kh2013

Okay. I made a med error on Friday...and I don't think I was instructed to document it properly. I am a new grad with a preceptor. Long story short, patient was in pain and absolutely hysterical, thrashing around in her bed, begging and screaming for me to do something. Her MAR with PRN pain medication was a mile long. The patient, while hysterical, kept changing her mind about what meds she wanted and when. Once she made a decision, I, while flustered, prepared the medications in the unit's Medication Room and from there went into my patient's room and scanned my medications...but did not realize the computer system did not properly scan all of the meds before I administered them. I gave the correct pain medication dose ...but I incidentally gave double the Benadryl IV dose for itching (the one medication that did not scan properly). I tried to scan the med and document the amount I actually gave and not the ordered dose. The computer wouldn't let me and I told my preceptor. We called information systems to ask how to document it, they said just report it to MD and see if I can get an order for one time dosing. I called the MD. MD wasn't worried, came to floor 10-15 mins later for roundings, assessed the patient and cleaned up PRN pain med list and gave me a one time order for Benadryl IV dose I actually administered. My preceptor told me there was nothing more that needed to be done (I asked about filing an incident report...and the response was along the lines of that the MD provided an order, so it is fine to do without). I go back to work tomorrow morning. This incident has been eating at me this whole weekend. I will file an incident report tomorrow. Should I add an addendum to the patient's chart stating, "At 0900 50 mg IV Benadryl given. Discussed with MD."? Or what? Does the one time order after the fact cover me? I know the timing of this documentation is not ideal, but better late than never, right? Luckily, the patient had no adverse effects. I am so upset that this occurred, especially during training. And now, with more time to think about it, I hate the fact that it looks like I tried to cover it up. However, I honestly did not mean to come across this way. I told my preceptor and manager what happened as soon as I realized it. I feel awful, and I don't want to cover it up. I will definitely be more careful in the future. If you have any advice, please share. Thanks, One devastated new grad.

I had this problem. What I did was volunteer on the floor I was interested in specializing in for 2-3hrs after college classes. If I was done with class, off to the hospital I went. I treated my volunteer experience like a job. The RN Manager ended up offering me a PCT job 2-3 months later. So I started my job the summer before starting nursing school. This was one year ago, and now I'm in my 3rd semester of Nursing School and still at this job! Best of luck to you.

What are the 5 most important lab values for a woman postpartum who had a C/S? I have: Hgb, Hct, and CBC. Would the other two be platelets and RBC? Thanks in advance!

I had my first fundamentals test today.....and I did extremely well. I made a 92 which is an A in my program. I didn't really do anything different from my pre-req classes besides study out of NCLEX study books. Should I be concerned? I mean, everyone in my class did poorly, and I was expecting to do the same. Beginners luck? I mean, I know I will fail a few nursing tests eventually, but I just kind of went in accepting that I would not do that great. What do you guys think?

I took a Bio placement exam to exempt our Basic Biology class and went straight into Anatomy and Physiology. I passed A&P with flying colors!

Thanks for your opinions! I appreciate it. I'm just going to wait for school to start and talk to some students about the teachers and the nursing program itself and base my decision off of that information. If there is anyone else that has some input, it is welcome!

I graduated high school May 2013. I will be attending a community college, not a university due to financial reasons. I still live at home and my parents are not requiring me to get a job during school. (Which is such a blessing and takes a HUGE weight off of my shoulders). This semester I plan on taking 14 credit hours of pre-reqs toward my ADN (Math, AP 1, Mus 101, Eng 101, and ORI 101). I can apply for nursing school for the Spring of 2014. I would have to take the remaining pre-reqs along with nursing classes. I was wondering if it would be too much? If I were accepted to the Nursing program for the Spring 2014 semester, this is the outline of my program: Fall 2013 (prior to nursing program): MTH 100 H&P 1 ENG 101 MUS 101 ORI 101 Spring 2014 ( *IF* accepted into nursing school) H&P 2 Fundamentals of Nursing Health Assessment Intro to Pharmacology Summer 2014 General Psychology Adult Nursing Maternal and Child Nursing Fall 2014 General Microbiology Nursing Through the Lifespan I Spring 2015 Speech Human Growth and Development Nursing Through the Lifespan II Summer 2015 Nursing Through Lifespan III Transition Into Nursing Practice Would this be extremely difficult? Should I finish pre-reqs prior to applying? I have talked to my advisor (one of the nursing professors at my CC). She said looking at my high school grades and TEAS V scores that I have a pretty good chance in being accepted for Spring 2014. She claims that student like me that don't have to work and have a great support system can handle the workload and she is trying to convince me to do so. So I don't know when to apply... I know as soon as I get my ADN I want to work part time and pursue the BSN/MSN track through the University of Alabama. What do you suggest? I value all opinions and suggestions. I am so sorry this is so lengthy. Thanks in advance! :)

I am applying for the ADN program and checked that while signing up for the TEAS. But, when I printed my score report it stated my program type was PN. Does that stand for Pre-Nursing or LPN? Will it matter when I apply to the ADN program? Can I change it? Or do I have to take it over again?

I take my exam tomorrow morning! Wish me luck. I might post my results afterwords.

Atleast get the ATI from what I've read on the various threads on this site. I bought the manual from Amazon, since it was a little bit cheaper and free shipping. I take the TEAS test on the 18th. I'm so nervous.

Thank you so much! :)

I am straight out of high school and have been prepping for the TEAS for the last two weeks. I bought both the ATI Manual and McGraw Hill's 5 Practice Tests. I bought ONE online practice exam and did not do well at all. But, I have done better on the book tests (ATI and McGraw). I am so nervous about the TEAS. I just want to get it done and over with so I can enjoy the rest of my summer before I begin college. Any tips to prep for the science? This section truly worries me. I have no idea how in depth the questions will be. Is the actual test easier than the book and online like everyone says it is? I've basically focused on Bio and Chem and just the basic anatomy in the manual....is that good or bad? I've never taken a Human Anatomy class (I will this fall). Thank you. P.S. Don't give me a hard time on not taking Anatomy because I'm taking the test regardless. I already paid the fifty bucks.