stevesf

The multi-tasking "skill" is over-rated. Yes, you do get pulled in several directions at once on a floor, but this is also how errors happen. And it is always the nurse's fault, BTW. The main problem I hear in this is what another poster alluded to, and that is institutional or personal insecurity on the part of the "someone in a leadership position." Is this leader your supervisor? If so, then I strongly suggest you bail. You can do as some of the other posters have suggested and do a good job and help others and become a leader yourself, but you could also do those same things somewhere else, too. Many nurse managers have had little training in management; many are promoted to management based upon their seniority, and their willingness to abide by the company doctrine. As with any other organization, you want to avoid working for these people, because they know their vulnerabilities and will strive to suppress any strong personality that might rival them. Just my two cents. Someone mentioned the military; the two best managers I've ever worked for were majors in the Guard; just saying . . . As someone else posted, stay away from HR.

Yes, we did in CT. The first part is to treat the IM's like human beings. Part 2 for the per diem nurses was two days of training similar to Krav Maga and Jujitsu, as part of the "mini" Academy. It was very intense, and used gross motor skills. Full time employees get a lot more of this in the full Academy training scenario.

I'm a guy, and I dislike the V-neck on every top. Also, almost all of the tops are way too short to tuck in. The only one I've found is the new Grey's Anatomy line that is at least 4 inches linger, and stays tucked in. I'm 5'-10", 185 lbs with a short torso, too. The pants I wear I found in school - Landau 8555's. Why is it all the pants for men come in super-long inseams? I have a 30" inseam, so every time I buy pants, and I've tried them all, I have to bring them to the tailor to have hemmed. I carry all the stuff the other nurses mentioned, so my pants do sag down; plus, I don't want my pants dragging bugs from one room to another. A lot of women like these pants, too, because the fabric is heavier and hides their panty outline, especially in white. I hate wearing scrubs, anyway, they're like having rumpled pajamas on all day . . . Steve

Thanks for the good work. Steve

If the pt seems like they're receptive, I'll walk in with their heparin injection, and tell them that the regular syringe was missing [hold hands a foot apart], this little syringe was all I could find, and will that be OK? Or, during my initial assessment, [after holding the stethoscope in my hands to warm it up] I'll tell the client that I've just taken it fresh from the freezer, may I listen to your heart?

Hi, I shadowed with a great instructor in her SICU, and felt that after other clinical experiences at the same hospital (on the floors), that the unit was the only place I would have considered working in that facility. The main reason was the crew and the management, whom I never would have met without the shadow experience. Several conversations with nurses there pointed me away from direct entry into a SICU/MICU, and I ended up applying for a job (where I could get some time-management experience) at a neighboring hospital on a step-down/tele floor. The step-down unit manager invited me to shadow to see if I liked it, but also to let the other RN's and CNA's have a look at me. It's a closed unit, so they're particular about who they want in there. Again, a valuable experience for both parties. Granted, everyone is on their best behavior, but you can tell what's going on, you know? After my last clinical experience (another hospital), our instructor used to apologize for the floor we were on. My reply was that, as bad as it was, it had value, because it taught me that this was no place to start my career. My $0.02? Definitely go for the shadow, preferably on both shifts, if possible.

Never mind the fabric, here's a top made out of beer itself! http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/clothing_made_o.php

Hey, that "sea foam/peach" . . . is that like green/orange?

My approach has been to announce in the break room that I have really bad aim, and that I'm putting the toilet seat up before and leaving it up after so that it will remain clean. (My aim isn't any worse than anyone else, and I make sure that I wipe up after) :-) Steve

This thread is a scream . . . I'l be starting my first nursing job in June, and after reading the PMS comments, I'll interested to see if my GF can get in sync with the women at work! Maybe I'll write a paper for one of the journals. The scrubs are awful. The only pants that seem to be made for a guy are the Landau 8555 - thicker material, fly, pockets, cargos, drawstring. We had them for school, and the women would buy them because you couldn't see their thongs through them. Another hospital nearby lets the ED nurses wear dockers/cargos with tees or polos (or scrubs, it they want), but most of us have to wear a unicolor set. Just what I want to do - get educated to be a professional nurse, then go to work in rumpled pajamas. Any other ideas out there? I precepted in a hospital, and a fairly new hire came up to me when I was standing with my preceptor and said that she was "s-o-o-o-o glad that I was working there, and" she wished that "more of 'us' would apply to work there, and . . ." "STOP," I said, "Don't say it!" But she did, " . . . we could have some help moving the big patients" The preceptor looked like a deer in the headlights. Steve

Interesting blog by a physician. This essay reiterates what most of us know, who have had exposure to healthcare in other countries. I've worked for multi-national corporations myself, and can attest to horror stories in other "progressive" (For those not from border states, that's another word for Socialist) countries. If all your news comes from the main stream media, or irresponsible alarmists like DailyKos, then you are not even getting half the story. http://docisinblog.com/index.php/2007/04/10/medical-myths/ Steve

New Britain would place you nearer to the center of the state, and would make commuting to clinical sites (Hospital of St. Raphael??) fairly easy. Do not believe the advice about living in Danbury (as one reply mentioned) and commuting down RT 25 - I can't tell you which is worse - morning or evening commute! I know, I make a living driving up and down the road, while going to nursing school. I live in North Haven, and can tell you that even with a 30%+ increase in property taxes in recent years (we've lost most of our industrial tax base), the taxes are still fair and reasonable. New Britain is a hidden gem, and, while you won't mistake it for Columbus, you will have access to Hartford and New Haven for nightlife, dining, theater, etc. NYC and Boston are about 2 hours away, each. Steve

The short answer to this is that the school wants you to succeed, and feel that distractions like work can compromise that goal, unless you are very motivated and have complete support from home. They are still a young program, and the first-time NCLEX pass rates are an important metric. Don't hold that against them, since this is a very good program, without a lot of the nonsense I've heard about at some other programs. By and large, all the CT commmunity college programs are very good - I've heard excellent things about Norwalk CC (GCC "grew" out fo the this program) and Naugatuck Valley CC. The faculty at GCC are very good, and will help you to succeed, if you pay attention and allow them to do so. I am one of the few who does work full time, but I have no children at home, and I welcome the challenge of school. Clinicals are usually from 1600-2300, Wed and Thurs, except the first semester, which LPN's are not required to attend. There are also several experiences per semester that require daytime attendance - I pick and choose among these, since I can't afford to miss too much work. All I can say is that so far, it works OK for me, but I have little in the way of social life! Because of the increasing demand for seats in this program, they do not have to consider any criteria other than GPA, yet. I can't say whether 3.5 is the cut-off, or not. I also found the info session very unhelpful, but persevered anyway. Unfortunately, many people who found the pre-reqs easy may not do so well in nursing courses where you have to apply more than book knowledge. Exam questions are rarely based on rote memorization of facts in books - it's all about the critical thinking necessary to the nursing process. Most of out LPN's are very good nurses, and we look to them as leaders. I hope this helps, Steve

Ours are navy blue polo shirt, white pants w/ drawstring and cargo pockets, short white lab coat. The mens' pants are pretty opaque, so the female students are buying them now. The lab coat is a little weird, because it has no lapels like the med students do, but it is bloody useful with all the pockets. All the things I used to forget to bring into a client's room (especially when an instructor was with me) now have a happy home in my lab coat pockets, along with food, RN Notes, assessment book, pt sheets, candy to bribe nurses, etc. Steve, in my senior year now

I had a disagreement with a nurse about this. She's married to a physician, and has some sort of inferiority complex about what she does. She feels that being a doctor is a profession, like a lawyer, but nursing is a trade. I asked her if she meant that being a physician is a profession, she saw where I was going with this, and blew up!! So, I plan on asking her again if I ever earn a DNP! Steve

A lot of good responses here. I'm still a student, but if the situation warrants, I'll ask the client if they are uncomfortable about me performing the cath. etc. If they do, I'll still perform it (afer all, I am their student nurse!), but I'll ask for a chaperone. A situation that may warrant this are some "older" pts, unaccustomed to being cared for by a male; I've not run into it yet, but I would definitely ask an adolescent. When I first started doing clinicals, I asked a guy nurse about chaperones, and he told me that 1) Many of the patients are quite used to being handled by different caregivers, and are usually over most embarrassment (I still ask, sometimes) and 2) If the unit is busy, the pt is stooling q 10 m, she needs to be cleaned up NOW, and you're not going to find a tech or nurse to accompnay you each time you clean her. Steve

Yes, but wait until a nurse has a complaint about dangerous staffing ratios, or other unsafe management decisions. Try and pass THAT information along . . . Steve

Hi, This site explains what your responsibilities can include as a GN in CT: http://www.dph.state.ct.us/Licensure/apps/grad_nurse_info.pdf When did you take your test and where? I graduate in May 07 from Gateway in North Haven. Steve

I was a tree climber during pre-reqs (still a State licensed arborist, but getting way too old to do this), and I'm currently a truck driver. When another truck breaks down and needs to be repaired, I give up my truck to the other driver, since we don't have spares, and I'm considered a part timer because I leave early to go to nursing school. Part time means from 6 or 7AM to 3PM,M-F! I can't pay the bills on a CNA or student nurse extern salary, so I guess I'll be staying there for a while.

Nothing against any of the choices others have made, but for me, the choice was simple. I looked into diploma, ADN, BSN and direct-entry MSN programs. I already have a BS. My primary care provider graduated from a direct-entry MSN program, and the affiliated hospital wouldn't even consider him for a new hire - no experience! The diploma program in our state has a very good reputation, and is a difficult program with lots of clinical exposure. The BSN programs (I applied to and was accepted to several) cost $40k-$50k and with all the core course requirements, would have taken 4-5 years part-time. The 5 hospital recruiters I talked to said it made no difference to them what preparation you had as long as you had the RN license for an initial, graduate nurse job. To advance up the ladder in management or administration, they all said that the BSN was a requirement, but the BS would probably be OK. The implication was that if they wanted to retain you for such a position, they would find a way! My goal is to pursue an MSN, and maybe some form of CNS, but it's all in the future, for now. My best option seems to be to finish my ADN, pass the NCLEX and get a few years of med-surg experience. The RN-BSN programs do not require the same amount of "core courses", even though they are the same outfits that I applied to for the BSN program; plus the hospitals will generally help pay for most of it. However, I have found that this step may be unnecessary if I'm considering the MSN or DNP route. I'm also considering the Army Reserve as a way to get some great experience, which also will help pay for further education. There is growing preference for the BSN as an entry level for RN; they typically have less clinical experience (quickly made up for on the job), and the NCLEX pass rates are a little lower (not enough to warrant using this as a criteria). The idea is to learn to think like a nurse, not to memorize a load of stuff everyone knows where to look up when they need it. I have friends in all the different types of RN programs, and they're all smart people, and all will start in the same "type" of job when they graduate. Your options and desires may differ, so I only wanted to show things from my point of view. Steve

I had that second situation happen to me several weeks ago. The nurse (a crusty old manager) told me "she had to check with the pt and see if she minded if I took care of her. She's a nurse here and doesn't want a male student". My instructor had already talked to the pt (and the nurse), so I told the nurse that I would ask the client how she felt. The nurse turned right around, and rushed back into the room. As I listened outside the door, the whispering began, followed by the client saying, "Oh he'll be OK". The nurse had a "look" on her face as she came out of the room - no eye contact. The client and I got along well; it turns out she was not a nurse, but did work at the hospital. BTW, this was a post-partum clinical, so I had to assess her (belly & perineal check with a chaperone - my instructor) and the baby. She was G2P2, so my teaching was review for her and her husband. Lovely outcome all around. The next time, the whispering started immediately between two nurses outside the room (different patient), but the reason was that the mom had been sexually abused. I told the nurses that I would have appreciated being included in the initial discussion, and they agreed. There are patients that would object to my presence due to reasons of modesty or religious belief, and no matter what the reason, that is their right. However, I don't want someone else to make that determination. Steve

You had my ear (and sympathy) until I read the last line: "It is just so awful that we think we live in a free world but corporate america has us well under-control." How in the world do we go from a problem with one instructor to bashing almost every healthcare provider in the free world, save government-sponsored organizations? Steve

Hi, Here's a few links from a paper I did for a biology class last year. I've also had a friend with this, and he participated in the timed light study at Yale (it worked for him!). Steve http://www.ynhh.org/healthlink/mentalhealth/mentalhealth_12_03.html http://www.isv.uit.no/seksjon/psyk/wdep2.htm http://www.outsidein.co.uk/sadinfo.htm http://www.light-and-ion-therapy.org/

I have been accepted into a newly accredited ADN program, which will cost me less than $ 6,000 and 21 months to complete (my pre-reqs are complete-only clinicals and nursing courses to take). Also, I have been officially accepted into a BSN program, which costs almost $600/credit-hour. Since I already have a BS degree, this program will take me about 3-1/2 to 4 years part-time; the total cost being upwards of $40,000. My goal in this, a very late second career, is to go on to an MSN. My girlfriend would like to start school as soon as I finish (if I finish!) my initial licensure. The nurse managers in several settings I have spoken with (prime motivation - fresh young minds with new licenses??) display no prejudice toward the ADN. This seems to be a no-brainer for me, since there are several good MSN programs around that accept ADN students. They may require a bridge program for a non-BS graduate, but even that is simpler than sitting through the drudgery (for me) of 100-level ethics/philosophy/socialology/ course, just to meet "core curriculum" requirements. Don't get me wrong - I can get something out of almost any course, but I feel my time may well be better spent getting out to take the test earlier, getting some clinical experience, and maybe finding an employer to help me along my career path. I feel that the level of instruction at the ADN program may not be at the same level as the BSN program, but I think that I can get a great start, if I'm proactive and manage my education thoughtfully. Both programs furnish the 800 hour clinical experience required by the state BON. What do you folks think? Steve