bionicscode

I don't know what I could say to ease your distress. For me nursing school was a much more distressing endeavor. I was sick all the time: I had a chronic cough that would cause me to deSat in the 80s and I would pass out. this is when I wasn't projectile vomit. The university clinic ran $2500 worth of tests before it was determine I was having acid reflux due to stress. Thankfully, I graduated and got a job where I intern as a nurse tech and did clinicals as a student, so I was familiar with most aspects of the EMR. Being around the environment for two years help me acclimate to procedures and cultures. It has helped a lot. Some staff thought I was a LVN before I graduated. but im still terrified of the doctors. Some are arrogant. A lot are foreign born, so I have I cant understand them to save my life. Im afraid to answeriung their questions wrong or not know vital information. So I changed my gameplan to coming in 90 minutes early to look at the patients' charts (H&P, latest orders and labs, drugs, VS...) and make a schedule for the day before I get report from the night nurse. I wont get pay extra but at least I get to keep my sanity.. My advice: if your mgr is a reasonable person, set up a time to discuss your concerns. Don't go in there a rambling mess. Discuss your concerns in an analytical, dispassionate fashion. let the mgr know that you are concern that you won't succeed professionally when you are having so much trouble with their systems and culture. Have a plan on how to be successful ready to present to the person and a list of things that you need from them ready (write it down if you need to). If the hospital has an education nurse or staff member that regularly audits the charts, requests training with them. Also, ask for "cheat" sheets so you may find common charting needs in the EMR. Second, be confident with the doctors and try to make some kind of connection: let them know that you're a recent grad trying to get acclimated with the hospital. let them know you'll have to confirm their orders so you want make an error. Lastly, find yourself a mentor. Try to get on the same rotation with them. COmpare notes once a week, so you can get input. If all this doesn't work, change your game plan. with you being an FNP student, you may be taking on too much. Maybe school should be your priority. You may need to find a job that is not as demanding until you finish your program. Nurses aren't superheroes. Don't overload yourself and set your self up for failure. Sometimes delaying your goals (i.e. working in a teaching hospitals) can be advantageous long term.

I struggled all throughout my BSN program. My grades fluctuated between "A"s and "F"s, without rhyme or reason. If I studied for 40 hours, I'll get an "F." If I study for 8 hours I'd get an "A." The faculty punished an instructor for tutoring 60 students (how dare she tutor students on her free time and help us bring our grades up 10 to 30 points!), and I was prepared to give up. I persevere, even when I ended up homeless and living in my car, so I could pay my $8000 tuition. So you can imagine that I'm still in a state of shock when I found out a few days ago, I passed NCLEX on my first try with 75 questions in less than an hour! I was so gratefully, considering I would have lost my GN permit and would have been fired from my job with my IMC unit. What was most remarkable was that I hadn't taken Hurst or Kaplan (I couldn't afford it). All I had was the ATI book from the 3 day course we had at school (I got 1/2 through the book and failed to do the review questions from the ATI website) before I had to start orientation for work. I studied for a few weeks from my ATI book and then for a month I was focus on my critical care class*** and clinicals for work. Which makes me wonder if these review courses are all bunk. I'm not the best student but I did well on the standardize test. I got about 15 SATA, 5 reorder questions, 10 priority questions, and number of other alternative questions. Obviously, I knew what I was doing. And I left the testing center feeling that NCLEX had not challenge me at all (maybe my nursing program is harder than the test?) I was wondering if anyone else had similar experience education and testing-wise? Are nursing review courses necessary if you can understand the material and the underlying rationales? What are your thoughts? ***I did take part in lectures for work and did test questions and prep work for ICU nursing from AACN, so maybe that was a factor.