School may be out and all you can think about is hitting the beach, but if you’re a high school student who is thinking about a career in nursing, there are some things you should be thinking about while you’re enjoying the summer sun. Most nursing programs have waiting lists. Did you know that? Well you do now. There are some that don’t but they may not be nearby or where you have always dreamed of going to college. So you’re going to have to do some investigating and serious thinking about your plans. You might have to go somewhere else or you may have to plan on an extra…
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Preparing for the NCLEX
Now that school is over and graduation is or will soon be behind you, it’s time think about that dreaded NCLEX! Many recent grads report phenomena such as waking suddenly from a sound sleep with a panic that they have forgotten everything they learned in nursing school. BREATHE!!!!! It’s all still there. You have graduated. Therefore you must have passed. Calm down and relax, you will pass your NCLEX too!!! Many programs have students taking practice NCLEX exams all throughout the program to prepare students and ensure a high passing rate. How did you do on these? Take moment to regroup and figure out a plan. You just need to…
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Safe Staffing Poll Results
The American Nurses Association (ANA) has compiled the results form it’s Safe Staffing Saves Lives survey. The results are unfortunately not surprising ad nurses are encouraged to continue to contact their legislators to support the Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2007. Over 10,000 nurses took part in the Safe Staffing survey. Here are just a few of the results: 73% of responders report that they believe that staffing is not sufficient on their shift or in their unit. 59.8% say they know someone who has left nursing because of fears about safe staffing. 48.2% said they would not be confidnet about having a loved one care for at their…
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Congratulations New Grads!!
Welcome to the world of nursing! The best advice I can give you is to find a job where you have a long orientation. If you can find one that offers a new grad residency program, go for it. This is a new model in new nurse orientation and is beginning to appear in hospitals all around the country. It’s a year long program designed to support new nurses through the ups and owns of their first year as a nurse. Most orientation programs are six months or less, and usually about six months is when new nurses suddenly feel overwhelmed and stupid. And just at the point where they…
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Tips for Documentation
Documentation is such an important part of nursing. Yes, I know, you’d rather be spending that time with the patient, but communication is an important part of nursing. Documenting the care you gave, the patient’s response and your observations is vital to optimum care. Stop thinking about it as a chore and think of how what you write will help improve the quality of care and the patient’s outcomes. It has to be done just like any of the other procedures you put off till the last minute. Learn to do it well and it’ll be much easier. Here are a few important Do’s and Don’ts for you to remember…