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Is Pharm just straight memorization? Had my first exam today over antibiotics and some antimycobacterials and if I had to guess I got a mid B, maybe even slightly lower. I drew a chart with headings like, "Penicillins", "Cephalosporins", "Carbapenams," and then would go on to list the prototype drug under each one, followed by various information and then similar drugs. What ways did you guys prepare for these? CancerStick fucked around with this message at 01:34 on Feb 2, 2013 |
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Feb 1, 2013 23:40
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Just a quick update - I spoke with my manager today about it and she seemed aware of the problem. I feel a lot better about it. Thanks guys.
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Feb 2, 2013 04:16
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CancerStick posted:Is Pharm just straight memorization? Short answer: Yes. I found it easiest to study the pharmacokinetics/dynamics of the more broad classes of drugs (like beta blockers, SSRIs, NSAIDs, etc) and memorize the mechanisms of action of these specific groups, and then memorize the names (brand AND generic) under the classes. For a super quick example, take beta blockers. Know that they are for HTN, acute MI, CHF, etc. Then knowing the difference between beta 1, 2, and 3. It's important to understand exactly how they work, that they are competitive inhibitors of catecholamines at beta-adrenoreceptor sites and recognizing the difference between selective and nonselective, etc. Once you understand everything about how beta blockers work, then you memorize the names of the drugs. Whenever I was studying names of drugs, I would always pair the drug class with it in my head to remember the mechs of action. (Atenolol, Tenormin, Beta Blocker, [specific mech].) When I studied, I divided a piece of paper into four columns and made lists in the columns. Column one would be the generic name, column two would be the brand name, column three would be the class of drug, and column four would be the brief mech of action. Then you could just take some note cards and block off whatever part of the paper you needed to. If that makes sense. Pharm is hard but it's so important. The more you work with meds in the field, the easier it gets.
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Feb 3, 2013 17:37
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Just to update to say that I passed the nclex on Thursday. What a weird exam. The first five questions were relatively easy and then were followed by 70 questions where I asked WTF?!?! including 20ish SATA. I had an interview in a MICU last week so I was able to call and give them the good news. They said they wouldn't offer me a position until I passed the exam. Now they just need to call me back with good news in the form of a job offer.
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Feb 17, 2013 17:51
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Question for some of you nurses. I graduated a couple months ago, got a job in a New Graduate Program at the University of Colorado. From what I can tell the program helps you become a better nurse but does not help you overall. Have you heard anything about these types of programs? There only a few accredited ones in the nation. Im just annoyed because my salary is so low and huge loans it sucks. I could get a weekend nights job for drat near double.
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Feb 17, 2013 18:14
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ThirstyBuck posted:Just to update to say that I passed the nclex on Thursday. What a weird exam. The first five questions were relatively easy and then were followed by 70 questions where I asked WTF?!?! including 20ish SATA. I had an interview in a MICU last week so I was able to call and give them the good news. They said they wouldn't offer me a position until I passed the exam. Now they just need to call me back with good news in the form of a job offer. This was my experience with NCLEX this Thursday as well. I passed with 75 questions, but I couldn't tell you any that I got correct. My brain was fried. Does the Pearson quick results tell you anything besides "pass/fail"? My state BON posted my pass results as well as provided my license # before the Pearson quick results were available, so I have no reason to pay for the results, but I'd be interested to see how many questions I got right. Congrats on passing and hopefully you'll get that job. I already have a GN residency program waiting April 1 and after finding out that I passed, I realize I have a month and a half of nothing to do. What do I fill that time with?
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Feb 17, 2013 18:32
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ThirstyBuck posted:I passed the nclex. The Antipop posted:This was my experience with NCLEX this Thursday as well. I passed. Congratulations to you both! Mine was supposed to be this coming Friday, but now that's my first day on the floor of my new job so it's pushed back a few weeks. I just want to get it over with. However the person I've been studying with is taking it tomorrow so at least I'll know if what I've studied so far is good enough. The Antipop posted:I already have a GN residency program waiting April 1 and after finding out that I passed, I realize I have a month and a half of nothing to do. What do I fill that time with? Since I've been hired for 3 twelves I've thought a lot about how to fill the other 4 days. I'm going to volunteer. After a couple of months on the job I'm going to take an EMT-B class and volunteer with my local company. Until then, I'll volunteer with other organizations which are always looking for help. It'll keep me busy, help the community, and let's be honest, looks great on a resume for futher employment or educational needs.
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Feb 18, 2013 01:04
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UnhealthyJoe posted:Question for some of you nurses. I graduated a couple months ago, got a job in a New Graduate Program at the University of Colorado. From what I can tell the program helps you become a better nurse but does not help you overall. We had a program like this at the hospital I first got hired onto out of school. We had to go once a month and sit through lectures and do a big project at the end. It was supposed to help you transition from nursing school to becoming a real nurse.I found out these types of programs are one of the new requirements for hospitals to gain magnet status. It's also supposed to help with new nurse turn over rates. I hated the program and it is actually a huge reason that I left the hospital.
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Feb 18, 2013 01:49
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The Antipop posted:This was my experience with NCLEX this Thursday as well... Thanks. The exam seems designed to function to determine your ability and then ask all questions at +1 that level. Sadistic. I've got my fingers crossed for the MICU position. If it falls through for some reason, I have an offer from the unit where I did my transitions during the program. The state BON posted my license number the next day so I didn't bother getting them through pearsons, although the pearsons' trick verified the results before the BON. Whatever, the difference was like 12 hours. I'm stoked to begin working...and paying back my loans.
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Feb 18, 2013 04:18
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Joellypie posted:We had a program like this at the hospital I first got hired onto out of school. We had to go once a month and sit through lectures and do a big project at the end. It was supposed to help you transition from nursing school to becoming a real nurse.I found out these types of programs are one of the new requirements for hospitals to gain magnet status. It's also supposed to help with new nurse turn over rates. I hated the program and it is actually a huge reason that I left the hospital. Hrm. I thought I could suffer through a long period of time again. What is killing me is knowing a weekend only overnights in the ED else where pays so so much better but this program as you said is suppose to help retention and being generally a better nurse. Bah.
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Feb 18, 2013 17:46
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I'm not positive I understand the program. Do you have a job at the hospital as an RN and this is just an extra orientation course, that you get paid for, to ease you into real-world nursing?
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Feb 18, 2013 21:52
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UnhealthyJoe posted:Hrm. I thought I could suffer through a long period of time again. What is killing me is knowing a weekend only overnights in the ED else where pays so so much better but this program as you said is suppose to help retention and being generally a better nurse. Bah. If it's any consolation at my hospital you wouldn't be allowed to work that shift regardless. New nurse are terrible. The new grad programs are supposed to give you some time to improve your skills in a controlled environment and get up to date with what policy is at your hospital. Mine was a mix of totally useless classes that might as well have been in nursing school but taught worse, sim labs that were useful, and awesome classes taught by people with certs that were usually awesome and informative. The real advantage was the preceptorship, I would have drowned and probably caused some major medical errors without it. We're a teaching hospital/ level 1 trauma center in an outlying area of NC though, results may vary depending on staffing and the education program at your place. In other news, I'm being oriented to Charge at a year and a half to help cover holes in the schedule. I'm a right sick oval office and the manager seems to think so too but it's pretty weird. I kind of like getting detailed knowledge of my patients and charge has me watching the whole floor. Going to take some getting used to. awkward_turtle fucked around with this message at 05:14 on Feb 19, 2013 |
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Feb 19, 2013 05:11
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awkward_turtle posted:If it's any consolation at my hospital you wouldn't be allowed to work that shift regardless. New nurse are terrible. The new grad programs are supposed to give you some time to improve your skills in a controlled environment and get up to date with what policy is at your hospital. There are 2 big hospital systems here, which are the only hospitals in the area. As a new grad, you are forced to do the program, they won't hire you otherwise. I guess the one system just recently switched over to that because, like you said, new nurses are not exactly cut out for immediate solo work without training/help and they had some problems which led to the switch. The program I'm in pays the same as any other weekday daytime nursing position though. It would suck to get paid less just because you're in the new grad program. Weekend and nights do make more, and last year a new nurse may have been directly hireable into that position, but not anymore.
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Feb 19, 2013 16:10
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Hughmoris posted:I'm not positive I understand the program. Do you have a job at the hospital as an RN and this is just an extra orientation course, that you get paid for, to ease you into real-world nursing? At my hospital you were hired in as a RN, but your title was "new graduate nurse". We got paid the standard entry level RN pay that all the other hospitals paid, but we had to go once a month for 12 hours and sit in the class room listening to people talk about policies, as well as do a quality improvement (QSEN) project for a year. I was part of the second cohort, and I think the hospital was still figuring the program out. Other programs might have more money and resources to make their programs more interactive and actually teach you something. Mine was not set up to work with my precept program that I was doing on the floor, which was amazing and full of great ED teachers. I personally would have hated being thrown out onto the floor without 3-4 months direct training with a supervisor. Our two programs were just not connected like I'm sure others are.
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Feb 19, 2013 18:09
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Hellshitfire! I graduated in December and I've been looking and interviewing for jobs for the past two months. Several interviews but no jobs offers - until today! Within of an hour of an interview I had two offers! Then, an hour after the two offers I had a phone interview for two more positions at a children's hospital PICU and CTICU. This is all to say that I didn't have crap until today and now I have two awesome offers and two more interviews. So, for those of you that are looking - don't give up !
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Feb 20, 2013 02:53
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ThirstyBuck posted:Hellshitfire! Funny how that works out. My classmate couldn't get an offer for six months, then she received three within 24 hours. Congrats on yours.
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Feb 20, 2013 09:23
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Regarding this grad nurse stuff. I was hired as a float pool nurse straight out of college. I was hired as a plain old RN - Staff Nurse and received six weeks of full time orientation which included classroom work for the charting system, equipment, policies, etc. That was two weeks. Then I shadowed someone for a week, and then I gradually immersed myself in taking my own patients and teams. Then I was on my own. I like to learn and I'm pretty independent so six weeks was all I needed, but my hospital is really flexible on extending orientation to people who need more. Orientation is exactly the same regardless of whether you were a brand new graduate or a nurse with x-amount of years experience, and it can be shortened or lengthened however the new nurse desires. What I'm trying to say is: Hospitals don't expect you to function independently on day one. Even if your desired hospital doesn't have a new-grad program, you will still get an orientation. I don't have experience going through a new grad program, but honestly, I'm glad my hospital doesn't have one. I felt totally ready to function as an RN on my own after the six weeks of orientation. Obviously I still had questions after six weeks, but I was familiar enough with the hospital to either know who to ask or be able to look up the answer for myself. It's different for everyone, but don't be discouraged if your desired hospital doesn't have a new grad program, and don't be discouraged if it requires it.
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Feb 22, 2013 03:08
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Koivunen posted:What I'm trying to say is: Hospitals don't expect you to function independently on day one. I should hope to hell they don't. The MICU where I'm starting has 12 weeks of orientation...and with good reason!
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Feb 22, 2013 03:43
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Anyone have experience or opinions on nursing informatics or clinical analyst type jobs?
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Mar 2, 2013 23:28
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I interviewed for a small non-profit in a non-clinical yet nursing relevant role and when they asked my salary expectations I just froze. I didn't really know what the gently caress, here pretty much all nursing jobs are unionised so there is a clearly defined grid. I am pretty sure I low-balled myself a bit given they are a non-profit and didn't want to blow my chances and I dunno how to feel now.
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Mar 7, 2013 21:11
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In the home stretch, got a month to go left in my clinical rotation. Got my application form for my licensing exam. Hope this is the only time I have to pay $600 to write a test.
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Mar 9, 2013 02:03
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My hospital has been so short-staffed lately that they are offering an extra $150 for every OT shift picked up.  Of course, that is countered by the fact that I've been taking 7 patients every night.
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Mar 9, 2013 04:20
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Hughmoris posted:My hospital has been so short-staffed lately that they are offering an extra $150 for every OT shift picked up. 150 on top of your regular pay is pretty nice. Our hospital just cut incentive pay back because they went over budget upgrading to Epic, or so they say any way. Doesn't effect me much sine I just left the floor for the EP lab.
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Mar 10, 2013 01:26
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Hughmoris posted:My hospital has been so short-staffed lately that they are offering an extra $150 for every OT shift picked up. Advantage of working in the ED, they don't ever care about overtime. Even when you're not short staffed, you can always use more hands, and they'll always pay for more hands. I only wish I could have taken advantage of it prior to having kids to rake in the overtime pay.
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Mar 11, 2013 02:59
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TheFarSide posted:Advantage of working in the ED, they don't ever care about overtime. Even when you're not short staffed, you can always use more hands, and they'll always pay for more hands. I only wish I could have taken advantage of it prior to having kids to rake in the overtime pay. You are lucky. In my ER we'll be drowning, hospital full, holding everyone, and they won't call anyone in because they don't want to pay overtime...
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Mar 11, 2013 05:04
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TheFarSide posted:Advantage of working in the ED, they don't ever care about overtime. Even when you're not short staffed, you can always use more hands, and they'll always pay for more hands. I only wish I could have taken advantage of it prior to having kids to rake in the overtime pay. Yeah, overtime is always available on my floor but they recently just started offering the $150 bonus because we are so undermanned. I'm coming up on my 1-year point of being an RN and I'm going to start polishing my resume and see what else is out there. I love the people I work with but med-surg is draining.
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Mar 16, 2013 15:09
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Graduation is so close i can taste it!!!! I applied for my license today, took my jurisprudence exam, did my background check and pick up my cap & Gown, tassel and honor cords!!!!
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Mar 22, 2013 04:09
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So I'm in my 2nd semester, doing okay. Killing pharm & mental health for some reason but adult health/med-surg is pretty painful...for some reason I cannot grasp the endocrine system! Anyway, I really need to apply for PCT jobs if I can but I SUCK at writing cover letters and obviously nothing on my resume is med related. Any advice? Anyone have a cover letter they wouldn't mind me looking at to get an idea? I found a neonatal tech job but it's full time...and you only have to have HS diploma/GED, would I have the upper hand? I want to do NICU hence my keenness. I just need to get working, not just because I feel like my education would benefit but one income is just not enough!
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Mar 22, 2013 04:15
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Miranda posted:Anyway, I really need to apply for PCT jobs if I can but I SUCK at writing cover letters and obviously nothing on my resume is med related. Any advice? Anyone have a cover letter they wouldn't mind me looking at to get an idea? I found a neonatal tech job but it's full time...and you only have to have HS diploma/GED, would I have the upper hand? I want to do NICU hence my keenness. I just need to get working, not just because I feel like my education would benefit but one income is just not enough! You are very lucky that your NICU has tech jobs, I had to settle for volunteering. If your school does clinicals in that NICU I would ask that clinical instructor if she happens to know who the nurse manager is and if you could possibly get her email. Email her, tell her your interests and that if you can don't get the job that you would like to volunteer (if the hospital offers that)once every other week to get a feel for the unit. It will get you in with the manager and maybe even get you some face time with him/her.
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Mar 23, 2013 02:37
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SuzieMcAwesome posted:Graduation is so close i can taste it!!!! I applied for my license today, took my jurisprudence exam, did my background check and pick up my cap & Gown, tassel and honor cords!!!! Yay for being in the home stretch!  I have 4 clinical shifts left and then I'm off until the licensing exam in June.
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Mar 23, 2013 17:59
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anyone have any suggestions for a new grad (graduate in May) that wants to relocate? I'll be licensed in a compact state but I'm willing to do either!
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Mar 27, 2013 18:25
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Fatty Patty posted:anyone have any suggestions for a new grad (graduate in May) that wants to relocate? I'll be licensed in a compact state but I'm willing to do either! Eagle Pass, Texas... Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center Brownsville, Texas.. Valley Baptist Medical Center Harlingen, Texas... Valley Baptist Medical Center If you want to do correctional nursing.. goto http://www.ingenesis.org/JobPostings/AvailablePositions.aspx Pearsall or El Paso Service processing centers (If you need a job now send an e-mail or call them) Either way, with any of these places work for 1-2 years, then move elsewhere.
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Mar 28, 2013 00:47
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Fellow nurses, I need some advice. Forgive me in advance for how poorly-organized this post is: I'm -really- frustrated with my current job. Its my first facility job, and this place is ridiculously disorganized. Everything is done on paper, no computers. So when we get a physician calling us with an order, we have to write it on a P.O. form, copy the same information onto a Telephone Order form, write it down a third time in our nurses notes, basically do it a fourth time on a MAR sheet, and then a fifth time if its something that has to be care planned (if its a coumadin order, then we do it a sixth time on our coumadin flow sheets!) As a consequence, its virtually impossible to do our med pass and the paperwork, and still leave after 8-hours. Which wouldn't be so bad, except we aren't paid overtime. I clock out at 3:30, and consider it a good day if I'm gone by 4:30, but usually there until 5:30. By then I don't give a gently caress about anything anymore; I just want to leave. So when I do leave, I often get text messages from our DoN pointing out things I missed: "You didn't care plan this pt's UTI". Which is extremely frustrating because I want to be a thorough person but the facility is so chaotic and hectic that its a challenge for me to not let all the little things fall through the cracks. The only reason I'm considering staying where I am is because our DoN is awesome. She may be the best boss I've ever had. I also don't want to do anything that would cause this place to give me a poor performance review when any future employers come calling. So I toughed out the unpaid overtime and everything else in the hopes that it would lead to a better job in a few months. But I can't do it anymore. I need to find a new place to work. Should I tell my boss the next time I'm in that I'm looking to move on, or just stay quiet until I put in my two-weeks notice? Anyone know a good place for LVNs to find jobs in the SF Bay Area? Craigslist is terrible.
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Mar 31, 2013 22:56
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Have you ever told your DoN that the amount of paperwork you chase is making your actual job impossible to do? Or is the problem higher up the organizational chain?
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Mar 31, 2013 23:15
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Atma McCuddles posted:Have you ever told your DoN that the amount of paperwork you chase is making your actual job impossible to do? Or is the problem higher up the organizational chain? No, but I'm going to talk with her about it on Tuesday. Also, I didn't mention this in my previous post but I'm not the only nurse who is doing this; with the exception of one or two other nurses, all the nurses have to stay late more often than not.
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Mar 31, 2013 23:17
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Oxford Comma posted:Fellow nurses, I need some advice. Forgive me in advance for how poorly-organized this post is: Why aren't you getting paid overtime? Also, don't tell your boss anything about your job search until you have a new offer in-hand.
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Mar 31, 2013 23:57
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Hughmoris posted:Why aren't you getting paid overtime? Our facility doesn't want to pay it?
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Apr 1, 2013 00:09
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poo poo sounds like its probably illegal. Im fairly sure they have to pay you if you have to finish your work past your shift. I would guess the Department of Labor would frown upon forcing people to work without pay. I don't work anywhere near you but I hope you find a better job, that sounds terrible.
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Apr 1, 2013 02:30
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Oxford Comma posted:Our facility doesn't want to pay it? They may not have a choice. Overtime laws vary from state to state but you can check here for California: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_overtime.htm Hughmoris fucked around with this message at 03:50 on Apr 1, 2013 |
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Apr 1, 2013 03:46
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Hughmoris posted:They may not have a choice. Overtime laws vary from state to state but you can check here for California: Yes, all overtime has to be paid regardless if your workplace approves it or not. The issue is that this facility regularly "reminds" nurses to not work any overtime after they clock out. Of course, the Administrator and our DoN regularly talk with me about how my work is going three hours after I should've gone home, reminding me of stuff to finish. 
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Apr 1, 2013 04:18
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