Wow ... it is finally here! A forum that is designed to help you get in contact with Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses, who can help you with your interview assignments. There has been so many posts in the past that Brian has made this forum available to you! :rotfl:
It is my pleasure to co-moderate this forum with VickyRN!!!!! :balloons: I am sure she will be along soon and will also post her welcome! Given that this is a new forum, I am sure we will all learn together and I know I am excited to have a forum that helps students.
So, let's start hearing from the students .... questions that you might have and ways in which you think you can use this forum.
I'm in my second semester of my BSN program so I've been through 3 years of prereqs and my first actual nursing semester.
The biggest shock for me is that the actual nursing program is EASIER than the prereqs were. I struggled with inorganic and organic chem, and also some of A&P 2. But, now that I'm applying the information to actual scenarios, I understand all of it alot better.
In A&P, we learned the body and what everything does and why. But, we didn't apply it to a patient's condition or learn anything about meds and how they affect the body. You learn that stuff in nursing classes and it all falls into place and makes sense.
So much of nursing is common sense. If you can keep yourself calm and think things through using the information you're given and have learned, then you will do ok.
I got B's and C's(total 3.0) in my prereqs and I have a 3.7 in my nursing lasses.
I agree, I am a third year nursing student in New Zealand and nursing is all about common sense, but as you progress all the theory and evidence based information that is drummed into starts making sense. There is always a rationale for why we do things and question your practice constantly. From the beginning keep a journal and enter into weekly. Ask yourself about your own practice and what you would have done to improve. Good luck with your studies :rotfl:
My name is Emily Snow and I am currently an RN student at Carroll Community College. An assignment I must complete for one of my classes is to get a registered nurse practicing less than one year to answer the following questions.
1.What is the hardest part of your job?
2.What is the easiest part of your job?
3.What was the one most important thing you learned in nursing school?
4.What advice would you give a new registered nursing graduate?
5.What made you want to become a nurse?
Please include name, title, and where you work.
I have posted this for a while and have not gotten any response so maybe you guys can help. Please!!!!!!!!!!
When you say all the good subjects have been taken ... define this. Nurses perform patient teaching all the time. There are many areas in which teaching can be done. For a first semester student .... looking at your functional health patterns, teaching can be performed on health seeking behavior. For patients that are recent post operative ... teraching can be performed on poreventing post-operative infection or recognizing s/s of infection.
There are also many areas for teaching in relationship to patients who take a blood thinner. Much of the teaching that nurses do can be common sense. For example, the patient taking a blood thinner at home is at increased risk for bleeding. Teaching for this patient might include having the patient do a safety insepction of their home and remove throw carpet or things that might cause them to fall. Remember that a fall can increase the chance of bleeding. Patients on blood thinners tend to bleed for a longer time than those who are not on them. In addition, if a patient on a blood thinner falls and hits their head, they could be at an increased risk for a subderal hematoma. Teaching can also include measures for the patient to take if they start bleeding .... apply firm, direct pressure, call 911 .. etc.
There are many things that nurses teach. If you would like, please list some areas that you might want to teach your patient and perhaps some of us can give you some pointers.
Good luck!
How about teaching coughing and deep breathing while splinting the abdominal incision with a pillow?
Can you teach a family member? You could then teach repositioning or feeding of a patient after a stroke.
Chris, thank you so much! I suppose I kind of hoped that's what I'd get as a reply...I just needed to hear it once again, and I'm sure I'll need to hear it again and again in the years to come. Your words are so welcome and mean an incredible amount to me. Thank you for making my day. :)
Chris's response was so wonderful, wish I had had that 4 years ago when I started the program. You might want to print out her response and post it in the back of your notebook. When you are discouraged, you can read it again and remind yourself why you chose the career you did.
Hi, I am a new LPN nursing student .I am having anxiety and stress not over the book learning but over simple things like vitals especially blood pressures and remembering the pulse rate while taking respirations. I am also getting tutored on Dimensional analysis drug calculations Math has never been my strong suit.My house is a mess and I feel like my kids are being neglected and I find my self telling them to be quiet alot or to go to another room.I feel like a horrible mom on top of stressing over school. We start clinicals this Wensday and I am horrified.I keep going why did I want to be a nurse.My husband is stressing over the bills and financial aid so afraid I'm gonna quit. Next we are learning IV stuff which the way it looks for me in Math I couldn't save a persons life if I have to calculate a drug dosage and their life is hanging in the balance . Am I stressing over stupid stuff or am I normal. I literally think I have been having anxiety attacks, tightening of the chest never had this before.I always thought about going on to be an RN and maybe even a nurse anesthisiast but if I can't get my dosage calculations what then???!!!
Hi I just read your post, and yes I can sympathize with how you are feeling.
So take a deep breathe and relax you are not alone a lot of students feel as you do :)
It takes time to build up your knowldege and confidence,it's an on going process.Just do your best and believe that you can do it!
As far as the math goes , just don't make it harder than it is. It will click for you and will seem so obvious. :chuckle
Children.. how old and how many? One suggestion is to split your days with the children. Give them quality time in the morning and afternoon and study when they are sleeping or taking a nap.
Housework.. always going to be there especially when you have a husband and children.Have them help you out ( I know easier said than done) :chuckle
Take things one day at a time and keep everything in perspective.You have made it this far! So don't give up!
Hi I just read your post, and yes I can sympathize with how you are feeling.
So take a deep breathe and relax you are not alone a lot of students feel as you do :)
It takes time to build up your knowldege and confidence,it's an on going process.Just do your best and believe that you can do it!
As far as the math goes , just don't make it harder than it is. It will click for you and will seem so obvious. :chuckle
Children.. how old and how many? One suggestion is to split your days with the children. Give them quality time in the morning and afternoon and study when they are sleeping or taking a nap.
Housework.. always going to be there especially when you have a husband and children.Have them help you out ( I know easier said than done) :chuckle
Take things one day at a time and keep everything in perspective.You have made it this far! So don't give up!
Best Wishes!
Twinkie
Hi im coot and what i do is take my kids to school come home clean for 1 hour and then hit the books when my kids and husband are around i cant get nothing done this is very important to me. to become a nurse i will be the only one in my family who actually has a career but my husband is constantly on me all u do is study u dont spend any time with us but its not his dream i have all ways backed him in any thing he does and u would think for one time he could do the same
I have gone through all the same feelings, frustrations, and anxieties as you. I had chest pain/tightness the first day of classes so bad I was sure I was having a heart attack. It goes away as you learn to relax.
I have finished all my laundry for the first time since my summer classes.
You will get through it if you just perservere. I know this too because I have my LAST final tomorrow and then graduate on Wednesday.
My family did finally start to help at the end. Was it because I asked them??? No, it was because my husband finally saw how bad things were in the house and delegated to my family. I felt I should be able to do it all myself as well as study, work. You can't do it all. Don't feel that if your house is a little untidy it is the end of the world. Do what you can. When you are done with school, you will be so glad you stuck with it.
kaybee3
3 Posts
I agree, I am a third year nursing student in New Zealand and nursing is all about common sense, but as you progress all the theory and evidence based information that is drummed into starts making sense. There is always a rationale for why we do things and question your practice constantly. From the beginning keep a journal and enter into weekly. Ask yourself about your own practice and what you would have done to improve. Good luck with your studies :rotfl: