mandy13086

I've never had it, given it tons of times though. One time, I came into my unit to a patient screaming bloody murder..top of her lungs, 1st thing in the morning. I asked 1 of the night nurses what was going on w/her..as she was to be my patient later..turns out they had IV KCl running, peripheral w/o being further diluted with additional NS. Ran in there and hung a bag to run concurrent...screaming stopped and I had an extremely happy & appreciative patient. I think of her every time I hang it now.

I would say it's as good as any of the other top university's..generally the technical ones aren't as good, but good nurses do still come out of those too. I wanna say a student had told me the other day that they had a 100% nclex pass rate right now. I went to UT when I was majoring in something else..and it's a very good school.

There definitely is patient interaction. I didn't attend UT'S nursing program, but I do have their students assigned to me on my floor. Idk how many semesters or how long until they get to have clinicals in the hospital, but they do.

Definitely agree. NPZ were implemented at both of the hospitals I work at and I did actually attempt to try it...wasn't Successful. For 1, not everyone participated so while some of us tried and lost time with our tasks & patients, we didn't receive the same help from others. So that was discouraging. But also, as previous posters said, I don't know that patient. Idk if they are allowed to have X to eat or drink, I don't even know if that confused patient is able to walk (and with only 1 assist). So I really am unable to be much help. Now in my old facility, PT and RN staff would keep the white boards up to date with ambulation recommendations as well as diet, but you're still hoping that team for that patient actually did so that day. My current hospital does not do either of those, except npo on the door so no way to know if they have anything specific on their diet. I tend to only go into another nurse's patient's room is their bed alarm is going off and/or they're yelling for help. Of course, for safety then, I will stop and then call their nurse/tech once I am in there and they are safe.

Competence takes time. You'll get there. Just be humble, realize what you don't know and don't be afraid of asking for help. Eventually you'll get to the point where you won't need to ask for help so much..and then you'll have people coming to you before you know it. On a medsurg floor, you will learn a lot in a very short time. Be open to learning as much as you can from anyone that will help you. Idk what your religious beliefs are, but I did a lot of praying the night before my shifts to help me keep my patients safe the following day. It helped me sleep some. I still struggled for a good night's sleep for the first few months..and I would come home nervous I might have forgotten something. And it still gets to me when I go back in the following day and learn my patient went to ICU in the middle of the night. That happens..has not been my fault any of the times, but always makes me wonder. Just do the very best you can. Look at lab results in the computer and get to understanding what they mean, what needs to be addressed with the MD immediately vs something that can wait. Don't assume they always check lab work every day..they're humans too and if you feel something isn't right, ask. They may not have seen that result. Sorry for this being long lol...I just remember what it was like to be so new. What personally worked for me..it may or may not for u, but I asked my boss if I was allowed to come in early so I could look up my patients before I got report. Neither boss I had minded and doing this significantly decreased my anxiety. A lot of nurses don't need to do this, I'd say about half my current floor does...but it's 30 uninterrupted minutes that I can scan all 5 or 6 patients..see what the overall plan is and what questions I have for the off going nurse and/or the MD when he/she rounds. It helps keep me organized. Just a suggestion.

This is exactly how I felt for awhile on my 1st nursing job. You should be worried..you'll have lives in your hands. But it'll get easier as you learn more. Hopefully you'll be surrounded by a good team that will help to boost your confidence. I assume you'll have a preceptor for awhile first and will learn a lot from him/her. You'll still be worried, you'll still stress out awhile, that gets easier and better, but it'll take some time. Best advice I could give a brand new nurse, I think, is if you ever aren't sure of something...ask. Never assume. There's always someone to ask so that you do the right and safe thing by the patient.

I'm an RN in Tampa and pay, with comparison to cost of living is OK. I have just under 2 years experience so the pay is approximately what someone else posted. For profit vs non profit definitely makes a huge difference. My previous hospital was for profit and the supplies and standards appeared overall much less than what I have now at a nonprofit. Better patient to nurse ratios as well. Definitely depends on the area and hospital.

If you're referring to university of s florida...they are extremely competitive..the 1st time my friend applied with a 3.8, she didn't get in. They take into account your cum gpa AND put a lot of weight into the essay they have you write. Most, if not all, respectable nursing programs are competitive though. However, some schools (like comm college ASN programs), look only at your gpa for nursing prereqs, not the other classes. That can help boost your gpa. But with a lower gpa, I'd suggest applying everywhere in the area..not just USF.

It definitely all depends where you are and what's available. As a new grad, my 1st hospital nursing position was days. There were actually a few new grads hired on days. After a year, I applied at a hospital chain closer to my home, a daytime position as well. I've never had to work nights. Some people have switched from days to nights due to the high stress level, but that was by choice...the day position had been there. Just keep looking :)

Idk if I would say it would help during school....but I think it definitely helped me to think nclex style in the 4th semester. If u can..taking it in the 3rd semester might have been helpful, but it helped with my nclex studying.

My first hospital didn't have the ER give report either. AND, they wouldn't scan given medications..or, at least they didn't show up on the MAR I could see. I would be told I was getting a patient, maybe 5 min before they were sent up..and there would be past due meds in the MAR, some were given, some were not. So I'd have to chase them down in the ER to find out what was or wasn't given. Such an unsafe practice. I LOVE that my current hospital makes ER nurses give report. I still don't always get enough notice, but at least I can glance at the system & history while taking report..and ask pertinent questions.

There probably is somewhere, but depending where you're working, you'll get your practice in. I work a med surg floor and do most of those things every day. You just get used to it over time.

A year and a half in and i still feel better prepared when I go in early. 6 months ago I started at a new hospital and many of the nurses there come in early to help themselves out. It's all about organization. You'll have plenty that will put u behind that u have no control over, so I'm a believer in trying to do whatever I can to get ahead so I'm prepared.

1.Come up with your own brain sheet that works for u so u can stay organized. 2 . learn who the docs are, esp if you're day shift. Much easier to just ask them for what you need when u see them round. 3. Time management is KEY. 4. Never be afraid of asking another more experienced nurse for advice if something doesn't "feel right" to u. 5. For me this works..but I go in 30 min early to look up my patients. This way I know who may be discharged, their histories, general info, I can have any questions ready that I may need for the offgoing nurse or rounding doc, I know who needs round the clock pain meds so I can plan for that, see some pertinent labs, etc. Check your facility's policy 1st though. 6. Realize that even though you've graduated, there's a LOT you don't know..that's normal, but ask when necessary. I'm sure there's more, but that's what I think of right now. I've only been a nurse for a year and a half..so I remember being freshly brand new.

I also come into work a half hour early to begin looking up info on my patients. I can't clock in until 7 min before the shift starts, but I'm able to plan my day MUCH more efficiently, ask specific questions during report, and have some questions ready for when the docs round. I work with some very good nurses and at my current facility, it's rare I'm not given pertinent information during report, but it's happened, no one is perfect. Plus I find that my mornings are very very busy & knowing which patients have a high chance of being discharged that morning helps me to know who I need to chart on first so there's no hold up. I wish I could be like the nurses that go in just before their shift starts, I'd love the extra sleep. But, the couple times I tried that, I felt rushed, unsure and behind. It eases my own mind to know more info about my patients than what a 2 minute report can give me.