caddywompus

I remember coming from MS to ED and being both amazed and terrified by all I could do and was expected to do without an order. It took a while to get standing orders/protocols and to feel even a little confident. Definitely like being a new grad agai...

In a perfect world... Where to start? As others have said, ED is very different from other areas of nursing, and each ED has its own culture and flow. For many nurses, coming to the ED can be a little shocking or eye-opening. All of the "fluff and pu...

I graduated with my BSN from SNHU. It's a great program, intense but workable. I wasn't crazy about the group work but it was really only a small portion of the assignments. The professors are very helpful, but know your APA formatting as there is a ...

This post is completely biased due to failure. I passed with Excelsior on the first attempt with no repeats and had a wonderful, though stressful (of course) clinical experience. You are in NO WAY required to use The College Network and Excelsior is ...

I agree with the others that BSN and then MPH sounds like the best way to go, however, I disagree with GrnTea's comment about "seductive" online programs. Sure there are reputable programs and diploma mill programs. Most graduate nursing programs are...

It's probably not allowed for lab techs, but as an RN in the ER, I do it all the time and it's common practice. I've often wondered why they don't pull from the IV lines when they have one available. It would certainly be easier on the patient. I'm s...

I think your administrator is going in the right direction. I have worked with nurses who have excellent hark skills but were just awful to be around. Awful for other nurses and awful interacting with patients. Then I have been around nurses who need...

OP, I too call them boards sometimes and NCLEX other times. I hope you find the answers you are looking for. Of course we can all google a lot of answers. But then why would we ever talk to each other? Sending

I work with someone who failed three times and passed on the fourth attempt. She's a great nurse, even as a fairly new grad. I passed on the second attempt and took all 265 questions the first time, 75 the second time. I can't imagine doing that 6 ti...

Some of you take a simple comment about a pet peeve and just go too far. We all have pet peeves. I voiced one of mine. Is it not time to let it go? Yes, I have a degree in English. It happened along the nursing road when I wasn't sure what I wanted t...

smo153, I applied to staff nurse positions. I thought residency was for new grads. I'll check into that. Thanks

I would not recommend writing such an email, ever. It would definitely seem overly aggressive. You applied. You interviewed. If they want to hire you, they will. Just don't take it personally. You never know who you are competing with for a job. Some...

I had a phone interview three weeks ago. It seemed to go well. The recruiter said she would recommend me and that I would probably receive a call the next day. Nobody ever called. I'm trying not to get too down. I just went right back to applying on ...

Ok, I consider myself to have a good sense of humor, definitely twisted (hence the name), but starting in an ER is stressful enough, or at least it was for me without being pranked. I guess it just depends on the orientee. I'm sure I could have handl...

I work with sharks too. It is hard, especially when you are new. I can't say anything about this that hasn't already been said, but I must say this- for the love of God people stop doing this ... all the time. Sorry, I'm a grammar nerd. Those three l...

Actually, in the ED where I work, several new grads and almost new grads have been hired, especially if they have paramedic/emt experience. I would certainly pursue that and don't be too hard on yourself. None of us is perfect. Also, we have not all ...

I hear "worser" a lot. Drives me crazy! As for "often" I have never heard anyone not pronounce the "t" and it sounds wrong to say it without it. Actually I have, usually by the same people who say worser :) "I get this pain pretty offen, but it's wor...

I wear my best scrubs unless the agency states they are a "dress casual" family. I also don't wear jewelry other than my wedding band and NO perfume.

I can see both sides of this. Still, I don't think you can be asked to be more affectionate. Affection is felt, not forced. I am probably overly affectionate with my peds patients, but I can't help it. When I worked in Elderly LTC eons ago, I could n...

Yikes! I'm one of those nurses who regularly crosses boundaries. Some kids are just so much fun to spoil :) As the parent of a disabled child (does not receive nursing) I would be thrilled for more people to come to my child's party. The more the mer...

Most agencies keep you at prn or temp status even if you work 7days/wk. That keeps most people from being eligible for agency benefits, which in my experience are usually only considered supplemental and are expensive. I'm currently working for Pedia...

You should absolutely NOT be getting in bed with the patient's mom!

It's so hard in these homecare situations. If you feel like you're being taken advantage of, then you should set clear boundaries, maybe talk to your agency. Was the laundry the patient's laundry? If so, then yes I believe you should put it away. Bas...

I agree with the above comment. Men already get abused in the media (think commercials where men are slapped, insulted,degraded,etc) and it is considered acceptable. To me, and I'm a woman, it is atrocious. There is NOTHING male about slacking on the...

There is much more of a focus on management in an RN-BSN program. Issues like staffing, costs, conflict, etc are covered. There is a lot of paper writing. Opinions vary on the importance of all that writing. I'm not big on it, but I can see its value...