stan164

Congrats ixchel!!! Just graduated myself! As far as a stethoscope goes, I had to invest in a Littmann Cardiology III about halfway through nursing school due to the fact that I'm a little hard of hearing (few too many loud booms in the military) and was having trouble hearing what I need to hear during assessment of my patients if there was the slightest sound in the room like the TV. The Cards 3 helped me out immensely but some of my friends complained that they almost heard too much with it when they borrowed it. I would suggest borrowing several types from friends and co-workers if they don't mind to find which one works best for you as a good stethoscope can get a bit pricey. I would hold off on new books until you find out what your facility would prefer you to use. The facility I work at has a subscription to Micromedex online that they prefer we use with our COWs (computer on wheels). It works very well that I don't have to worry about if its up to date or not and I can even find out drug compatibilities with it quickly. Also, be careful with buying mobile apps as a lot of facilities are starting to crack down on having mobile devices in clinical areas. Can't have patients thinking we're Facebooking about them, lol. I use a little LED keyring light that I can attach to my retractable badge clip. That way its always there when I need it since I need my badge to give meds and I have a bad habit of anything that is not attached to me tends to walk off lol. I agree with anon456 about carrying tylenol but I would add your preferred heartburn, gas relief, and anti-diarrhea medicines because let's face it, as nurses we're constantly crunched for time and trying to eat in 5 minutes. Plus, if your cafeteria is anything like mine, there WILL come a time when you will need 1 and/or all 3 meds to make it through the shift. Best of luck to you in your journey!

Hello All, I'm a nursing student due to graduate (hopefully) in May and have found that my hard hearing and my $30 knock-off stethoscope just isn't cutting it. It's fine in quiet settings but the slightest noise makes it near impossible to hear anything. I've seen another post around here but it seemed rather old and has been closed so I'm curious if there's anything new and improved since then. I've looked at Ultrascope and Maxiscope classics but can't really tell a difference from the description. Anybody have experience with those? Also, I've heard a lot of good things about Littmann Stethoscopes but some models can get a little bit pricey. What model should I look for? My interest is in ER/Trauma and I basically just want a stethoscope that I can hear what I need to hear, when I need to hear it. If it makes a difference, I have mild hearing loss in one ear in the upper range with some tinnitus so background noises give me real trouble sometimes. Thanks for any opinions.

It's truly a small world sometimes! I was a 15U in the Army (Chinook mechanic) and ETS'd in 2006. After stumbling around for a few years I finally got my head on straight and I'm currently working through my 3rd semester of an ADN program while working in a hospital as a CNA. I'm quite a ways from the nearest VA hospital so I'm not real familiar with that but I will say that civilian employers absolutely LOVE us vets, especially if you're a nurse. We tend to not shy away from the dirtiest jobs, usually have better initiative than civilians, we're punctual almost to a fault, and we've had professionalism drilled into us for so long we don't know any other way to be. Just putting a bug in your ear that the civilian sector has PLENTY of jobs for nurses that are vets until you can get that dream job. As far as comparing to AIT, I would say that it depends on you and how complicated your life is now before school. Being older and having a family of my own now, I sometimes have trouble balancing work/school/family/life's curves but compared to dodging bullets, mortars, and RPGs I would say that I'm living the good life :) Just roll with the punches and you'll do fine. Overall, I have had great experiences during my time as a CNA and even in clinicals. I would compare it to the humanitarian missions I was apart of in the military but it holds a bit more meaning for me that I'm helping people of my own community. Good luck to you with school and in case no one else has told you, welcome home!