kmn0601

I am interested in infusion nursing as something that I might want to branch out into. (I'm exploring a few specialties now but infusion has been an interest of mine). I am still a new nurse, 1 year of experience on a telemetry and stroke unit. Although it doesn't have the official name to it, our unit is also utilized as the ICU stepdown. When I was hired the hospital had just cut its IV team so floor nurses were starting do place IVs. I learned right from the beginning and even though I'm a newer nurse I am one of the people they count on to get a hard stick before it has to be escalated. What pathways would you recommend if I wanted to work on an IV team or work placing PICCs? Originally I never thought I'd have an interest in this line of nursing but as I do more research here and with other resources I realize how in depth it is and how much there is to learn and that sparks my interest. Of all my nursing tasks, IVs are at the top of the list of what I enjoy doing the most. Any guidance that an infusion RN or PICC RN can give to me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi everyone, I am considering applying for an internal transfer to my hospital's NICU unit. Right now I work on an adult medical/surgical floor specializing in stroke and neurological complications but we still see a large variety of patients. I feel like now is the time I'm ready to make the move to something that I have had my mind on since I started nursing school. In comparison to other areas, I always found the neonate to be more interesting. If I were to go to the NICU I have the understanding that I will have to learn everything all over again from the ground up as NICU is it's own world. I am ready to do that. What are the biggest challenges going from adult to neonate? From what I've seen, many NICU nurses find the job very rewarding and interesting. But, I've also read about the occupational hazards of the NICU, primarily the radiation exposure. Does your NICU take any initiative to lessen your exposure to radiation? Is the exposure minimal or is it something that is as frequently encountered as in the cath lab? I know we are all exposed to radiation but I find that the talk of cancers and thyroid issues seems to be a theme on some NICU threads. I'd appreciate any advice about going to the NICU.

She needs to be failed. I am a recent graduate and if I ever acted this way and avoided doing things like this with my instructor or other nurses I was paired with, I would not have passed the clinical. When I was acquiring new nursing skills in school (still am too) I was a little unsure at times but I always took the opportunity to do so when it was offered. The fact that she is not doing that should turn on bells and whistles in your mind that something is not right with this student.

Thanks for sharing your story. I am just getting started off in nursing (passed NCLEX last month) and it seems more and more all I see here is negative stories about nursing. Yours encourages me. I'm looking forward to getting started.

Just looked on the WA state board of nursing and my license is ACTIVE!!! Jesus took the wheel today! Thank you! Beyond ecstatic!

Took the NCLEX early this afternoon. Took 68 minutes and it shut off at 75 questions. Got home an hour later and tried the PVT. I entered everything in correctly except I put the wrong expiration date on my Visa and got the good pop up. Did it a little while later and got the good one again. Is this a good sign or do I have to put in all the correct information for the card for the PVT to work? Thanks!

I am planning on using Saunders, Uworld, and NCLEX mastery. I may add to the list. I just graduated on December 15th.

I am in an accelerated RN program. From what I was told at the beginning, we would be awarded a BSN at graduation. We just received an email stating we will be graduating with a BS not BSN in nursing. I have been looking through the forms and it appears there is not much different between the two, please correct me if I am wrong. I would like to know for me to go on to pursue my MSN or DNP would I have to go back to get a BSN if I am awarded a BS in nursing or will I be ok? Regarding hospitals that only hire baccalaureate prepared nurses, are they usually referring to strictly BSN or does that also include a BS. I do see a lot of advertisements for BSN grads. I am not sure if I should take that to mean solely BSN or baccalaureate in general. Finally, at the hospital are BS prepared RNs on the same pay scale as the BSN? I know they do not pay the BSN much more if any more but every bit counts. I appreciate any feedback I receive in advance.

Congrats to all those who were accepted. I am a student in the current cohort. It has been a long road. It will be worth it in the end but do not think it will be easy. There were numerous "bugs" that had to be worked out this year. Enjoy your free time before the program starts up after the New Year, you will miss it.

Thank you! I hope you are right. I am going to try to look at it more as if I am walking someone through doing the procedure instead of looking at it just as patient care. The part that was flustering to me was that I knew what I had to do in the simulation but I just blanked out once I got so far into it and realized that I missed a step when preparing my sterile field. Thinking it over I think the most important thing to learn from this is that not everything you do is always going to go perfect and sometimes you need to just take a moment to reassess instead of press on.

I am almost done with the first semester of my accelerated BSN program. I have both clinical and simulation lab. In clinical I feel as if I am doing well. My instructor has commented on my attention to detail and ability to conduct a thorough assessment. I've had positive feedback relating to my care plans. I've been able to detect abnormalities with patients that have required further intervention. Sim lab is a different story. In sim lab we practice different techniques before we can do them on a patient. These include catheters, suctioning, hanging an IV, etc. I am able to do well practicing these skills. We have simulation scenarios that consist of different skills and assessment skills that we've learned. This is where I am having difficulty. I have trouble acting like the dummy is a real person and when I go to act out the simulation while everyone watches and critiques, my mind just draws a blank and I feel paralyzed. I'm definitely not a shy person so I cannot understand what I am doing wrong. I hope that this is not a sign that I will make a horrible nurse. I appreciate any suggestions that you can give me to improve at simulation lab.