mikasa

I work at an ICU and started as a new grad. I've been an RN for a little over a year now. I floated and had a pt that had labs drawn at 0200, I came in at 0700. There K was WNL but mag was a little low. However they were not on a replacement protocol, usually they are if they are a cardiac pt, so I didn't think anything of it. The night RN also didn't think anything of it. I didn't see this pt being a cardiac pt, this was not a cardiac ICU. However, this pt has been getting one time doses of lasix. Sooo, I get floated back down to my unit. The charge calls me 3 hrs later, right at the end of my shift and said that she just didn't understand the situation. Basically saying why didn't this pt's k and mag get replaced especially when she is getting lasix and is a cardiac pt? She was having rhythm changes at this time. She also said "I won't write you up since it is not fully your responsibility to check labs, the cardiac MD should have also been aware." I was kicking myself!!!! I really didn't even think about it and didn't really see this pt as a cardiac pt. I was also pissed that the charge nurse was thinking about writing me up. It made me so scared. I feel stupid and I was making constant excuses in my head..like the night RN should have replaced it blah blah blah. And I was thinking about the pt the whole time and hoping that they were ok. I just can't stop thinking about this situation.

You could buy a stethoscope cover?

Every new grad is inexperienced, so don't worry! I've been a nurse for a little over a year. I remember I put my nursing assistant experiences and also my clinical experiences (hospital, unit, start date to end date). I asked two of my favorite clinical instructors and they were all happy to be references. I think instructors expect students to ask and are glad to help. I also asked the supervisor, charge nurse, and other nurses I've worked with to be my references. Hope that helps!

I'm a recent new grad and have been working in the CV ICU for close to 5 months and I've really enjoyed it and have also been overwhelmed but it's the unit I've always wanted to work in! Anyways, my goal has always been to get into anesthesia school. I know I need at least a year experience. What should I do until then to increase my chances of getting in? I plan on getting my CCRN once I get enough clinical hrs. What else?? Thanks!!

Hi future nurses :) I promised myself that if I passed the NCLEX , I would post how I studied and my kaplan test results! I had low Kaplan results and was nervous to take the NCLEX but I studied for about 4 weeks and thought enough is enough let's get the exam over with! I took it 2 weeks ago. Here are my Q-trainer results: Q1: 60% Q2: 58.7% Q3: 45% Q4: 46% Q5: 48.7% Q6: 55% Q7: 55% Sample test results: 1: 52% 2: 60% 3: 73% 4: 30% As you can see I didn't have the best test scores. This really discouraged me but I kept going. I only studied about 4 hours everyday except on days that I work. I work part-time 12 hour shifts. When I did study, all I did was go through about 60-75 questions from the q-bank or did one of the tests. I went through the rationale and also went through the Kaplan content review book. I completed 100% of the q-bank (cumulative score was 57%) and re-did most questions I got incorrect and all the tests. I read every single rationale even the questions I got correct. Sometimes I went through them twice. I wrote down notes on topics that I found difficult for me to remember (exp, OB topics). I read through maybe 90% of the Kaplan content review book. I did NOT study pharm, I pretty much skipped that chapter. I did this because I found it impossible to remember every single drug and their names and their side effects. I did not want to stress myself even further. This maybe wasn't the best thing to do. I did have a couple of med questions. I memorized lab values. I concentrated on my weak areas like OB. And I read through that 32 page NCLEX review that I found on this website. Also like 2 days before my exam date, I read OB content on the Saunder comprehensive review textbook. Yes, I had Saunders and barely used it because the questions were soo much easier than Kaplan. I found Kaplan to be very similar and actually harder than NCLEX. I had about 7-10 SATAs, infectious disease/isolation, and priority questions. Lastly, my school made us take a Kaplan review course the month of May which all we did was go through questions with a speaker and talked about the rationale. So that is all I did and I passed! I just wanted to give some hope to people who have gotten low Kaplan scores. However, I would like to say I was a good nursing student and was on the Dean's list 3 times during the program and I also have very good memory. Don't focus on the scores but make sure to go through the rationales! Good luck everyone :)

Yay! Congratulations!! Doesn't it feel soooo good to be done!?!

Don't freak out! I took the test last week and passed at 75 questions. I thought I BOMBED the exam. I didn't get any med calculations and only had like 7-10 SATAs.

I always worked part-time which was about 2 shifts a week. Mostly friday, sat, or sun. If I had an exam on a monday, I would try to take sunday off and study. I focused on homework during the week and tried to finish homework a couple of days before it was due, or at least start on it.

Hi everyone, I'm in my last semester of nursing school so I need to start looking for positions! I currently work in CVICU as a nursing aide. They don't hire new grads so I've been talking to the nurses and they told me I should start emailing the other units. MICU/SICU hire new grads so I'm planning on emailing the manager. I don't want to sound desperate but confident. I want it to be short and direct. What should I say? I'm planning on putting something like this in the email.. My name is .......and I currently work in the cardiovascular unit as a nursing assistant. I am a nursing student at .......and will be graduating in May with a BSN. I'm interested in working in the ICU and have heard that the unit hires new graduates. I pretty much just put that together. I don't really know what to say next...HELP!!

All my instructors have said that they like a certain unit as a student but once they became a nurse they found themselves switching to a unit that they never expected they like but now they love! I am hoping that I end up in a unit that I absolutely love and your right, maybe I will like peds! Lol Thank you for the advice

Hello! I'm a senior and have to choose which area to precept in and I'm not sure which one I should pick! I enjoy working with older adults, I do NOT want to work with pediatrics. I currently work as a nursing aide at cardiovascular ICU. I'm really thinking about going to Anesthesia school but that's far in the future and I know I have to have a couple years of ICU experience before applying. So I'm wondering if I should precept in the ICU but I already work in the ICU...or should I choose a different unit so I can experience something new? Here's a couple of choices that interest me: Critical care adult (CICU, MICU, SICU), Cardiac/telemetry step down unit, Ed & Trauma, Mental Health & CD, General Med/Surg So, I'm not guaranteed a unit. I have to choose my top 3. What unit do you think will benefit me? I see what they do at the ICU and the nurses I work with tell me I should precept in telemetry because I'll learn a lot there. What do you think? Thanks!

You could start by looking at certain skills like how to check a patient's blood pressure and you can practice on your family if you have your own cuff and stethoscope if not watch videos on youtube! And other skills such as intradermal, intramuscular, and subq injections. Know electrolyte imbalances like normal ranges and labs such blood count and what normal hemoglobin, hematocrit, WBC, etc are. I hope this helps a little :)

I love my dog and I got him at the animal humane society as a puppy pretty much around the time I just entered the nursing program. Dogs are hard work especially puppies. Make sure you have time for them. My dog is very energetic, he loves walks, he loves running around the house, he LOVES attention. Sometimes I don't have time for that due to school and work. He is crate trained but I don't like leaving him in there for long periods of time. When he was a puppy I was SO stressed. I even broke down and cried because I felt like I was doing everything wrong and felt that I wasn't good enough for him. Now about 2 years later things have gotten much better. I'm use to my dog's good/bad habits and he is use to my schedule. It's almost like having a kid around the house. You have to be there for them and thinking about them all the time. But of course I love my dog and wouldn't change a thing but just be prepared and do your research because I didn't!!! Lol Good luck :)

Why didn't you get your nursing assistant certification? Maybe you need to fix your resume. Your school should have someone to assist you with that. I met with someone at my school and they opened my eyes about my resume. I changed a lot of things and formatted it a different way. Did you put your clinical experiences? Don't forget to put your school experiences and your knowledge about medical terminology, medical administration, etc. I agree with what ^^ said about trying nursing homes just so you have some experience. After graduating, I think it is possible to find a job. At least in my area there seems to be a lot of open positions. Good luck