RNinCali15

[TABLE=class: cf adz] [TR] [TD=class: ady][COLOR=#777777]to me[/COLOR][COLOR=#777777] [/COLOR] [COLOR=#777777][/COLOR] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Sour, Not sure how you think insulting my capability as nurse is constructive. I provide excellent patient care, and know exactly what a healthy patient looks like. I have over ten years experience in healthcare, and have four children. I also have a deeper understanding/appreciation on the NICU, something in which few nurses can say they have. Each of my kids were in the NICU, and one of them was a golden hour. So please, save that anti-new grad bulling attitude for a prepubescent new nurse. Furthermore, it is a new rule that each nurse needs at least 30% exposure to ICU assignments for a couple reasons. The first being that a stable intermediate case has the potential to shift to an ICU case quickly. Secondly, the unit has had days when those "experienced, always in ICU nurses" were not working. Nurses who were only placed in intermediate assignments felt out of sorts in their ICU assignments and complained. How is that what is best for the unit? Take your bad attitude and anti-progressive nature someplace else Ms. Grump.

I spoke with my educator about this matter, and checked the policy. We are not required to check residual or placement before a PO feed. We are only required to before we initiated an NG feed. She thought it seemed odd to check residual before a PO feed, and then check placement/residual again 15 minutes later if your infant needed the remainder gavaged.

Hello all, I have been a nurse for almost nine months now and work in the NICU. This was my absolute dream job, and I worked so hard to land it. While I was on orientation I felt challenged as I was learning SO many new things. I have been off orientation for a while now and have have been stuck with feeder grower patients for over a month. My unit favors nurses with many many years experience and assigns them the sicker kids, daily. They are never given an intermediate assignment. I am talking more about the nurses who have less than 2 years experience getting mostly the stable ICU cases and some intermediate patients. We are supposed to be mixed around the unit, with at least 30% ICU exposure. I have also (politely) asked my charge nurse to assign me anything ICU because I need the exposure. Usually I am given an excuse, and the next day I am back with the feeder growers. Managment likes me, and there has never been an issue with the care I have provided my patients. I don't understand. I am just about at my wits end with this matter. I did not go to school to be a daycare provider who rarely uses her brain. I understand that an intermediate case can shift quickly, but I need consistant exposure to vents, bcpap, umbilical lines etc to remain competent. Ugh! Advice?

Hi everyone, so I am a new grad working in a level III NICU. I am almost done with my orientation and had a bit of a disagreement with my preceptor last night. So my patient was full term, stable, and had an NG which we were using q 3 feed and to infuse any left over ML's from their bottle feedings. I did my assessment, and fed my patient the bottle which they took 100%. Later that night my preceptor asked why I did not chart any residual prior to that feed. I explained that because I did not use the NG and was not concerned about the patients gut, I did not check. The patient had no spits, emesis and girths were the same 2x. I told her that I also felt that checking for placement before offering the bottle seemed odd because I was under the impression you would want to check tube placement as close to initiating the gavage feeding as possible. In theory, the NG/OG could move during feeding or burping. It should be noted that I used the NG three times prior that night, and each time when checking residual there was none. Naturally, I injected air and checked placement with my stethoscope each time. What do you guys think, should I have checked for placement/residual prior to the bottle feed like she said? Would you have?

Hi everyone!! I am BEYOND excited right now. I went to school with the hopes of becoming a NICU rn. Five years before I became a nurse, my first child came 13 weeks too soon and developed NEC. She suffered multiple complications and we were advised to withdraw care...which is what we did. Naturally, that was the hardest/worst experience of my life but it sparked a passion within me to pursue my degree and come a NICU nurse. While in school I floated to the NICU for two days and fell in LOVE. Never had I felt so at peace, and like I was in the place I was meant to be. This was the NICU my daughter was at, and where I was a patient for ten weeks in the 80's. After being a year out of school, and a year of applying...I FINALLY HAVE AN INTERVIEW! I interviewed for another position with this hospital last month, which I did not get. The hospital uses standard questions, so I think they will ask the same ones I was asked before. There were two questions last time I fumbled with and would like some help with. 1) How do you prioritize? -I prioritize daily in my current position (phlebotomist) -I gather all of the ordered draws and initially pull out the stat orders as they are high priority. -Next I look for time study labs like troponins, lactic acids or drug levels. I check when they were last drawn and set them aside as they are usually second to be drawn. -Lastly, I look at my routine orders. These will be tests like, albumins, cbc's or basic LFT'S. -This whole process takes about fifteen minutes and I am ready to start my rounds. 2) Miscommunication from coworker or physician, how did you handle it? Example I don't even remember what I said. Need help here. If you guys have any advice or anything, please share :)

What hospital was this at?

Hi Kim, I have to disagree with you. I am in CA, Sacramento to be exact. There are six nursing programs locally that I can name off hand. The market is saturated with new grads and we all look the same on paper. I have my ADN and working on my BSN; I will be done in June. I have been applying to the hospital I did clinicals at since I had my IP; this was my first interview with them. I apply to med/surg, tele, neuro...everything. I have made cold-calls, dropped off portfolios, etc. I am revamping my portfolio and going to try a few more angles. I heard back from that ANM, she told me she is going to keep me in mind for one of the positions that are going to post shortly. I guess that auto-email, always sends to candidates, even if you are offered the job.

Hi everyone, I feel like crap. I have been out of school since December and have only had two interviews. I apply for EVERYTHING, drop off resumes, email management etc. I interviewed yesterday for a postpartum position and I thought it went really well. The manager showed me around the unit afterwards and I received a lot of positive feedback from the interviewers. I followed up this morning and asked when the manager would be notifing candidates and she said next week sometime. A few hour later I got an auto email from the company saying the positions have been filled. I sent the manager an email trying to clarify but she has not responded yet. Maybe she just pulled the positions because she has enough candidates? I don't understand why she would say next week when that wasn't the case. I am SO dissapointed! I feel like I wasted two years of my life going to school and took time away from my kids and family for nothing. I don't understand how people with no working experience get jobs over people with years of medical experience. I have kept my head up and been positive through all the up and downs of this process the past year but I find i am at my breaking point. All I ever wanted to do was be a nurse

I passed my nclex in Feb and have an interview next week for a position on a maternal/newborn unit. I am very excited about the prospect of being an OB nurse but am terrified at the same time. This position is at a great hospital, but it is not a new grad position. Basically, no training...just me on my own. I have applied for EVERY position I have seen since I became registered and this is only my second interview. I really need/want this job but am terrified of being on my own with no experience. Any encouraging advice?

For me, the PVT was accurate immediately after the test and this is we in feb. I have read some posts on here where the trick didn't work as it should. Honestly, nothing is final until you hear from the board. Who knows what updates PV has had or if there system is down. Try to keep your chin up, it's not over till it's over.

No it's non-benefited. Boo! The pay is so high because of night differential and in-lieu of benefits diff. The other job would pay the same as they have the same union and contract. I'm in California.

I am a new RN who currently works for a hospital in a non-nursing position. The hospital I work for does not hire new grads often, it at all. This is the same for the neighboring facilities. I apply for every position that is open to new graduates that I see within 100 miles. Yesterday for the first time, I got an email from recruitment for a RN position on med/surg starting at $76 an hour (on-call and nights) I have been an RN since February and am so happy to see some progress with an application of mine. But, I have been in contact with the director of a neighboring facility (same hospital) since March regarding new-grad positions in labor and delivery. The labor and delivery positions posted five days after the med/surg positions and no calls have been made for them yet as they close on Saturday. I don't know what to do. I want a RN job with my hospital but my passion is the NICU. Experience in med surg would not help me get to NICU, but l&d would. If I accept this med surg positon, the union holds me to that unit for six months. The labor and delivery training positions will be long gone at that point. What would ya'll do?

It's official, I passed! Not sure how, but I did!! :)

The PVT worked for me. I tested on Thursday and initially got the "hold" pop up and then a few hours later got the "good" pop up. Today at 4:20 I am officially a RN. í ½í¸„

Hi CSULB_RN_GRAD, How did your test go??