swimmingfever00

That is an excellent point and that is what my nurse manager suggested doing as well! Taking care of 8 patients itself is difficult and to be a new grad doesn't make it any easier. Some things are bound to be overlooked with that many patients. So I can't put all the blame on him.

Hi let me preface by saying that I am not a perfect nurse and I don't proclaim to be one. I have been a tele nurse for two years now and made my fair share of mistakes. However, there is a colleague on my unit that works night shift and I work days. He frequently gives me report on patients and he's been a nurse for 10 months. In the past, he's left chest tubes clamped when the order was for intermittent suction, given patient's PRN medications for the wrong reasons (valium to help a patient sleep when it was for etoh withdrawal, doesn't check blood sugars or fill out paperwork for patients going to dialysis at change of shift). In his word's it's "day shifts problem". This morning he told me in report that his patient had no output from the NG tube overnight, which was placed for gastric decompression to treat a small bowel obstruction. Okay he told the provider (good) and a routine CXR was ordered on day shift to determine proper placement of the tube. At bedside shift report I found that the suction was at the wrong setting (at 20 mmHg instead of 75mmHg) and the NG tube was clamped. He never unclamped it when the pt arrived on the floor from the ED 8 hours ago! Once the settings were adjusted correctly be me there was output. I told the nurse outside the room that he did not have it set up correctly, and he just shrugged and walked away. I told management and filed an incident report. The poor patient was having intense abdominal pain all night, which the patient felt relief once the NG tube was draining. Management told me that he was a new nurse and this was a learning experience because he never had taken care of a pt with an NG tube before. Why didn't he ask another nurse to look at the setup if he was unsure? I know it's Nurse's Week and I'm trying to not be salty over this. Our unit empowers nurses, which I believe in as well. But the nurse holds no accountability for himself whatsoever and me and my colleagues are tired of his frequent mistakes and management defending him. When he doesn't seem to care at all. Management can't find anyone else dumb enough to be willing to care for 8 pts on nights, which is why I think he is still employed. Sorry I just had to vent. Happy Nurse's Week y'all!

Hi everyone, I am a new graduate nurse on the telemetry unit at a large academic medical center. This is my first nursing job after school and I'm on orientation. Nursing is a second career for me, my first job was in clinical research. I have a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and in nursing. My goal after nursing school was to go back to clinical research. I was unable to find any jobs in the research field and I ended up accepting a position on the telemetry floor. The hospital I work for just posted a job opening for a clinical research nurse in orthopaedics unit and I want to apply for the position. But I'm afraid it may backfire on me if my manager finds out. I'm on the second month of a three month orientation period. I enjoy interacting with patients, but I do not feel intellectually challenged and I dread going to work each day. I feel like a glorified waiter at my current position and I think I would be much happier working in research. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone, I am a recent graduate of a BSN program and my best friend just started nursing school. As we all know nursing school is incredibly stressful and support from family and friends is vital. My friend was really supportive during my time in school and I'm trying to do the same for him. However he is quite the complainer. Every day he calls me to complain about various things such as poorly written exams, incompetent classmates, and gross things he did in clinical. I have no problem helping him study for tests or to look over his care plans, but the complaints are getting out of hand. My nursing program was far from perfect and I empathize with him. But the real nursing world is just as tough, if not tougher and it takes some resilience to get through school. I hope I'm not coming across the wrong way. I don't want to ruin a friendship of 10 years over school stuff, but it's hard to support someone that expects nursing school to be a smooth journey. Any advice would be helpful, thanks!

As a male nurse around the same age as you, I empathize your situation. I am a non-confrontational person so I try to avoid these types of things. I would have wrapped the IV myself, even though the task could have been delegated to the CNA. Telling a patient's family that you have other patients to take care of is also unprofessional, unless you had to attend to a code. Most med passes have an hour leeway and you probably could have stopped your med pass to wrap the IV. In addition, you could have asked the CNA to do it when she was OFF her break. I'm not trying to be mean, but it is kind of rude to bother a person when they are on break in the break room. It is their time to not be working. She could have been dealing with a stressful situation like a sick kid at home, and you seeking her out could have angered her more. Of course the CNA was wrong for yelling in front of the patient and it was unprofessional. Also, blocking her exit was intimidating on your part. Men are supposed to balance the unit and not add to the drama. I hope you make wiser decisions in the future. Wishing you all the best!

Hello, I'm a senior year nursing student and I have been struggling with anxiety during clinical. Now I know that every nursing student has anxiety, but this anxiety has been something I have been dealing with for my whole life. It was always very mild and self-manageable. And I never thought that I needed treatment for it. I am usually able to calm myself with deep breaths, positive thoughts, and exercising daily. Most people dismiss my anxiety as being shy, which is also true. I'm in an accelerated nursing program and I successfully completed two semesters of classes/clinical and I only have one semester left. However, each of my clinical instructors has noticed my shyness/anxiety. It has never interfered with my care of a patient, but they could tell that I was always a bit more anxious than my classmates. And they have all reached out to me and said that I know what I am doing and I need to worry less. I try to compensate for my anxiety by always being prepared and thoroughly researching everything I need to know to provide care for my patients. But lately the anxiety has been increasing because I am now caring for multiple patients instead of just one during the clinical day. And I would say that my anxiety has been moderate now instead of mild. I am writing to the nurses and fellow students here to ask for your help. What keeps you calm during the clinical day? I would also appreciate any suggestions that you may have for me! Thank you!

The Facebook Group is DSON Bat Cave Summer 2016. Your name on facebook has to be your real name and the administration will let you join the group! Hope to see you there :)

We have until April 1st, or 20 days after the date on our acceptance letter. Whichever is later.

@conchobar, I was in a similar situation as you last year. I naively applied to a ABSN program one month after graduating from my first degree. I was accepted into the program, which was about 3 hours away from home, in a large city. Tuition for the program was expensive and so was the cost of living in the city. I ended up turning down the offer and I got a job as a nursing tech in my hometown. I worked for eight months and then applied to a nursing program in my state. I got accepted into the program and my patient care experience definitely helped me stand out in my application. I even saved up enough money from working to cover the cost of the whole program. I start school in 2 months and it was worth the wait. Good luck and I hope I helped you!

Hello, I created a similar post a few months ago but I will gladly share my information with you! I have worked as a Direct Support Professional (basically a PCT) at a group home for individuals with disabilities for the past year. Before taking this job, I used to coach with the Special Olympics. And I enjoyed helping individuals with disabilities. I thought the job would be easy for me, but I was wrong! This was my first job in the medical field since I had only volunteered at a hospital for a few months. I was given a 2 week orientation with the company, where I learned about the mission of the company and I attended lectures on how to interact with behavioral health patients. Then I took a 3 day course on Crisis Intervention and Prevention. This course taught me how to de-escalate violent situations and how to build a rapport with my patients. After the orientation, I had another 2 week orientation at the home where I worked. I learned about the residents routines and their preferred activities. And I also shadowed a co-worker before getting my own case load. I almost quit after the first week because I was overwhelmed. But I stayed there and ended up lasting a year. I decided to stop working there last month because the stress from the job took a toll on me. Now I'm trying to find a short term job until I start nursing school in 3 months. Best of luck and feel free to message me if you want!

Congrats to everyone that was accepted! I was recently accepted into the program too. Good luck to everyone that is still waiting to hear back.

Congrats, I didn't know they started sending out acceptances already. I'm still waiting to hear back.

Hey sorry for the delayed response. I don't think that you need to complete all of the pre reqs before applying. You just need to submit proof that you are registered for the courses that you still have to take.

I have a quick question regarding the application for Binghamton's accelerated program. Where do I submit letters of recommendation and my personal statement? Also, is there any restrictions to the length or subject of the personal statement?

Hi guys and any girls that may be reading this. For the past couple of years, I have considered pursuing a nursing degree. I have volunteered in the emergency room of a hospital and at a skilled nursing facility and I understand what nurses do. What I value most about nursing is the patient care aspect. I also like how nurses can work in many specialties and further their education if they want to. What makes me hesitant about applying to nursing school is my lack of finding a male role model to inspire me. Through volunteering, I have seen some nurses that are men and they do an awesome job caring for patients. Since the nursing workforce is mainly composed of females, it is hard for me to choose this career when I don't have anyone to look up to. If that makes any sense. I appreciate you all taking the time to read this and all comments are welcome. Thanks and have a good day!