Happy.Nurselet

The slogan at the VA is “if you’ve seen one VA, you’ve seen ONE VA.” I work for a VA medical center and I love it! It’s a great place, but overtime is not that extreme. I have the opportunity for 8-16 hours on a good week, 4 or less on a not-so-good week. In our area, overtime is usually during night shift as a sitter, and the techs get first choice because they are most cost effective for the job needing done. That being said, I have heard that it is very different in the other VA medical centers that my team members have come from. Some places, overtime is constantly available and others are more restrictive with it than my location. Many people I work with prefer to have a second job part time or per DIEM over expecting overtime.

I'm glad to see that other Christians (Catholic and of other denominations) and non religious alike accept the termination of ectopics in this manner. @jetsy62 as for the question of whether terminating an ectopic pregnancy is abortion, by definition it is. noun 1. The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. synonyms: termination, miscarriage "Her first pregnancy resulted in a spontaneous abortion" I don't believe it carries the same moral implication as abortion of a viable fetus, however to say it is not an abortion is incorrect. @morte and others with questions on whether the Catholic Church speaks against it, here is a link to why I became frustrated with their approach and started this topic: https://www.ncbcenter.org/files/9514/6984/9801/MSOB052_When_Pregnancy_Goes_Awry.pdf This is an article by the national catholic bioethics center which in summary, criticizes the use of drugs that target the fetus, favoring the approach of salpingectomy as "morally acceptable" because it targets not the fetus but the tube which would be subject to rupture. To their credit, the author acknowledges the good will of the physician and the primary goal of protecting the mother. @LibraSunCNM while I appreciate your concern, I'm quite aware of what defines an ectopic pregnancy as well as the prognosis for the non viable conceptus and the mother. Unfortunately this is something I educate patients on quite frequently. Honestly that's why I care enough to start this topic. I personally have no qualms with any safe termination of a life threatening condition, but after learning that the largest sect of Christianity is picky about it from a doctrinal standpoint, I am concerned for my patients mental and spiritual well-being. I hope none of my patients ever read or stumble upon any of this.. I hope they never hear anyone tell them it's "wrong" or "morally illicit" to terminate a non viable pregnancy.. but it makes me so mad that this is a real thing. Why are men behind desks deciding what the best course of treatment is for women with life threatening conditions? How many patients have struggled with whether or not to pursue safe treatment out of fear that they would be looked down upon by their church "family"?

I have tried out many religions, and for a couple of winters I was on the pagan spectrum. During those times I found the most respectful way to respond that I was comfortable with was "have a blessed Yuletide" or (merrily) "Yuletide cheer". I also used seasons greetings a lot and sometimes I would say (very sincerely) "enjoy your Christmas" to those I knew to be super religious. I want them to enjoy their holiday, so why not say it? Just because I won't be joining their celebration doesn't stop me from hoping they enjoy it. It's kind of like saying "have a nice vacation" in that sense.

Critical thinking can absolutely be developed. I was raised by a mechanic and an English major. They are incredibly intelligent people, but have a formula for everything. I came into nursing expecting a formula. I struggled. I cried a lot. I almost gave up a few times. It was all so worth it. Do as many case studies as you can. Do lots of Nclex questions. I used to do nclex questions in line at the grocery store, while waiting for food, while cooking, while my husband was driving us somewhere, while at the gym, on breaks at work, and anywhere else I could put them. It really does help. I'm not the best at critical thinking, but I am not the worst either. You may never be perfect, but you can become a safe nurse.

Hello nursing community! I have a question for you all. How do you feel about methotrexate or other drug-based treatment for the termination of ectopic pregnancy? As someone who was raised with very loose christian beliefs and spent some of my young adult years in the Catholic Church, I'm really intrigued to see how much focus there really is on this topic in the medical community. I work in an OBGYN hospital on the triage floor, and many times have had methotrexate used to terminate ectopic pregnancy in non emergent situations. I have seen patients take this in different ways, varying from complete emotional breakdown to sigh of relief. I see this method as one of the safest ways to handle the situation and find the noninvasive nature of it very appealing, but according to the bylaws of the Catholic Church it is still abortion and an excommunicable offense. I am not certain of how other denominations of christianity or other religions view it, and would be curious to learn. On that note, a couple of questions for you: How do you feel about termination of an ectopic pregnancy by pharmaceutical means? What religious background are you speaking from? How does your denomination/church/religion view this? Are your views in line with theirs, or do you find yourself on the outskirts like me? And to better understand your viewpoint, do you identify yourself as pro-life, pro-choice, or undecided? Just so you don't think I am skipping out on the tough one: I am pro-choice (politically speaking) because I believe every woman has a right to make her own choice until the point of fetal viability. Morally speaking, I know that I could not choose to terminate a viable pregnancy under normal circumstances, because I do not believe it is right. I know this can be a touchy subject for some, therefor I'm asking you to be kind. Please take care when choosing your words, and be kind to others. Everyone with personal connections to this topic will appreciate your gentle approach.

It's very difficult to tell over the internet. I have spent time after I finished my charting pouring over the internet for appropriate rehab facilities for patients and finding the best coloring pages or phone numbers or whatever they need- but it depends on the patient's condition. Assuming based on the above comments that the patient is being manipulative or has a history of manipulative behavior, I may respond by saying "I'm in the middle of a task right now, but I can get you the phone numbers for local animal shelters in just a few moments. Why don't you have a seat here near me and while I finish this up". At that point, the patient is within my visual range (safety) and I can assess their demeanor and behavior for a few moments. They are not successful in demanding what they want when they want it, but are provided a solution to help locate their dog. Delusional patients entirely change the situation, of course.

Sigh.... I'm both saddened and comforted reading these posts. I had an interview at the end of September and received a soft offer, have done all of my part, but I'm still waiting for a firm offer with a start date. While I do understand government red tape, three months from receiving an offer and still not knowing when I start is rough.

Please check your license at the door!

Oh my heavens!! YESSSS!

I am one of about 8 psychiatric LPNs on my acute behavioral health floor.

No matter what education you have going in, everyone goes through the same program at the same pace, more or less. It takes 12-13 months. You are in class 5 days a week from 745-225 with variations for clinical days. The latest I ever got out was 3:50. The program is good, structured, and set up to change the way you think. That's a painful process, be prepared. You'll learn to prioritize because there is too much to do. You'll learn what it feels like to say "I don't have enough to do. Something isn't right." And you'll learn to function in a state of overwhelming stress. You'll appreciate all of that later.

Well that's news! I was given different information. I apologize for inaccurate info.

So far. Orientation has been mostly focused on med/surg areas, but this hospital system is one of the top 5 largest employers in my state so its not surprising. I guess I'll start orientation on my floor in a week, because its another week of computer training modules first. Thank you for the resource, I will look into that.

Orlando health hires LPNs for all of their hospitals (a recent change). You have to be IV certified to be considered. Their LPN II makes around $30-35k starting. They have a variety of roles for lpns including ER, med surg, psych, mother/baby, etc. FL hospital does not employ LPNs as floor nurses to my knowledge. I know centracare nurses were limited to a $14 flat-rate with no differentials or opportunities to advance. The VA has their pay scales available online, I don't recall them off hand.

Actually that's exactly what I mean. If you get a question right, it gives you a harder one. I believe I read somewhere that it gives you a question you have about a 50% chance of getting right. If you get one wrong, it gives you an easier one for the same reason. It's going to consistently give you questions just hard enough it isn't sure whether you'll get them right, so in the end you'll have answered about the same number of questions correctly as the next guy, unless you bombed it beyond reason. The questions will Always seem super hard because the computer wants to ask what's just a little above your skill level to determine where the cap of that skill level truly sits.

Honestly the test is designed so that, pass or fail, everyone answers about the same number of questions correctly. It is also designed so that the questions will *always* seem incredibly difficult, no matter what your knowledge level. This means that it's almost impossible to come out thinking you did great. At this point, you have two options. You can take a couple days to breathe and relax, or you can go back to studying. Neither is wrong, but studying a bit helped me feel better while I was waiting for results, because I felt the same way you're describing.

Thanks for the tips! Lots of things I would not have thought of! I try not to self disclose with patients because I know I'm am odd and confusing creature, at least that's one leg up.

Congrats! Keep your head in the game!

My LPN program had us take the TABE, then the TEAS-V, then submit a health packet with medical clearance to begin, and then an interview with the director. I then got to sit in on one of these interviews as a senior student. Here are a few things I was asked, and a few things I noticed in the interview I joined in on: 1. Why do you want to do this? Go in with a strong answer to this. Know that they are looking for people who can make it through a tough year with their goal in mind. 2. Why our program? Highlight your strengths here. You thrive in a classroom environment! Do you learn better by being fully immersed in a learning environment? Do you like where the program does clinicals? 3. Do you have any young children or aging parents at home who require your care? If so, have a plan on how they will be cared for if you have to take a day to study. And have a backup plan if the kids get sick and need to stay home from school. 4. Do you always have to get an A? This is a question of resilience. Do you lose hope when you get a B- or do you shake the dust of and move on? Come in with an answer and an explanation of your strategy. 5. Do you plan to work through school? Do you need to work through school? If this is a full time program, realize you may not be able to work all the way through. You may be asked if your household can sustain without your income, in case the coursework becomes too much. There were weekends I had 15+ hours of homework to do. 6. What do your study habits look like? Go in with a study plan. Figure out what your days look like and plan in a window for up to 3 hours of studying at least 4 days per week, if not every day. Write it out so you remember, school 7-2, lunch 245-330, study 345-7, dinner 7-830, etc. Plan sleep in. Make sure you show that you are planning in at least 7 hours. 7. What specialty are you interested in? This is a general question to see if you are passionate about something. Know and show your passion. Passion is what gets you through the long nights studying and the tests you fail. 8. How would you handle failing a test? Remember to include remediation in your answer! They are looking for something to the tune of: pull myself up by my bootstraps, reread the chapter, and ask for help/tutoring if I need it. Remember everything in nursing builds off of something you've already learned. 9. What would you do if you discovered a classmate was cheating? This one is tricky and each director will have a different view. To cover all bases, the best answer I've heard of is this: first I'd confront them privately, ask how they feel about the material, offer to study with them, see if I can help them out of that desperate place. If I still had any suspicion or concern, I would bring it to a teacher's attention. Do not take the "its none of my business* approach because all they hear is "what drugs other nurses take recreationally is none of my business". 10. Because of your background, be prepared to answer questions to the effect of "yell me about a time when you....." Overall, be professional. Dress for the biggest job interview of your life. They are really looking at two things: will you make a good nurse? (Will you be a safe, caring, effective nurse?) Do you have what it takes to get through this program? So show your best side. If you have any tattoos, cover them. Piercings other than your ears? Take them out. Acrylic nails? Best to wave goodbye in favor or a neutral colored manicure. If you wear makeup, keep it natural. Be confident, smile, share your excitement. Good luck!!!!

I start my first nursing job on Monday. I graduated in February and took the NCLEX PN in April, and I start as an LPN on a short-term impatient behavioral health floor in a hospital. I have done clinicals on this floor, but as a student was told to simply "go talk to people" as the nurses really didn't want to be followed. So I basically have an idea of what the patient population is like in general, but no clue what my job will entail. Does anyone have any advice for a new nurse going into psych as my first nursing job?

I am a new grad but our clinical guideline was if it is out of range unexpectedly, recheck it with another dynamap or a manual of it's available. I have found multiple times that odd bps (something like 169/44 in a walkie talkie saying he feels good today) were proven to be a machine issue after I rechecked with another machine (150/90, normal for his baseline) and then replicated the issue on another pt (like 130/30 on another walkie talkie, the good machine gave me 120/70).

Don't listen to her. I had a huge level of passion going into nursing school which was trampled and stifled by the stress of the environment. I made it through without passion. I passed without hope. And they are starting to come back, little by little. And while yes, I'll volunteer my time and skill to certain organizations, I would never work for free because I have a home to sustain.

For my program the entrance exam was the TEAS-V. People make it out to be more than it is. I took it with only one days notice and no studying whatsoever and still wouldn't call it challenging.

I'm going to go against everyone here, and say do it! But have a plan: Is your therapist readily available to accept extra sessions or phone calls if you're having one of those weeks? If not, do you have someone who knows how to help talk you through a bad night? What will you do if the workload is too much and you have to drop to part time or per diem work? How will you handle the nights when you don't have time to sleep once all your homework is done? Certainly with high anxiety you'll want to avoid the go-to energy drinks and caffeine? Who will be your support net? Do you live near family or a strong network of friends who could watch the kids on short notice? Would they be willing to come over at random just to do flash cards or help you out of a bad spot? These are questions I wish I had asked myself. Lpn is shorter, and it's a very different environment and process from RN or from a regular college in general. That may make it seem easier for you. But for many, it's not easier, only different. Also consider how you will manage your career goals after LPN. Do you still want to be an RN? If not, that's great. If so, that's great. But decide and prepare yourself for the realities of working as an LPN (higher legal and medical responsibility than cna, though less physically taxing) while going back into school for your RN. Do it! Go for it! Just make a plan so that when you get into a difficult situation, and if your anxiety takes over completely, you have a plan already in place of how to handle the situation and move forward.

I know this feels ridiculous, and it does sound really crazy, but sometimes public tech schools operate that way. Mine was better, but not by much. I was trying to get in contact with people starting in July, was lied to by an advisor who said there was an October class when in reality it was August or January, got all of my paperwork turned in by early October, wasn't called back to come interview until a month after I found a way to email the dept head directly, and then was asked why I waited so long getting set up for an interview. I'm the interview, I was asked again, and met with feigned shock when I explained the process I had gone through. My program was full of situations like that. When we had to reregister for the next semester, the advisors would randomly interrupt class, insist that we go down to the office *now*, and then fuss at us that we were late because we weren't available to pull out of class two days prior when we were in clinical.