blue0714

Congratulations first of all for becoming part of one of the most rewarding and challenging fields there is. In answer to your question, I will get straight to the point. There is no way around bedside clinical experience to get you wherever you are going. Consider this aspect of nursing as "boots on the ground". You must have hands on clinical experience to understand all the practice in theory you learned in school. And there's really not any non clinical job that will hire you without it. I think you being a new nurse has a lot to do with your reservations. Change is hard for everyone . I think if you just throw yourself in there you will find your confidence. Please try to think of it as-every situation you put yourself in to learn, master and overcome-as being gainful to your nursing career .

If you see another nurse potentially causing harm to patients (not giving scheduled meds), and a facility allowing it? You're correct.....Remember , you are an mandated reporter to let the BON know about what you have seen. If any thing goes really bad one day, and they question you, what will you say why you didn't?

I suggest going to the nurses bible; " BON Position's Statement" under "Synopsis of Differences in Scope of Practice for Licensed Vocational, Associate, Diploma and Baccalaureate Degree Nurses" for this question and any question about differences of scope of practice

Yes, competitive. Your grades need to be par. Your grades/classes need to take PRIORITY in your life for the entirety of your nsg curriculum. Make adjustments in your life to make sure that happens if you are able. Otherwise unfortunately, you may not succeed. Just remember this won't be FOREVER. Even if it does feel like it. Take your failures and and look at it another way...as an opportunity to see what your areas of weaknesses are and work to improve on them. You're only going to get this is if you want it enough, and persevere. Nsg school is only a precursor, to even harder things to come once you do become a nurse. None of it is easy. Show yourself and them you are strong, and got the right stuff to get through school , so you can be the nurse you want to be. ?

" hello Dr don't wake me up, I'm calling about your order to inform you Ms. Sleepy Times procal is ........" Dr. don't wake me up reply: blah blah $#%% !! blankety blank "should I document that? or do you have any further orders for your patient?" Thank you have a good night ? keep it professional, short n sweet. The end *Remember you are doing YOUR job. no need to apologize for that.

If you are not doing well with self guided study, you must try something different! Especially If it hasn't worked for you in the past. I suggest an instructor led program that lays out an outline for you to keep you on task. I strongly recommend LIVE Hurst, like some others have also on this post. And in any spare time from that, find a 2nd resource and answer questions daily until your testing time arrives. I used Hurst Live AND Ulearn and passed my test 1st time w 75 questions. There's no magic formula that fits all. There aren't really any short cuts. Sooner you realize that, the better off you are. Bottom line, it's all up to YOU and you alone to figure out what hasn't worked for you in the past and PUSH FORWARD with a NEW plan where you WILL succeed and pass this test. Also, do not let yourself get overwhelmed. There is no way you are going to recall EVERYTHING. BUT if you LEARN and not just memorize the basics in regards to your systems, Resp, Endo, Cards, etc, then you can answer or make an educated guess about any question they throw at you. YOU got this! ?

I too had fell into the same situation as you. I was an LVN of 20+ yrs with a wealth of experience in all types of nursing A-Z. Back when we started nursing, being an LVN really didn't hold us back, and that's how we got all the experience we do have in the first place. In answer to your question however, these days there is just NO getting around having that degree. You're absolutely right, employers are more concerned with your formal education. For example; lets take a hospital...I believe they have to employ X amt of degreed folks to be considered a "Magnet" facility> Magnet status is an award given by the American Nurses' Credentialing Center (ANCC), an affiliate of the American Nurses Association, to hospitals that satisfy a set of criteria designed to measure the strength and quality of their nursing. Employers strive to achieve magnet status because employers equate higher degree = higher care; and then they (hosp) can market their facilities as being above average $$. This is my best assumption of whats happened. Of course I'm not absolutely sure. But I personally gave up trying to move forward in my career without a degree, I found it impossible just like you're describing in your post. So I went back to school for my RN, but it took me quitting my job of 15 yrs, taking out loans, withdrawing from 401k, and borrowing from friends to do it (still paying them back), so I basically had to start all over again when I was done. Thing is that I STILL have all that nursing experience I did as an LVN, but now as an RN I have boosted my marketability as well! So if you look at it that way, you have everything to gain by going ahead and biting the bullet and getting that degree. Wish you the best of luck!

I totally get it about not having the luxury to quit youre job before you find another one. I was a single mom. BUT, i'm looking at this whole situation youre in right now. Ask yourself if you can afford making a serious error due to your constant fatigue and risk losing your nursing license over? Please look at it in that perspective and it should be pretty clear about what you need to do, and not just for one night either. Have you ever tried Pediatric home health nursing? It will allow you to work you're own hours and closer to where you live in the interim of finding another job that suits you better. I know you will make the right decision! Good luck

Black box warning drugs should all have a 'TIME OUT" and 2 RN's verifying. Also, Pyxis should not allow for dispensing of these drugs without those two signatures.

Go back to your psych book when dealing with these type of patients. Most act out because they feel they have lost control over what happens to them and or no one is listening to them. I know it doesn't make it any easier to take from them, but understandable. Of course there's boundaries: cursing, touching etc is not to be tolerated and you have recourse for those things. Otherwise, try not to take it too personally, because just know it probably has nothing at all to do with you. It's him-and he WILL be discharged at some point (yay.) Of course if he really wants to complain about you, let him know he can always request another nurse. Sometimes personalities clash even in a nurse/patient relationship.

[h=3]Hi Sammiegurl87,[/h] Guess what? Just the fact that you care about all the details and accuracy of what your'e doing? Puts you way ahead of lots of others. Keep up that dedication to everything your'e doing for your patients and YOU WILL SUCCEED! That's a promise

Have you taken their (UWORLD) NCLEX-RN Self-Assessment Test? It will tell you your chances of passing. I think thats a good percentage you have reported on your other tests though. I think mine was about that and I passed NCLEX with 75 questions. You should be fine.

I have been in case management for 10 yrs and it happened to me. Just remember that employers always lean toward the lower figure of the production expectation when recruiting new hires. Often times 20 reviews mean 35. And if you can do 35 they will keep giving you more to see how much you can keep doing. Its always subject to change as staffing needs, and the number of facilities the company manages grow. Good luck!

Hello. I have been in case management for 10 years and unfortunately I have never seen Part-time offered. There are UR jobs however, in case managent that are telecommuter jobs were you can work from home! Im not sure where your from, but in Texas you can check out the managed care companies like American Universal and Molina. Good luck!

You passed your nsg boards just like the rest of them. Slow? A question to ask yourself maybe is .......why are the other nurses getting things done so fast? Hmmmm. Sometimes unfortunately your longevity on a job is based on irrelevant things associated with your skills. Popularity with the other nurses/mgrs, and if you Kiss u know what or not. Sorry but its the truth. It would be impossible to tell exactly whats going on from here....but it could be lots of other things too, if you step back and look at the whole picture, you just might see something you had not before. Pay attn to what/how the other (fast) nurses are doing. See if you can discover why they are able to get things done on time when you cant. Also, I just want to say to you-- do not get discouraged and keep on keeping on! You will find the right place to work for you.

YOU did all the right things. Remember this situation when you become a nurse as well to keep you on the right track to never become like her. Never lose that caring you now hold for your patients. Because it sure sounds as if the colleague your working with sure has. Also unfortunately, this will NOT be the last time you encounter this type of mindset. There will be a lot of situations throughout your career such as this in the same and different ways, same concept though. I had to learn as well that not everyone has the same work ethics as I do. And I wont lie, it still causes me alot of stress when it occurs. The only thing you can do is exactly what you did. Keep on caring and always be an advocate for your patient, report any one that acts in an unprofessional manner towards them no matter who that might be. Unfortunately you cannot change someone, but as long as you know you have done the right thing you can look yourself in the mirror every day after work and be proud of yourself. The general rule I try to follow is: Do the right thing even when no one is looking.

I went through the NETY thing my first year out of nursing school. I got the worst and hardest assignments in the unit etc. I worked the enteral feeding and GT unit for one whole year. The skin underneath my fingernails was torn away from unclogging tubes, my shoes were always covered with enteral formula, and i always smelled like a big bag of milk! I smiled the whole way through though. 20+ years later i can say I recall I realized pretty early on that they did me a favor by doing that. Till this very day, I can start a IV, foley, ngt or hook a patient up to a feeding tube with my eyes closed in my sleep from across town! Ha! Remember the old saying "when life gives you lemons make lemonade". USE whatever they throw at you to your advantage!

O yes, I think we all have come across those individuals we had a "o my" moment to. In any field we have those more competent than others in their field. Physicians, judges, lawyers, teachers etc. The problem of being incompetent when you work in the medical field, however,is patient safety that could cost patients their lives obviously. One thing is helping out a fellow nurse learn something minor, and another is to continue to stand by and watch a serious medication error almost occur had you not been there. Our profession needs to change "the blame game" mentality, so that nurses like the one you work with feels he can ask for more training if he needs it from a supvsr, to enable him to become a better nurse. IF he wont? and you do not report the incompetence you have witnessed, you will be just as guilty of possibly causing a patient serious harm and or death. My advice is to help him out and let someone in charge know whats going on. Even if he doesnt think so, that is the best way to help him AND the patient.

I graduated from nursing school in 1994 and bedside care was standard for nurses. This was called 'total care". Through the years I have seen many changes in nursing and have went through them because my job called for it. There was a time when we had "team nursing' , in where the RN did charting and the LVN did bedside care. We were all nurses, but we did whatever was necessary to care for our patients regardless of job title. I know times are different now, but we have to remember that we are here to help those who need help, no matter if its by giving out a medication to them or changing their bed. The hospitals responsibility, however, is to make sure we dont have so many patients that we cant do it all in a safe manner. Just keep a record of dates and times you report to your supervisor that you don't feel you can safely take care of your patients providing both bedside and nursing care at the same time.