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leb388 posted:One of my professors works in a jail, and she seems to really like it. She said the hours are more flexible than a hospital's, and the benefits are amazing. We visited the jail once to give vaccines, and I don't think I could work there (locked doors behind you, security guards everywhere, can't take your cell phone in) but it's certainly an interesting job. The nurses I saw did admission interviews on general health history, and passed meds for the whole facility. I don't know if that helps or not, but good luck. From what I've gathered the role is very autonomous, similar to an outpost placement, which I think I will enjoy. I'm a little worried about the learning curve though. I get such mixed impressions from people, and it's so hard because they are always second hand. I've had people say they had a friend who has been doing it for years and loved it, while others have a friend who did it for 2 months and couldn't handle it. Just makes me wonder where I will fall.
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Apr 1, 2010 02:12
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Ghost of Castro posted:Finished my last clinical shift as a student today... feels good. I'm planning on going into corrections after I finish school, but I've been working in a prison for two years now anyways. Your experience will depend on the type of facility you end up working at: state, local or federal and classification, etc. An important aspect of care no matter where you are is giving psychological support, a lot of inmates have massive anxiety issues that manifest themselves as medical problems or outbursts and it's important to be patient with them. I've talked to a lot of other nurses that have worked in corrections and they all say it's difficult but enjoyable. And a lot have told me it's where "nurses go to lose their skills" which I think is ridiculous since you have to be a lot more self sufficient. Definitely do it because you can give great, compassionate care and not just because the pay is pretty great.
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Apr 1, 2010 21:08
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Baby_Hippo posted:I'm planning on going into corrections after I finish school, but I've been working in a prison for two years now anyways. Your experience will depend on the type of facility you end up working at: state, local or federal and classification, etc. An important aspect of care no matter where you are is giving psychological support, a lot of inmates have massive anxiety issues that manifest themselves as medical problems or outbursts and it's important to be patient with them. I'll be doing federal, and in Canada, so it's a bit different (ie. less horrible) than the US system. I grew an interest in advocacy for incarcerated individuals a few years ago, and I hope that I will be able to make a difference in the lives of these individuals. I've considered doing master's research in corrections so maybe if it goes well I can work towards that. Thanks for the insight.
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Apr 2, 2010 15:44
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I am currently in the last term of my first year of nursing school in Oregon. To be honest a solid understanding of Anatomy and Physiology really makes much of our testing and exams pretty trivial. I haven't had to crack our $1200's worth of textbooks too frequently and I never do the assigned reading. In opposition to that working at the hospital is tons of fun and really hard/interesting. Actually getting to put your theory into practice is invaluable for cementing stuff into your memory. I plan on finishing up my second year and going for my BSN in Portland. I really want to teach nursing but unlike a few of my instructors I would like to get some real world experience first and try out some med/surg stuff before attempting to get into a travel nursing program. A few of my instructors have suggested I look into pediatrics or research nursing as I am really good at handling children but also can get really bored unless I am pushing my brain. I am just unsure how I would deal with sick and dying children; at this point I don't think I could handle it. Any thoughts? TL:DR The school part is boring, the hospital part rocks. I want to teach nursing school. Added Bonus: I was recently hospitalized in the hospital where I do my clinical rotation and it was pretty interesting. My second ED nurse was godawful, going so far as to hide my call paddle and straight up ignoring my parents calls in the hallway. The best part was ending up on the floor where I was going to be doing my rotation in a couple of days and getting acquainted with a nurse I ended up shadowing later on.
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Apr 3, 2010 02:54
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I'm studying nursing at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, it's a fantatastic course. Did my first proper day of clinical duty today, I helped clean a patient whose facial tumour was rotting away. Cancer smells so strange, I don't think I'll ever forget it. I also got tested on my full body wash skills even though I'd never performed one except in theory excercises. I got 90%, whoop. Oncology is an awesome place to work.
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Apr 12, 2010 18:36
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I quickly skimmed through the 11 pages, so I might have missed this and for that I already apologize. How long does a new RN have to go through clinicals? I think I'm going to try and get my BSN, but with the job market as it is (especially in California) I'm unsure if that extra time would be worth it. It's not a problem to start out with just an ASN and eventually get my BSN, is it? Also, how are opportunities for relocation as a nurse? I'm talking about hospitals (or wherever I would work) fronting me to move out to that city/state to begin working for them, or something similar. Thanks if you respond.
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Apr 14, 2010 22:36
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Thelonious Funk posted:I quickly skimmed through the 11 pages, so I might have missed this and for that I already apologize. The hospital where I work ASN/BSN get paid the same amount, the only difference really is that theres more opportunity to advance with a BSN. As for relocation, I'm pretty sure if you work as a traveling nurse they pay something towards housing.
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Apr 17, 2010 15:43
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taupoke posted:I'm studying nursing at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, it's a fantatastic course. Did my first proper day of clinical duty today, I helped clean a patient whose facial tumour was rotting away. Cancer smells so strange, I don't think I'll ever forget it. I also got tested on my full body wash skills even though I'd never performed one except in theory excercises. I got 90%, whoop. Oncology is an awesome place to work.
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Apr 17, 2010 16:08
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I just had a chance to shadow a nurse in an operating room, and I absolutely loved it. The nurse was amazing, and now I really want to work in an OR someday. I never even thought I'd like surgery! At that hospital, it seems you can do two years of med-surg and then apply (or if you have experience as a surgical tech, they'll hire you on right away). Does anyone here have experience in the OR?
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Apr 19, 2010 00:43
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My OR experience is limited to Obstetrics, but I have considered switching to general OR one of these days. The good AND bad part of OB surgery is that you follow the patient beginning to end -- pre-op, circulate intra-op, and recover post-op. Depending on your mood, any of those areas can be annoying and/or stressful. I know that in general OR at *most* hospitals you are confined to one area per shift, which I'm sure, again, is either good or bad depending on your mood that day. I would probably recommend getting experience in a more critical care type of environment before switching to OR, rather than med-surg. When poo poo goes south, it can go south fast. You need to be used to being quick on your feet and calm in chaos and under a lot of stress. My unit doesn't let newbs fly solo in the OR until you've been on the floor for a few months. L&D can be very fast-paced and chaotic, and the experience has served me well in the OR on a few occasions.
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Apr 19, 2010 04:48
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I'm seriously looking at changing careers into nursing from the business/finance world; I explained it to a friend of mine as right now I do well for myself, but don't do good for anyone. I have a few years of EMS in my past (I was a volunteer EMT in college), and getting back into medicine really feels right. My situation right now is that I'll need to do the education part time, and there are a few associates' level RN programs around that I could work through while keeping my current job, which I need to do. Where I want to head, though (ED and, once that becomes physically problematic either NA or NP), a BSN seems to be a short-term help and a long term necessity, it seems like the best course is get the RN through an associates and then do an RN-BSN program. I do have two Bachelor's degrees now (one in Business, one in Psychology), but there aren't any local or online MSN programs that I can find that fit. Does an RN-BSN program degree work for getting into more advanced degrees and certifications, or is it a black mark when you're going for those? I know they're extremely competitive, and I want to give myself the best chance I can. Anyone else go this route (getting the nursing education part time), and any advice on pitfalls/good paths?
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Apr 19, 2010 19:48
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chisquared posted:Does an RN-BSN program degree work for getting into more advanced degrees and certifications, or is it a black mark when you're going for those? I know they're extremely competitive, and I want to give myself the best chance I can. Anyone else go this route (getting the nursing education part time), and any advice on pitfalls/good paths? Not a problem at all. Nurses are very familiar with the weird ways people eventually make it to BSN degrees and no one gets looked down on due to the path they took. One of my colleagues was just accepted into a CRNA program and I'm fairly certain he went from Tech -> LPN -> RN -> BSN. Getting your RN first will also allow you to start getting experience and building up the critical care resume you'll need to apply to a CRNA school. Ultimately being able to say "I worked X years in an ICU" is infinitely more important than the course you took to get your bachelors.
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Apr 20, 2010 23:47
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Ohthehugemanatee posted:Not a problem at all. Nurses are very familiar with the weird ways people eventually make it to BSN degrees and no one gets looked down on due to the path they took. One of my colleagues was just accepted into a CRNA program and I'm fairly certain he went from Tech -> LPN -> RN -> BSN. Good to know-thank you. One other question; is there an age where going into nursing is going to raise eyebrows/create issues? I'm a little shy of 33 now, but I'm probably 2-4 years off from shifting in. Is mid-thirties unusual? In my current field (Project Management), I'm pretty young, but it's not a field you jump into straight out of a degree program, and it's also not a physically demanding field.
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Apr 22, 2010 00:15
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chisquared posted:Good to know-thank you. One other question; is there an age where going into nursing is going to raise eyebrows/create issues? I'm a little shy of 33 now, but I'm probably 2-4 years off from shifting in. Is mid-thirties unusual? In my current field (Project Management), I'm pretty young, but it's not a field you jump into straight out of a degree program, and it's also not a physically demanding field. I'm only in school for my BSN prerequisites now, but significant portions of my classes have been older students. Quite a few of the students I talk to outside of class are in their 40's and even 50's. I don't think it's abnormal at all to be your age and pursing a nursing degree. As a side note, I think being older has its advantages in admissions too. You have more world and career experience, unlike younger students who may not know if nursing is something they'd truly want to do.
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Apr 22, 2010 03:04
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Fellow Bronurse chiming in, I'm 28 and have been an RN for the last 6 years. I work in the burn unit at a Denver hospital in my current position, for the last 2. I started out as a CNA when I was 17, glorified lifter and asswiper at a skilled nursing facility. I'll have to say that in respect to doing the CNA gig first, it definitely gave me a firsthand look at what I would potentially be dealing with, and honestly I haven't really seen anything more horrific than what I saw during that three years of being an aide. The experience of dealing with the geriatric population pretty much prepared me for some of the sadder parts of nursing, and I wouldn't trade what I learned about bedside manner and compassion for the sick and dying for anything. Working the hospice unit changed me as a person, real talk. That being said, I'm looking for people's opinions on FOOTWEAR. What did you wear to work today?
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Apr 22, 2010 06:34
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Danksauce posted:
I'm a psych RN in NYC, my unit policies are pretty relaxed on footwear and clothing, just no tshirts, no blue jeans. Since its psych, no scrubs. I wear black jeans and a polo every day, comfy and no one has said a word! I hated wearing fancy pants and stuff so I just started wearing jeans. The shoes, New Balance White (available in black) 5xx something, I forgot the Xs, shoes arent near me. Very comfortable sneaker. I wore these same shoes in telemetry for 6 months, my feet NEVER EVER hurt, and in telemetry I used to run all the freakin time, now in psych I still love them and keep wearing them, the have lasted me for 15 months now and I am going to buy another set.
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Apr 22, 2010 07:08
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Danksauce posted:That being said, I'm looking for people's opinions on FOOTWEAR. What did you wear to work today?
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Apr 22, 2010 07:37
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Danksauce posted:That being said, I'm looking for people's opinions on FOOTWEAR. What did you wear to work today?
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Apr 22, 2010 15:50
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I love my Dansko clogs, and every resident I work with wears them, too. They SUCK to break in, but once you do, they are awesome. If you work in an area prone to spills of various bodily fluids, they're great for keeping your feet clean ; My legs and hips (before pregnancy) never felt tired, even if I did back-to-back c-sections and was on my feet the whole 12 hours.
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Apr 22, 2010 20:14
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edit: Nevermind, I'm an idiot. A little deeper research answered my question for me.
qentiox fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Apr 25, 2010 |
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Apr 23, 2010 03:57
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ADN to RN, then job and THEN BSN is what I recommend to most people, as it gets them to the $50k salary in the fastest possible way; if you're already making that (or more) and changing careers for other reasons, the fastest entry into practice (which may or may not be an ADN) is likely still your best bet. Depending on the graduate program or the university hosting it, not every single RN->BSN degree may be judged equal (or adequate). If you're having doubts about a particular plan, consider talking to the graduate recruiter at nursing schools in your area. Regarding age, I see more new RNs over 30 than under 30, from many backgrounds (housewives and engineers in particular). If I were to state an age that is (debateably) too old to start a nursing career, it might be 60. Not sure why the footwear question was asked, but I'll follow the trend; I buy running/cross-trainers from a few brands I like (New balance, Mizuno, Saucony) on clearance and try to replace them every 6 months. My feet/knees almost never hurt after work. To be fair, I have very nice patient ratios (12 RNs for 32 patients), lots of help (4 aides for 32 patients) a lift team on call with cranes and hoists, and lots of lift/slide/pull-up devices. Why do I have such a nice work environment? I have a union.
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Apr 25, 2010 17:30
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ADN to RN, then job and THEN BSN is also a good way to get a hospital to help you to afford the BSN. Many hospitals offer education assistance and if you're going ot be a staff nurse for a while, it doesn't matter to most people if you have your BSN yet. Mason like onions - what kind of unit do you work with those ratios?!
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Apr 25, 2010 21:18
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N. Ratched posted:Mason like onions - what kind of unit do you work with those ratios?! I'm dumb, i should have included that. That's day and evening shift on medical telemetry. For comparison, night shift is 10 RNs and 2 to 3 aides for 32 patients. In both cases, the charge is not counted and does not take patients.
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Apr 25, 2010 22:30
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SICU is best. You never go above a 2:1 patient nurse ratio. Usually it'll be something like 13:8 patient:nurse ratio and a unit clerk, no PCA's because they'd probably break some one. Hell we've had some night when we had two 1:2 patients, two unstable fresh VAD's both ran with a two nurse team for about two days till they stabilized. Of course even 2:1 can get loving hectic. This week I had a fresh CABG who was 1:1 and I got him extubated and stabilized and then BAM, rapid response overhead, and I get a call that I am getting a patient. Because bed control seems to believe that as soon as you get your fresh heart extubated they are fine. It ended up being a post ORIF of the hip who had some kind of coagulopathy and was dumping blood all over the bed and I spent all night slamming in PRBC's, Platelets and FFP to keep his pressures up, while running back to my other patients room to wean his levophed and dopamine and record his chest tube output. I'm lucky my heart "fine" that night. I still ended up staying over an hour late to finish charting. I had far worse teams though.
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Apr 26, 2010 00:10
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I think MICU/SICU will be my next move. That sounds like a good time. We are also union, and our ratios are not that bad, but not as great as you describe. We team, so 1 RN and 1 LPN to usually 7-8 pts on a med/surg/onc floor. Occasionally we primary with 1 RN to 3-4 pts. One PCA to the whole floor (up to 35), but not always. Compared to what I've heard from other hospitals in our area, this is good. But wow, 12 RNs to 32 pts and 4 aides is great.
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Apr 26, 2010 02:11
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Pixi posted:I would probably recommend getting experience in a more critical care type of environment before switching to OR, rather than med-surg. When poo poo goes south, it can go south fast. You need to be used to being quick on your feet and calm in chaos and under a lot of stress. My unit doesn't let newbs fly solo in the OR until you've been on the floor for a few months. L&D can be very fast-paced and chaotic, and the experience has served me well in the OR on a few occasions. Ah, that makes sense. Thanks. Catching up: I'm doing a program for my associate's now, and I'm going to transfer to a BSN program right away when I finish. Some people I know went straight for the bachelor's, but it just made more sense (financially) for me to get my associate's first, even if it meant an extra year because of the pre-reqs this program required. I could start working as an RN sooner, get assistance from my workplace for tuition, etc. I'm doing clinicals right now in med-surg, and 1 RN to 6-8 patients is standard. I only have to take on 2 as a student, but I do all the PCA's work for those patients as well. Next semester is critical care and pediatrics.
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Apr 26, 2010 02:33
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Passed my NCLEX-RN Looking for a a job now Anyone got any hot tips for jobs in Southern California? Any where from LA to SD is fine with me I've only applied to a few hospitals, but they hate new grads for the most part. I might just got for a SNF job while I obtain my BSN
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Apr 26, 2010 12:53
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smushroomed posted:Passed my NCLEX-RN How hard was the NCLEX for you?
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Apr 26, 2010 13:17
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Axim fucked around with this message at 07:48 on Dec 14, 2010 |
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Apr 26, 2010 17:34
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smushroomed posted:Passed my NCLEX-RN You can come work at my hospital! We pay pretty ok, our ratios are decent, and we have a nursing residency program that will allow you to go right in to NICU, ED, etc. PM me if you want the info. Nursing residency starts in July, I believe.
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Apr 26, 2010 20:09
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For any of you that have taken the TEAS test for admission, what study guide did you use if any? I know there are 3 different versions, and I'll get all 3 if I have to, but amazon's ratings didn't help me too much.
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Apr 27, 2010 19:54
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Hughmoris posted:How hard was the NCLEX for you? Fairly hard, I don't really study, but my friends said I was pretty intense during the 3 weeks I was studying for the NCLEX, do yourself a huge favor and sign up for some coursework, I recommend kaplan You can aim me for anything else, I'd be glad to help. AIM: terence is away Pixi posted:You can come work at my hospital! We pay pretty ok, our ratios are decent, and we have a nursing residency program that will allow you to go right in to NICU, ED, etc. PM me if you want the info. Nursing residency starts in July, I believe. I dont have PMs  I can e-mail if you post it, or my e-mail is terencecah at gmail dot com
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Apr 29, 2010 04:33
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Email sent!
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Apr 29, 2010 04:42
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Passed with 75 questions in 30 min. Job in MICU starts next month. What should I study gewns?
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May 2, 2010 04:19
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mizbachevenim posted:Passed with 75 questions in 30 min. Job in MICU starts next month. Oh hey, it's me from two years ago!  If I were you I'd go do something awesome until next month. Your studying will be your on-the-job training. Nothing you read is going to really prepare you for the practical realities of taking care of ICU patients. Go do something fun because in about a month's time you're going to come home shaking and hearing sirens in your sleep. The desire to kill yourself or quit fades about six months in and after about a year you'll be truly competent and start having fun. Around this time you'll develop a sense of humor so pitch loving black that the only people who will laugh at your jokes are other ICU nurses, serial killers and paramedics. Totally worth it though. Ohthehugemanatee fucked around with this message at 05:14 on May 3, 2010 |
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May 3, 2010 05:02
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Pardon me for the ignorant question but it seems like my instructors are keeping us in the dark about this and I feel dumb asking a nurse at clinical -- what exactly happens after graduation? Do I HAVE to go into a new grad program at a hospital? Most of the new grad programs around here are pretty impacted and I worry about it. Are there other options to go from school to the job market? I'm in California by the way. Also, just started maternity rotation last week, completely NOT my cup of tea.
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May 4, 2010 05:57
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I hate to be the dick here but OP, I'm quite sure you're not supposed to use any ACE-I or for that matter any drug altering the RAAS when your patient is pregnant and with HT. I'm not a nurse nor a nursing student.
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May 4, 2010 10:50
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I can tell you that if US nurses are anything like Australian nurses grads get cut a LOT of slack where someone who's not in a grad program but just graduated won't. I'd recommend a grad program just for that, since I learnt more in my first 6 months on the job than I ever did at uni.
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May 4, 2010 12:44
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Farcus posted:I hate to be the dick here but OP, I'm quite sure you're not supposed to use any ACE-I or for that matter any drug altering the RAAS when your patient is pregnant and with HT. I'm not a nurse nor a nursing student. That bit was cribbed from my post, actually. The OP added it later. And I'm a bit confused because I tossed that out as an example of something you need to know not to do. I can't tell from your post if you didn't pick up on that or if you're somehow bothered that the bit of trivia I tossed out wasn't properly esoteric enough. Ohthehugemanatee fucked around with this message at 14:08 on May 4, 2010 |
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May 4, 2010 13:59
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If you already have an undergrad degree in another subject, is it generally a good idea to go into an accelerated BSN program, or would you recommend getting a lesser degree from a community college to start with? I have a BA in English and experience as a teacher's assistant, but I've been unable to find another job since moving. With all of the cutbacks in education, I've been thinking about nursing, which is actually what I had planned to do when I started college (before all of the nurses in my family talked me out of it, hurr). I'm in NoVA and I know George Mason has an accelerated second degree program, which I could apply to after doing some of my science pre reqs at a community college. On the other hand, going just the community college route would be cheaper, and I don't want to pile on a whole lot more loan debt.
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May 5, 2010 18:59
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