ANRN2B

Central Pa diploma program person here. Almost all grads are offered positions at the hospital, and the local Penn State campus is where we complete our 1 year RN to BSN program. Starting rate is fantastic considering the low cost of living. Unfortunately, not much in terms of fun activities to be had here. Hospital also still pays 100% of that BSN (the last I heard). A friend graduated in 2013 and had no problem getting into Penn State Hershey Med after a few months experience at the school hospital and just her lil 'ole diploma. Diploma program doesn't necessarily mean career suicide in some places yet.

Thanks, Don! You hit on what I did eventually figure out, that your total mL will be 52, not 54 because the order is for 20mg, not 40mg. I knew there was something I was missing at first, it just took me a few extra minutes to figure out what it was. phillygirl: The way I set up this problem is: total volume 52 x gtt factor 60 gtt/min divided by total time 60 min. to get a final answer of 52 gtt/min. Just like I learned on DosageHelp.com, which I discovered thanks to the helpful people of this site gtt/min = total volume x gtt factor total time----> I can't get "total time" line up right, but I hope you get the idea.

Ok, I think I may have figured it out. A microdrop set equals 60gtt/min. So I have taken 54ml x 60gtt/min and divided that by 60 min. to come with an answer of 54gtt/min. I'm still not 100% sure I'm correct because I'm thinking there is still more calculating to be done. I need to think about this some more.

I'm having a problem with the following question: Order: Pepcid (famotidine) 20mg IVPB q. 12h. The label on the 4ml. vial reads 10mg/mL. The manufacturer recommends adding the famotidine to 50mL of D5W and infusing the medication over 60 minutes. At how many microdrops per minute will you set the IVPB solution to infuse? This is exactly how the question is written. I am at a total loss here. Do I first figure out how many mg need to be given in 60 min? Am I crazy in thinking that I need tubing calibration info in order to ultimately solve this problem? I'm so lost

Stargazer, if I was assigned as your student nurse I would consider myself very fortunate indeed. You really seem to get where us students are coming from. It's not a matter of laziness, or unwillingness to help. I'm simply following the rules of my program. Of course we will have the opportunity to do the more complex tasks as we advance in the program. And once I've been signed off on more than just therapeutic communication and vitals, I will be the first to run up and down the halls looking for RN's, LPN's and CNA's to offer my assistance to. And I will be the first to step up to participate in complex bedside procedures. Oh well, thank goodness the nurses I actually deal with in real life have no problem with our temporary limitations. Apparently there still are advantages to hospital based diploma programs. By the way, our program is actually VERY liberal in what they allow us to do in clinicals. We have 100% job placement (you read that right), and has been around since the late 1800's (you read that right as well), but we've only had 2 clinical days so far so we're not exactly at the point of being capable of running around shoving various objects into unfamiliar orifices.

Is this thread seriously for real? Nurses getting upset over the fact that students won't break the rules?? Wow... This has nothing to do with not being motivated, not wanting to take charge of my education, or stepping up to the plate, or being "brave". It has everything to do with not getting kicked out of my program. Period, end of story. Student nurses and new grads seemed d*mned if they do, and d*mned if they don't around this place. Sheesh.

We risk the same fate. For as much as I would love to assist and learn new tasks, I will not take the chance of getting in trouble or getting kicked out of my program. My instructor has made it VERY clear we are not to go beyond what we are allowed to do, which at this point is nothing more than therapeutic communication and doing vitals. The other day I could not even assist the RN with giving the pt. a boost. I appreciate the fact that my awesome instructor is easing us into this whole new world and I know my time to shine will come :)

I would like this 1,000 times if I could.

Did I miss some details along the way? How does "sharing a chair" suddenly become "making out"??

Thanks! :) By the way, I'm not a new grad. Oopsies...

For all we HONESTLY, TRULY know is.....absolutely nothing. This whole story could be made up in an attempt to yet again down the "young, pretty" types.

Planning outcome and evaluation is in there as well. Check out chapters 5 and 6.

I know exactly which Snoopy watch you are talking about and I have wanted one ever since I was a kid! Haven't got one yet though

..........Thanks for sharing?.........

I see. I attended public school in the 80's and we basically had three choices, the academic course work, business course work, or vocational training. We were never given a syllabus of any kind. I do believe that today's students have no reason whatsoever to not achieve honor roll status. During my pre-req studies I found that the amount of resources now available such as Youtube and Khan Academy make earning exceptional grades almost ridiculously simple.

I live in a depressed, rural area where the average wage falls roughly between minimum wage and $12.00/hr. for the majority. The cost of the average home is around $90,000. Once I successfully complete my hospital affiliated diploma program, pass nclex and begin at the hospital that employs ALL of its students (that want to work for them), the $25.00/hr the hospital starts its new grads at will seem like a financial windfall compared to the other $8.25-$12.00/hr jobs I myself have held within the medical field over the course of the last 15 or so years. It may not be considered "big money" to others, but it will be comfortable enough living for me.

Do they utilize syllabi in primary education now? It's been 25 years since I've attended and don't have kids so I seriously do not know. What I find shameful is a lack of education in regards to proper money management such as starting a budget, acquiring a line of credit, and balancing a checkbook. But that is a subject for another thread.

I'm hoping we'll receive our syllabus next Monday so I can do the very same thing. The sooner I can see my first semester more or less laid out before me, the sooner I can get a grip on my new student jitters!

Ahhh, ok, I get it now! Just a lighthearted thread of friendly banter that goes BOTH ways. Silly me, from the looks of those first several threads I thought this was yet another demeaning thread fueled by the usual suspects to put down the noobs....but I guess we've had enough of those threads for the week...amma right?? Oops, I meant...am. I. right.? Guess I could stick around long enough to throw out a few snarky remarks about not peeing for 18 hours straight and cry about the young, fit blonde who keeps trying to push me into retirement...but I believe I'll just mosey on back to the student section where the mood is actually a little lighter. I've got plenty of humor...even that dark stuff that the "seasoned" nurses think they've cornered the market on...but I guess the posters here just aren't doing it for me tonight? Hmmmmm..... Oh well, c'est la vie! It's all good fun!

What is up with the need for posters to constantly be downing other posters on this forum? Every day is another post belittling others behavior. So some people don't use proper English...or they ask dumb questions...or they come here looking for the answers to the universe...and yes, God forbid, they don't agree with you *gasp!*. Turn off the computer, build a bridge and get over it already.

My grandmother stayed at home with her children till I believe the youngest was in high school, then spent the rest of her working years as a textile factory worker. She retired at age 65. My pappy (yes, I called him pappy) was a bootleg coal miner who's "career" ended early, mid 50's?, due to black lung. They scrimped and saved and lived below their means and were both able to not only live a comfortable retirement into their 80's, but also left a nice amount to their 5 children. God bless them. I miss them terribly. I truly believe it is what you do with it that counts.

Thank you for this. It helped to calm the nerves of this soon to be nursing student!

Starting September 8th!! Good luck everyone! :)

Starting in September too!

As long as your monthly income exceeds your monthly expenses, it's really VERY simple. Add up all monthly expenses and divide by 2 if you are paid biweekly, 4 if you are paid weekly. This amount is what you must put away each and every paycheck to cover your expenses. Now the beauty of this is not only will you have the money already to set aside before each bill comes due, but you also end up with 4 "free" weeks worth of pay each year to do with as you wish. Savings, vacay, home repairs, etc. Example: hubby and I budget our home, property taxes, heating oil (expensive!), car payment, car insurance, cellphones, internet/cable and electric. We don't do our gas and groceries, but you could. Our budget amount divided by 2 comes to $1130. We put that away EVERY paycheck. Yeah, it's the middle of summer and you could say we're spending money on heating oil, but it's being set aside in our account and will be there to cover NEXT winter's heat! We're miles ahead of 95% of the people we know when it comes to money management. Our "free" paychecks have been used as our fun money in the past, but now that the start of school is just around the corner, we've been funneling it into savings. We live within our means, we make sure bill money is set aside, we have a comfortable savings for emergencies and we get snarky comments at family functions from the people who refuse to manage their money responsibly. (I like to believe the snarky comments mean I'm doing something RIGHT!). If you're paid weekly, start setting your calculated "budget amount" with the last paycheck of a 5 pay period month. Continue on from there and reap the rewards. God willing, once I'm through school and working our "free" paychecks will be used to cover BIG travel plans :) Several members of my family taught me this type of budgeting many moons ago (the in-laws are the irresponsible ones), and it took me forever to finally do it, but in the last 6 or 7 years I've been doing this budget it hasn't let me down once!