registered.nobody

Regardless of whether it is a sudden onset or gradual onset problem, I would be concerned that the patient is at risk of airway loss/obstruction and possibly aspiration as he is unable to control saliva and may have an obstruction or airway swelling.

Wanting to take off when you get your patient assignment and it's a disaster

We had to downsize our car again because nurses are still not getting paid enough.

Karen, I think you took management's request to bring smiling faces to the hospital too literally.

I wish happy flowers increased our HCAHPS scores.

One of my first realizations when I was a brand new nursing student was how much responsibility nurses have. This profession has transformed since the days when nurses wore dresses and were subservients and anyone who does not own up to that responsibility is putting their license and patients' lives in danger. Every day at work I have to utilize critical thinking, solve pharmacological problems, and decide what the patient needs before I ask the doctor for an order. I am a nurse instead of a doctor not because I don't like studying or am not smart enough, but because of the difference in the philosophies of each profession. It was a choice and I will not apologize for it.

As an ER RN myself, I too am rushed to get patients to the floor once they get a bed so that we can transfer care and see more patients. Every RN must use nursing judgement as to which patient is stable enough to go up. However, there are times when a patient is in life-threatening condition and they are going to be only so good before they go to a bed. For instance, a severe code sepsis. But if the patient is decompensating and I feel that they are critical, it is my responsibility to go to the admitting doc and try to get the patient to the appropriate level of care.

And then she said, "I'm allergic to every pain medication but Dilaudid."

In my state LPN's are almost completely obsolete in all but the nursing home settings, and I understand that many states are taking this route as well. Unless you are interested in working in a nursing home/skilled living facility, I highly recommend going the BSN route. Gives you better options for specialty and better pay.

I'm an ER nurse, and I have it pretty good, but it would help a lot if I could document less and care for patients more. Yes, time management is important. Yes, documentation is important. But when did it all become about reimbursement and covering our arses? Wishful thinking, I know.

"It won't hurt, just a little bee-sting." "Hello, my name is Becky, and I'm going to be your student nurse today."

Hello to all of you studying your souls out to pass the NCLEX, I feel the need to return to AllNurses and say thank you for all the encouraging posts that helped me prepare for the exam and encouraged me during the stress-inducing 48 hours after I tested and was waiting for my results. I'd also like to give my two cents' worth and share how I passed the NCLEX on the first try (75 questions). Good news: whether you're taking it for the first time, or the second, or third, you can pass. Bad news: there's no secret formula. Just hard, smart work. Here's how it went down: After graduating from a BSN program on May 6, I took the weekend off and began studying on the following Monday. For the last 2 semesters of nursing school, my program had us using the Kaplan study program. It cost $125 (with discount) and included a Qbank, practice tests, and many other resources. Over the school year, my classmates and I followed a weekly study schedule that included watching "review of content" videos, taking topic-related and diagnostic tests that built up to a 4-day review course with a Kaplan instructor on the week of graduation. So when I began my studying after I graduated, I took the advice of the instructor and made a schedule for myself based on how many weeks I had to study before my exam. I scheduled it for June 7, so I had to study 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. I ended up doing more like 6 hours a day, 7 days a week because of my perfectionistic tendencies. I used Kaplan because my nursing school claimed it was the most successful program, but have heard good things about UWorld and Saunders. My method was basically this: take a 100-question practice test based on a topic and remediate EVERY question (and by remediate I mean read the rationale and study anything I don't know). And do it again and again until the Qbank is used up. I also identified my weaknesses and honed in on them. For instance, I was very bad at pharmacology so I made flashcards, used the Kaplan book, watched tons of videos, downloaded podcasts, and made ridiculous mnemonics. Did I learn everything there is to know about pharmacology? Of course not. But I learned categories, general side effects, and most important - how to think through a pharmacology question. In the days leading up to the test, I was a nervous mess. I felt like I barely scratched the surface of everything I needed to study. I drove to the testing center on the wet, rainy morning of my exam and felt like everything went out of my head as soon as I walked in the center. And guess what? It kinda does. Now this is the most important thing, listen to me: facts can be remembered and forgotten, but the critical-thinking process, the very thing the NCLEX tests, will stay in your subconscious. The best thing I can advise you to do as you study is to learn how to think critically and learn how to think through NCLEX questions. Maybe some people pass the NCLEX if all they do is flashcards, but I haven't heard of one. Anyway, during the test I felt unfocused and stressed out and was despondent when the test cut off at 75 questions. I was almost certain I had failed, and wondered how I could be such a stupid person. I felt nauseated for 48 hours and tried to distract myself until I checked my results and saw that I passed! So as I begin a career in nursing, I wish you the very best and hope that you all pass as well! Best wishes, A Registered Nobody