V SPN

I'm a RN student in my ob/gyn clinical rotation and I'm just wondering, are there any male OB nurses around. Or would I be the only one?

Wow! Thank you all! I suspected, but was not positive, that the lower level of patient acuity on a Med-Surg floor was enough to 'compensate' for a new grad at risk of dropping a ball or two. OUCH! The director of my program says, in effect, 'God forbid she ever sends nursing students out into the real world thinking they've learned all they need know instead of just getting started'. Still, I am so very uneasy about using real live patients as a training ground without 'back-up' (and I'm an A student). TracyRN said it best "School gives you just enough knowledge to be dangerous." That's exactly how I feel. Again, thank you all for your time and consideration.

Wow! Thank you all! I suspected, but was not positive, that the lower level of patient acuity on a Med-Surg floor was enough to 'compensate' for a new grad at risk of dropping a ball or two. OUCH! The director of my program says, in effect, 'God forbid she ever sends nursing students out into the real world thinking they've learned all they need know instead of just getting started'. Still, I am so very uneasy about using real live patients as a training ground without 'back-up' (and I'm an A student). TracyRN said it best "School gives you just enough knowledge to be dangerous." That's exactly how I feel. Again, thank you all for your time and consideration.

I'm in my first year of a two year RN program (NYS) and it is a BEAR! It is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I've got a supportive mate, a intelligent 9 year old child (going on 21), supportive instructors, an a short commute. Think long and hard about the quailty of life issue/trade offs you will have to make. I suggest that you talk to others who've been through the same/simlar program and who you think are LIKE YOU,(family, circumstances, personality, etc.) before you decide.

I'm in my first year of a two year RN program (NYS) and it is a BEAR! It is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I've got a supportive mate, a intelligent 9 year old child (going on 21), supportive instructors, an a short commute. Think long and hard about the quailty of life issue/trade offs you will have to make. I suggest that you talk to others who've been through the same/simlar program and who you think are LIKE YOU,(family, circumstances, personality, etc.) before you decide.

To the veterans- The conventional wisdom on this board, with my instructors, and others seems to be that the best place for a new grad to start out is on the Med-Surg floor. I don't understand this. It seems to me that you would need more experience to work Med-Surg than a specialty. To wit: as a Med-Surg nurse I would have 6 to 10 patients, each with their own issues, this one a NG tube, that one a chest drain, etc. each with their own chart and meds. The other floor nurses have their own charges, so back-up is limited, and the Doctor is on the other end of the phone. As an OR nurse, RR nurse, or other lower ratio nurse/patient position, I would be sitting on top of the patient, watching them with both eyesballs wide open, as would the Doctor next to me, and perhaps a number of other medical specialists. Yes, additional training and skills would be required, but it seems a more focused and straightforward environment. What am I missing here, could someone give me a clue? Thankx. V-

To the veterans- The conventional wisdom on this board, with my instructors, and others seems to be that the best place for a new grad to start out is on the Med-Surg floor. I don't understand this. It seems to me that you would need more experience to work Med-Surg than a specialty. To wit: as a Med-Surg nurse I would have 6 to 10 patients, each with their own issues, this one a NG tube, that one a chest drain, etc. each with their own chart and meds. The other floor nurses have their own charges, so back-up is limited, and the Doctor is on the other end of the phone. As an OR nurse, RR nurse, or other lower ratio nurse/patient position, I would be sitting on top of the patient, watching them with both eyesballs wide open, as would the Doctor next to me, and perhaps a number of other medical specialists. Yes, additional training and skills would be required, but it seems a more focused and straightforward environment. What am I missing here, could someone give me a clue? Thankx. V-

To the veterans- The conventional wisdom on this board, with my instructors, and others seems to be that the best place for a new grad to start out is on the Med-Surg floor. I don't understand this. It seems to me that you would need more experience to work Med-Surg than a specialty. To wit: as a Med-Surg nurse I would have 6 to 10 patients, each with their own issues, this one a NG tube, that one a chest drain, etc. each with their own chart and meds. The other floor nurses have their own charges, so back-up is limited, and the Doctor is on the other end of the phone. As an OR nurse, RR nurse, or other lower ratio nurse/patient position, I would be sitting on top of the patient, watching them with both eyesballs wide open, as would the Doctor next to me, and perhaps a number of other medical specialists. Yes, additional training and skills would be required, but it seems a more focused and straightforward environment. What am I missing here, could someone give me a clue? Thankx. V-

To the veterans- The conventional wisdom on this board, with my instructors, and others seems to be that the best place for a new grad to start out is on the Med-Surg floor. I don't understand this. It seems to me that you would need more experience to work Med-Surg than a specialty. To wit: as a Med-Surg nurse I would have 6 to 10 patients, each with their own issues, this one a NG tube, that one a chest drain, etc. each with their own chart and meds. The other floor nurses have their own charges, so back-up is limited, and the Doctor is on the other end of the phone. As an OR nurse, RR nurse, or other lower ratio nurse/patient position, I would be sitting on top of the patient, watching them with both eyesballs wide open, as would the Doctor next to me, and perhaps a number of other medical specialists. Yes, additional training and skills would be required, but it seems a more focused and straightforward environment. What am I missing here, could someone give me a clue? Thankx. V-

Small Q. 1) Is there a difference between a $70 Littman and a $130 one. I (we students) got the toy stethoscopes sold at the college's book store, which work fine in the quiet classroom, but not so well in the loud and noisiy clinical setting . 2) Thoughts on digital arm band BP cuffs please. Thanx all.