Mandy2016 BSN

Hello everyone, First of all, big thank you to everyone who has taken time out of their day to read/reply to this. I'm an ER nurse who works in a VERY busy ER and often encounter patients who interfere with other patients' care in one way or another...

I believe you absolutely did the right thing. It would have been horrible if you were in the middle of an exam, panicked, and then ended up contaminating evidence or causing harm to yourself or your patient. Everyone has a weak spot, it's nothing to ...

Something I ask myself is if I or someone I loved presented this way, what would I want someone to do? Chances are, both you and a judge would reach the same answer. Any person who wouldn't want to be touched is either full of empty threats or is so ...

THIS SOUNDS SO MUCH LIKE MY HOSPITAL IT'S SCARY. Our high turnover rate (due to being underpaid) has led to chronic understaffing, which makes them hire new grads like crazy. I was brand new when I started and after orientation it was the worst flu s...

Go for your sister facility! It can be hard to get days in a lot of ERs, but the more experience you have in the ER the better your chances will be of being day shift in the future. While I have not worked nights, I have many friends and coworkers wh...

Is on call required for all nurses in your ER? If not, I would try to renegotiate your contract ASAP. Chances are, if you're not happy with this arrangement, neither are many other nurses and they'll be willing to negotiate to keep you. I understand ...

When I was a new nurse out of school, I was surprised I landed an ER job. There was, of course, a catch. This ER was always packed and understaffed, many orientees didn't make it through training and none of the ICU nurses they cross trained were wil...

I actually hadn't heard of CIWA before, it seems like a great tool! We often get drunk patients who fall below an 8 and end up taking a bed for a whole night while much sicker patients are stuck in the waiting room or an overflow chair. This patient ...

Unfortunately, the budget at our facility greatly limits our resources. We always have between 2-5 security guards present, but it's basically up to them and any available EMTs to act as sitters for SI/HI patients unless they're in restraints. The ho...

Hope this isn’t too late! YOU ARE NOT IN THE WRONG Although it would be difficult, I would attempt to find out if this preceptor has had other students in the past, contact them, and hear about their experiences. Chances are you’re not the first to ...

You can do everything right and still be wrong. This is something I have had to remind myself of on more than one occasion and I urge you to remember it and not be discouraged! You knew what was right, made an honest attempt to try to follow policy, ...

Before you apply anywhere, make sure to check the NCLEX pass rates! No use paying a lot more for the university if the %s are comparable to the local cc. Definitely make sure your major classes (Anatomy, phys, micro, chem) will transfer, if they're ...

Unfortunately, the only exception I've ever heard of was based purely on student safety. If you have a restraining order against someone who works at a particular facility (hopefully not the other way around!) then I believe the dean of your school ...

It sounds like you're well balanced and determined- perfect nursing material! Something important to consider is will the program of your choice work with your military & fire station obligations? I'm afraid I don't know much about either. Most...

No problem, I'm glad I could help!

If you're worried about money, cc for ASN is the best way to go. I know waiting to get in is frustrating, but it pays off. The first thing you want to check is the NCLEX pass rates for each school. If they have less than 90% you probably don't wan...

I'm not sure what the program at FSW is like, but at my school you can't even sign up for preentrance exams without completing all of the prerequisites. After that, it could be a while before you get to take the exam; this is the time to get your ge...

For prerequisites, you may be able to get away with it if the professor is willing. Once you are in nursing school don't count on it. At my school they literally NEVER round grades. A lot of my fellow students have failed a class by, not 1 or 2%, b...

Glad you decided on a cc, way better than private $ wise. But what's even more important is considering just how much work becoming a nurse will be. You said you enjoy your freedom? THAT WILL BE GONE as soon as you start a program, even taking the ...

For goodness sake DON'T FINISH THAT DEGREE!! If you already have a bachelors, you don't qualify for almost any financial aid My advice is to go with a short program ASN to get your RN (preferably cc so everything transfers if you want other degree...

Helpful Tip: put "BSN in progress" at the top of a resume, you only need to be signed up to bypass "BSN only" regulations. Get an ASN!: cheaper, shorter, great experience you won't get with straight to BSN programs. DON'T go the private school route...

If you want hands on experience, start with an ASN program (since you have hospital experience the clinical portion will be much easier). Also, you get a chance to make connections with staff members and hospitals will already have you on file (back...

Hi everyone, I'm a student at SMC going into 4th semester in the fall, just wanted you to know you guys will be able to join the FB page the first week of school (the wait list used to be over 400 people- too many!) most likely you guys will also mak...