Tips for Buying Your First Pair of Nursing Scrubs

It is always so exciting buying your first pair of nursing scrubs! It makes you feel "official". I know as a student nurse and especially a new nurse I was so excited to buy my first pair of nursing scrubs.

However, before buying your first pair of scrubs you will want to follow the tips in the video below. I always hate returning items that don't fit or are the wrong color due to hospital policy. So here is a quick video to help guide you in buying nursing scrubs.




-Sarah

Tips on How to Study for HESI Exams & NCLEX-RN

One of the things I dreaded and feared the most during nursing school was nursing proficiency exams. At my nursing school I was required to take the HESI proficiency exams. I had to take the entrance HESI exam called the HESI A2, then during my Junior year I had to take the Mid-Curricular HESI, and before I got to graduate I had to pass the exit HESI exam. The purpose of these exams was to prepare me for the big exam which is the licensing exam called NCLEX-RN.

The HESI proficiency exams are a lot like the ATIs exams which is what other nursing schools require. It really is your nursing school's preference on what they require students to take. My school liked HESI.

Looking back (can't really believe I am saying this) I think those pesky HESI exams helped me pass the NCLEX-RN exam first try and they seriously did prepare me for it. But I still hated taking them.

I wanted to write this post to help give you some tips on if you have to take the HESI exams, especially since I have been there and done it.

My Study Guide for HESI & NCLEX

On my website I have a great study guide/log I created that tells you how I studied for my exit HESI exam and NCLEX-RN which you can find here: "NCLEX-RN study guide". The study guide includes what books I used to prepare for the exams, daily log of what I studied each day, and what I ended up scoring on the exams. Also on my site use the search bar and you will find many resources for HESI and NCLEX.  I have to say the study guide I created is very useful for the nursing student having to prepare for HESI and NCLEX-RN.

Tips on How to Prepare for the HESI & NCLEX

• Buy a study guide!! I know spending money stinks but this is an investment. For HESI buy the company's book they make. They have three different ones for each exam (HESI A2, HESI Mid-curricular, exit HESI). For NCLEX buy the Saunders Comprehensive review guide (it comes with tons of practice questions). Some people use Kaplan (I didn't) but I have also heard good things about them too. However, Saunders worked for me!
• Do practice questions over & over! Don't memorize the answer but get use to how to answer the question. HESI & NCLEX questions are not your regular fact based questions....they are critical thinking questions. Also practice select all apply and diagram questions a lot because HESI and NCLEX are starting to use these questions a lot more. 
• Start studying months in advance! I took my HESI in March and NCLEX in June. I started studying in December during the week and took weekends off usually. 

If you prepare for these exams you will pass and hopefully my tips and study guide will help you out!

Sarah :-)

Tips on Giving & Receiving Shift Report as a Nursing Student and Nurse

When I was in my last semester of nursing school I had to complete a Senior Practicum. The practicum required me to complete 240 hours of clinical time with a registered nurse in a hospital setting.

I was assigned to work on a PCU (progressive care unit) that specialized in cardiac nursing. I loved my practicum so much I stayed on with that unit after graduation....but that is for another post.

During my Senior Practicum I worked 12 hours shifts with my assigned preceptor. I learned so much about how to be a nurse during that clinical time. One important thing I learned was how to give and receive shift report.....the important things like what to say and what not to say during shift report.

It is so important to always give and receive a good shift report. Getting a "lousy" shift can effect your day. For example, depending on the nurse you are getting report from you may get a great detail report (which helps start your day off right) or a "crappy" report that leaves you blind and you find out through out the day your patient had to be NPO (nothing by mouth) for a surgery later that day.

I remember that a girl I worked with got a really bad shift report from another nurse. The nurse she got report from was notorious for giving 1 minute reports on their patients. However, my friend was new and she was unaware of this. So at 12:00 pm the OR called my friend and asked if her patient was ready and prepped for her lobectomy (removal of a lung....patient had lung cancer) because the surgeon was ready to operate.

My friend who was unaware of this had let her patient eat breakfast and lunch. After she got off the phone, the surgeon called my friend and pretty much "chewed" her out and reported her to our nurse manager. However, all of this could have been avoided if the previous nurse had reported that the patient was going for possible surgery later that afternoon.

Here 5 quick questions you can ask when receiving shift report as a nurse to hopefully avoid the a similar scenario:

1. Does that patient have any family?
2. Who is the patient’s primary contact if something was to happen?
3.  Does the patient have any type of testing that they must be NPO for?
4.  Does the patient need assistance eating, showering, or using the bathroom? How does the patient take their pills? Swallows them or needs them crushed?

 -For a complete list of questions to ask during nursing shift report see this how to give nursing shift report


Sarah :-)