metallaces

We had a group discussion in my class today about a hypothetical scenario and I'm curious to see what some of you on here would do. You have a patient who needs a procedure done that is outside of your scope of practice. They will for certain die if it is not done and nobody who is able to do it is available within the necessary time frame. You know, in theory, how to do the procedure, but you've never done it yourself. Your patients only chance of survival is if you do the procedure. Do you do it?

This is excellent advice! I will likely start in imcu as this particular unit would give me a large variety of patients

I should have specified that there's a huge nursing shortage in my province, especially in rural areas. Pretty much all of the new grads areally finding jobs in their desired areas :)

I'm still in my bscn program, and through my clinical rotations I feel like I've really found a love for both IMCU and L&D. I'm looking for some career advice, as I can't seem to make up my mind where I want to go. Would it be feasible for me to eventually work 0.5 fte in IMCU and 0.5 fte in L&D? Does anyone have any experience with this?

I'm still in school and work as a pcw in a nursing home. I work 12 hour nights almost exclusively. Obviously your responsibilities will be different than mine but a typical night for me: 1850 - arrive on floor to get report. i usually come early so i can pee after my walk to work and sit for a few minutes 1910 - night lunch. we hand out snacks and drinks to the residents 2000 - get the majority of residents into their pajamas, incontinence systems, and into bed. This is very time consuming as we're also answering all of the call bells. I have yet to see an LPN or RN answer a call bell where i work. 2200 - review everyone's toileting and turning schedules for the night and plan accordingly. have a light snack if we can 2300 - get the "later" residents ready and into bed 0000 - hourly safety checks start at this point. this is where the night starts to wind down and we just answer call bells 0200 - wash and disinfect the wheelchairs of the residents who will be getting a bath or shower during the day shift 0300 - stock all the rooms 0430 - start morning rounds of peri care and changing incontinence systems 0530 - charting and flow sheets Then it's pretty much answering call bells until day shirt arrives. We're also giving bedpans, turning people, recording catheter output, etc, as needed throughout the night. I think that's pretty much it!

All of the job postings for RNs that ive seen in this unit state a minimum of 1 year acute care experience, however i do know that they hire graduate nurses and give them extra orientation. I want to know how I can be one of those lucky graduate nurses... lol

I have 2 years of my bsn program left and I'm very keen on getting a job in the only birth unit in my city. It's very competitive, a prestigious hospital, and I know I'll need something to get me noticed when I'm out of school. I've applied for several entry level jobs in this unit and have yet to get a response. Is there anything I can do as a student to increase my odds of getting hired there?

Hi Everyone! I'm working as a home health CCA to help pay my way through nursing school, and for the most part it's going fine. I do have one "problem client" though. She is nice enough, but she makes my shifts with her MISERABLE. She nit-picks and micromanages literally EVERYTHING I do. I'll wipe her counter (I am properly wiping it, there are no crumbs when I'm done), and she'll go behind me and do it herself. She'll make me re-hang her laundry because she doesn't like the way I did it. I am not being lazy or half-assing things, she just needs them done "her way"! Today, she gave me dirty laundry and told me to put it in the washing machine. I put the clothes and detergent in and started the cycle. She absolutely flipped at me because apparently she just wanted the clothes placed in the washing machine, not washed. Has anyone else had a client like this? I don't think I can keep caring for her if she doesn't ease up on me, but I don't want to leave her and have to start again with a new client who may potentially be worse. Any advice?

Thanks, I should have mentioned that I live in Canada and it's illegal to carry anything (pepper spray, knife, etc) for the purpose of self defense

I'm doing home care to help pay my way through nursing school, and some of my assignments are in pretty bad areas of my city. I just accepted a new assignment, 8am-4pm on Sundays, and found out that it's in a notoriously terrible public housing community. I know a girl who used to live there who said that bed bugs, rats, prostitution, drugs, and violence were all common there. Does anyone have any tips for staying safe when I go to this assignment? I take the bus. Has anyone else been in a situation like this?

As the first poster said, I can't stand seeing fake nails on nurses! ICK. I've also seen a lot of gossiping and swearing in front of patients. Terrible

First of all, I'm new to this website, so I would just like to say hello to everyone A little bit of background about my situation.. I'm in nursing school, and for my summer job I work as a unit aide. It's a casual relief position, so last month I got a second job as a home care CCA to fill in the gaps. I've learned that home care is simply too difficult for me right now. I don't have a drivers license, and my company that I work for is sending me on hour long bus rides for a one hour shift! It's ridiculous and I'm exhausted, but I LOVE the clients that I work for. I have an interview next week with a company thats kind of a temp agency for the hospitals. It would mostly be on call, which is unreliable, but I'm within walking distance of the hospitals in my city and it would be 8 hour shifts. I guess I'm just looking for some opinions from everyone. Should I stick with a job that is difficult for me, but has guaranteed weekly shifts... or should I take the less reliable job that I wouldn't have to travel far for? Thanks everyone :)

It's not a healthcare job, but the summer before I started nursing school, I got a job as a unit aide at my local hospital. I go between different outpatient clinics and do patient flow, stock the rooms, assist with transferring and ambulation, that kind of stuff. It REALLY helped me learn about what it's like to work in a healthcare setting, how the system works, and even how to deal with agitated patients. May not be what you're looking for, but it's worth checking out :)