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.

I work at Florida hospital and it's 5 to 1, max of 6 to 1 on a medsurg unit. I used to work at an HCA facility and there it was 6 to 1 with a max of 7 to 1. I believe TGH and St Joe's, on a medsurg unit, will probably typically be the 5 to 1. Seems to depend partly on hospital chain as well as how many nurses each unit does or doesn't have. And specialty medsurg units may differ depending on the type of patients too.

I first bought mine before I decided to be a nurse & I hadnt been single at the time, so things are much more different now than when I first adopted him. But I've been working twelves now for over a year and he's been doing fine. Infrequent accidents. I just walk him as close to me leaving as possible and I always go right home after work to let him out. If I make plans to have dinner or know I'll be late, I ask one of my friends or mom if they could let him out for him so he can go. It's possible.

I haven't been a nurse but a year, but i can't see if being a horrible idea for a general ballpark. I sure wouldn't want to relocate then struggle financially. You aren't looking for a quote, but just need to have a decent range given your specific experience.

U don't just "adjust"..especially as a student. I don't feel I adjusted until I was the RN, not the student, and it is now my job & shift. I felt very exhausted when i did my six 12 hour clinicals. U just make it through and focus. Let yourself learn as much as you can cuz there is so much difference between doing a 7 to 3 clinical than a 12 hour one. Don't watch the time..it'll make it pass slower. Just absorb anything and everything u can. You'll make it through.

Nursing school is tough and you can't be carefree about it..not if you want to succeed. Advice is just to focus and remind yourself that it isn't forever. You'll get your free time back. But maybe when you work out, have someone from class come with you. Workout your frustrations together. The best people to lean on during nursinf school are your classmates. They know exactly how u feel: the stress, lack of time for fun, extreme workload, nervousness, etc. Lean on them...they'll lean back and great friendships will form out of this not so great environment. Trust me. Been there. I worked full time, did nursing school full time, and managed to Workout and lose 40lbs..it's doable, just stressful.

I've had, i think, 3 maybe 4 patients with EJ's in the last maybe 5 months. Catches me offguard every time..and you won't find me making that attempt for a peripheral line.

It has its positives anf negatives. It does in fact take longer to give and get report, especially when you are waking the patient up by just walking in & they ask to be taken to the bathroom (I work at a hospital in a primarily elderly area). Or when you may have to explain things in layman's terms instead of quickly going thru in medical terms. However, it is a good thing when patients have had surgery or have some kind of wound-especially if things aren't healing right..so u can lay eyes on it with the offgoing nurse, who can say it looks better/worse/unchanged..so i can let the dr know. & I've had it happen where a patient was stable, no issues the day before, we did bedside report and the nurse saw he was ok..but not long into her shift, he had drastic changes & i transferred him to ICU the next morning. It definitely has its uses..and it can help us as well..but it still is often quite time consuming. I imagine nearly every hospital will eventually be doing it. But having it so patients can text the nurse? Bad idea...constantly ringing cell phones with docs, techs, family members, telemetry, UC's, transport...etc is already too much some days..I can't imagine having my patients constantly text me.

I don't use Epic, unfortunately...but when I have a pill that needs to be cut in half, this is what I do to help me remember: At the pyxis, when I'm pulling out the medication, I'll see that the dose needs to be halved & will put a mark on the pill package on the side of the barcode. Then, in the room, the system reminds me that the dose I have scanned is too much (which I know since I knew it had to be cut), so I set that 1 aside from the rest & continue scanning. Once finished, that's most often the first medication that I remove from the packaging while it's fresh in my mind to cut it. Just an idea for any other newer nurses out there.

I've never lied and I've only been working as a nurse since June. I generally appear confident in front of them (even when i was "faking it till I made it") so when they ask me, they usually tell me they're shocked cuz I seem like such a good nurse that they expected me to say years. I've been lucky though because even if I didn't know something, my coworkers have been anazing at helping me to learn and not make me look incompetent with those new things. But no, never lied and never had anyone be nervous about that.

You're welcome. I think the 12 month internship sounds great..IF they have multiple openings on multiple floors. You could also like a floor, feel u fit, but they never have an opening. Idk what their internships/training are like, but i don't think a whole year is necessary. I did 8 weeks..though I'm on a medsurg floor, but honestly, while you learn a LOT with a preceptor/trainer, you learn a lot more once you're on your own anyway. Just my opinion :)