SECOT Nurses - Needing Help re: Equipment

don't forget your speculum.

Littmann Cardiology iii stethescope, BP cuffs are usually provided by school but Premier makes a decent one if you have to buy one and SAS shoes are comfortable and help reduce back pain from being on your feet for extended amounts of time during clinicals and labs.

iii's run between $150-$180 and ii's between $50-$80.

I prefer iii's, though. Much better auscultation capability and they last forever.

With the cuffs, that's gonna suck bc the standard cuffs do not fit larger patients. Don't make the mistake of trying to force it bc a cuff that is too small will provide inflated BP results. Conversely, a cuff that is too large will provide results that are misleadingly low.

No problem! I've been in this business for 22 years now. Absolutely love it as much today as the day I graduated. Good luck in Nursing School and if you have any questions/issues arise I'll be glad to help you out!

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Littmann Cardiology iii stethescope, BP cuffs are usually provided by school but Premier makes a decent one if you have to buy one and SAS shoes are comfortable and help reduce back pain from being on your feet for extended amounts of time during clinicals and labs.

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What she said, but the Littman isn't going to be cheap. You will use it when you finish though. Look on ebay and see if anyone is getting rid of one.

You really do have to immerse yourself in Nursing School. It's competitive to get in and even harder to stay in. Take the rules seriously. IDK about y'alls requirements, but at Carolina we could not miss more than 3 days of the core nursing curriculum/semester. Hell, if we had a death in the family we only received 3 days for that.

Once you are into clinicals, if you find that you don't seem to be enjoying it, rethink your decision. Give all areas a try, but I have seen way too many nurses who were not in the field bc they truly loved what they were doing. Rather, they saw it as good money and great job security and no more and their patients were the ones to suffer for this attitude. If you don't love it so much that you would do it for free if you had to, don't do it. You'll be miserable and so will your coworkers..but most of all, so will your patients.

Pay attention to even the most trivial details in school. It gets you in the habit and it will greatly benefit you and your patients once you graduate.

Clinical skills are important, but even more important is just listening to your patients. You'll be surprised at what you'll learn about and from your patients simply by taking the time to listen to them.

Ppl usually automatically trust you when you are their nurse. Be worthy of this trust and know that you are playing an integral part in what could be a life changing event in their lives.

Try not to take losses too personally. That's very difficult sometimes. You'll automatically wonder if there was something you missed, something you could or should have done that would have made a difference when you lose a patient. Don't beat yourself up. Allow yourself time to mourn the loss and trust that, if you've done what I mentioned earlier, this person's life and death were enriched by the care you gave them in life and the dignity you afforded them in death.

Nursing school is a game because the schools make it so. Their game means their rules. Learn the game, get thru school, and then start the real business of learning how to do the job.
They will stress you on stupid stuff like how to make a bed and bathe pt.s. Deal with it and move on. It's part of the game
Much money has gone into the schools to increase numbers to take care of the boomers. This equals more applicants for each job. Get a part time job while your in school to get your foot in the door. I was a tech in an ICU? I learned a great deal about how things actually work
Work on your assesment skills. It's the basis of the rest of your career. .nothing more than organized, professional noticing shite
Don't date coworkers. Seriously, just don't

You will spend way too much time on the Kreb cycle and Maslow's Hierarchy of Need and no where near enough time covering stuff that actually matters, like acid/base balance

Best movie ever if you are a male nurse

There are several make nurses that post here. LSUFreek is a nurse.

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Dont date coworkers

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Been there, done that...... frick that

What made it worse is she also lived above me in my apt complex

And maroon, what things should I focus on more like acid/base balance