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In Nursing school, I used a Littman Master Series II Classic Pro or something. I remember it was great because the bell and diaphragm were the same thing, and if you pressed lightly, it acted as a bell, and if you pressed harder, it would work as a diaphragm. I used it for 6 months of telemetry (cardiothoracic surgery unit) and I loved it. I went into Psych nursing afterwards and unfortunately its gathering dust now, but I sure did love it when I used it.
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Aug 6, 2010 15:10
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So my first two weeks of LVN school are behind me. I'm absolutely astounded at how many of my classmates cannot do basic math.
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Aug 7, 2010 01:19
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Axim posted:In Nursing school, I used a Littman Master Series II Classic Pro or something. This is great, because I'm starting an accelerated program in September (clinicals in Oct, no waiting around) and I was given an opened but never-used one of these by the head of one of the labs I work closely with. I didn't want to have to buy a new one until I graduate.
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Aug 7, 2010 01:44
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Iron Squid posted:So my first two weeks of LVN school are behind me. Thats one thing i wont have to worry about after studying engineering for 2 years. I just got 9 of my books in today, and holy poo poo thats a lot of reading. What chapter covers being a hero?
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Aug 7, 2010 02:37
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It depends on who is calling you a hero, but digital disimpaction can earn you lots of tear-filled thanks.
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Aug 7, 2010 20:02
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Iron Squid posted:So my first two weeks of LVN school are behind me. A class mate of mine got booted our second semester for failing a math test. We have drug calculation tests every month and she was given two chances to pass (at least 8/10). I just don't understand how she failed it after taking pretty much the same goddamn test six times before. 
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Aug 11, 2010 05:20
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I am currently a software developer, and I HATE my career. I am so tired of "adding shareholder value". So I signed up to take pre-reqs for the nursing program at Portland CC, which apparently had a fast track into the BSN at OHSU. I'm a little nervous starting a new career at 36, but I figure now or never. Haven't stepped foot on a school campus in a LONG time. Turns out a bunch of children go to college now, not adults like myself when I went to college 16 years ago  I am excited to get into a profession that gives something meaningful and good back to society. It is all very overwhelming but very exciting. This thread has been a great read, thanks.
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Aug 23, 2010 19:11
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One of my LVN instructors is a former special forces Marine who looks not unlike John Goodman in the Big Lewbowski. He is amazingly awesome and his warm caring nature and hatred of Ronald Reagan only fuels my (totally not gay, I swear  ) mancrush on him.
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Aug 24, 2010 04:19
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oneinchhard posted:I am currently a software developer, and I HATE my career. I am so tired of "adding shareholder value". So I signed up to take pre-reqs for the nursing program at Portland CC, which apparently had a fast track into the BSN at OHSU. I'm a little nervous starting a new career at 36, but I figure now or never. Haven't stepped foot on a school campus in a LONG time. Turns out a bunch of children go to college now, not adults like myself when I went to college 16 years ago I know the feeling, I'm 37 and after spending years doing the call center circuit, and trying to do SOMETHING, I first got my EMT Basic and worked an ambulance but let's face it, I couldn't live on the salary so I had to restart the circuit, I've started prerequisites for Nursing at my local CC, and yes, nothing makes you feel older then going in to a class and you're older then everyone there.
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Aug 24, 2010 17:05
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oneinchhard posted:I am currently a software developer, and I HATE my career. I am so tired of "adding shareholder value". So I signed up to take pre-reqs for the nursing program at Portland CC, which apparently had a fast track into the BSN at OHSU. I'm a little nervous starting a new career at 36, but I figure now or never. Haven't stepped foot on a school campus in a LONG time. Turns out a bunch of children go to college now, not adults like myself when I went to college 16 years ago I see this sentiment a lot in this thread and with friends who don't like their current careers. However, a question: if you are disgusted with your role in further enriching the rich, why do you choose to just step outside of the game? Why not use your skills to help an existing union or to otherwise increase the rights of workers? I'm just confused that very smart people in software/finance/what-have-you seem to think that they can "give back to society" by entering the healthcare field. If anything, healthcare seems pretty morally neutral like plumbing or watchmaking. Sure, you are in a position to be emotionally close to a lot of people you wouldn't otherwise be, but ultimately you patch them up and they move along. The world doesn't change.
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Aug 25, 2010 00:41
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Slobjob Zizek posted:I see this sentiment a lot in this thread and with friends who don't like their current careers. Like the poster above said, you might make some emotional connections with patients or whatever, but honestly the job is pretty morally neutral unless you're doing volunteer work. Yes, you save people's lives and "give back to society", but so do the engineers that design the equipment, the chemists that manufacture and test the drugs, the truckers that deliver your goods, etc. You're just on the front lines. I completely understand the dissatisfaction you face from being a replaceable drone in corporate america, but if you go into nursing for this spiritual salvation factor you're likely to be disappointed unless you've seen what nurses do on a day to day basis and are actually interested in doing it.
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Aug 29, 2010 18:59
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antwizzle posted:
I think if you are going to look at things in terms of absolute moral value like that, you arent going to find very much that actually has any value. Sure you could volunteer, as long as you dont try to get anything out of it. Nursing may not be a career in which you are constantly behaving in a morally positive way - im not going to pretend that when i am drinking a cup of tea moaning about a relative or chatting about the football that i am behaving morally - but i think nursing gives you plenty of opportunity to do good things for people. Being ill is terrifying - using your knowledge to re-assure someone is a nice thing to do. Making someone comfortable, whether it is getting an extra blanket or organising extra analgesia is a nice thing to do. Its quite an interesting point to think about really, a lot of peoples first reaction to healthcare workers is to assume that they must be a good person - but in reality a lot of the perceived good things are really rules of the job. hmmmm
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Aug 30, 2010 22:29
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The Antipop posted:Welp, my fiancee finished nursing school in May and took her NCLEX last month. She was offered a job in Florida before she finished, but we were stubborn and wanted to move to Boston. I hope this isn't too late and you've already moved but I have some nursing friends positioned throughout the city at the various hospitals and this is what I've heard from them: Beth Israel (my own hospital) we are NOT hiring new grads unless you are an internal transfer, meaning you've been a tech here while in school and slipped into an open position on a medical floor. Anything specialised like my own cardiac floor or labor and delivery or something is out for now. New grads are just too drat expensive to train. Brigham and Women's is hiring no one. They're actually starting lay-offs because Beth Israel stole a ton of their patients when they absorbed the Atrius Group patients. They're pretty pissed. We're not. Mass General Hospital is hiring new grads if you know someone but they're mostly looking for one year experience. Tufts is only hiring internally if at all. Don't even bother with Children's Hospital. The only hospital I have no idea about is St. Elizabeth's in Brighton but you can check out their website. They just spent bank on a new ER so they may not be hiring right now to make up the cost. Your best bet is to go to a long term facility with an acute floor to get that one year experience that's so drat valuable. Try Kindred Hospital in Brighton. They're a rehab but they do have an acute care floor where the patients just need observation and don't warrant being in a hospital. You can also try Franciscan Children's Hospital. They only have one job posted at the moment but you can always just show up at their human resources office with a resume. They're always looking for help. If you have a car you may want to try the smaller community hospitals in the area that are still close to Boston. Might make sense with a 3 day 12-hour shift work week: Beverly Hosptial, Anna Jaques, Milton Hospital. I hear the pay is better at Beverly and you get six weeks vacation off the bat. Good luck. Boston is brutal.
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Sep 8, 2010 10:03
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We had been planning this move for years and with the economy as lovely as it is, we are now looking all over the country for anywhere that will hire new RNs with an associates (shes taking online BSN courses).
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I'm currently attending an accelerated BSN program at a state university. I am going to graduate next summer, and the possibility of exiting this program and not being able to find work freaking terrifies me. Are there parts of the country that are hiring more than others right now? I that things are going to be rough in just about any area. Does anybody know of particularly good websites to check for job postings?
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Sep 9, 2010 02:18
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Space Harrier posted:I'm currently attending an accelerated BSN program at a state university. I am going to graduate next summer, and the possibility of exiting this program and not being able to find work freaking terrifies me. Indeed.com seems to be good for job searches. Get a job as a tech at a hospital if you can, and network. Ask your classmates where they're going to apply, and ask them to let you of any openings if they find jobs. And like Evgenisa said, be prepared to work at a nursing home first. There's a world of difference between a nurse who just graduated and one with six months' experience, even just in a nursing home pushing pills, because you're still going to be calling doctors, taking med orders, delegating to aides, and dealing with emergency situations from time to time. Keep an open mind and don't be picky--if a part-time job opens up and nothing else does, take it. You can always expand it to full-time or get another job later.
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Sep 9, 2010 02:53
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Thanks for your advice. I'm prepared to do pretty much anything to gain that coveted one year of experience. I am definitely looking into working at the local hospital for a few hours a week, but the speed of this program may make that difficult.
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Sep 9, 2010 03:52
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I'm an LPN in Florida and I'll tell you the job market sucks when you are brand new. No one is willing to give you a chance. I've had my license since December and only got hired at a nursing home in June. I also had two relatives that worked there previously which I thought would give me an edge over the competition. I had to apply 5 times before they got sick of me and gave me an interview. At that point I was given the choice of PRN or nothing. I took PRN because that would be better than nothing. The pay is decent (19 an hour) but they only gave me 8 full days of orientation before throwing me to the wolves. I've also havn't had hours in about 4 weeks now so I'm trying to find another job at the moment which is going to be impossible since I have only been there 3 months and I really have only been given a month and a half of actual work. 
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Sep 9, 2010 07:09
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All this job market talk about the U.S. situation has me curious: what's the reality of the situation in Canada? Specifically Ontario if there's anyone there. All I ever see is 'We need nurses NOW! Everyone is hiring! Mass nursing shortage!'. How realistic is that?
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Sep 9, 2010 12:15
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Slobjob Zizek posted:I see this sentiment a lot in this thread and with friends who don't like their current careers. I forgot to sub this thread and I forgot about it. I see what you are saying about healthcare being morally neutral, but I disagree. Fixing a person is not the same as fixing a car. Yes, I will follow a set in stone procedure to help someone. If I get emotionally close or not isn't the point. I want to help people that are scared and vulnerable. I think helping each other is the correct way to be. Fixing somebody's toilet is vastly different than taking a sick person and helping them feel better. It is the intangible "feelings" which are the differentiating factor. Putting a smile on the face of a sick fellow human is WAY more rewarding than putting a smile on some middle manager because you hit some deadline on a software package that means nothing except a bullet point on a quarterly shareholder report. I have no expectations of the world being a better place because of me choosing this profession. I DO have an expectation of making some peoples lives better, and that is all I need to fulfill the "give back to society" requirement. Anyway, I started my intro biology class and I am having a great time with it Looking forward to A&P!
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Sep 24, 2010 07:05
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XausF1 posted:All this job market talk about the U.S. situation has me curious: what's the reality of the situation in Canada? Specifically Ontario if there's anyone there. All I ever see is 'We need nurses NOW! Everyone is hiring! Mass nursing shortage!'. How realistic is that? The job market is terrible at BC at the moment. Apparently there is a hiring freeze pretty much everywhere until 2012 unless you are planning to work in mental health. I presume it's the same all over Canada, unless you avoid the major provinces and work way up north. However, I haven't exactly looked at the job market outside of BC.
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Sep 24, 2010 08:59
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If you're an American the Foreign Service is about to open up the hiring pool for medical jobs starting on the 27th. http://host.careers.state.gov/specialist/self_evals/med_jobs.html The last time the pool opened up was in 2008 so if you want to have an awesome job serving overseas making good money and killer job security give it a shot.
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Sep 24, 2010 20:55
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Vilerat posted:If you're an American the Foreign Service is about to open up the hiring pool for medical jobs starting on the 27th. I didn't see anything in there related specifically to nurses...did I miss something?
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Sep 24, 2010 21:41
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Chillmatic posted:I didn't see anything in there related specifically to nurses...did I miss something? quote:EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS http://careers.state.gov/specialist/opportunities/healthprac.html Granted if this isn't directly applicable I apologize in advance. I'm a tech guy working for State, I'm not familiar if the terminology doesn't apply directly.
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Sep 24, 2010 21:51
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Starting Med/Surg 2 tomorrow, learning how to start IVs on Monday. Anyone have any hints that might make it a little easier?
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Sep 29, 2010 21:28
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Giant Wallet posted:Starting Med/Surg 2 tomorrow, learning how to start IVs on Monday. Anyone have any hints that might make it a little easier? Stab, stab and stab some more. More than anything, IVs require practice. If you're lucky, you can work on them in clinical. When I rotated through ER I made sure I did every drat IV start in that place for two weeks. Don't expect it to come quickly. But, some technical tips: Don't dig for veins. It loving hurts and it doesn't work. If you don't get it in on a pass, withdraw almost all the way out and try again. Hold that skin tight. It hurts less and it is easier to insert if your patient's skin doesn't move as you go in. You're aiming for a little shy of a death grip. One mistake I made when I started was to hit the AC. It's big and easy but it's worthless on any patient who can bend their arm since the site will occlude every five minutes. That said, it's a wonderful site if the patient is going to be immobilized or you need large bore access. Really though, IVs are not something you're going to do well without a hell of a lot of practice. Most nurses never get enough practice and they're never very good at it. It's why a lot of hospitals have IV teams and even those that don't often have some unofficial go-to folk for difficult starts.
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Sep 29, 2010 23:06
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Start with the dorsal penis vein first
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Sep 30, 2010 00:03
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IVs are all about feeling the right vein as opposed to looking for the right one. Straight and squishy will serve you well. If you are having a hard time finding the right one or the patient has uncooperative veins, call IV therapy because you don't want to mess up a bunch of times and make their job harder for when they're inevitably called in. Also there's a boss loving vein on the back of the forearm that lots of people have for starting IV sites but if you're starting out then AC on the non dominant hand side isn't terrible, just make sure it won't get in the way too much. Source: my clinical preceptor
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Sep 30, 2010 01:25
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Bum the Sad posted:Start with the dorsal penis vein first Just tried this, didn't work. Got punched in the face. Lost license. Homeless now. thanks
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Sep 30, 2010 04:48
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My fiance is in his third semester (out of four) of the nursing program. He's doing fine but seeing how stressed and how little sleep he gets makes me very worried. Also this talk about the job market being tough for ADNs... Did you guys have good support while in school? Was there anything they did that made it easier? Oh and if anyone wants to comment about the job market, we're in Southern California.
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Sep 30, 2010 10:26
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Chillmatic posted:Just tried this, didn't work. Got punched in the face. Lost license. Homeless now. Corn Thongs posted:My fiance is in his third semester (out of four) of the nursing program. He's doing fine but seeing how stressed and how little sleep he gets makes me very worried. Also this talk about the job market being tough for ADNs... Bum the Sad fucked around with this message at 15:25 on Sep 30, 2010 |
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Sep 30, 2010 15:22
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Corn Thongs posted:My fiance is in his third semester (out of four) of the nursing program. He's doing fine but seeing how stressed and how little sleep he gets makes me very worried. Also this talk about the job market being tough for ADNs... I had awesome support, from my wife (gf at the time) who was also in school. We set aside time to do things we both enjoyed, like sex, long islands and pastrami sandwiches. Not to suggest that either of us ignored work or school tasks to hit the bar, but we managed to limit the studying time and spend at least 1/2 of Saturday nights together pretending we didn't have anything more important to do. Regarding IV insertion, keep more or less parallel to the target vein, and "dip" down a bit to meet the skin with the needle point. In my experience, the further from parallel, the more likely to miss. Also, if at all possible, stay 2 inches away from joints. The AC is a perfect IV site, for propofol or thiopental; is is terrible for most infusions. I got to see peristalsis yesterday, through a "tupperware" closure device on a gaping abdominal wound. It's a long story that starts with Crohn's and peaks with a prolapsed colostomy being ignored for 3 days by a nearby hospital (while the patient claims to have been suctioning out her own abdominal cavity with a yankeur). The patient had gotten barium in both ends to visualize the remaining intestinal tissue, so we have constant suction attempting to evacuate. The poor little nursing student that was in the room when I opened the device to clear the crud and change the packing was...well...I didn't know asians could turn that shade of green.  My employer has announced that ALL staff who have any patient contact will be required to wear a mask for all patient contact if they do not get a seasonal flu shot by a chosen date. Our union is, of course, incensed over this. We hear rumors that some facilities (Kaiser Permanente, for example) are giving staff a choice between fluvax [at a date/time of the employer's choosing] or instant termination. Has anyone seen this?
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Sep 30, 2010 19:30
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Bar allergies or similar, I think it is a sad state of affairs that employers actually have to browbeat people into getting a vaccination. There was a case where NY nurses successfully sued the state over being forced to get swine flu vaccinations, I don't know how limited that ruling was to their specific situation.
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Sep 30, 2010 23:30
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IVC insertion is my forte - it's a really useful thing to be especially skilled at at work but not something you can brag about on dates. Getting a line into someone first try who's had a lot of bad experiences with failed attempts is a great way to start off a therapeutic relationship! I was lucky enough to learn at a hospital that didn't really expect nurses who weren't on the IV service to cannulate so when I pushed for training I wound up getting two days one-on-one with someone who's only job was IV's and as a result if I'm good enough that I can't get a line in someone they almost always wind up with a central line or intraosseous access. Get used to putting in big ones. I'm always arguing with junior staff but the way I see it, a needle is a needle, and a 22g is going to hurt as much (or as little) as an 18g, but the 18g will stand up to a lot more abuse. Not only can you can push blood and fluid down it a lot faster without it blowing but it'll let you pull back blood for a longer period of time than a smaller cannula which potentially saves a bunch of pricks later down the line when serial bloods or whatever are due. A tip that I learned from the IV service that I've never seen anyone at my new hospital but me use is a hot towel - if you can't find a vein, or if you want to try and make a crappy vein easier to cannulate, put on a tourniquet and wrap up their arm in a towel soaked in hot water. I use boiling water and let it cool until it's barely tolerated. Leave it on for a bit (it takes about 20 minutes to do damage with a tourniquet so there's no real urgency) and most of the time a vein will pop up somewhere. I've used it on junkies numerous times with success. Speaking of junkies, a good spot to start looking is the basilic vein of their dominant hand - it's the hardest for them to ruin so is often your best bet! Oh, and NEVER admit that it's your first one or that you're not very good at it. I've seen a lot of nervous medical students and nurses be too honest when they're about to jab someone with a needle and it not only freaks out your patient but they tense right up and make it harder to get one in.
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Oct 1, 2010 09:37
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So I've been working on a med-surg floor for about a year and a half now and I'm starting to realize I want to move more to the business side of the game. Has anyone here thought about or actually went into something like a Masters of Healthcare Administration program? If I did decide to pursue it I'm sure I'd have to do it online and I just don't know what programs are considered credible in regards to online degrees. Regarding IV's do many of you actually even start them once you're out of school? At my hospital unless you work in the ER they don't even let us try, we just call the IV nurses and they do it for us.
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Oct 1, 2010 16:53
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You're all fantastic, thanks for the info. I'll report back Monday(ish) with tales of success/horror.Chillmatic posted:Just tried this, didn't work. Got punched in the face. Lost license. Homeless now. Now I know. I'm glad the thread is helping. Oh, and regarding fluvax--I'm just a student and last year they made us get the seasonal flu shot AND the H1N1 or we couldn't even do clinicals, which I thought was crap. Dunno about this year though.
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Oct 2, 2010 00:17
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Passed my enema practical today. Anyone feeling backed up?!
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Oct 2, 2010 00:40
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Giant Wallet posted:
We haven't had flu shots mandated yet, but we all need to have 2 PPDs within one year now. Apparently this "aggravates the immune system" to be really sure you don't have TB!
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Oct 2, 2010 00:43
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Mr Tweeze posted:So I've been working on a med-surg floor for about a year and a half now and I'm starting to realize I want to move more to the business side of the game. Has anyone here thought about or actually went into something like a Masters of Healthcare Administration program? If I did decide to pursue it I'm sure I'd have to do it online and I just don't know what programs are considered credible in regards to online degrees. I actually did the reverse of this, did my MS in Healthcare Administration a few years ago, and I am taking the NCLEX after an accelerated program in October. Now I just need to figure out if I want to go start my NP program sooner rather than later. My BSN program includes the MSN, so I am already in the program, I just need to register for the classes. Any advice? I will probably start next September, assuming I can afford the tuition, or my employer will (hopefully) pick it up. JAF07 posted:We haven't had flu shots mandated yet, but we all need to have 2 PPDs within one year now. Apparently this "aggravates the immune system" to be really sure you don't have TB! I had to get a background check and drug test. In addition to titers, a physical, and a PPD. We didn't need to get the H1N1 vaccine, but most of us got it for free from the school. Snord fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Oct 2, 2010 |
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Oct 2, 2010 04:44
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I'm in my last year of school and still hoping to get my first IV stick one of these days. Learned how to do it last fall but never got an opportunity. Ah well, next semester is Advanced Med/Surg, so hopefully I'll get it then. I just want at least ONE before I graduate. IV and urinary Cath. We'll see. Mostly I just wanna graduate. Ugh.
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Oct 2, 2010 05:38
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How hard is it to get certified in states other than the one you graduated in? I'm in Florida right now and as soon as I pass the NCLEX, I want to head to Wyoming or Colorado to work. Is it typically easy or a pain in the rear end process?
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Oct 2, 2010 05:55
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