sunshineonleith

Also, about expecting orders in January...I wouldn't. Mine DID come in January, but I had classmates who literally got their orders a week before BOLC started.

I think the boards started on 11/1 last year and I heard back from my recruiter 11/15. I didn't call her every day or I might have heard sooner. The waiting was awful. Find a hobby or get all your Christmas shopping done early!

ohhhhh. i was surprised you hadn't responded. i'll try to PM you.

I am currently in phase 1 of USAGPAN. Please pm me.

Also, TinnabeanRn, I love your avatar because many days I show up and think, "just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

I'm currently in a tough CRNA program, and every time I feel overwhelmed and like I'm drowning (with the exceptions of my stats class) I just have to tell myself to buck up and learn the info, because I'm going to use the information every. single. day. for the rest of my career. If the patho class is boring to you, maybe FNP isn't for you. But if its just difficult, you CAN overcome and do well in the class in order to pursue your goals.

Why not take your experience overseas and work for someone like doctors with out borders or mercy ships for awhile? Different perspective, etc. Help some other folks out while figuring out what's best for you.

I was just accepted to NEU's USAGPAN program as well and am just waiting to find out if I am accepted for commissioning or not. Hope to see you at Ft. Sam next June! Libby

Hi Guys, How long was it from the time you submitted your application to NEU that you found out? I am only curious about time to hear from NEU, not time to hear back from the Army (although I love to hear the stories of people getting in!) Thanks, Libby

IMO, whether you are "in charge" as the nurse and she as the cna should follow your instructions has nothing to do with this situation. A) company policy says you call in sick 2 hours prior - i assume this applies to nurses as well? She wasn't following that policy, you let her know about it. If she got the unit secretary when she called in the unit secretary might have said something similar. and B) no one, regardless of where they are in the chain of command, should cuss or chew someone else out at work. Its just not professional, or appropriate, and you don't have to take it from a cna or an MD.

I know your first code can be horrifying and saddening and full of self-searching. BUT, try to remember this: All a code really is, is a healthcare professional finding someone who has essentially died, and doing what they can to bring that person back to life - YOU did that for this person! YOU are the reason they aren't dead right now, and their family has a few more days to say good bye, or years more to enjoy this person. You can't hurt a dead person - all you can do is try to make dead better, and that is exactly what a code is for. You will always be able to fine tune your performance in any stressful, scary situation and its good to reflect on what could have gone better, but ALSO remember to give yourself a big and well deserved "hooray" for doing the right thing for your patient - calling that code.

Yes, the 45 minute old baby with a blood sugar of 35 is more important than your ever so quickly resolving worst nausea and vomiting of your life (now that you can smell your neighbor's dinner tray). I can't believe I even stopped when she flagged me down. I am grateful to start a new job on Monday.

thank you both for pointing me in the right direction!

currently working ED but am contemplating a switch to surgical or cardiac icu in order to pursue anaesthesia school. I would really appreciate being able to shadow a CRNA for a day (or several) to get a better idea of whether CRNA would be a good fit for me. Is there anyone in the greater Seattle area who would let me observe your work?

I have thought about becoming a CRNA for a long while now, and would like to shadow someone to get a better feel for the profession. Is there anyone practicing in the Seattle area who would be willng to let me shadow? I think it would really help me in deciding whether to pursue CRNA school. I'd be eternally grateful :)

thanks for all the replies! In my facility Rns always do the push, but otherwise what you all describe is similar to what I am used to. I'm not crazy after all!

how do you give it? I have always worked with another rn (so they could add a fast flush in addition to the ns hanging wide open) and had the patient on the crash cart monitor. I like to have the doc at the bedside too. Last night I saw someone give it for svt in a stable patient with a rate in the 180s with no fluids and all by himself. I came in when he yelled for help as her rate jumped to the 270s. I am pretty conservative safety wise but it surprised me enough to wonder how others cardiovert (chemically). What do you do?

I'm a new grad with less than a year experience in ED. I'm finding that my employer does not provide the training that I feel I need to manage the more critical patient's in the ED. Right now I scrape by, by asking more experienced nurses to help me out when I'm in over my head, but the trouble is they have their own assignment too, and we all know that just one critical patient can suck up your time in a flash. Anyway, I applied for and have an interview in an ICU for a large teaching hospital. I'm nervous about the type of questions they will ask because I'm trying to get into ICU for the training! Should I expect to get questions about drips/medications? Or how to manage certain patients? Do you think I should try to stick in out in the ED for a year and then transfer? I love my ED, like the staff, generally feel OK at work but the nights when I'm overwhelmed I'm REALLY overwhelmed and I keep thinking to myself, "get some critical care training, then go back to the ED". Thoughts?

My mom (who lives in another city) has been sicker than a dog for the last week. Worst headache of her life, 8/10 low back pain, worst on the right flank, fever, chills, extreme fatigue. Decreased UOP with burning and foul odor. States, "I'm pretty sure I've got a raging kidney infection". I drove 2.5 hours to see her on Sunday, and once there, took one look at her and said, "You need to go to the ED for antibiotics and some fluid". She refused all night long, I finally drug her into her PCP's office on Monday AM. The PCP wanted to admit her right away, but my mom balked. She got started on antiobiotics ASAP and I had go to home. I called last night - SHE FELT WORSE, advised her again to go to the ED but she refused. She called her PCP for advice, the PCP again advised her to go to the hospital but said, "Its up to you. You will feel worse before you feel better with this kidney infection". When I asked my mom why she wasn't going to the hospital even though she felt worse and she says, "Well, your dad and I feel I don't need to go after talking with a real professional". Ouch. Thanks Mom. Not only am I worried about you, but the "real professional" and I agree that you should be in the hospital. ARGH! (through gritted teeth) I DO hope you get better soon!

Thank you all for your encouragement. I'm scheduled to work tonight, so it helps to have kind words to start me off!

I am a new grad working in the busiest ED (but not the highest acuity) in the state. I've been off residency for nearly 3 months now, and get assigned the "front" rooms about 1/3 of my shifts. Last night was the first time I had a patient code on me (not arrive cpr in progress, etc). Home vent patient, large abdominal wound draining MRSA, SOB and with a syncopal episode. Medics gave a worthless history, which was surprising because they seemed to be at her house routinely. On arrival we had a hard time getting the monitor to read her rhythm without a lot of artifact, so I just pulled the crash cart over and hooked her up to it hoping for a better tracing. I got one - it was a wide, bizzare ventricular EKG that I had a hard time identifying. She was worrying me, so I went out to the nurses station and told one of our 20+ year veterans, "Uh, I'm in over my head in room 10. Can you come take a look at her rhythm with me?" We walked in, took a look at the monitor and watched her go asystole in front of our eyes. The rest of was weird. We coded her for awhile, and she'd get a rhythm back and then lose it. She was semi-conscious, too, pushing the hands away who were attempting CPR at times. We ended up pacing her, but she didn't have much of an underlying rhythm. I run to get help when I start to get the sinking in my stomach that says "uncharted waters". I want to stay in the high acuity rooms because it is the only way I can learn, but at the same time I feel like I am a burden to the other nurses who come and help me out - they have a full assignment too. And unfortunately we don't staff by acuity. I'm in over my head, but the only way out is up. I have to keep learning to ever get better. What do you think?

so glad this thread caught my eye. i'm a new grad in the ED, have been on the floor for a month with a preceptor and started residency classes today. our educator came and talked to us about ketamine, and she stated that the hospital was looking into letting RN's push it. she was clear that at this point in time, only our docs are allowed to adminster it, but she was singing its praises like she was a drug rep. another girl in my class raised issue with its dissociative properties and predisposition to psychoses later in life, and the educator denied knowledge of this study and went on to talk about how often we use it. she then gave the example of ped's soaking up versed and not having it affect them like it would an adult, and using ketamine as a backup. her specific example was of a child needing a head ct and not being able to get them to lie still enough. we went over the adverse effects, and i asked why we would be giving a kid needing a head ct a drug that raises ICP. her response? "it doesn't happen often enough for it to be a problem - we like this dug and use it often" (!!). thank you all for your postings. my first day's lesson in the ed? don't trust what you hear unless you've done the research yourself. i won't be pushing ketamine unless i get a few more initials in my "RN".

I'm about ready to graduate from Everett. Strong program. I still have a lot to learn but what I've heard from co-workers @ the hospital in Everett is that its well known that Everett has a tough program that turns out good nurses. You also might want to look at this: https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/hpqa1/hps6/Nursing/documents/Nursing_Program_Pass_Rates.pdf Its the pass rates for programs in Washington for first-try Nclex takers. And as I was told when I applied to nursing schools: apply to more than one!!

the parents had asked me about the line, and i said that i often see blood in the line (true). i also added that as a tech, i don't do anything with ivs except take them out. they were satisfied (or at least didn't ask more questions) and i left the room. i just called the pt's nurse right away to let him know. it really sucks to have your scope of practice, whatever it is, undermined in front of your patients, so i try to never do that to anyone. if i have questions, i ask out of the pts earshot.

thank you all for your replies - i'll give some more background information on the story. the pt. in question was a 12-13 year old M in for n/v/d, and he was constantly getting up to go to the bathroom (taking his bag off the pole, holding (or having me hold it) up while he walked to the bathroom, etc. so for those of you who explained about gravity and excessive movement causing the line to back up, this makes more sense to me now. it was just further that i've ever seen a pt. back a line up before. for all of those adding your insight on when to keep the line/when not, thanks you. whlle it makes complete sense to me to keep an IV that is still patent (flushable) i think when it comes up for me i'll get rid of the tubing and start over. just a question: could it have backed up so much because it wasn't on a pump? like i said, it was pump tubing - had the cassette and all, but it was just flowing through gravity. i think i irritated the nurse by pointing it out, but it really did look like the kid was getting a transfusion!