bthynn

Well I read thru these posts and there is not much to add... I think the fact that they realize they failed you in orientation and are going to give you more is a good thing...alot of times orientations for new grads are cut short and they are just thrown to the wolves...which is not good. But, look at your hospital's policy on Chest Pains...most get at least an INT..you never know tillthe labs are back if it is true cardiac or not...and EKG is not diagnostic of cardiac only ischemia due to cardiac. Keep learning thats what nursing is all about...when you think there is nothingmore to learn then it is time to get out of nursing..... Good Luck and hope you enjoy the ER as much as I do!!

I checked ACLS.net and it has finally been updated to the new guidelines..

I checked ACLS.net and it has finally been updated to the new guidelines. But nothing replaces the manual and the pretest. The pretest is alot like the post test.... I am an ACLS instructor and preparation is the key to not being overwhelmed in ACLS Good Luck!

Make sure the sites you use to study are up to date with the guidelines...some have not been updated.

Yes get the manual and there should be dvd in it that you can use withthe pretest. Please do not use any of the online sites for ACLS...last time I looked they had not been updated tot he new guidelines. Good Luck..

I am a BLS and ACLS instructor and I think ACLS has gone from high stress to low stress...I think with the new changes that AHA made that ACLS does seem easier...but that is because the treatments have been clumped together making it easier to learn instead of learning a different treatment plan for every disrhythmia. Our classes are Pass/Fail and if there is some part you are having trouble on then we will remediate and let you take it again or come back another day and do mega-code...people still get all in a wad when they come to a first time class...and you cannot learn when you are stressed...you will retain more info if you are relaxed and it is interesting. I think every nurse should have ACLS...you never know when you might need it. As for dental assistants and other disiplines...If you are working on an office that does sedations...you need ACLS...if you don't have it and you assist with sedations then I do not want to come there to have a procedure done. ACLS is a team approach and no you may not remember everything thats why you have a team and should have the algorhythms on each crashcart.

My daughter thinks I am horrible....I never listen to her complain...when she says my head hurts I ask have you had any tylenol... I ignored her 1x and she ended up with strep for christmas.... The next time she ended up with mono...I know I am bad...but just cannot stand to hear complaining... She always tells me she will have to be half dead before I wil listen to her. My sister who is not a nurse refuses to let my other sister who sia nurse and I discuss work at the table...she says we gross her out talking about the guy who got shot in the back and it came out his ear.. My mom was a nurse also so it does not bother her...i do have to watch my tongue when i am out on dates have scared a few off with my stories of the ER:lol2:

I just let it all go....usually have to tell whoever made me mad what they did.... If it is stressed about the day or the work conditions I usually turn the radio on and sing along then go home and walk the dog and walk away the stress.. My job now is less stressful so do not have to do that as much might be why my dog is getting fat..lol I can agree with the poster who talks about being understaffed and busy ...my biggest complaint is that is usually the day you never see the house supervisor...no one seems to care ifyou got lunch or if you are even still breathing....those kinds of days get me.

Hello...I have beenout of the ER for a few weeks...but this thread made me laugh! I forgot about looking at the triage screen and groaning not again....we just saw her yesterday.. We have a pt who's name is Kitty but we cal her meow...so aas not to jinx ourselves and have to see her again. we use initials alot and also say so and so your sister is back we had a psych pt that used to come we called Cheesy... i will have to think of some more

Why I became a nurse..... Here it goes when I was 18 I had been accepted to a 4 yr university into thier new Dental hygeine program....but I had a boyfriend who kept telling me he could not believe I would go to college and leave him...well then I too ended up being a teenage mom and wife...so for 5 yrs I put all my educational plans on hold... My father had begged me to go to nursing school told me he would pay but I told him i did not want to be a nurse like my Mom and Sister.... I started college at the community college when my daughter started preschool...I tried computers...did not like it...tried business...did not like it...tried accounting...hated it...by this time I was working in a local hospital as a Unit Clerk and alot of my friends were finishing up nursing school...so I changed my major and got my AD in 1994..so 13 yrs later..I just finished my 1st semester for my BSN.. Thinking I may get my Masters and teach...but ilove Nursing and Love Helping People!!!

Ok I do not usually post i just lurk.... but here it goes I agree that nursing school no longer prepares nurses for the real world and then they have taken away alot of the extern programs too..if they still have them then the extern just works as a glorified Aide..but is able to do some skills such as IV's and foleys..etc. I have been a nurse for 13 yrs have worked med-surg and never had less than 7 pts unless the census was low then they would send everyonehome and you would still end up with 7-8 or more....I went to ER...not alot better...assigned to 4 beds but if it was busy...still ended up with a big load... Nursing is a hard profession and not as glamorous as it is made out to be...I enjoy pt care very much and love the hands on care...but someone needs to let new nurses know that it is a hard job and sometimes the loads are heavy...we have so many new grads that are so unaware of how it really is...but the most important part of it is that you are helping someone and providing a service that only you can give to that patient... Maybe. you should talk to your manager and let them know you are overwhelmed and see if they have any suggestions. Goodluck to all the nursing students and if youcan do an extern program...do it...it at least gets you used to the unit and the hospital and how things work.....

Here is a good one...busy saturdayin the ER ambulance calls in bringing a pt that had just had surgery on her toe and was having severe pain.. Pt arrived with something red on her toe with the odor of ketchup... pt demand percocet 10 for her severe pain the md gave her ES Tylenol and he said she had bbq sauce on her toe...we asked if he tasted it...needless to say she left unhappy.

At the ED where I work we have a tracking board where registration enters basic info name,dob, and complaint.......then the patient is triaged if the pt is deemed nonurgent by triage they are sent back to registration. If the pt needs immediate attention then they are taken back to a bed triaged at bedside then bedside registration is done. But bedside registration does hold up the ordering of tests......We have one MD who wants all pts brought straight back to a bed and registered at the bedside.....but he does not understand you cannot fillup all the beds with toothaches when you have ambulances on the way. Also we do not have the staffing to use all our beds in the ED so we cannot fill them all up unless it is emergent. Anyone have any ideas how to fix this problem. Thanks Beth

I hate to see new nurses that get no help...but then sometimes floors are just so understaffed that taking time with a student is more than you can do. I precept students and new nurses also. I think the one on one approach works better....there is more learning going on. I have also worked in places where you have go do your job and try not to worry about everything else it is hard. Good luck to the students......you will find nurses who care.....