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emm13

emm13

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emm13's Latest Activity

  1. emm13

    ED tips/crash course/advice?

    emm13 posted a topic in Emergency

    My nursing experience is in two specialties: cardiac step down and outpatient pediatrics (two totally different worlds!) I am being reassigned to the ED for awhile as my state is nearing our Covid peak. I’m getting a couple orientation shifts. I think my experience gives me a good baseline for the ED, but I know I’ll have a lot to learn. What should I brush up on ahead of time to make this transition easier?? I currently have experience w/ Cardiac: MI, pre and post CABG, Cardiac drips, tele/EKG, vascular surgeries, chest tubes, etc Pedi: telephone triage (usually respiratory symptoms), POCT (strep, flu, etc), nebs, minor injuries, etc...I call it my “coughs and boogers job” What should I do a little reading on before starting in the ED?
  2. emm13
    I’ve been a nurse for almost two years. I work on a cardiac floor. Now that I have a little experience under my belt, I’m looking at the next steps in my career and starting to apply for other jobs. I’m told that after you get a year of experience you can make better money...but what is a reasonable amount above my current rate to be asking for? I understand that is depends on my location and the employer, but in general...are we talking a dollar or two more? $5? More? I am absolutely clueless. I have experience on cardiac step-down/PCU: telemetry, cardiac drips, CABG, NSTEMI, vascular surgery, etc. I’m looking at jobs in either ICU or ED. I started at $26 as a new grad. Got a $1.50 raise at my 1 year review. With two years experience, what $$$ should I be asking for?
  3. emm13

    H&H trending down...why??

    emm13 replied to emm13's topic in Student Assist

    Umm...I was just looking for some help with homework...geez
  4. emm13

    H&H trending down...why??

    emm13 replied to emm13's topic in Student Assist

    Thank you for your input :) I agree that it does seem like a waste of clinical time to dig into this, but it's all part of my weekly clinical paperwork I ended up giving a few examples of possible causes and things to keep an eye on and that was sufficient for a passing grade. You bring up a good point: "does it matter?" During my clinical time with him: no, it didn't. For homework purposes, it's good for leaning and making connections, but sometimes it's hard to give rationales when it could be a variety of causes. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking something with the given information. Thanks for confirming it's just too broad to tell! :)
  5. emm13

    H&H trending down...why??

    emm13 posted a topic in Student Assist

    Need help with a rationale for low H&H values! 87yr male had a total knee replacement. H&H were WNL for the first 2 days after surgery. On day 3, they began trending down and have continued to drop a little bit every day for 5 days.) Current values: 8.9 & 27%. He is otherwise healing well. Up to ambulate every couple of hours, vital signs are stable, etc etc. The incision site looks good; no S/S of infection, no drainage. Food & fluid intake is good. Output is normal. No visible blood in urine or stools. He is not on IV fluids. PMHx: bladder cancer a few years ago - bladder was removed. high cholesterol (on a statin) hypothyroidism (taking levothyroxine) HTN (taking Norvasc) He has been medically cleared for discharge. His extended hospital stay (8 days for a TKR) was NOT due to any medical need (it was due to some other unrelated social stuff). In the doctor's progress note, he acknowledged the low H&H but gave no explanation/didn't seem concerned. possibilities: -he has hypothyroidism, but he's taking levothyroixine for it -possible low iron intake (but would it really drop that quickly?) -possible internal bleed....GI bleed? He was not symptomatic thoughts?? Unfortunately, no other labs have been done for this patient, so I'm only working with H&H and what I was able to assess during my one clinical day with him.
  6. emm13
    Thank you so much!! It sounds like you're in a state where NPs have full autonomy...that's really the only thing that makes me question the NP path. Where I currently live, NPs have full autonomy, but my husband and I plan to move in 2 years to a state where NPs have a much more limited scope of practice. Hopefully legislators will smarten up nationwide on that issue! Anyway, thank you so much for your help! :)
  7. emm13
    Good evening!! I'm currently an RN student and would someday like to get my MSN as an advanced practitioner. One of our assignments for school is to do a very informal "interview" with someone in the field that we'd like to get into. Is there an NP who has a couple minutes to answer a few questions for me? I'd really appreciate it!! Thanks in advance What is your job title? What are your responsibilities at your job? How do you see your role in the healthcare team that provides care for their patient population? What made you decide to work in your field? What was the preparation for you job? Best part of your job? Worst part of your job? What advice would you give someone starting out in your field?
  8. emm13
    Good evening!! I'm currently an RN student and would someday like to get my MSN as an advanced practitioner. One of our assignments for school is to do a very informal "interview" with someone in the field that we'd like to get into. Is there an NP or even an RN working towards their NP who has a couple minutes to answer a few questions for me? I'd really appreciate it!! Thanks in advance :) What is your job title? What are your responsibilities at your job? How do you see your role in the healthcare team that provides care for their patient population? What made you decide to work in your field? What was the preparation for you job? Best part of your job? Worst part of your job? What advice would you give someone starting out in your field?
  9. emm13
    So back in Feb, I fractured my tibial spine, had a 25% ACL tear, and a lateral meniscus tear. I had surgery to repair the damage in mid-March, and just started PT this week. Due to the extensive injury, my surgeon has been seemingly conservative with my treatment plan, basically telling me that this is my one chance to get it right, so don't mess it up. Here's the plan he gave: 2 weeks bed rest post op start PT at 2 weeks. 4 weeks non weight bearing post op, then 50% WB for 2 more weeks, then FWB as tolerated 6 weeks in a leg brace w/ crutches. I'm currently at 10-15 degrees extension and 50 degrees flexion. My first 2 goals are to extend my leg more, and to reach 60 degrees flexion. Honestly, it hurts like hell just to get to 50 degrees. All the professionals I've been working with (surgeon, PA, PT) have told me that I've got a long road of recovery ahead of me. I'm scheduled to start nursing school the last week in August. That puts me at 5.5 months post op/5 months since starting PT when nursing school starts. I need to have my physical completed by my PCP by August 1. I tried to ask my doctor point blank "will I be good to go for nursing school" and he just kind of told me that he can't tell me what I'll be like by then, everyone is different....you know....very non committal. I need to pay my non-refundable deposit for nursing school soon. Part of me just wants to pay the deposit and pray I'll be in good shape by August. The other part of me knows that nursing school is competitive and it's not fair take a spot that I might not be able to keep. In your experience....will I be okay to start the clinical part of nursing school at 5.5 months post op?
  10. emm13

    Nursing & Nuclear Medicine

    emm13 replied to emm13's topic in Nurses

    That's exactly what I'm doing - trying to hear first hand from experienced nurses what their experience has been in or around the nuclear medicine field. Google is a wonderful tool but didn't provide me with what I was looking for, and therefore, it is nice to go right to the source. Thanks for your opinion though!
  11. emm13

    Nursing & Nuclear Medicine

    emm13 posted a topic in Nurses

    Hello! I am a pre-nursing student, currently taking all my pre and co reqs. I'm currently learning a bit about nuclear medicine and find it absolutely fascinating. I am wondering what types of jobs are available to nurses in the nuclear medicine field, what additional training or education is needed, etc. Thanks!
  12. emm13

    How to afford cost of living during school?

    emm13 replied to emm13's topic in Pre-Nursing

    No, I already used all the grant money I was eligible for on classes that I took straight out of high school. I've already done my Fafsa; my loans will cover my tuiton, so I'm not necessarily worried about paying for school, just the cost of living. I have been in school before and know that I don't do well when I work more than 25-30 hours....but that program wasn't as academically intense as nursing school...so I imagine I'll need to be under 20 hours when I school. It's better than nothing, but I don't know how I'll afford to live! getting really nervous but I know I need to find a way to make it work for us.
  13. emm13
    I'm starting my pre-reqs for nursing school this summer, and will be entering my school's nursing program in the fall of 2016. I've been advised by multiple nursing advisors that I should not work more than 10 hours a week during nursing school. I am determined to make this work for me, but I just don't see how my husband and I can afford it. My student loans will cover just enough for my tuition and I plan to apply for scholarships as well, so I'm not really worried about how to pay for school...I'm worried about how I'll pay for the cost of living while I'm not working a significant number of hours. My husband and I are struggling and living paycheck to paycheck as is...we can't afford for me to quit my job....but we also can't afford for me not to further my education so that I can contribute more financially down the road someday. There is a light at the end of the tunnel...I just don't know how to put food on the table and keep the lights on while I'm navigating the tunnel! How are all the working adults with mortgages and bills doing it, if you don't have a spouse who can support you on their own? Ultimately, I guess I could use student loans to help pay for day-to-day life if I have to, but I really don't want to. I've worked so hard to get out of debt, so my goal is to fund my tuition with as much money from scholarships and employer reimbursement as possible, so that I don't need many loans. How do you all afford to live if you're not working and don't have a wealthy spouse to support you?
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