level1

Engaging in any behavior off the job, given that you've got a decent time frame (10-12hrs) prior to start of shift, is totally acceptable. As long as you are 100% mentally there, you can give your best to care for your patients while on duty. I would never go out drinking all night, catch 3-4 hrs, and then start a 12hr shift all hungover and sleep deprived. I work in the ER and boy can I tell you how important it is to be A&Ox3 with a GCS of 15. I'm not supplementing nursing with a wild alternative lifestyle, I was just curious to hear from others in the field. When you really think about what is at the core of this thread, it boils down to: Is this person competent? Is this person cognitively alert? Honestly, if I ever had to undergo any type of procedure, I would easy choose a surgeon with the greatest success rate (with the smoking, drinking, cowboy lifestyle) over an average surgeon (with the church-going, tight whitey, everything by the book mindset). Know your ****, bring your A game, and have fun!

Exactly! I can't believe that one comment about the hospital banning smoking for its employees. I really hate how organizations are telling people how to live their lives off the clock. At work, I uphold my responsibility to demonstrate professionalism and advocacy for a healthy lifestyle, but when I'm at home doing my own thing no one tells me what to do. (except my girl, I guess) I don't smoke, but I can't even begin to imagine if people started telling me that I couldn't enjoy my craft beer.

Of course my career is more important. I just love getting the reactions of some of these people. However, I do wonder if Colorado nurses can smoke or still face hospital policy. If you're not doing it on the job...

Just curious how often your program tests, mine is at random. Not saying I do anything, but if I'm ever out in Colorado...

Yeah, HIPAA got your back. Don't say nothing unless you are required to do so.

I agree with your stance. If I ever encounter a situation like that I'll send for the chaplain. Nobody's forcing religion on me.

Yeah, go the ER route. If you want to work in a slower, less advanced area thereafter, you'll be way ahead of the pack.

I'm just a nursing student, but I could not see myself in nursing if I couldn't work ER or CCU. I'm greatly attracted to the pace and rigors of the ER and general floor nursing is so boring to me. I think that it draws certain personalities for sure.

1. Don't procrastinate 2. Study even when you think you don't need to 3. Form study groups 4. Buy a coffee maker 5. Keep a healthy lifestyle (good sleep, balanced diet)

I think it's normal to be slightly nervous. Yes, you will have someone's life in your hands so to speak, but hopefully you were trained well in school and have good coworkers to help you out in times of need. I am a little bit OCD and worry how I will be with passing out meds. I like to double check a lot and I hope my worries won't become exacerbated when I'm working as an RN. I'd like to say that your anxiety should quiet down after a few more clinicals and if it doesn't maybe you should consider talking with someone. Good luck

This is true. Luckily, the ED at my hospital (level 2) has it's ER and a separate fast-track for the lower acuity cases. I'd much rather prefer working with the high acuity cases like the STEMIs and strokes we see on a consistent basis. We never have GSWs or penetrating traumas and I've only heard an actual trauma alert once. The adrenaline is more derived from working in a fast-paced, higher stress environment. I would probably go into a coma from how bored I'd be working on the floor, but I'm not going to work at an inner-city hospital that is level 1 designated just so I can be in on all the GSWs and stabbings from gang related violence.

Hey, The program I'm attending used to allow top students to have first selection for their preferred clinical sites, but they changed their policy. Now, I'm stuck with whatever facility I'm assigned to. Are you guys offered a choice or assigned a site? I know of some programs that use lotteries to make things fair in a choice system, but seems like places are getting lazy nowadays and just assigning you somewhere.

Unsafe hospital, you should leave that place ASAP. Shame on them for reprimanding you, they must be idiots.

It's easy to teach the course and submit all the documentation to the state, but getting the connections for students to do clinicals is hard. Most facilities have cc or university program's students there. If you started up your own you'd have to put in a lot of work to build a reputation and hope a facility is willing to give yours a chance.

Fun to use for self-learning but not marketable to date.

CNA->LPN->ADN (RN)->BSN (RN)->APRN(typically an MSN)->NP(nowadays a DNP although still masters out there) Note: You can go straight to NP school after the BSN degree. Are you in a BSN or ADN program? You'll need the BSN before thinking about any graduate level programs. Start thinking about taking the GRE as most programs require it.

Well, you've definitely got a lot of stuff to sort out, to say the least. At one point, I too was deciding between paramedic and nurse, but after a lot of research I chose nursing. Honestly though, if paramedics earned a higher salary and had opportunity for advancement, I would've went that route. I am only choosing nursing because I am determined to work in Emergency, that's the only specialty that excites me. What areas of nursing do you like? Will you be happy serving non-EMS people? Are you patient, observant, cooperative? Have you shadowed a nurse and a paramedic? Do you only want to work paramedic if you can get on a Fire service? Could you do private ambulance serving the nursing home demographic? Paramedic is great, but who's the oldest one you've seen? I seen nurses into their late 60's early 70's,

Emergency, I love the treat 'em and street 'em mentality. I'm also a bit of an adrenaline junkie.

You shouldn't let gender come into the picture at all. If you're comfortable with performing the procedure and your overall skills as a Murse, you need to project confidence, be professional, and get it done. When you start to think things might be weird because I'm a guy you feed into this perpetual cycle that lets patients think they can request whatever they want. Sometimes resources are limited and in order to be productive you can't be calling on your colleagues for this or that. Patients need to accept murses just as they accept male physicians.

Not ER but a good read is Gifted Hands. It's about the Neurosurgeon Ben Carson and how he came up from the gutter. Real quick read.

Depends, if they are classmates I'll tell them to bug off. If they are a friend I'll tell them that I ain't gonna let them down like that. They need to know their own **** in prep for NCLEX.

I do respect women. I'm not talking about hooking up so sorry if my post came out that way. I'm trying to find a serious girlfriend and what better place than at my school. I'm not the type to go out to bars/clubs to meet girls so I thought my best shot at finding a decent connection would be in an academic environment. I am by no means a player and just wanted to start a meaningful relationship because I've always put school as my top priority and neglected other aspects of my life. Oh, and though I do intend to focus on NCLEX I'm not too too worried about the rigors of nursing school. So many people go on and on about how tough it is, I'll put in my work, but I ain't scared one bit. Now, my pre-med MCB major, that was a difficult curriculum. By the way, any guys have input? Seems like women are already attacking my male-minded post.

How many of you guys are dating/hitting on female classmates? Do you find it risky that a bad relationship would lead the women to gang up and freeze you out? There's lot of attractive girls in my program and I'm thinking if I have to think carefully about the one I want to go after as if you only get so many limited attempts before the whole cohort realizes what's going on, haha. Any funny stories?

Infection control is a funny thing. I find that at the hospital I'm at, most everyone wears gown & gloves for any isolation patient. I find myself gowning for droplet even though I technically don't need it (out of habit). My studying reasons I'd learn PPE specific to the disease as mode of transmission.

I print the powerpoints and scribble any additional info on them during lecture. When I'm studying I take a blank sheet of paper and write down any material from the slides that haven't learned yet/is still fuzzy. Less is more for me.