maeli

So sorry for what you're going through. I absolutely agree with what everyone else has said here. I have one year left of my BSN, and there have been many failed relationships in my cohort. A few of us (including myself) actually got married during school, but even still, our relationships greatly suffer from time to time. Nursing school requires so much of our time. It's not just about going to class for 8 hours then coming home and relaxing. We come home, study for clinical, case studies, exams (every week sometimes), and then we get up the next morning and do it all over again. We don't have the downtime to spend with our spouses like maybe they wish we did. While I agree it's not "nursing school" per se that's breaking up the marriage, nursing school does contribute to the mounding life stresses that can crack even a seemingly strong relationship. Don't feel you're alone in this, as from what I've experienced, this is a fairly common scenario. I feel sometimes like my marriage will become a statistic as well, and have to put a conscious effort into making it work almost daily. It's tough for me, so I can only imagine what you're going through at 33 years of marriage. Easier said than done, I know, but do what's best for you. You're so close to being done, and if your husband can work with you through this time, then I'm sure things will pick up once you're done. If he can't, then be grateful you got into a good career, and have peace knowing that you tried to make it work and maybe you're better off apart. Best wishes, OP.

I'm literally elbow deep in c-diff poop 15 times a day at work. I don't give a crap (pun intended) how pretty I look while I'm doing that. And you better believe my hair is going to be tied up while I'm doing it. I DO care about providing good thorough care to my patients. That should really be all that matters.

This is a great way of looking at it. I've always been of the same belief, but I have to work on actually applying it when I'm right there faced with it. Thank you :)

This is so helpful, thank you so much! I always felt like neonatal death would be especially difficult because it's not the "normal" experience of birth, so I can imagine the pain that the families go through would be tough. It sounds like a lot is done to keep them comforted though, which is wonderful. I've found talking to my coworkers (and all of your views on here as well) to be the most comforting so far, so thank you all [emoji4]

Thanks so much for your reply. I definitely hope I'm able to see it as you do the longer I'm in nursing. It was difficult to be smiling and chatting with someone one day then the next day being the one to zip up the bag, but I am slowly moving on from it. All I can say is at least I have finally experienced death and now I can build on my experiences with it.

Oh my goodness! Thank you, I'll correct it in my post, thanks for not making me feel stupid about it! Thank you for your views on this as well. I agree, it is a very death denying society and maybe that's why I felt so affected by it, I've obviously denied it myself.

Well it was just a matter of time before I experienced it, but it officially happened this week: my first death. It wasn't my patient, but I'm an employed student nurse on a medical floor, so I was asked if I'd like to see the process following a death. Of course I said yes, and felt quite prepared going into it. But oh man. No matter how prepared you think you are, how can you really be? I helped with bagging the patient and transferring them to the morgue. When we got to the morgue, there was not enough room, so I had to help with moving several bodies around. Even though it was educational and a necessary part of nursing for me to learn, I've been having a bit of a hard time with it and on the verge of tears a few times. It was the rigamortis and the modelling of the skin that really gave me a good shock, but I think what has been the hardest for me was moving the bodies around in the morgue. That is something I never thought I would have to do (the hospital I work at is very small and the morgue is tiny, so they have shelves that bodies need to go on to make room...of course, no one wants to do that, so the job falls on the unlucky person who gets there last...). It also doesn't help that it was a very unexpected death. This patient was set to be discharged the next day. My one saving grace was that I had an incredible care aide who was showing me the process. She really helped debrief me and role modelled a very respectful way of dealing with death. I am so so thankful that she was the one to teach me. I guess my expectation of this post is to get my feelings out to those who understand (I tried to explain a little to my husband, but it's difficult for him to relate). Is there anything you do to help deal with the death of a patient? Have you found it gets easier over time? Or just bear it because it's "part of the job". I'm in my 3rd year and have a palliative rotation coming up next, so I'm sure I'm about to experience a lot more in the coming months and want to work on some good coping skills.

I agree with all of the above. It's usually a requirement of being a recipient of home health care (having to contain your animals out of safety for the nurse). I'm a huge animal lover, but even my dog did not get a cushion in her crate because she just chewed them all to pieces and I feared she would end up eating foam and getting a giant bowel obstruction. I would be hard-pressed to claim neglect on what you've indicated above, but definitely keep an eye out on subsequent visits. I'd report if I saw obvious signs of abuse or dramatic weight loss indicating neglect, but you'd want to have evidence to back up your claim. I'm happy to see that people are looking out for the welfare of animals, but I'd be devastated/furious if my home health nurse claimed animal neglect because she saw my dog in a crate without a cushion and assumed the worst (because my dog gets treated like royalty the other 23.5 hours of the day). Also, I feel it's necessary to point out...many dogs are "crate-trained" this means they are out running around with the family, then put into the crate for maybe an hour or so, then taken straight outside to do their business. This helps to house train them. I have yet to see a dog that enjoys being in its crate (hence looking scared and not jumping up when seeing you). But they are usually only in there for a short amount of time. I know this is probably more information than necessary, but if you haven't grown up up with dogs, I can understand how this could look like neglect, but it isn't. Just be VERY sure before making any claims.

I would suggest contacting your instructor in the morning and seeing what she recommends. My instructors have typically been ok with us coming to clinical with colds as long as we wear a mask. Obviously if you're experiencing a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea then there's no question you should stay home. If you don't feel like you're well enough to be handling and administering medications and performing at your best, then definitely don't go. Patient safety is number one, and you won't be set back for missing one day. Feel better!

I think you answered your own question here. But ask the specific question to your dean if you're truly concerned.

I think it depends on what the infraction was. The student code of conduct covers many issues, not all of which are criminal offences. Without knowing more information, I would assume you are ok if the extent of your punishment was a conversation with the dean. If law enforcement was involved...well, that could be a different story.

I know some people in my class engraved their name followed by "RN" on their stethoscopes. Of course, we're not allowed to identify as an RN until licensed, so they just keep it covered with a piece of dark tape. That's always an option (covering your future last name with tape). Then happily rip the tape off once you're married!

I was dead-set on public health when starting nursing school. Then I realized I wanted acute care experience first. I went through a small period of time in my second year where I was kind of interested in ICU and Emerg, and now in my third year, I have settled on NICU and have started taking the required specialty courses. I chose NICU because I love the patient population mixed with the high technology/high acuity aspect of it. I also love that it involves a lot of family teaching like I would have gotten in public health. I still like the idea of public health, but not for many many years. I absolutely despised my medical and surgical rotations, which made me want to steer clear of adult ICU and Emerg. Not being too narrow-focused on one area really helps open you up to all the wonderful possibilities in nursing. You go through each clinical rotation and pick out the pieces you liked or disliked about the unit (even on the rotations you absolutely hate). That way you can focus on your interests and find an area that's fitting. That's what's so great about this profession; everyone can find their niche somewhere! Just keep plugging along and it will come to you!

I'm glad you liked it, thatsthekeyRN! I may have got emotional a few times throughout it... I hope they do more as well!

I'll definitely check this out, thanks! I do have my heart set on NICU, but it's always good to keep my options open in case I'm unable to get in right away!

Awesome, thanks for all the suggestions! I'm desperately trying to find a way to watch Little Man online, but looks like I'll have to order it as a DVD.

Hi everyone, I am a 3rd year BSN student (up in Canada eh ). I'm working on my NICU specialty while doing my BSN in hopes to gain a preceptorship placement next year. I'm a long time lurker of you NICU nurses and love reading the stories you all post! Anyway, I came across an awesome miniseries on Netflix the other day. It was a PBS special called "Twice Born". It's a 3 part series where they perform rare surgeries on fetuses while still in the womb. It was fascinating--especially for any aspiring NICU nurses like me. You get a minimal sense of what a NICU environment is like. I believe you can watch it on the PBS website as well if you don't have Netflix. Have any of you come across any other documentaries, miniseries, etc. that relate to the NICU (nursing, family experiences, etc.)? I'm looking for more like this one.

Congrats on passing! I won't be writing NCLEX until 2017, but I figured entering 3rd year is a good time to start introducing myself to questions. Thanks so much for posting this; I love seeing the Canadian resources that helped people pass. I'll be taking note of these ones! :)

You guys are fabulous, thank you so much! The specific unit I've been placed on does not have telemetry, but I've been told there may be a chance for me to float to the unit that does, so the cardiac info will definitely come in handy for that. Labs are definitely a weak spot of mine, so thank you for the breakdown by diagnosis!

Thanks so much Pangea, that gives me a great start! You're right, I'm sure I'll get excellent training. I just want to avoid showing up looking like a deer in the headlights.

Hi everyone, In about two weeks I will be heading back to school for my third year after a long summer off. I have also been hired for a student nurse position on a medical floor (we have an employed student nurse program up here in BC). While I'm excited to be back at school and grateful for the job, I am feeling a tad bit rusty. In an attempt to get a head start, I would like to review some content. While I have my big Med-Surg textbook in front of me and a few ideas, I figured your input would help guide me. So here are my main questions: What are some of the most common/most important conditions to be knowledgeable of, specifically on a medical floor? (i.e. hypertension, diabetes, etc.) What lab values would you suggest being very familiar with? (I know they all serve an individual purpose, but which ones do you find yourself looking into most?) Any other information or pearls of wisdom you would like to throw my way would also be appreciated!