Go with your gut!

I officially have had my license for over a year and in October will have been practicing for a year.  This inexperience *always* makes me second-guess myself.

Follow your gut instinct!

Recently I had a patient who was AAOx3 but bedbound.  No supplemental oxygen, no respiratory issues. I had been her nurse one evening and the next morning she just did not look right.  My gut told me something was wrong but my minimal experience prevents me from ever being 100% positive of anything.  I went with my gut and, long story short, she was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with aspiration.  She died. There was nothing I could have done to prevent it, as it was only the start of my shift and I was doing rounds when I noticed it.  I'm glad I did follow my instinct otherwise she would have suffered longer and passed away sooner.

stress

When I attended nursing school full-time and worked part-time as a waitress I was positive my crazy schedule was the most stressful my young adult years could ever be. Now I work full-time hours as a Registered Nurse and my stress level is through the roof.  Lives are in my hands.  Making a mistake could result in hurting someone or losing my license. There are way too many tasks to be done in an 8.5hour shift and I sit down for literally only my 30 minute meal break (*if I even get one*).  A majority of nurses experience these things and really need to find a way to overcome the immense stress from the field.

Start with a nonpharmacological stress intervention!  The amount of stress from my career was seriously affecting the relationship with my significant other and neither of us realized it until I almost lost him.  This sounds totally obvious, but join a damn gym!

I am in no way a physically active person, aside from work, and becoming a member at the gym was the best thing I could do for myself.  We all know the obvious benefits of exercise - better health, weight loss, being more alert and awake, etc.  My stress has greatly diminished because now I have a release and can get it off my mind.  Give it at least a one month trial and see how much a difference it will make. :)

Another great website !

Nursing Link

This is incredible for basically everything nursing-related.  Articles, NCLEX study center, career advice, news, networking, deals & discounts, an "ask a nurse" section, etc.  They also send out occasional emails (optional) with incredible articles and fun tidbits such as "nurse's tattoos."

Try it!

NCLEX tips

1.  Do not stop studying, no matter how comfortable you feel with the content.
2.  Do yourself a favor and don't schedule your test in the morning.  You will most likely be incredibly stressed out and get a small amount of sleep.  You need to be alert and ready to take on the NCLEX challenge!
3.  If your nursing program provides an NCLEX study course, take advantage of it!  It not only will reinforce what you have learned but you will feel more comfortable and confident when the day comes.
4.  Listen to your nursing instructors - **the amount of questions you get on the test does not dictate whether or not you pass!**  In case you are not aware, you can get anywhere from 70 to 265 questions.  I had friends who passed and only got 70 questions. I had friends who passed that had 100+ questions.  I passed and had all 265 questions.
5.  Most likely, you will feel like you failed.  You didn't.  Don't worry. :)
6.  Listen to the advice given to you by your instructors...they've been through it before!

This will be one of the most difficult days in your nursing career.  Good luck to all of you and please ask if you have any questions :)