littlemissbookworm replied to hopefullblue's topic in General Nursing
-First off, I would love to hear about what your average day is like. And if you have a specialty, what are the pros and cons of your specialty? I work on a thoracic/general surgery unit. My average...
littlemissbookworm replied to stnurse2016's topic in General Nursing
Some qualities that they look for in a new grad is an eagerness to learn, that you'll seek out opportunities on the unit, and you won't be scared to ask for help if you need it. They know that as a...
littlemissbookworm replied to kater_92's topic in General Nursing
My first piece of advice: Take a deep breath in and release. I'm from Canada, so the nursing schools might be different here depending where you're from. Typically students aren't thrown to the...
littlemissbookworm replied to Studentpn1's topic in Pulmonary
Emphasize to assess from patient to chest tube or chest tube to patient. I would look up subcutaneous emphysema. That's a complication that you can get. Also, pain management is important in these...
littlemissbookworm replied to Zooey72's topic in General Students
For answering prioritizing questions, the best way to learn the "best answer" is to do practice questions. Do as many as you can and you will begin to pick up on the trends. Prioritizing is an...
littlemissbookworm replied to ColleenT's topic in General Nursing
I was a float nurse as a new grad. It was challenging at times. Some advantages is that you can list the units you've been trained on and worked on your resume (I got to put three different units on...
littlemissbookworm replied to freckles23's topic in General Nursing
We've recently had staff cuts as well and on nights we have 8 patients each. I found that I had to find a new system since the staff cuts. Short cuts are tempting, but can add to your work load. I...
littlemissbookworm replied to Cdnbscn's topic in General Nursing
I had a similar experience. I wanted to work on the unit I did my final practicum on, but I didn't have seniority. I had to work in the float pool for a little bit (my first job). I got to learn new...
littlemissbookworm replied to jpRN51's topic in General Nursing
Just take a deep breath and take it step by step. Every hospital and unit has politics, but politics are everywhere. They also say the first year of nursing is the hardest. Find out what coping...
littlemissbookworm replied to NurseKJ5's topic in General Nursing
There has been some good advice, so I will just add a tip that I have found successful when having a preceptor. Right off the bat, I ask my preceptor to give me feedback, good or bad. I also ask them...
littlemissbookworm replied to adorkable8605's topic in General Nursing
I worked in a float pool for a few months when I first started. I was able to see how the different units worked, learn various skills, and get to know the people that worked on each unit. One of the...
littlemissbookworm replied to 2soon2beOTC's topic in General Nursing
It's always different when you're in the hospital yourself or your family member is. I love doing wound care on patients, but one time I had this deep cut that I got camping. It freaked me out, which...