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So, does anyone have any ideas for a new nurse about to be laid off with 3 months of experience?
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Sep 29, 2011 05:16
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How do you specialize in to a particular medical field once you finish school? I've just started college and probably won't have my degree for about 5 years, but I'm interested in knowing how you end up in say, oncology, versus becoming ER/trauma nurse.
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Sep 29, 2011 20:26
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somnolence posted:How do you specialize in to a particular medical field once you finish school? I've just started college and probably won't have my degree for about 5 years, but I'm interested in knowing how you end up in say, oncology, versus becoming ER/trauma nurse. Get hired.
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Sep 29, 2011 20:58
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Yeah pretty much. You speak with the nurse manager of that area, tell them you're interested in working there, and ask if they'll hire you. Just like getting any other job.
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Sep 29, 2011 21:02
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By the book you aspirate for IM, back in the day it also said to aspirate for sub-q (from what my NP instructor said). Now it's just IM. I have to agree with baby_hippo; I just did it for med check or the by the book clinical instructors. If you ever have the experience of giving an IM to a small child, you'll learn fast why you mostly won't ever aspirate. To get us used to giving IM's they sent us to a children's clinic. Worst day ever but best way to teach us how to be quick.
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Sep 30, 2011 00:14
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My community health clinical just hosted a flu clinic (organized by yours truly  ) yesterday and one of the things our instructor briefed us on was aspiration. She said that because the CDC doesn't recommend aspirating to not do it. As others have said, that's a complete 180 from what I learned in skills where it was pounded into our head during checkoffs and exams to ALWAYS ASPIRATE RARGH. She then told us to do whatever the facility's policies and procedures say to do, which of course, changes from facility to facility.Speaking of community health, I'm having a heard time being engaged in it. Especially because during our community health lecture, the instructor brought in a self-proclaimed healer that runs a center based off of Rife Machines and their therapies.  For those of you aren't familiar with Raymond Rife, he's a dude that created a machine that he claimed could destroy microbes with a beam ray. Then, when the scientific community couldn't verify his claims, he decided that it was a massive conspiracy from the AMA trying to keep a man down.  The instructor had to send out an email saying that the guest speaker and her "healing frequencies" were in no way endorsed by the school of nursing and was only intended to introduce us to alternative therapies. Bullshit. She was brought in because our instructor, otherwise a wonderful, intelligent person, believes in the effectiveness of this garbage.  EDIT: Here's one of those magical healing machines. Sure looks legit. 
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Sep 30, 2011 01:26
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Sgt. Poof posted:By the book you aspirate for IM, back in the day it also said to aspirate for sub-q (from what my NP instructor said). Now it's just IM. I have to agree with baby_hippo; I just did it for med check or the by the book clinical instructors. My first five IM injections were into fresh out of the oven babies, with their brand new grandmothers looming over my shoulder. No time for aspiration! Wanna freak out? Last year a lady from the county health department came to talk to us about doing flu clinics and we were informed we would NOT BE WEARING GLOVES because it "takes too much time and is wasteful considering the amount of clients we see in a day." Thankfully we ended up not doing that flu clinic and I didn't have to budget in buying my own goddamn box of gloves from Costco.
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Sep 30, 2011 05:32
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Hellacopter posted:Speaking of community health, I'm having a heard time being engaged in it. Especially because during our community health lecture, the instructor brought in a self-proclaimed healer... My community health guest speakers were OK - we had a corrections nurse, who seemed pretty cool - except for the woman who basically believed everything a forwarded e-mail would tell you about DANGER! in the streets and showed us some obvious photoshopped fake signs as 'authentic'. My RN-training year was so far much worse in these regards, but I'm still considering doing my praxis paper on the inapplication of evidence-based practices and the preponderance of biased studies, anecdotal and admittedly unprovable therapies in nursing.
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Sep 30, 2011 13:58
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Hellacopter posted:Is this shopped? I can't believe anyone would buy in to this garbage. Snord posted:So, does anyone have any ideas for a new nurse about to be laid off with 3 months of experience? Is your position being downsized, or did you gently caress up? If the former is the case, I would suggest looking for a new job. If the latter, I don't really know. somnolence fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Sep 30, 2011 |
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Sep 30, 2011 17:32
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somnolence posted:Is your position being downsized, or did you gently caress up? If the former is the case, I would suggest looking for a new job. If the latter, I don't really know. Downsized. I am going to start looking this weekend. I just wish the job market wasn't utter poo poo right now.
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Sep 30, 2011 17:46
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Snord posted:Downsized. I am going to start looking this weekend. I just wish the job market wasn't utter poo poo right now. Are you an RN? LPN? I know that in my city there are always positions available for both. If you're willing to re-locate, there are lots of areas where nurses are very in-demand right now.
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Sep 30, 2011 17:59
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Baby_Hippo posted:My first five IM injections were into fresh out of the oven babies, with their brand new grandmothers looming over my shoulder. No time for aspiration! What the hell?!  My instructor said to not change gloves between clients because the gloves are to protect us from their fluids (which I still think is questionable practice and did anyway) but I would never imagine giving shots without them. Gross.I forgot, I did aspirate when I gave the VitK and HepB shots to the babies.  It was cool seeing the muscle just pop out when you straightened their leg.somnolence posted:Is this shopped? I can't believe anyone would buy in to this garbage.  ." I can't believe that we were shown this stuff that absolutely goes against evidence based practice.
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Sep 30, 2011 19:00
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Hellacopter posted:I can't believe that we were shown this stuff that absolutely goes against evidence based practice. It's pretty ludicrous. There are some alternative medicines out there that I believe have a positive effect on people's health, mainly herbs and supplements, but all of this healing energy frequency BS makes me think this guy is just a con artist, who seems to have convinced a member of your teaching faculty to follow along with his con. On that note, do alternative medicines (i.e. not drugs and surgery) have any place in nursing/healthcare in general? From what I've heard and understand, I imagine the answer is no. But, I'm still curious.
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Oct 1, 2011 07:59
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I subscribe to the Dara O'Brien quote that "alternative medicine has been around for thousands of years, but 100 years ago they sat down, worked out what actually worked, and that became medicine." That said, if it's not going to actively harm someone, I see no reason to stop it. I've seen someone with MS swear that acupuncture was making them more able to move their arms and legs, and who am I to argue with that as long as they do it as well as their normal treatment instead of instead of.
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Oct 1, 2011 12:34
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somnolence posted:Are you an RN? LPN? I know that in my city there are always positions available for both. If you're willing to re-locate, there are lots of areas where nurses are very in-demand right now. RN/BSN. The problem is that they aren't hiring new grads in my area.
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Oct 1, 2011 14:53
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Hellacopter posted:What the hell?! One of the girls hit bone on one of the smaller babies. Most gut wrenching sound in the world, I'm pretty sure she had a melt down after walking out of the room. Mom holding down the baby didn't know but all the other students and instructor flinched. Just the thought of going without gloves makes me cringe and not changing them is just as bad. I stash about as many that will fit in my pockets along with alcohol pads for my stethoscope. somnolence posted:Is this shopped? I can't believe anyone would buy in to this garbage. It's probably not. I think they adapted it from something Chinese doctors use. They attach clamps to acupuncture pins for healing of your ying/yang. I honestly feel like it looks like you're about to jump your car but whatever they feel works. The only other thing it reminds me of is ECT and that's just as bad.
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Oct 1, 2011 18:41
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Except ECT is actually a proven treatment that can work?
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Oct 2, 2011 02:27
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Asclepius posted:Except ECT is actually a proven treatment that can work? I meant that it seems barbaric.
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Oct 2, 2011 18:01
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Sgt. Poof posted:I meant that it seems barbaric. It's not that barbaric. It used to be done chemically, but it is far safer to do it electrically. The point of the electricity is to start a controlled seizure, not be painful. Patients don't feel a thing, at least when under general anesthesia.
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Oct 2, 2011 20:44
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Having personally seen ECT, it is nothing like the movies or TV. Every person undergoing it is under general anesthesia. It works pretty well too. There's a whole lot of "barbaric" routine procedures that you'll be witnessing on a regular basis.
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Oct 2, 2011 21:58
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I know how ECT works. I've had family that underwent ECT before the 1970's when not everything was as pinpoint accurate as it is today. I've seen a couple clients who had the procedure and it worked for them and one who needed ECT every so often when their symptoms started to reoccur (they had major depressive disorder). I would never reflect my basis on someone who needs ECT and do not discount it's credibility. I've seen a lot of procedures practiced that could be considered barbaric but this is one that hits too close to home.
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Oct 3, 2011 00:28
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To be fair, most medical/surgical treatments are pretty barbaric. It's just that they also happen to (generally) restore some aspect of physiological functioning, so we tend to forget how barbaric they really are.
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Oct 3, 2011 00:52
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Whew. Got accepted into an apparently competitive Perioperative Program at one of the local hospitals so I am officially employed! In a field I'm actually really truly interested in! The best part is they don't even care that I'm pregnant and have to take some time off in the middle of my training. Can't ask for much more than that!
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Oct 3, 2011 22:25
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Mangue posted:Whew. Got accepted into an apparently competitive Perioperative Program at one of the local hospitals so I am officially employed! In a field I'm actually really truly interested in! The best part is they don't even care that I'm pregnant and have to take some time off in the middle of my training. Can't ask for much more than that! Congratulations!  Are they going to train you to scrub and circulate? I love OR and how technical it is, plus you get to see sharp objects and body parts and poo poo. That and ICU are at the top of my dream list when I graduate and join the thousands of unemployable new grads in CA. I'd pack my crap up and move to Butthole, OK if it meant I had a job in either of those areas. 
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Oct 6, 2011 06:47
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Hellacopter posted:Congratulations! The program is aimed at teaching us to be circulating nurses but we do have two weeks of scrub time. It really is more than I ever thought I could get. OR was my first love in nursing school but since I never thought I would be able to get into it I gravitated more towards Labor and Delivery which I also love. It just so happens that this program became available and I applied. Best of luck on finishing school and landing a job! Hopefully the job market has improved somewhat by the time you graduate.
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Oct 6, 2011 15:40
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What's considered the standard amount of patients to see a day if you're the main clinician at a family practice type clinic, as an NP or PA? My fiancee's been looking at jobs for a while here in LA, and a lot of the places seem to want an extremely high turnover.
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Oct 7, 2011 01:00
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I want to travel and see the world. What sort of nursing jobs can I get where I can do that but not be in the military?
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Oct 9, 2011 21:46
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His Purple Majesty posted:I want to travel and see the world. What sort of nursing jobs can I get where I can do that but not be in the military? There's lots of travel nursing agencies. My best friend's dad has done it twice internationally- a two years in Edinburgh, and now will do a year or two in New Zealand. He's had something like 40 years experience in Peds OR, which I think experience is big part of getting those jobs. I'm not sure which agency he went through. Otherwise, off the top of my head there's Doctors Without Borders (also needs experience), Operation Smile, and Peace Corps (shameless self promotion, ha, but there's no floor nursing involved though, only education).
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Oct 9, 2011 22:55
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His Purple Majesty posted:I want to travel and see the world. What sort of nursing jobs can I get where I can do that but not be in the military? Another option might be The Commissioned Corps: http://www.usphs.gov/ It's kind of like being an agency nurse for various gov. services. I was veeery close to signing up with these guys whilst still in school. You get government benefits/paygrades. And depending on your enrollment request - bonuses/loan forgiveness. I applied and waited months and months to be told around Christmas that I needed a dental exam. "Where am I going to find a dentist this time of year?" "We're sorry it took so long to respond to you..." Anywho. I got ICE opportunities long after I had written this off. You have to apply for the Commissioned Corps and then the agencies that will be willing to employ you will offer you the job. Is it a good thing? I don't know. Being told "you need to show us how good of an employee you might make" without being told what they needed when you make repeated phone calls to them pissed me off. Especially when having ICE send you e-mails for many months after you told the Commissioned Corps that you weren't interested was bizarre. ICE is not the only agency than uses the Commissioned Corps. I was kind of hoping for a job offer that would land me on Indian Reservations. A completely different culture would be a neat thing to me. Anywho, this is a route to gov benefits and paygrade with massive bureaucracy in the way of your employment. But it might be worth it if you're single and looking for something that's not military.
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Oct 11, 2011 21:03
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What has two thumbs and just passed his LVN NCLEX today? This guy, right here!
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Oct 12, 2011 00:13
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Anyone here done nursing in the military? I've been talking to recruiters, but I'm still in the dark on what you actually do. Is the nursing itself similar to what you do in regular hospitals? What about the military aspect and lifestyle? I'm like His Purple Majesty in that I want to travel and I'm not ready to settle down just yet.
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Oct 12, 2011 00:54
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halokiller posted:Anyone here done nursing in the military? I've been talking to recruiters, but I'm still in the dark on what you actually do. Is the nursing itself similar to what you do in regular hospitals? What about the military aspect and lifestyle? I know there's a few nurses in Goons in Platoons. You may wanna ask there as well.
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Oct 12, 2011 12:16
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Zeitgueist posted:What's considered the standard amount of patients to see a day if you're the main clinician at a family practice type clinic, as an NP or PA? Anyone?
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Oct 13, 2011 01:27
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I am 58 days away from graduation (not that I'm counting or anything) with my ADN, and I'm getting nervous about taking the NCLEX (like everyone else). I hear all of you guys talking about just doing question banks from online or books, but I was wondering if anyone has ever done Hurst? My school offers the boot camp style sessions with them, but at $350 for 4 days of just Med/Surg I'm wondering if it is really worth it. I'm having a hard enough time coming up with all my graduation fees, background checks, and other new nurse fees that I just don't know if I should spend the money or just do question banks. I am a pretty good student and I know that wont make me a good nurse, but I am a strong test taker.
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Oct 13, 2011 02:39
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Joellypie posted:I am 58 days away from graduation (not that I'm counting or anything) with my ADN, and I'm getting nervous about taking the NCLEX (like everyone else). I hear all of you guys talking about just doing question banks from online or books, but I was wondering if anyone has ever done Hurst? Hey! I just took my NCLEX yesterday. It was surprisingly easy. I got one of the HURST books at the bookstore. I pretty much ignored the practice questions and just used the first half of the book, which talked about test-taking strategies. For me, most of the NCLEX was based on prioritizing: you have 4 patients with these conditions. Which one do you see first? There was a few pharm questions and a lot of Select All That Apply. Having said that, I was sure that I was failing the exam. However, it cut off after 85 questions and I learned that I passed. So I think it grades pretty easy. If you made it through nursing school, you will have no trouble passing your NCLEX. I also blew off ALL studying between my graduation and the NCLEX except for the HURST book the night before, so I'm not a super-genius. If I were you, I'd save your money for the time being. Good luck!
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Oct 13, 2011 04:37
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I don't think giving the advice that the NCLEX is easy is really the best advice to give...I passed in June. I studied for 5-6 hours every day for three weeks leading up to it. I passed with 75 questions but it was undoubtedly the most difficult test I have ever taken in my life. The fact that I believed I had failed, the fact that YOU (Oxford Comma) believed you failed, and the fact that literally every single person I know who has taken it believed they failed is a telling sign. It is hard. There are a number of individuals whom I graduated with who have failed it. I really don't think it is a test that can be taken lightly. Study, study, study. Though Oxford Comma, I did see that you passed the LVN NCLEX. I really have no idea if it's much different than the NCLEX RN. I can't imagine that it is and by the description of the types of questions you got, they sound pretty similar. Either way, I feel when giving advice about the NCLEX, it's best not to downplay its difficulty. Anyways, I did take the Hurst class. As for if it helped...hard to say. I don't feel like the NCLEX really tested over much of the info we went over in the Hurst class. But the way Hurst makes you study, and how they encourage you to know the stuff they teach like the back of your hand really helps you to focus on what you're doing on the test. I think the most valuable thing they teach is teaching you a different way to think. The content they give you is nice and all...but mostly it's about practice and getting used to the different types of questions. Really, I feel the best thing you can do is lots and lots of practice questions. I did about 1,800 and I really do think that that, personally, is what helped me the most. Overall, I would say that it's worth it. But then again, I passed. Who knows how I'd feel if I hadn't passed.
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Oct 13, 2011 05:08
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The NCLEX-RN is designed to make you believe that you failed no matter how well you did. It's really evil that way, since it gets harder if you are doing well. I did test questions for a few months to prepare myself and passed in 85 questions. I wouldn't pay $200-$300 for a review course, personally, but you definitely need to take it seriously.
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Oct 13, 2011 23:14
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Space Harrier posted:The NCLEX-RN is designed to make you believe that you failed no matter how well you did. It's really evil that way, since it gets harder if you are doing well. I did test questions for a few months to prepare myself and passed in 85 questions. I wouldn't pay $200-$300 for a review course, personally, but you definitely need to take it seriously. Oh I am definitely taking it seriously. I have a few NCLEX books that I use to study with during the semesters, plan to get one or 2 more and I have a few online resources with test questions. I just wanted to hear the opinion on spending $350 for a class and if anyone thought it was worth it. I know thousands of people take the NCLEX without taking Hurst but my school really pushes it for whatever reason.
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Oct 13, 2011 23:39
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I passed the NCLEX without paying for a class (at 75 questions), but I didn't mess around either -- I studied 6 days a week after graduating (well, after graduation parties were all done anyways... :P) for hours -- I started by reading the review chapters in the Saunders book in all the areas the pre-test said I was weak. Then for 3 weeks prior to the test I just did practice questions as much as I could stomach. Exposure to questions is what I think the consensus is for helping you prepare the most. I /did/ however, sit through a free class offered through my school and found it to be a giant waste of time since it was just someone reading powerpoint slides about quick med/surg review...granted, this wasn't a Hurst class but I have a hard time imagining just what they could possibly go over in classes that NCLEX books don't explain. (How NCLEX questions are formatted, how to deduce what is being asked, etc.) I think the selling point for the classes is that they are structured. If you don't think you can come up with your own study structure and studying schedule then I guess they might have useful guidance for you. Then again, a lot of the new software that comes with NCLEX review books generates study schedules based on a pre-test! As for myself, I thought I'd drop in and do 1-2 sentences of venting on how hard job hunting has been as a new-grad RN. Especially as one who was foolish enough to not volunteer or do any pre-graduation networking. If you're in school right now, volunteer or something... network. I'm looking heavily into rural areas and small towns now though... utilizing my gooniness (single, don't own a house) to my advantage by being able to easily pack up and move! Datsun Honeybee fucked around with this message at 09:27 on Oct 14, 2011 |
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Oct 14, 2011 09:25
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Datsun Honeybee posted:As for myself, I thought I'd drop in and do 1-2 sentences of venting on how hard job hunting has been as a new-grad RN. Especially as one who was foolish enough to not volunteer or do any pre-graduation networking. If you're in school right now, volunteer or something... network. I'm looking heavily into rural areas and small towns now though... utilizing my gooniness (single, don't own a house) to my advantage by being able to easily pack up and move! Yes. I think this is the most important thing for students in their last 2 semesters. Apply for the intern/extern positions, but if that doesn't work out, VOLUNTEER!! I have met so many people at our big trauma hospital and alot of them are nurse managers. I am pretty sure if things keep going well these last 2 months I will be offered a job in the NICU. All I had to do was change diapers and give baths for 4 months once a week. But I also met many other nurse managers in the hospital and since I like to talk, I got to know them and I have all their cards and most said well if NICU doesn't work out give me a call. If anything it looks great on the resume too.
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Oct 14, 2011 10:32
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