dura.mater

Prof is very health-conscious and concerned about the percentage of obese nurses- pizza and bagels were also vetoed but maybe coffee and tea would go over well. And fruit and cheese/crackers sounds good...

It's almost the end of the semester and my clinical group wants to thank the nurses and CNAs who have been so great to us. Our first thought was food but my nursing instructor forbade us from bringing anything with sugar and veggie trays always look so depressing after the first hour or so. I was thinking little gift baggies with a travel-size hand lotion, lip balm, and travel packets of Advil. Would that be sweet or are folks sick of little swag bags like that when it's not necessarily the brands they prefer?

Thank you @MilliePieRN! Sounds good to me.

All I have on her H&P about it is under allergies it lists codeine- on the physician's orders he has her listed as NKA which is one reason I wondered if it was an error. She's exactly 50 kg and it's 15 mg PO every four hours prn for pain 4-6 and 30 mg for pain 7-10. Even with her age I feel ok about the 15 mg since she is over the 50 kg mark, except for this allergy. I was thinking of asking for a phenylpiperidine like fentanyl, which seems like a scary drug for me, a newbie, to be handing out; or meperidine,but it does have a Beers warning. So since the hydrocodone is a semi-synthetic it should be OK even though it's also a phenanthrene? What are some questions I can ask to determine if she had a true allergic reaction or psuedoallergy symptom? Thank you!

Working on prepping for my first Sim Lab and our patient is allergic to codeine but has an order for morphine sulfate, 15 or 30 mg PRN for pain. She is 85 with Hx of HTN, MI, CHF. I know codeine basically breaks down into morphine in the liver so I feel like she shouldn't have it, but the rest of the internet is giving me conflicting info. My Mosby drug book and Med Deck aren't helping. Any advice?

Ohmygoodness she *said* it was a silly question. I quite like the raspberry myself but do check if your school has requirements. We're excited, it's an exciting time, and no one is currently telling us how to use anything, they just want us to buy stuff and for some of us it's fun to shop for it. I can only page through Paganax3 so many times without having any context for it.

@YassQueen One more question- how did you get the new document on CastleBranch? I can't figure out how to remove the old one and make room for the new one.

@YassQueen thank you, that was helpful- it allowed me to insist that the information does exist and after some bouncing around I have it now. Oy veh! One more question- how did you get the new document on CastleBranch? I can't figure out how to remove the old one and make room for the new one.

@YassQueen thank you, that was helpful- it allowed me to insist that the information does exist and after some bouncing around I have it now. Oy veh!

Any luck? I'm having the same issue. It would have been so nice to have been told this stuff since the beginning.

I wound up getting into Ohlone and Chabot and not Merritt, so I had a different choice to make, but I was also attracted to the campus and facilities at Merritt but turned off by the high attrition rate. It you look up the NCLEX pass rates for California schools (just google that phrase and it should pop right up), you can see that Chabot has excellent pass rates but has only lost two students for the past two years, for example, and five out if 50 the year before that. Merritt on the other hand recently lost all but nine students- just imagine what that does to morale, even if you are one of the nine. Merritt got the award because of their string of 100% pass rates but when less than a quarter of the class is taking the test what does that mean? A lot of why Chabot is more $$ is they require you to sign up for the Kaplan review course from the beginning, which I believe contributes to their pass rates. They also have realistic calculations for things like shoes and uniforms, which other programs tend to low ball and they do add up. Chabot does have some clinical placements in Livermore, I believe, so that's a plus. But the Merritt campus is peaceful and lovely- I wish I could have the Chabot program in that location! I also love the Ohlone campus but wound up deciding on Chabot due to location and lack of attrition. Best of luck on your decision and after all, we're the fortunate ones to have a choice in the matter at all.

I let Ohlone know that I would not be accepting yesterday so someone should be getting moved off the alternates list- Chabot class of 2019 here we go!

I've not sent in my form because I'm pretty sure I'm going with Chabot- I don't want to make more paperwork for them. I did see that typo in the subject line but all the paperwork from every school has been littered with things like that so I'm not worrying about it. I do have good academics/TEAS and no work experience or second language so that makes sense. It's also helpful to think about since if I go to Chabot it seems like my cohort will be learners more like me- book smart but not necessarily hospital experienced. I've been a bit worried whether everyone would already know their way around a bedside so your insight is helpful, thanks! I'm so excited to get started, I've been taking pre-reqs for almost four years (I started out thinking I was going a different route so some didn't turn out to be neccessary). I'm so happy it's finally happening!

No, I haven't seen anything at all on an in-person orientation. I looked at the student handbook seeking more information like you are but some of what's in there contradicts what I was told at orientation, like the days when classes are held. There's also conflicting info within what they sent us- in one place it says the flu shot is due in August, but that new vaccines are released in September, and in another place it says get your flu shot in September. As far as start date I'm pretty sure it's 8/28- if you search for Ohlone college catalog it only lists the 2016-2017 catalog, but in the side bar there's a link to search for classes, and when I search for nursing classes Fall 2017 they mostly start 8/28. But I agree, the paperwork is very confusing. I did a test drive from my house in Oakland yesterday out to Ohlone and Chabot- I had been to both before for the info session but hadn't been fully visualizing myself there. I'm leaning towards Chabot as with light Saturday traffic the drive was 25 minutes shorter one way- it's a small thing to base a decision on but the 1.5-2 hours each week could really add up over two years, given how busy we'll be. Where else were you admitted, @YennieMEOW?

Does anyone have any input on choosing between Contra Costa, Ohlone and Chabot? I'm very lucky to have been accepted to all three. I am leaning away from Contra Costa simply because of distance from me, both to school and clinicals. Ohlone is slightly farther from me but if it's a better program it doesn't matter.