BSN_to_ICU

Hi everyone! I am a new graduate nurse and have been working in my position for a month. I have a wonderful preceptor and I love the other nurses on my unit, but I definitely didn't think nursing would be this HARD. I had been warned and I also chose the ICU as a new grad, so I should have known my fate, but here I am. My preceptor says I am doing well and am right on par for where I am at in my orientation. My main reason for posting though is I was wondering how did everyone get through the tough first couple months/year. What is something you wish you knew as a new grad and what can I do to be a better nurse? Thanks everyone :)

I love ASICS GEL tennis shoes.

Last semester of nursing school when I got my clinical capstone placement in the ICU. Do I still have moments of doubt about if I made the right decision, sure. I honestly knew nothing about nursing before I got to nursing school and it worked out for me. Some people came in to nursing school 100% sure about it and ended up hating it, some came in not so sure and ended up loving it, and many are just figuring it out as we go :)

I know others have said this, but it is 100% dependent on your location. I graduated on May 5th and I would say at least 90% of my graduating class already had MULTIPLE job offers by MARCH!! The only people that I know of in my class that did not have a job upon graduation were people moving out of state. I had 5 job offers by the end of March.

We had absolutely no say in choosing out sites. Most of mine were at least 30 minutes away (and yes I live 5 minutes from the hospital in town). I also had sites up to and hour and 15 minutes away.

My nursing school would not accept you with ANY type of criminal record (other than minor traffic offenses). The best thing that can be done is trying to get the charges expunged.

I went to "non-prestigious" university. I was a member of Sigma Theta Tau, NSNA, treasurer of one club, volunteered with hospice, was a mentor, worked, etc., etc. I was asked ONE time about my extracurriculars in my interviews and NEVER a single thing about what school I attended. They care about YOU as a person and how well you will fit on the unit more than anything else.

I am trying to decide which to use to study for the NCLEX RN. Any advice is appreciated.

I am about to graduate, and I would have picked "Asian, Hispanic, and Native American women have a lower incidence of breast cancer." Nursing school is tough and basically none of the questions I have on my exams are straight from the book (85% application, just like NCLEX). I also have a hard time believing your textbook manufacturer made this question and the answer is nowhere to be found in the textbook. As previous posters stated, African Americans have the highest mortality from breast cancer, but their race isn't necessarily a risk factor. African American women being more at risk than any other group for breast cancer is absolutely incorrect and I just looked in my Medical-Surgical Nursing book and it states this.

In nursing school, I did my community rotation in a free clinic, and I was only called "the nursing student." The providers would say "the nursing student" did this wrong again...so on and so forth. They also called the other nurses "MY nurse." It always irked me. I truly don't think a single person there knew my first or last name.

I got 5 job offers, 4 for nights and 1 for days for new grad positions. I ended up taking one of the night shift offers. I felt like I was most supported by other staff, the manager knew her stuff, and that said if I was someone that couldn't handle nights (who know, I'm a new grad), then she would change me to days. Take what you can get, but don't take a job JUST because it is a day shift offer either.

"Years ago, when I was a new grad, I was given the task of doing daily weights on half of our 30-bed unit while the team leaders were taking night shift's report. I won't go into how young, dumb and totally clueless I was as a new grad -- that's for another thread. Suffice it to say it usually took me twice as long to do my weights as it took the CNA on the other hall. The first morning, I went into the end room, there was a steaming pile of poop in the corner. I asked the female patient how got there, thinking "DUH!" And she said that a crazy old lady scurried into her room, squatted right there in the corner and pooped, then scurried out again. I charted that she'd had a soft, formed bowel movement and then, in the interest of being complete, charted what she had said. The next morning, there was again a steaming pile of poop in the corner of the end room -- same question, same answer, same charting. And again the third day. On the fourth day (these were 8-hour shifts, mind, a torture which I hope never to have to endure again), there was no poop in the corner. While I was getting the patient up for her daily weight, a little old lady scurried into the room, lifted her johnny, squatted in the corner and left a steaming pile of poop. Imagine charter your way out of three days of THAT!" This has to be one of the best ones ever! That is crazy!!!

Not a nursing story, but my mom passed a few years ago and my dad told a story that freaked me out. So my mom died at home, in their bedroom of 15 years. He had told me that when he was going to sleep he would feel someone sit on the bed next to him (a few months after she passed). He said it didn't scare him, but he actually felt calm. One night he said the same thing happened and suddenly the lights in the bedroom came on (he had been in the bed half asleep). He said he got up thinking something had chewed through the wires and when he looked at the switch, it had been flipped up...freaked me out no doubt. Still hate that bedroom.

I am a current BSN student. I can't speak for other schools, but we certainly had to know basic math... I was required to take College Algebra and Statistics just to get in to nursing school. When I was entering, we too the NLN PAX and you were not allowed to use a calculator (100% calculator inactive). I also have received dosage tests every semester that I had to score > 90 (first semester we could not use a calculator, but each subsequent semester we could). I honestly would rather any nurse of mine check her math with a calculator (human errors occur, especially under pressure). I feel that this is more of an education system issue, rather than a nursing issue.

Honestly, just follow the facility that is going to work best for your sanity. I had a similar situation, 40 minute commute or work 5 minutes from home. Commuter hospital is Magnet and the close one is not. I ended up picking the Magnet hospital, not becuase of its status, but I loved the manager, the unit, and my potential coworkers. The hospital closer to home was equally great, but were going through some transitions (new call bell system, changing over charting systems) that I was worried would interfere with my orientation. Also, I'm a youngin' and don't have kids which makes it easier for me to commute. Also, my commute is rather easy just up a straight highway. Make the decision based on what you SEE, not on a title :)