New Nurse? What to carry with you in the hospital :)

Hello My loves!

This is Caroline from EmpoweRN!  Just wanted to give my new nurses (and soon to be nurses ;) some tips to help them prepare for their jobs and/or clinical rotation....

One question that I have heard repeatedly is this:  What should I be carrying around with me? Well honestly this will vary somewhat depending on which unit you call home, however I try to pay attention to the things that I do over and over.

            If I do something on a daily basis, I figure out a way to make it a habit.  Whenever a new task is added or I start to see a new medication more often that requires something specific, I find a way to make administration easier.  For example, let’s just say our hospital started ordering Dilaudid IV 2 mg in a glass vial.  I will start carrying with me filtered needles so that I’m not running up and down the unit looking for a filtered needle while my patient suffers in pain.

            I’m very methodical about how and where I place things in my pockets.  Because my goal every day is to move faster and faster on the unit, this involves knowing where everything is that I need to get my job done.  I take what I do very seriously.  I’m grateful every single time that I have the opportunity to care for an individual.  I am so grateful for the hospital and the administrators who run the organization that gives me a place to do this awesome job.  You should feel the same; I know you worked hard for this, but it is still a privilege.  With that said, let me tell you how I prepare to do an outstanding job.   

I’m going to first list the supplies that I keep in my pocket on a regular basis:

Left Shirt Pocket

1.      Alcohol swabs

2.      Sticky notepad

3.      Flushes

4.      Wrapped 18 gauge blunt needles  2 or 3

5.      Filtered needles 2 or 3

6.      Empty 3 ml syringe 1 or 2

7.      Telemetry leads 1 or 2

8.      On the outside I have a banana hair clip

Right Shirt Pocket

1.      Scissors

2.      Highlighter

3.      Black dry erase marker

4.      Red dry erase marker

5.      Black Sharpie

6.      Mechanical multicolor pen

7.      2 mechanical pencils

8.      One pink (or turquoise) uni-ball pen

9.      2 black mechanical pens

10.  Transparent tape

11.  Pen light

12.  Telemetry calipers

In my pants pockets

1.      Pulse oximeter (right pocket)

2.      Temporal thermometer (left pocket)

In my bag

1.      Pill crusher

2.      Another pair of medical scissors

            Each item is important to my work.  I usually work as a Telemetry/Cardiac nurse.  I say “usually” because I am also a float nurse, which means I can go to multiple units.  I have been floating for almost three years now, so I am trained for a number of different specialties.  I am giving you my base list; however, keep in mind that for your specialty, this equipment list may vary quite a bit.  The main goal is to have your frequently used items available so you can do your job in a timely manner.

I hope you find this helpful!!

Please thumbs up and post a comment if so J

See you soon!!

Xoxo

- Caroline

Test Taking Tips :)

www.EmpoweRN.com

Hola my loves!  This is Caroline with some Motivation for your Monday!

This week’s topic is focusing on some test taking strategies for those super difficult college & nursing exams!

 Tips to acing the test.

General Test taking tips:

1.     study up until the last second…. When the professor is telling you to put the books away…. Then, by all means put it away ;)

2.     Cover up the answers

3.     When ever you are reading a question… hopefully you can write

4.     Read the question with the answers covered up and then take a deep breath in and think about what the answer could be.

5.     Write down what you think the answer could be

6.     Then you look at the selection of answers… hopefully you find a match.

7.     If you do not know the answer… mark it and continue on with the test.

8.     2 things can happen… 1. A few questions down the line you will remember the answer. Or 2. More than often you can find the answer to this test question hidden in another question or questions possible answer.

9.     If you absolutely do not know the answer than select what you belive could be an option and change this ONLY if you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that a different answer is the correct one.

10. Remember to take deep breaths throughout this process and every time you read a question.  Many times people fail test due to anxiety… breathing deep is one of the most relaxing things you can do to help with the anxiety.

Specific nursing tips:

NCLEX style questions are started Day 1 in nursing school.  These are usually multiple choice and select all that apply!  It is best to start reviewing NCLEX questions related to the subject from day 1!  I personally loved Mosby’s because I felt like they had the easiest to read & review.  As well as a hard to find section related to Nursing Fundamentals!

1.     you always have a “perfect scenario” ie. Perfect staffing, Doctors orders and all the time to focus on this situation.

2.     RN buzz words: teaching, documenting, calling the Dr. or provider or assessing. These are task that cannot be delegated. 

3.     ABC’s or D – disability.  Your first priorities are airway, breathing and circulation… unless your patient does not have a pulse in which this switches to Circulation, Airway and then breathing which is the focus for CPR.

4.     In the NCLEX you never leave your patient.

Pay attention to every single word; if possible underline important words as you read!  Look for absolute words, like:  All, Always, Every, Just, only, never, none, no, not, must.

5.     Select all that apply: you really need to know the disease process, but just keep in mind that on the NCLEX these are the most difficult type of questions, so if you are seeing them, most likely you are doing well on the exam.

Most important is to complete question after question non-stop until you are exhausted. At which time you take a nap then start it all over!!

Keep up the good work and I will see you next week!!

I love you!!

Xoxo

- Caroline  Caroline@EmpoweRN.com

New Graduate Nurses! How to Start Your Day :)

www.EmpoweRN.com

Hello my loves!  This is Caroline with some motivation for your Monday!  And today we have::::

Tips for New graduate Nurses!!

If you are still a nursing student, please still watch, because one day this will apply to you ;)

Starting off with a great morning is crucial to having a great day!  Although we cannot control how our morning’s go, we can do our best to plan on having a track able system that works 99% of the time.

Here is my baseline morning routine:

1^st get my assignment.

2^nd check my patients’ labs.

3^rd Get report in the room and greet my patient

4^th Either get or check my patients’ morning vital signs.

5^th Pull my first patients’ medications (if everyone is ok, I usually just go with the earliest medication scheduled).

6^th while giving meds, I do a quick head to toe assessment and document it immediately.

7^th See all patients, give their medications, assess & document.

If you are interested there are more great tips in my latest book:  New Nurse?  How to Get, Keep and LOVE Your First Job as a Nurse!  This can be found on my website!  www.EmpoweRN.com. 

Love you guys!

See you next week!!

- Caroline