Advice for the New Nursing students, what to expect

Wanted to take some time to share some of my helpful hints that got me though nursing school. This is going to be one of the biggest challenges of your life so get ready. Here are some tips for nursing school:

1. First block and most of second is learning the basic fundamentals of nursing.. READ YOUR BOOK...it will never fail you... Read More...

Why do people belittle others to make themselves feel better?

There is this girl in my A&P class, who also happens to be in my Intro to Nursing class. We were getting ready to receive the results for our last exam in A&P and I've been working so hard that I always get the top grade. So the professor announced that only one person got 100 on the test. One girl tells the other "it was probably her", and then this girl says "it's because she is older and has more time to study". I was soooo mad. Read More...

Yikes, sleeping while at work

Have you caught someone sleeping on the job? Have you ever found yourself sleepy at times? Share your experience and tips on how to stay awake. Read More...

Livescribe Pen: To Buy or Not to Buy

The concept of the Livescribe pen is amazing. The price = Not so amazing.

For those who are not yet familiar: What is a Livescribe pen? Basically it is a pen/recorder in one. There's a special paper that you write on as your recording. This allows you to "click" on your notes and hear that point in the lecture.

Does it work? And is it worth the investment? Read More...

If you eat your young...

I don't need to be beat over the head with a freakin' mistake. I don't need to be bullied or intimidated to learn. I don't think her goal was teach, and if it was, she needs a lesson, too. I am sick of the dismissive, "Nurses eat their young" nonsense. If you eat your young, there will be no one left to fill your shoes - and our profession will suffer the consequences. It's bad for the student, the nurse, the hospital, and for patient outcomes. The catch phrase doesn't excuse the action, if anything, it dismisses it, and that's not right. Bullying isn't tolerated in schools, in the average work place, and certainly shouldn't be tolerated in a place where people's health could suffer because of it. Read More...

Which would be better for me in the long run? To work while in school or not...

I am starting an ADN program in Jan with intention of going for my BSN upon completion of that. I would, however, want to find a job out of school while I finish up my BSN but I'm afraid that finding a job with no experience and an ADN is going to be next to impossible with what I've gathered. My question is, should I find a job as a tech (I guess that's what it would be?) while in school or just focus on school right now and worry about finding a job when the time comes? I don't have to work right now so just being able to put all of my energy into my kids and school would be wonderful...but I'm unsure what would be the better thing to do. Read More...

Trying to decide if it's worth it

I need help figuring out if nursing as a second career will be worth it. I have a BA in Communications and before leaving the corporate world 6 years ago, I was making 53k/year. I hated my cubicle type job but I ultimately do work to make money. I am going to assume I could try getting a job in my field now and make 45k with no loans to pay back. OR I could go through the schooling, get a nursing job at 60k but have a ton of loans to pay back. What makes the most sense in the long run? Any advice on the financial aspect of it all? Read More...

Anyone relocating after your program finishes?

I'm exactly 2 months away from pinning for my ASBN program at Umass. I've lived in New England my whole life (26 years) and I'm strongly considering a move down to Atlanta. I've got family down there, I crave a city with no winter and its a great town for a rabid sports fan such as myself. just curious if anyone has any tips. Should I be scouting out jobs now? I will probably take the boards late January early Feb. I've heard that the job market down there is pretty bleak right now (as is the case with 98% of the country.) Just wanna hear from some people in similar situations. Read More...

How do I write up a ''risk for'' diagnosis for my Med-Surg class's NPR?

My nursing professor looked at my concept map and noted that my patient had abnormally low calcium levels. She said, "I can think of a more important nursing diagnosis". Since hypocalcemia can affect the cardiac system, which is obviously going to be a priority, I have to do it on 'fluid and electrolyte imbalance'.

So anyway, I'm looking through my nursing care plan textbook and I don't know what I'd use. I don't see "Electrolyte imbalance" in here, but I DO see "Risk for electrolyte imbalance". So would my nursing diagnosis be "Risk for electrolyte imbalance r/t diarrhea", or "risk for electrolyte imbalance r/t hypoglycemia"? Or would it just be "Risk for electrolyte imbalance"? Read More...

AACR: Green Tea May Inhibit Prostate Cancer Tumor Growth

Drinking green tea may play a role in the inhibition of prostate cancer tumor growth, according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held from Oct. 16 to 19 in Anaheim, Calif. Read More...

Clinical rotation and hospital libel

I was recently expelled from an LVN program at a city college. I was wrongly accused of making copies from a medical chart and was told that I violated HIPAA laws. I did not make any copies from a medical chart. There were a couple of nurses that I worked with during a clinical rotation at a hospital that disliked me and one of them sent a note to my instructor stating that I had violated HIPAA laws. What can I do to defend myself? Read More...

Davis's Success Books Study Guides

I am in the process of purchasing the Davis's Success books series. I will be starting Pharmacology and Fundamentals of Nursing in Jan and just wanted to get ahead of the game by purchasing these books before class starts and to use during class to become successful in the courses. The question I have is it worth buying... Read More...