'm trying to find other...

  6. Interview at Swedish?

    BonnieSc replied to itri4vt's topic in Washington Nursing

    Not only is that rude, I'm not sure where you're getting this from. In all their Seattle campuses, Swedish is listing almost no regular full-time positions for in-patient nursing. Even looking at...

  7. Help with JP drain set up please!

    BonnieSc replied to Bec717's topic in General Nursing

    I do this daily for thyroid surgeries and some mastectomies. Leave the bulb as is. Do not put in the stopper. Cut the hard rubber end off one end of your suction tubing. The raw tubing edge should be...

  8. Opinions ? RN who reads at grade 5 level ?

    BonnieSc replied to gilberra's topic in General Nursing

    I would be glad to have this woman as my nurse. I'd much rather have someone with low reading skills and an incredible demonstrated work ethic than some of the lazy, lying, uncaring nurses I have...

  9. Interview at Swedish?

    BonnieSc replied to itri4vt's topic in Washington Nursing

    Interesting. Do you get paid a usual nurse's salary for this? I wonder what the orientation period consists of if you get hired after the residency is over. I'm looking for experienced-nurse...

  10. Won't I be stuck in med-surg?

    BonnieSc posted a topic in Travel

    I've been thinking about traveling and have talked to a couple of recruiters. They had some jobs available (or at least, jobs to interview for) if I was ready to go now, which is good. But it sounds...

  11. Thinking about ditching the job search for a while...

    BonnieSc replied to criticalRN10's topic in General Nursing

    I strongly recommend Guatemala as your destination. To be honest, it is unlikely that you will find actual nursing work in another country. I've looked for this a lot! Not many places are going to be...

  12. O.R. nurses, can you tell me if I'm crazy?

    BonnieSc replied to kimbalotz's topic in Nursing Career

    "Not even for med-surg!" What makes you put it that way? If you are applying for med-surg jobs, I would avoid any kind of phrasing that makes it sound like you think med-surg is basic, easy, etc. I...

  13. Med/Surg nurses! How do you organize your day and use your time wisely?

    BonnieSc replied to mnf4ever's topic in Nursing Career

    I know very few nurses who use a special system for organizing patient info. This was a big thing when I was in nursing school, and sometimes I see our float-team nurses using worksheets (I'm not sure...

  14. New Grad RN moving to Urbana IL

    BonnieSc replied to LoloApple's topic in Illinois Nursing

    Yeah, I wouldn't have moved out here if I hadn't already been hired for a job. On the other hand, you can't really be worse off. Almost all of the posts you see here from people who can't find jobs...

  15. New Grad RN moving to Urbana IL

    BonnieSc replied to LoloApple's topic in Illinois Nursing

    I endorsed my license from California to Illinois a couple of years ago (I couldn't find work in California either) and the process was very easy and quite fast. But I encourage you to go ahead and...

  16. Direct entry MSN/CNL without nursing experience

    BonnieSc replied to rstigers's topic in Nurse Management

    Wait, why on earth would you say that "a well trained Associate degree nurse is a BETTER candidate than the EL MSN-CNL" (emphasis mine)? That is ridiculous and ignorant. In general, I think how good...

  17. CA RN needs to move out of state

    BonnieSc replied to princess pickles's topic in General Nursing

    I would not move anywhere unless I had a job in hand--maybe that seems obvious, but some of the above posters seem to be suggesting that. It's too big a risk to take and you can't be sure what a job...

  18. My IVs never thread

    BonnieSc posted a topic in Infusion, Intravenous

    Thought you all might have some good advice for me. I'm a med-surg nurse, and I used to be good at starting IVs, but I'm just not anymore. I very seldom have any trouble finding and hitting a vein on...

  19. My IVs never thread

    BonnieSc replied to BonnieSc's topic in Infusion, Intravenous

    Just wanted to let you folks know that I have been doing MUCH better with IVs since reading and applying your advice here--especially using a very slight angle when inserting. Thank

  20. My IVs never thread

    BonnieSc replied to BonnieSc's topic in Infusion, Intravenous

    Thanks so much! I think my problems must be that I am only getting the tip in, and that I'm going at too steep of an angle. I'm always afraid that if I drop the catheter flush with the skin before...

  21. My IVs never thread

    BonnieSc replied to BonnieSc's topic in Infusion, Intravenous

    We use BD Insytes. One thing that I've noticed since getting the suggestions above: I was taught to keep inserting the needle a tiny amount after getting the flash, but when I try to do this, the...

  22. My IVs never thread

    BonnieSc replied to BonnieSc's topic in Infusion, Intravenous

    Thanks, that's exactly how I was taught to use IVs, but I'm going to look at my technique and make sure I'm actually DOING it! I may have gotten complacent at some point, which turned into pessimism...

  23. How many of you have experienced medication errors?

    BonnieSc replied to mihualalei's topic in General Nursing

    While technically it is avoidable, I think 100% of nurses who handle medications have made medication errors. If you had all the time in the world, never had patients needing things in the middle of...

  24. What kind of holiday bonus do you get?

    BonnieSc replied to cbcle's topic in General Nursing

    Wow! I feel super-lucky now. At my hospital we got $300 bonus pre-tax this year; we get double-time if we work the holiday (night shift included); we get a free meal if we work Thanksgiving or...

  25. Post op Admissions During Shift Change?

    BonnieSc replied to All4Seasons's topic in Medical-Surgical

    Yes, in my hospital. We are staffed in four-hour increments. If we have "too many" staff for our unit's census at 10 AM, one of our staff members can be ordered to float to another unit. Doesn't...