spammy_j

Just need some reassurance. I'm licensing in VA. I just took my NCLEX like 30 minutes ago and it cut off at 75 questions. I did Pearson Test Prep and ATI for studying and averaged about 70% on the practice question sets. Most of my friends were using UWorld but I could barely afford to eat the last few months so I just stuck with what my school provided. I passed my RN Predictor back in March and usually did well on all my ATI proctored exams but I'm still worried. I had maybe 1/3 SATA questions but I had no clue what half the questions were. I hadn't even heard of some of the medications and never learned about some of the disease processes. I did a 4-year program and everyone from my class that I've talked to has passed on their first attempt. I hadn't felt nervous until last night but I got about six hours of sleep and ate a decent breakfast. I was told by a professor that you can try to reregister for a license after about 24 hours and if it doesn't let you, then you passed, but I don't know if anyone else has done that. I'm just nervous and walked out prepared to register again (goodbye, money).

Okay, I need some advice from the hospice nurses out there. I graduate in May, and we get assigned to work with a preceptor during this last semester so we can learn to take on full patient loads and work one-on-one with a nurse. We turned in forms listing our top three floors to work on, our top hospitals in the area we want to be in, etc. last semester and just got our assignments a few hours ago. Since I was 15 I've know I want to be a NICU/L&D nurse. I love babies, I love mamas, it is my passion and I already have plans to start my Neonatal NP as soon as possible after I graduate. I want to work in a large hospital, preferably with a high-level NICU. That said, the one floor I've never wanted to work is a hospice unit. I completely respect those who do this work, but I have never seen myself doing this. And of course, I was assigned to a hospice floor at a nursing home, not even in one of the hospitals I requested. I can't ask to change it, I can't switch with other students, and I'm freaking out a little as I've worked on a similar unit (a skilled care unit as a sophomore) and honestly hated it. Being around actively dying patients and having someone on the floor pass every shift was hard and I am scared out of my mind to do these clinicals. I have to do 12 8-hour shifts with my assigned nurse and I am so scared. I understand that patients on any floor can pass at a moment's notice but I did not want to be around this environment all the time. Again, I have the highest respect for those who work on hospice units, but I have never (and still never) want to work there. Death in that capacity frightens me. The times I've worked on hospice units in the past have provided me very few skills (like IVs, chest tubes, etc), I haven't felt like I could connect to the patients as many of them were unable to talk anymore, and I've felt myself getting discouraged. Can some of the hospice nurses please give me advice and/or encouragement of some sort? This is the exact opposite population I've dreamed of working with since I was 15 (now 22) and I don't know what to do. I want to go in with a good attitude and do great work, regardless of where it is, but my goodness this is going to be a challenge. And if this was a regular shift like during med-surg last year it would be different, but this is where I learn to manage my time, my thoughts, and my patients, and I'm not in a hospital so I'm afraid this won't provide me enough of a hospital mentality. I know this is just one semester and it isn't that big of a deal but I was hoping so hard to be placed somewhere that I could put on a resume specifically for the areas I want to work. I mean no disrespect towards hospice nursss, I am just scared and not sure what to expect or how to go into this without being a failure.

I'm in my second year of nursing school and over the last six months I have struggled with some form of depression and anxiety. I have not gotten an official diagnosis or treatment, but my nursing professors are very concerned about my emotional state and have encouraged me to seek counseling and/or medical help. Until the last two months it hasn't been too bad- I have struggled with mood swings, inability to sleep, lack of motivation, occasional panic attacks, etc. etc., but overall I had more good days than bad. Anyways, there have been some new issues recently (inability to remember things, "zoning out" for hours at a time, severe anxiety attacks, what have you) that my parents are concerned about and I am looking into seeing a psychiatrist. I was originally booked to see a psychologist for counseling, and I am still considering that option. However, mental illness runs in my family on both sides and I am 20, so this is a prime time for that to start showing and that worries me. I am hoping that just talking to someone and getting some emotional relief may be all I need to get stabilized again, but there's always a chance it could be something more and that is scaring me because I don't know how that will affect my nursing career. I want to be a neonatal nurse, I have for years, and I have no idea what kind of guidelines there are on what types of illnesses/disabilities are allowed by the state/country (I live in VA). I am hesitant to see a psychiatrist, because if something does come up I don't want it to prevent me from being a nurse. I have tried to look online for such guidelines, but apparently the research class I am taking is not as effective as I had hoped because I can't find anything definitive. Do any of you have mental illnesses/struggles? How do you deal with them? Does it affect your ability to get a job? Even if this is just a depression/anxiety cycle I am stuck in and nothing more, if I get an official "label" I am worried it will be harmful to my nursing career.

So I'm in my sophomore year of nursing school and until now I've done REALLY well in my classes. I've made good grades, impressed every professor, made a lot of friends, I tutor for a patho class, all that good and productive stuff. In the last 3 or 4 weeks though I've completely lost my motivation, for everything. It all has to do with my personal life -- my family is moving overseas (without me), my best friend also lives overseas, my boyfriend and I might be breaking up, I'm buying a car soon, I just got a new job (minimum wage and a horrible boss), I'm trying to get a different new job, money is super tight, and I'm signing a new lease for my first apartment next week... so mostly just "growing up" stuff, and some really rough heartache. All of that's lead to me not getting my assignments done, forgetting my supplies for lab, losing my stethoscope, failing one of my exams... you get the gist. Also, a couple weeks ago I started getting really bad heart palpitations and had a panic attack in my Fundamentals lab (during wound care, of course) and had to go to the ER because my blood pressure was through the roof and I was shaking really badly for about 4 hours until they gave me Xanax. My clinical instructor knows me pretty well and kind of gave me a kick in the rear about everything. She sympathized with me but also told me to either suck it up, look at the bright side, and start doing well, or continue to be negative and fail out even though I have a lot of potential. I figured I should just get more organized, which I'm trying to do, and I try to keep myself super busy. Problem is that I still can't get my motivation in gear and I burst into tears at really inconvenient times (like at my new job). I talked to my Fundies professor today and she called Student Advocate while I was sitting there and had me schedule a counseling appointment because she thinks I'm depressed and might hurt myself or fizzle out. I don't really have thoughts about suicide or anything, I'm just super apathetic about everything. Other classic signs: I sleep a lot but I also sleep horribly. I haven't been to the gym (which I normally love doing) in at least a month. I don't play any of my instruments anymore. I watch a lot more Netflix than I ever have. I feel unproductive in all my classes. I can't get the motivation to do anything, but then I freak out because I haven't gotten anything on my to-do list done. You guys know the story. The thing is, I really don't want to be medicated. I hate taking meds, I even avoid NSAIDs unless I've done everything possible to relieve whatever pain I'm having. And I'm not a huge fan of counseling, I tried going a year ago for some unrelated issues and was mostly irritated by the counselor I got. But I'm trying to apply for extra programs my school offers and I have to get good recommendations from my professors so I figure I'll go to try and appease them, and maybe work some of this stuff out. So anyway. My professor told me that a ton of nursing students end up with these problems because of the stress of nursing school in general, combined with personal problems that everyone has. So I thought I'd come here and ask: does anyone have advice for me? Whether it's ways to overcome anxiety, or encouragement about counseling, or how you've gotten through school, or telling I'm just being self-centered, or whatever? Only one of my friends (my boyfriend actually) knows what's going on right now, and since he and I are having so many issues it's hard to talk to him, especially because he feels like he's to blame. I don't want to talk to my family about this, because they're about to start a huge move to Europe and I don't want them worrying about me in the midst of that. I just want to try and handle this as much on my own as I can without burdening other people. Thanks for anything you guys can offer.

I don't know, I feel like it is a passion of mine. I'm only in my second year of nursing school so I suppose everything is still new and exciting to me, but the whole point of me wanting to be a nurse is that I want to help people (and I love the human body). Of the nurses I've met in my clinicals and classes, I've seen that those who are truly passionate about caring for their patients are the ones who excel as nurses. I admit, I don't feel particularly passionate about wiping butts and cleaning vomit as a job; but I think looking at nursing as only the skills can really limit your mindset. I also plan to continue my nursing education for the next several years because I'm passionate about the learning aspect, and I really want to become an NP and have my own practice. It would be difficult to stay passionate about doing the same thing for 20 years, even if it is nursing.

Hi all, I'm a second-year nursing student right now, studying for my BSN. I've been trying to do some research on various specialties with nursing in the last month or so, just to get a broader view of my options once I'm done with school. I came across what seems to be a very specific specialty of nursing in genetics and wanted to know if anyone had information on this. I decided at 16 that I wanted to be a nurse, because I liked bio and psych in high school and was really attracted to the way bodies work. I've always been particularly interested in infants/fetal development/NICU, but I debated for several months whether I should be a nurse or go to med school to be a geneticist, because I am also highly interested in congenital disorders/diseases/defects and wasn't sure what I wanted to do. After much consideration I decided to continue with nursing, and have absolutely loved being in school. That being said though, I am still greatly interested in working with genetics and didn't realize until 2 weeks ago that I could potentially still have that option. From what I understand I would need to get an MSN, but I am not sure if I would specialize during that time, or become a PA first and then begin specializing in genetics. I've tried to find information online but I haven't been able to understand exactly how I would go about doing this. I am completely willing to continue schooling after my BSN; I truly don't see myself not being in school for more than a few years at a time (unless I am financially unable to). I would like to get my MSN, perhaps an MA in Counseling, and at some point I would also like to get a PhD in nursing so I could be a professor in later years. Of course, before I can do all of that I need to finish my BSN first- but I like to keep an open mind and have plenty of plans for my distant future. So all of that is to say, I am not hindered by having to be in school for however many years it would take for me to specialize in genetics with nursing (and I do want to be a nurse- not a doctor). However, I am not sure what all that job would entail, and how I would go into such a field. I've tried asking a couple of my professors but they don't know much about it. And another question: I found a list of certified genetics nurses in the US and one of the only ones in VA happens to live in my town. Would it be okay for me to reach out to her and ask for information as well? I don't know much about professional protocol and I don't want to be rude.

I have a friend in nursing school right now who has a full sleeve on his left arm. He's required to wear long sleeves under his scrubs when we're in the hospital and in labs (though not during regular class times), so he got Under Armour shirts and just wears those. So I mean really, if you want to get the tattoo you'd probably have to just deal with wearing long sleeves. He's said it's not that uncomfortable, and he runs really hot 98% of the time. I guess it's really just a matter of either getting the tattoo and buying a couple shirts to go along with it, or waiting until you're out of school to get the tattoo.

Hi everyone, So I'm in my sophomore year of nursing school and I found a CNA class through the Red Cross that I can take over Christmas break. I'm studying to get my RN so I don't plan to use my CNA for more than 2.5-3 years, however I think it will be of great benefit to 1: get a job while in school so I don't have to take out so many loans and 2: get a head start on my skills (second semester sophomore year is pretty much all CNA work; bed pans, how to mobilize pts., etc). I was so excited to get into this class (I've been on the waiting list and just got in today) and so caught up in studying for finals that I've not really thought about what types of jobs I can get as a CNA, or how to apply for one. I have some difficulty being able to transport from my school to a hospital (it's 20 minutes via car to the largest hospital in my area and I don't have a vehicle at the moment) so I'm looking for something closer to my school such as in a nursing home or smaller clinic. I basically wanted to ask if anyone knows what sort of restrictions are on CNAs as far as where I could work. I mean... would it be possible for me to work in, say, an eye clinic? Can CNAs work in public/private schools? I know I'll get some information during my class this Christmas break but I wanted to know if anyone on here had information or suggestions of the types of places I can work. Also, how should I go about applying for a CNA position? Should I begin applying before I officially have my certification (like a week before the class is over)? The class ends the day before I come back to school. If anyone has any information or suggestions or anything let me know! I go to school in Lynchburg, VA.