r/FutureRNs

I am a nurse at a nursing home.

Today one of the residents became very agitated and locked herself in her room. I wanted to talk to her and offer her support. But when I sat down beside her on the bed, she pulled out a long pair of scissors and tried to stab me. She even nearly hit my neck, but I managed to dodge out of the way. She then screamed, "If I can't kill you, I'll kill myself!" She proceeded to stab herself in the arms and neck with the scissors.

There was blood everywhere. I was screaming and trying to restrain her. I was alone with her in her room. My colleagues arrived and intervened to save both me and the resident. Paramedics and the police also arrived on the scene.

I collapsed to the floor. I couldn't catch my breath and was in a state of shock. I was crying, screaming and sweating. I was granted three days off to attend to my mental health, but I still feel completely traumatized and cannot sleep. I don't know what to do. Everyone was shocked, as the resident does not suffer from dementia and had shown no prior signs of behavioral issues.

These scenes play out over and over in my mind. I keep asking myself why this happened and what I might have done wrong.

I was so scared. She might even return to our nursing home. I hope not but the thoughts fill me with panic.

I’m curious about people’s opinions on this. A new grad rn on my unit can’t take care of any male patients because of her religious beliefs. She cannot approach or talk to male patients alone and especially can’t help them with using the restroom or cleaning up. The only (kind of major) issue with this is we work on a trauma ICU. At the very least our unit is 50% males and 99% of the time they need assistance with cleaning.

My unit has bent over backwards to accommodate this nurse to the point where they’ll give another nurse a heavier, less safe assignment or switch assignments mid shift in order to not assign this nurse a male patient. This nurse also won’t respond to codes or patient emergencies if the patient is male because of the risk of seeing them in a state of undress. Not to mention just simple tasks like asking another nurse to help with a cleanup or calling on a buddy to lay eyes on your patient is made more difficult when this nurse has an assignment next to yours.

I have really mixed feelings about it and everyone on my unit seems scared to talk about it and risk coming off as a bigot or insensitive. What are your thoughts on the matter?

These are the 3 programs I'm deciding between, anyone have any thoughts/experiences to share? They're all direct entry Masters programs, right now my goal is to eventually become a NP. I'm undecided!

I'm working on my nursing prereqs now, and no, I'm not new to science which makes this worst. I started out with an A, but my mental health has slipped. I don't have much time for my last exam & final, so I'm pretty much screwed. In the grand scheme of things, how bad does it look that my first grade is a B, lol? I'm so exhausted and have external issues which are affecting my mood/mental health. I'm trying to address them but it won't be an overnight thing.

Hey everyone,

I wanted to ask for some real, honest insight from people who’ve actually done this — especially if you went back to school later in life.

I’m 36 and a mom to a 5yr old.. and after working corporate since 2018, I was recently laid off during mass layoffs. It finally gave me the push I needed to get started on my childhood dream job.

I enrolled at my local community college working toward an RN (ADN). I’m about to start a free CNA program, and the plan is to work in a nursing home while knocking out my prerequisites so I can apply to either the LPN or RN program.

I haven’t been in school since 2013, I don’t have a college degree, and I have ADD.. so I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little nervous about jumping back into academics after all this time. I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been in a similar position:

What was it like going back to school later in life?

How did you manage studying, especially with work and responsibilities?

Any study habits or systems that actually worked for you?

How did you get through prereqs like math/science if you weren’t super confident at first?

If you have ADHD/ADD — what helped you stay consistent and not get overwhelmed?

I’m serious about this and I want to do it right, not just “get by.” I’m willing to put in the work, I just want to be smart about how I approach it from the beginning.
Any real world advice, routines, mistakes to avoid, or things you wish you knew before starting.. I’m all ears.

Thank you all so much 💛

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6 year old came into the ER after a car crash, clutching this little paper crane. Kid wouldn't let go of it for anything, not for the exam, not for X-rays, nothing. He kept asking "Where's Mama? Is Mama coming?"

We didn't know. Separate ambulances, different hospitals initially. All we could tell him was that we were trying to find out.

Three hours later, she gets wheeled in from the other facility. Banged up pretty good, broken ribs, concussion, lots of bruising, but stable. The second that kid saw her gurney come through the doors, he jumped off his bed and ran straight to her.

Still had that paper crane in his little fist the whole time.

Found out later she'd made it for him that morning before school. "For good luck," she told him.

Guess it worked.

Posted this in another community but didn't get any response, so hopefully here I will!

I’m trying to figure out some plans for this summer and could use some advice.

I’m almost done with my first year of an ASN program, and my program is structured so we can challenge the NCLEX-PN at this point. I also currently have a externship that I’ll be doing over the summer. (And a regular, non-healthcare job that I could go back to full time at).

I’m stuck on whether it would be better to go ahead and test for my LPN and so I can start working as an LPN, or just stick with the externship this summer. I have talked to a few of my professors and my extern preceptor, but they all have different suggestions.

I know it’s ultimately my decision, but I’d really appreciate hearing what others have done or would recommend. Thanks!