Nurse & Nursing School Megathread: The NCLEX is the spookiest test you'll ever take

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > Nurse & Nursing School Megathread: The NCLEX is the spookiest test you'll ever take

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Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

TehSaurus posted:

I have two questions for you nurse-goons, both related to MY WIFE graduating with an ADN next month. I've perused the thread a bit but haven't seen anything that directly addresses them so I apologize in advance if they wind up being redundant.

1.) What are some good gifts for a graduate nurse? Are there some things that are really nice to have unreasonably expensive versions of? She always complains about how poo poo her stethoscope is etc. I could do maybe $500 for something if there was value and it was something she would have for a long time.

2.) We're not daft enough to think that she will get an ICU position in our area with an ADN as a GN (although she has applied for a ton of them.) She has really enjoyed her shifts in ICU, but her long term goal is CRNA or maybe FNP. She's already applied for a ton of RN-BSN programs, so hopefully one of those pans out. However, do you think it would be better to take an ICU position in a less ideal location and then try and transfer after a year, or to do a nurse-residency in something less ideal like acute care and try to transfer departments? Of course we're open to any other ideas or guidance you might have to offer.

1. A good stethoscope or some really good shoes would have been my ideal graduation gifts, preferably the scope, especially if you're looking to make it last a long time and go for something really nice. Maybe some really nice liquors or wines if she's into that. Barring that, a membership at a massage place.

2. Work wherever she had a good clinical experience. If she can get on a step-down or cardiology unit or a unit that works closely with the type of ICU she wants, that'd be good too. (For instance, my Medical ICU shares a very similar patient population with the oncology floors, so if she wanted the MICU, an oncology floor would be a good start. If she wanted a surgical ICU, then a surgery stepdown would also be good). I know people recommend working on a medical floor first, but if she gets an ICU job offer and that's what she wants, I think she should take it. (Disclaimer: the job market for new RNs is terrible where I am, so people I know are jumping at every job offer they get. This may bias me a little).

# ¿ Nov 12, 2013 03:23

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 01:07

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

What? Our ICU is split into three 6-bed pods and we are completely not allowed to staff only two beds in each pod because that means there's only one nurse there per pod. If, for some reason, we only had two patients in our entire unit, we'd still staff two nurses (assuming we couldn't cart them off to another ICU or something). Is this aprt of another unit? Are there other nurses nearby to help turn, bathe, or whatever? Because I can't imagine being on my own regardless of how experienced I am; that just seems unsafe.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2013 20:22

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

babyturnsblue posted:

Is the school you attend for nursing important when eventually finding a job? I'm asking, because there are some well-known universities that have nursing programs as well as community colleges. I know how important that can be for other majors, but is it a factor in nursing? I live in Chicago, and local community colleges offer the program at a really reasonable rate, but I was looking at Loyola that costs nearly $50,000 for the accelerated BSN program. Would having a Loyola nursing degree really give you any sort of advantage in the job market?

It would matter more if you apply outside of the Chicago area, since they're not going to know anything about the quality of your program outside of the name of the university. In the Chicago area, every hospital is going to know the relative strengths of the nursing schools so honestly, if there are well-recommended community colleges in the area, they might prefer that to Loyola. Anecdotally, in the Pittsburgh area, it seems like there are community colleges that are preferred over the University of Pittsburgh in hiring, especially for ICU positions. (Pitt not having a critical care rotation in the accelerated program and only offering critical care as an elective for the 4 year program may have something to do with this.) If you can get a PCT job, ideally on the unit you want to work for, you're going to be much better off than if you went to Loyola when it comes to hiring. On the other hand, full credit to Pitt, almost everyone I went to school with did get hired within a months or two of passing the NCLEX, so I may be talking out of my rear end.

Also, it'll only matter for finding your first job, so consider that when you look at the price difference of the two schools.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2013 21:52

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

ElGroucho posted:

So here's a question from my wife: She just finished her CNA certification in Texas, and is looking at what steps to take next. I've read some of the comments saying that people prefer not to hire fast-track BSNs over traditional nurse candidates. Does spending time working as a CNA improve the chances of being hired?

Also, since she has already has a bachelors in Liberal Arts, should she consider an alternate entry master's program or a fast track BSN? Admittedly, she is not overly ambitious or in a hurry to become a nurse practitioner.

Working as a CNA absolutely improves your chances of being hired. A traditional RN with decent CNA experience is probably going to beat a BSN any day (and definitely gives you an opening on the floor you're working as a CNA on), plus the CNA experience will make a fast-track BSN program easier if she takes that route. Being able to walk into a patient's room and not have to be thinking about basic stuff like how to talk to the patient, how to take vitals, how to bathe, and all the other junk a nursing student has to do means you can concentrate on actually learning your nursing skills.

Also, consider that she could work as a CNA during a longer program, whereas an accelerated BSN program would make it very hard to work during that time.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2013 03:28

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Lava Lamp posted:

Yeah, I have to agree. Bsn > ASN, unless the difference is years of RN experience.

If you all say so. My experience is admittedly totally anecdotal, but I'm a BSN with CNA experience and the only callback I got was the unit I was a CNA on. Some of the BSN students I graduated with of whom applied to the same unit I did and got beat out by associate RN graduates, some with and some without CNA experience.

Epic Doctor Fetus posted:

And even experienced ADNs are running into trouble some places. Several of the hospitals in my area have their eyes on magnet status, which requires a certain percentage of nurses to have BSNs (80%?). They won't even look at non-BSNs for new hires and are "strongly suggesting" that their current ADNs enroll in an RN to BSN program.

My hospital is magnet right now. In my ICU, we just hired a BSN with CNA experience on the unit (me), two ADNs with no CNA experience, an ADN with CNA experience, and an experienced ADN. I know that they turned down at least two BSNs with no CNA experience. We're due for another round of hiring really soon, since quite a few people just left. I'm curious to see what we get.

Still, I won't argue that I could easily be wrong on this, so. Go with what everyone else says, I guess.

# ¿ Jan 1, 2014 03:09

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Sphinx posted:

This coming semester I believe my placement is in an ob/gyn ward. Other than reviewing my A&P notes on female reproductive physiology, any tips on what I should review?

Magnesium and oxytocin. Everything about them: when to use them, when not to use them, what they do, what they potentiate, etc. Stages of labor and, if you've learned it, how to read a fetal heart monitor. That was a huge chunk of my ob/gyn rotation.

# ¿ Jan 3, 2014 20:46

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

All of the people in my program who didn't have actual clinical experience of any kind before the program felt similarly. You'll be okay. Though, it sounds like we had a better lab than you: we listened to heart/lung/bowel sounds on each other, rather than a manikin, which helped. If your program is anything like mine was, you'll rapidly bond with some friends and that will help a lot for having people to ask questions and to help out with. If you're struggling with the basics, ask your clinical instructor to help walk you through it on a patient or two. Or ask your lab instructor. My teachers were all really good about it, especially since they knew that so many of us had no idea what we were doing medically. My clinical instructor's first words to us were something like "you're all totally out of your depth, I know that. All you need to do is fake it until you make it and everything will be fine." Personally, now that I'm a nurse and have students working on my patients, I do my own assessment and chart it anyhow, so while you're trusted to document, nobody is using what you say for clinical decision-making yet. Go get help. Ask the nurses for help. Ask your friends, ask your instructors. There was a moment about a month in where we all went to the bar and there was just this outpouring from everyone about how it was so much harder than they expected. You're going to have to do some work on your own, but it'll get easier so quickly.

You'll get through it. And now that we're all working, I don't think I can tell the difference between the people who had medical experience before the program and the ones who didn't (barring the person who was a paramedic for several years beforehand).

# ¿ Jan 25, 2014 22:01

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

People just assume I'm going back for my CRNA at some point. That's about the only thing I've noticed as a male nurse.

Roki B posted:

A BSN in one year. OK cool that seems totally reasonable and a thing that produces high quality nurses.

Its definitely got some issues, but we didn't skimp out of class time or clinical time compared to other programs. Second semester we had two-to-three eight hour clinical days, one ten hour clinical, and three days of lecture. Classes six days a week for ~8 hours on average (once a week 12) makes you learn poo poo pretty drat fast, and well. Also, you're missing that while its a "one year BSN" you have to have taken a lot of prerequisites beforehand. Some of my prereqs were two semesters of A&P (lab required), Patho, chem (either a nurse-related chem or one that included organic chem) microbio, genetics, human growth/dev, advanced stats, and nutrition. Psych, sociology, and english comp classes were also required. That list of pre-reqs is pretty close to the first two years of nursing school were made up of, plus we had to take the GREs before admission too. Its not just a one year program, the prereqs add a lot, especially since all of the obvious nursing-related ones had to be taken within the last three (I think) years. Up until a few years ago, that patho requirement actually had to be taken at a graduate level, too.

Could I have used more clinical? Yes. Would I have liked an ICU clinical rotation? Hell yes, but that's not standard at my undergrad either, you need to take it as an elective. Would I have liked research classes that weren't lumped in with, and catered towards, CRNAs and DNP students working on their thesis statements? gently caress yes. Maybe you disagree, and I know plenty of people who do, but you might take a look at it again before you jump straight to conclusions.

edit: That came across as too defensive of my program, I think. There were definitely problems and the whole thing only worked because we had some amazing lab instructors and good clinical ones. If any of those key teachers leave, there are going to be serious problems with the program. They could have done many different things that would have made me a better nurse, no doubt. But I'd imagine that's true of all programs.

Ravenfood fucked around with this message at 04:10 on Jan 28, 2014

# ¿ Jan 28, 2014 03:53

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Roki B posted:

Best of luck to you in your crazy endeavor. At least you aren't doing pre-reqs in the year because that would be actually impossible. As long as you're smart whatever deficiencies you may leave the program with should be able to be fixed within a year or two of on the job learning. Still though, do you even have time for other things in life during this?

Not really, no. I certainly couldn't work while doing it. Everyone in the program was living off loans, parents, or significant others. I got a little bit of rock climbing in when I could, but it really was a year that just kind of put your life on hold.

But I'm done and I don't regret going through it.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2014 15:48

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Do your teachers routinely answer you with "that's correct, but its not the most correct" when you asked why you got a question wrong on a test when you know you marked the right answer? Because that was the only bullshit I encountered. We had some strange tests, but we always knew what material we'd be tested on (even if it was sometimes "literally everything in the book or in lecture on this topic).

# ¿ Feb 5, 2014 04:32

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Koivunen posted:

Also, the "most correct" thing is how you learn nursing because it's how the NCLEX is written. Also it applies to real life as well since it does make you think critically (even though it sucks during school). You run into it all the time in real life, there is more than one solution to a problem but one way is usually the most correct.

I agree, for all my bitching it was actually really helpful in the long run. Its just jarring as all hell when you already have a bachelors in something and you're having to re-learn how to study for tests in addition to all of the nursing stuff.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2014 22:09

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Etrips posted:

Well I was actually referring to sites like monster / craigslist / indeed (just found about this one).

Every hospital should have hiring info. Look there first.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2014 07:15

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

SlyFrog posted:

I have a curiosity question regarding nursing (medical practice in general). For people who are in routine contact with infectious patients (so I would assume family practitioners who are constantly seeing cases of strep throat, flus, colds, etc.), how are you not constantly sick yourself, or at least sick much more often than the average person? I understand the scrutiny behind hygiene, disinfectants, etc. in a clinic or hospital, but I can only imagine that goes so far.

I have also seen that healthcare facilities have an absolute no tolerance ban on people working while sick (or even slightly sick). But how does this pragmatically work for a profession where I would assume you are sick much more often than the normal person (again, given your greater exposure to pathogens)? I mean, do you really get to say, "Can't come in, I'm slightly sick" 20 times a year or something? If I didn't come into work every time I felt something that might be an illness or the start of one, I'd probably miss 1/5 of the year.

Good hand hygiene. I work hard at not touching my face at all, too, unless I know my hands are clean. Also, during this flu season, we're required to wear masks in any patient room regardless of their infection status. Maybe that's helping, who knows? And I figure constant mild exposure to poo poo has to be building my immune system like crazy.

In my unit we're told, repeatedly, that we're supposed to call off if we're feeling in any way sick. We're also only given three call-offs/year before we start getting written up for it. Even better, if you come in and get sent home, that counts as a call-off for that purpose. So, verbally told to call off sick, practically encouraged to come in. Its frustrating as all get-out, but then, so's being told that your replacement called off and it'll be two hours until the on-call person can make it in.

# ¿ Feb 18, 2014 02:53

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Asclepius posted:

I like to imagine nurses here have been taught enough critical reasoning to stop when we see a weird acronym on a path slip we're not used to, and take the time to ask someone more experienced or look it up on the intranet. But then I also wonder how many false values we get from idiosyncrasies like having to double draw and discard if you're taking only coags with a butterfly.

Shouldn't you don't just automatically waste 5-10ccs of blood before drawing any labs from anywhere? I know we do, and we can even take a few labs off the waste tube if its the right type.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2014 02:38

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Seriously. I cannot imagine having to wait for the lab to come by for draws if I'm doing serial anything. Maybe 4am standard ones, but anything else? Everything would just break down. If you've got PICCs, why not draw? I don't understand at all. It'd be like having an art line and not being able to take meds off of it. Just. Why.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2014 18:10

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

SuzieMcAwesome posted:

A-loving-Men! Tonight I had a patient that the CNA's were OBVIOUSLY not doing routine oral care on.

This is why we do all of our oral care q2 on our vented patients in my ICU. CNAs just won't get it done. And if I think something's going to gross me out, I just pop on a mask beforehand so I can gag in peace. If I'm really desperate, two of them with a layer of toothpaste under the nose helps. And poo poo is weird. Like 95% of the time, no issues at all. The last 5, I'm gagging from the moment I see it until I'm leaving the room. I have no idea why, it all smells the same to me.

Asclepius posted:

I love me some oral care. I set myself up with suction, mouthwash, swabs, a toothbrush, and forceps, and go to town on terrible plaques encrusted on the palate. So satisfying.

This too. Trach care grosses me out, but gently caress me if there isn't some serious satisfaction involved with getting all of that poo poo out. When you finally found that pocket of crap they've been hiding somewhere in their mouth and just suction all that out...

Astrofig posted:

Has anyone had experience with the whole traveling nurse deal? I can't decide if it seems completely sketchy, amazing, or some mix of the two.

Personally, no, but we have a few travelers working on our unit now who basically have been grilled about it. From them, it sounds like its mostly amazing, a little sketchy, and worth doing. She recommended a forum/email list/something that was basically a traveling nurse review site for the various hospitals to help you avoid the places that are poo poo. I'll try and get it for you.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2014 02:57

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Paramemetic posted:

I'm an EMT-B and I drive mobile ICUs for a hospital system. I've been looking to move forward into a more clinical role, mainly looking at becoming a paramedic, but I'm not a 911-junkie, and prefer the "thinking man's game" of critical care transports anyhow. Last night a paramedic straight up told me I'd be better served doing a BSN. My only hesitation is I already have a BA, and going back for a BSN is a lot of school considering my fear that I will just end up stuck in a nursing home or psych hospital (my BA is in psych and I have worked in inpatient facilities before where I could probably get rehired as an RN), and because I'm already 28, I'd never be able to get the experience necessary to move into an ICU or ED setting, or, ideally, get back on an ambulance where I really feel at home.

I have a psych BS, went back and did my BSN, and work in a MICU now. The fact that you have psych experience and a degree isn't going to count against you anywhere else, at most you'll get a "so why don't you want to go to a psych hospital" during your interview, and practically any answer there won't hurt you. Most of the ICU nurses I work with just kind of shiver in horror at the idea of working in a psych unit, so they're pretty okay with hearing that that's just not what you want to do.

edit: Just realized you're using MICU as "mobile" and I'm using it as "medical." Still. Nursing school opens you up to a lot more options longterm, I think.

Ravenfood fucked around with this message at 16:06 on May 3, 2014

# ¿ May 2, 2014 22:29

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Jimmeeee posted:

I'm seriously considering going back to school to get a second Bachelors in Nursing, but it feels sort of crazy to go back to school for something I'm not 100% positive I'll enjoy doing for a career. For all of you who were in the same boat at one point, what did you do to decide if it was right for you? Thanks guys!

Worked as an aide at the hospital/unit I wanted to be a nurse at and shadowed some nurses there.

# ¿ May 20, 2014 13:55

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Erysipelothrix posted:

It's a direct entry program for people with non nursing bachelors degrees. I will receive my BSN the first year and continue for the MSN the next 2 years.

I thought all NP programs had to be DNP programs now.

Lava Lamp posted:

That sounds weird to me. Other schools require rn exp before applying to np school, and I kind of wonder how safe it is to have pcp with not as much clinical experience.

It sounds weird to me, too, though some of the people from my 2nd degree BSN went straight to NP school too.

# ¿ May 25, 2014 01:09

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

White Chocolate posted:

So the nursing school I am going to wants me to wear "nursing shoes".

And I usually have to go to a specialty store to get shoes in my size.

How big of a deal will this make for clinicals? Otherwise I would just wear my blue or my neon yellow nike frees.

One of the staff said that they were a stickler for it but the uniform store only had up to a 12.

I'd talk to the school/your clinical instructor. We were supposed to wear all-white shoes, but I just talked to my clinical instructor and asked if I could wear the all-black shoes I'd previously bought for tech work. I'd avoid neon yellow and try to go for black tennis shoes if you can, but I can't imagine most instructors being assholes about it as long as they weren't super bright colors.

I don't know what the hell "nursing shoes" are, though, since 90% of the nurses I work with wear some variation of sneakers and only a rare few wear Danskos.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2014 16:29

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Koivunen posted:

Try to find a pair of all-white shoes, regardless of style (if white is the preferred color). Our school highly recommended non-porous shoes but the main concern was uniformity to look professional. If your instructors make a fuss about the style or material, at least you have the correct color and can explain your situation then. But don't wear blue or neon color shoes, it's not as if your situation is impossible to remedy.

I really like K Swiss and they have men's styles in all-white that go up to size 15. Like this one...

http://www.kswiss.com/shop/footwear/0001-136/Men/Classic_Luxury_Edtn/WHITE_GOLD_GUM/tree

Just saying I bought a pair of these guys thanks to this thread, and they are loving fantastic.

# ¿ Jun 4, 2014 14:19

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Roki B posted:

Don't. Who gives a gently caress. Don't make being a 'male nurse' a thing for you ok thanks.

This. Just shut up and be there.

Asclepius posted:

Our ward is fairly unique at our hospital for having a roughly 50:50 gender split. Our manager is a guy, and we have a couple male charge nurses. I like to get on their nerves by calling them matron.

e: But then we have some reasonably older nurses scattered throughout the hospital, and they'll unironically call me sister, which gets on my nerves just as much.

What 1940s country are you posting from where people call each other sister?

# ¿ Jun 18, 2014 15:48

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Astrofig posted:

^^Please tell me the NCLEX-RN doesn't include even half of that.....*terrified now*

Flight nurses are basically paramedics + ICU/ER nurses + their own thing all rolled into one. You don't need to know ACLS, RSI, or vent management on the NCLEX, though you should have your ABG values down. After you get hired as a new grad be prepared for a 1.5 to 3month orientation/learning period depending on where you get hired. My ICU had me going for 3 solid months following a preceptor, and that was after two weeks of classes.

quote:

Don't quote me on this but I believe flight nurses mostly do sedation in boluses, but if you're transferring someone between facilities there's a chance you could be on a gtt.

That's how they come to my ICU unless they're coming from a really long way away, usually.

Speaking of, I'm looking on transferring from a Medical ICU in an oncology hospital to an ER. Anything I should really brush up on?

# ¿ Jun 22, 2014 15:32

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Hughmoris posted:

Have you been visiting floors and knocking on doors per earlier recommendation?

Yeah, anecdotally, the nurses who shadow on my floor seem to get hired more than those that don't. See if the unit you're looking at will at least let you shadow for a bit. Whoever they have you following is probably going to be informally asked their opinion after; at least that's kind of how we do it.

# ¿ Jul 1, 2014 21:36

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

MurderBot posted:

edit: dear loving god I got the flight nurse job.

Congrats, that's awesome. Hoping to hear more about the orientation process too.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2014 04:36

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Littlepuppingtoto posted:

Did anyone else here have to get nicotine tested for a hospital job?

I started working in a NICU last month, and I did. My boyfriend smokes an eCig, and I've admittedly smoked it occasionally. They taste pretty good. I had to sign a nicotine-free contract and all employees are nicotine tested.

Tested, not that I'm aware of, but we're forbidden from smoking at all during the duration of our shift.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2014 11:44

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

White Chocolate posted:

More like, muscle bias.
"He looks like he can lift."

You don't do things according to skills and abilities on your unit? I can lift decently well, so of course I help out there. Nothing wrong with that, just like when I know someone is a wizard at IVs I'll ask her to try and get one. And I can't braid hair to save my life, so when I've got a chronic patient who has been in for a while and could use that kind of care, I'll see if they can do that for me while I do something else for them. Or hell, directly related to male bias: very occasionally some people don't want me bathing them, so another nurse has to do that for/with me. Oh no!

What on earth is wrong with that? Oh no I had to lift things because I'm better at it than some people.

# ¿ Aug 27, 2014 02:07

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Annath posted:

Yeah, they're really cool about letting you pass if you catch yourself. My issue was that the gloves I was given didn't quite fit correctly. My hands are big and thick, but my fingers are comparatively short, so there was loose glove at the tip of each finger. That's what brushed the bin, and since I didn't feel it I didn't catch myself.

Watch your hands while you're doing anything sterile. There's really no reason for your attention to be elsewhere, especially in a skills check-off. And when you do need to look elsewhere, bring your sterile hands up and hold them in front of you so you don't inadvertently touch something.

# ¿ Aug 30, 2014 02:51

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

What the gently caress. That's just insulting.

edit: Do they have to do this every time they want to titrate a drip or what? Or just at the main med admin times?

Ravenfood fucked around with this message at 00:14 on Sep 3, 2014

# ¿ Sep 3, 2014 00:12

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Etrips posted:

I start my neuro ICU orientation in less than two weeks.

Congratulations!

# ¿ Sep 24, 2014 05:10

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

By ICU standards, the report we get from the ED is threadbare at best, the patient often is unstable as all hell with completely inadequate IV access, documentation is barely done on anything, stuff like the CT scan hasn't been done, and the patient probably has had a bowel movement. Of course, by the ED's standards, we actually got a drat report, the patient is more stable than they were on admission, we've got better access than what EMS gave (if EMS did anything), who honestly cares about the completely ridiculous amount of paperwork the ICU has to do sometimes, and cleaning up a BM takes a pretty low priority over dealing with the acute whatever in the next bay.

I had a coworker bitch out an ED nurse for sending a patient up with an IO instead of a central line. That same coworker then freaked out a few days later when she got a patient with a dirty fem line (placed emergently). ED can't win. Not getting the CT scan does really irritate me though, because as mentioned, they have a scanner in their unit. I'm not a fan of how nasty my coworkers can be towards ED sometimes.

edit: vvvvv that too.

Ravenfood fucked around with this message at 19:49 on Sep 24, 2014

# ¿ Sep 24, 2014 18:38

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

I'm consistently mad that the SEIU made a half-assed attempt to unionize my workplace because it basically gave the admin a chance to roll out huge anti-union messaging that the SEIU couldn't compete with and probably helped set back any pro-union attempts in the region for years.

e vvvv

Ravenfood fucked around with this message at 08:22 on Oct 16, 2014

# ¿ Oct 15, 2014 22:19

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Annath posted:

Wonder why we didn't wear them on our Psych rotation...?

To make it feel less like a hospital. Nobody wore scrubs during our psych rotation. And hey, I had similar lovely uniforms. Nice to see that someone else suffered with those.

# ¿ Oct 23, 2014 21:30

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

K-Swiss tubes are great. Got them because of this thread and have been going strong on them for a year now.

# ¿ Nov 8, 2014 18:48

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

LorneReams posted:

I want to ask, how important is an MSN vs a BSN? We have a choice of either program and I'm not quite sure what the real world differences are in terms of job prospects.

I think I know one MSN who works at the bedside currently, and she just graduated. Every other MSN I've known is either an advanced practice nurse or doing some form of management. My unit has 3 assistant unit directors, for want of a better description, who also come out of the office and act as charge nurses or occasionally take a patient assignment if we're short-staffed.

# ¿ Nov 12, 2014 22:19

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

I don't have experience with anything else, but Cerner's...alright. Its slow and some things are just a pain to do, like how we have to launch another program for lab draws that's also slow. It also has a lot of features that are outright irritating because they're useless to where I work, but we're expected to use them, namely the task list. And, this is probably less the software and more about my over-charting neuroticism, but I find myself double-charting a lot and, after I click through all of the options, writing up a narrative note in the comments on whatever system I was doing my assessments on, including feeling a need to write up a little description of what "within normal limits" means. Other units, based on what we get from the floors, don't seem to do that.

And for some reason, my blood pressures off an art line don't cross over to the vitals section but go exclusively under the hemodynamics section. Cuff pressures do the opposite. Whatever. I guess that'd be useful if I regularly used both pressure monitoring systems simultaneously, but then I can't document that I'm doing that. So, like everything, that just gets commented in.

# ¿ Dec 8, 2014 22:31

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

I wouldn't, but that's because I almost never take my stethoscope into isolation rooms. If you really need your watch (which I haven't missed at work yet) I'd just get a really small one and work at keeping it on. Alarm reminders or whatever.

And since I came here for a random question, is flight nursing in Alaska as fun as it sounds? In my mind, you'd do a lot of helicopter rescue and/or fixed-wing ICU to Seattle (?). Anyone know anything more about it?

# ¿ Dec 15, 2014 19:30

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Roki B posted:

Bullshit. I hosed around every day in nursing school, frequently, smoked, owned nerds at games on the internet, and got lit at house parties. Nursing school has a lot of tedious hoops but its not that difficult or time consuming. It'll be busy some days but I reject the common notion that nursing school is 'the hardest thing you'll ever do" and that it will consume the majority of your life for the duration.

I think a lot of it comes down to how efficiently you study and how well you are able to understand what information is important and what isn't.

Also depends on your program. An 11 month BSN is going to be a fuckton harder and take a lot more personal time than a 4 year one.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2014 21:16

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

otter space posted:

my hospital has a 'fatigue policy' where we're only allowed to work five 12s in a row before we have to take a day off, but this is in Canada where employers give the tiniest bit more of a poo poo about their workers.

So does mine, but they'll waive that if they really need to for staffing. Its 5 12s in any given 7 day period for us.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2015 20:37

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 01:07

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

Etrips posted:

My hospital has been giving a high census bonus. So it basically goes: base pay + night diff + weekend diff + overtime + high census bonus ($20/hr)

Feels good man.

Your bonus is close to my base starting rate. Also, what the hell is your census to get that kind of need?

# ¿ Mar 21, 2015 15:15

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > Nurse & Nursing School Megathread: The NCLEX is the spookiest test you'll ever take

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