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Instagram post 2185954718529320955_6816277 And as you become more successful,⠀
The amount of haters will grow. ⠀
There is a direct correlation⠀
As you check off more boxes⠀
Smiling as you go⠀
They are watching⠀
But do not forget⠀
You were not born to please other people. ⠀
Getting their approval ⠀
Was not part of your bucket list.⠀
Keep your head up 
And
Eyes fixed on your daydreams⠀
Because soon⠀
They will no longer be daydreams⠀
It will be your reality⠀
If you keep this mentality. ⠀
So⠀
Envision your future self often. ⠀
Set your intention daily.⠀
And get to work.⠀
-⠀
Sincerely,⠀
My exhausted jotted-down thoughts post nightshift 3 in a row. 😂 .
💾 Save this post for motivation 👍🏼
Instagram post 2184325088189709002_6816277 Y’all asked for ECMO education...I’m gonna break it down real simple. 👌🏼 ECMO stands for ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. “Extra” = outside, “corporeal” = body so, outside of the body. Membrane oxygenation = oxygenation by a membrane. Outside of the body. Ya?

There are two types of ECMO. VA or VV ECMO. Veno-arterial or Veno-venous. First letter is where you’re pulling from and the second is where you’re returning blood. VA ECMO provides heart and lung support. VV is solely lung support. Blood is pulled from the body via cannulas and travels through an oxygenator to be oxygenated and for CO2 to be removed. We control the amount of CO2 removed via something called “sweep.” Then it is returned back to the body. ⠀
⠀
This treatment is a last resort for patients when other conventional therapies don’t work (max ventilator support, max pressors/inotropes, end stage heart failure etc) and there are contraindications of course. But it does work and use of ECMO is growing. ⠀
⠀
Examples of patients who may require ECMO include but are not limited to: septic shock, aspiration pneumonia, ARDS, pulmonary embolism, cardiomyopathies, myocarditis, cardiac arrest. The list goes on.⠀
⠀
These patients are SICKY SICK. K like not well. The ECMO specialist cannot leave the bedside, we are constantly monitoring these patient’s vitals, intake & output/fluid balance and also typically manage the CRRT machine along with it. We are responsible for maintaining therapeutic anticoagulation to maintain circuit integrity, checking pre and post oxygenator ABGs as well as patient ABGs, serial electrolytes, hourly pulse checks to make sure the big cannula doesn’t occlude perfusion to the lower extremities..managing sedation for patient and circuit safety, and sometimes paralytics for ventilator compliance or to decrease oxygen demand. ⠀
⠀
There is also another nurse doing patient cares, medications, possibly managing another device in addition. Who here does ECMO and who wants to?! Doesn’t want to? 😂😝 .

Save this for reference later 📋
Instagram post 2182341693549085563_6816277 TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT. ⠀
⠀
Wow. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be designing and opening an online shop I would have laughed 😂. I have been working very hard over months and months to design some #nursemerch with a sassy and trendy flair to it. Over the years I’ve had numerous situations where I wanted to buy a nurse a graduation gift, thank you gift, etc, and I was so disappointed in the tacky stuff that’s out there today! (ive seen enough incorrect EKG clip art designs, thanks) Next thing you know I’m designing my own products... that I’m actually excited to gift to my friends and family that are nurses or in school! 🏩📝⠀
⠀
I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing combined with excitement combined with extreme gratitude FOR YOU. You guys that have followed along my nursing journey... YOU have made an amateur blog that was created to get through personal trauma, into a community that gets me excited to keep going, move past my struggles, and continue to spread positivity in nursing. So thank you, THANK YOU 💖⠀
⠀
Shop link will be posted tonight at midnight MST in stories. 💋
@lipstickandlifesaving
Instagram post 2180256768918308180_6816277 Rest In Peace Nonna ❤️
.
My sweet grandmother passed away this weekend surrounded by family. It was very unexpected and sudden, and I am so fortunate to have gotten to Canada in time to be with her when she passed. Also feeling so grateful she was able to make it to my wedding in Arizona just last month.

This was my first family member being cared for in the ICU. I always wondered over the years how this would go for me, and I am so wowed by the hospital staff who were so accommodating to me and my giant loud Italian family that took over the entire waiting room with people, pizza, and biscotti 😂
.
Not only that, our family included 5 nurses, 2 RTs, 1 medical student, and a million questions. You can only imagine how annoying we would be for that night nurse...but wow. She pulled up every CT, ABG, CBC we asked for, without a single roll of the eyes. This was closure for us. She also made EACH of us one of these EKG strips that she hand cut, and placed a heart bead with her favorite color. THIS is nursing. Don’t ever forget the little things you can do as a nurse in these situations. This meant the world to us.

Nonna you were a light in all of our lives. Always so happy, and had a social life I could only dream about. Heaven gained a beautiful angel this week 💖
Instagram post 2175612208598498198_6816277 This guy here is a Total Artificial Heart (TAH). 🖤⠀
⠀
It is implanted as a last resort for biventricular failure either as a bridge to heart transplant or as destination therapy (this stays in forever). The patient’s ventricles and valves of the heart are completely removed and this goes in their place. Crazy right? 🤯⠀
⠀
In this picture you can see the mechanical metal valves and if you look closely in the middle you can see yes, that is VELCRO that attaches the two plastic ventricles together. The flappy suction cup looking parts around the valves are sutured to the patient’s atria. ⠀
⠀
These patients are usually in the ICU for months...but once they become stable, they are able to go home attached to a 13.5 pound portable pump that runs on battery, and worn as a backpack or shoulder bag. This becomes their new way of life. 🎒⠀
⠀
Who’s taken care of a TAH patient before? Opinions on this therapy? Would you say yes to this if it was your last option to live⁉️
Instagram post 2171229601102553105_6816277 One of my posts from a few years back but still a good reminder to my fellow nurses as winter rolls around 🏥⠀
⠀
“Patients do not put their trust in machines or devices. They put their trust in you. You have already spent years studying, training, doing research & seeing patients. And you likely have many years of education before you. ⠀
⠀
But please remember the more skilled you become, the more specialized you become, and the more dependent on technology you become — the easier it becomes to lose your humanity, forget your compassion, and ignore your instincts. ⠀
⠀
I have one last piece of advice: Never ever lose your moral compass.” 🖤 Margaret Hamburg, MD⠀
⠀
In this photo the patient is on ECMO, Impella, CRRT, and a ventilator.
Instagram post 2167776739236018984_6816277 Back to reality, but forever in the honeymoon phase with you 🥰💕
Instagram post 2166988458923700901_6816277 No costume necessary for this little boo 😻⠀
Happy Halloween!! 🖤🎃👻
Instagram post 2164105909876567483_6816277 and then i realized⠀
that to be more alive⠀
i had to be⠀
less afraid⠀
so i did it⠀
i lost my fear⠀
and gained my⠀
whole life 🌿
Instagram post 2163375963684331623_6816277 Behind every successful woman,
is a tribe of other successful women who have her back 💕
.
Nursing is too stressful of a profession to tear each other down. We all need to support one another, & nurture each other’s growth - whether you have days, months, or years experience. We all have something to share and contribute. YES YOU. Girls compete with one another. But women empower each other.
.
Tag some of your work bffs that build you up 🙌🏼 or laugh WITH YOU when 💩 hits the fan 😂
.
Mine are @em_bracken @brianabuenoo @jusi_j @elyshabeth @_thatsamoangirl @beebreezy @maryykaii and of course @themaddiward if we worked together haha maybe one day 😜🤷🏻‍♀️

Lipstick & Lifesaving

Nursing

How to Get a JOB after Nursing School

February 5, 2019May 19, 2019

So you’re here because you want to get a job after graduating nursing school. Of course. I mean, this is what the last several years of your life in hell has led to. The LONGEST years of your life right? This is IT. Getting a job as a new grad RN is all everyone’s talking about. I’m not gonna get a job…it’s too competitive…do I even know what I’m doing?? Well no, you don’t. And that’s cool cause nobody does right after nursing school. It’s ok! Put that negativity away and let’s get down to getting you that dream job. I’m going to go through what helped me get multiple job offers as a new grad before I even graduated.

Build up that resume.

Your resume plays A HUGE role in getting you a job that you have control over. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that can affect you getting a job that you do not have control over. It’s just the nature of being a new grad RN. So do everything you can to control the application process, and this starts with building your resume on day one of nursing school. Do not wait until the last couple of months to sign up last minute for things to add to your resume. Hospitals will see that. The average hospital receives over a thousand applications for new grad residency programs. Thousands of resumes. You need to make yours STELLAR. And that means yes, a lot more work and time in addition to the countless hours you put in throughout nursing school. I’m not going to go into too much detail about resumes because I could talk about them for hours. I LOVE resumes. Weird passion, I know. I have a separate blog post specifically on perfecting the new grad resume that you can delve into here. I even offer personal resume/cover letter editing & feedback. Trying to portray your strengths on paper can be tough! I absolutely love helping others in this sense, so send me your stuff via the link below!!




 

 

Location is everything.

What state you’re applying in plays a huuuuge role in getting that job. States like California or New York are going to be way more impacted than other states. It’s just reality. With that said…you may need to be open to the possibility of relocating post-nursing school. Yes I know this is not what a lot of people want to hear. So apply to hospitals out of state as a backup plan. Absolutely go for your dream hospital that’s local, but have a backup application in a less-impacted state just in case. You don’t want to get rejected at every hospital in your area and then have to wait until the next new grad application opens up elsewhere. Save time and apply for multiple places in various locations while still in school. So that if you don’t get a job locally, you can still get that RN experience started out of state, work there a year, and then try again after that. A lot of nurse residency programs have a time constraint to define a new graduate nurse. Typically it’s a year post graduation date. So you don’t want to waste any time.

Now research those job openings.

Know when those applications open. Sometimes they are open for a very short time period. You want to make sure you have everything required for that application, so you don’t have to ask someone last minute to write you a letter of rec. And what good does that show them in regards to your preparedness… Check the hospital’s job page frequently for updates. Typically nurse residency programs will be under just that. I also found it helpful to join new grad RN facebook groups in my area. People would post updates on new hospital job postings and whether interviews have been granted, what they asked, etc. I would just search on facebook “new grad RN _____” and fill in the blank with the city you’re applying. I found this super helpful!

It’s all about who you know.

Unfortunately and fortunately for you this common phrase is usually true. Unfortunately, because this truly does weed out a lot of qualified applicants that don’t even get a chance, because the people they hired “were a family friend” or “their dad worked there” or whatever. However, and fortunately for you, you can make yourself that person who knows the right person. You’re like yeah right how. Well, it is possible because that’s what I had to do. I had no one in San Diego that I knew working at the surrounding hospitals, and I didn’t work at any of them in nursing school as a CNA (which I highly recommend even though I didn’t). I had no in anywhere. So my story is – I decided to do an honors project my senior year. Basically it was a year long project and additional course that I voluntarily signed up for, to research and publish a giant systematic review. At the end of the year there was a conference to celebrate like, the 4 of us nursing students that chose to take this on, and managers from hospitals were invited. Bingo. After I presented my project, I walked my nervous clammy hands and wet pits over to the nurse manager of a new grad program and introduced myself. Then I gave her my “business” card. GAAAAAAGGG yes I actually made myself a business card as a nursing student. You never know who you’re going to meet and when, so I had cards printed with my contact info to hand out if I met anyone important at a nursing conference/event. JUDGE ME BUT SHE OBVI LOVED IT CAUSE SHE HIRED ME A MONTH LATER OKAY. Anyways, that was my in. And that’s just one way to do it – I know a lot of schools don’t have the opportunity for an honors project and that’s fine. Find a way to physically meet a recruiter or manager in any way that you can.

One way to do this is suck up to your nursing professors. Make them your bitch. Compliment them, flatter their intelligence, ask questions during their lectures, stay after class to chat. Yes I know they annoy the hell out of you. And good for you if they don’t. But nursing professors usually have worked in the surrounding hospitals that you’re applying for. And if they like you, they may mention your name to a manager if they so feel inclined. One professor I sucked up to brought a few of her teacher’s pets to the hospital I was eventually hired at for mock interview practice. Made me look good right? Got the insight on questions that hospital may ask. Another in. Lastly, and I’ve mentioned this in my resume post, is to get involved as a student in local chapter meetings of whatever specialty you’re going for. Big national nursing organizations like AACN have local chapters that have monthly meetings for education and networking. All of the board members of that chapter are typically nurses who are pretty badass at whatever hospital they work at in your local area. They may be supervisors, charge nurses, bedside nurses that have a say in hiring wherever they work. You show up and get involved in these meetings they’ll be pretty impressed. And best of all, not a lot of students do this, or even know about these cool meetings. Yeah, they are cool. As a board member of the San Diego chapter for 3 years, the hospital I worked at hired multiple students that attended these meetings. It’s a great way to network, it’s something to add to your resume, and you can bring it up in your interview as leadership/committee involvement. Makes you look pretty fucking cool if you ask me. If your focus is critical care, here’s a link to look up chapters in your area. You’re welcome.

So if you still can’t find that in…be open to other specialties.

This happens more than people talk about. No one ever wants to think that they’ll be the ones that have to start in med-surg cause they didn’t get a job in the ICU. Or that you’ll have to start in adults because you didn’t get that peds job. YOU WILL BE OKAY IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU. You hear this all the time but it’s true – just get your year of experience in. And you can apply anywhere after that. That experience under your belt truly does make a difference. Don’t get super depressed if you’ve dreamed about ICU or ED your entire life and you can’t get a job. You have the rest of your career to be a nurse wherever you desire. One year on med-surg or progressive care will build the foundation you need to be an awesome critical care nurse and to be honest, it will make the transition into ICU much smoother with experience. You will be able to focus and learn the newer medications, procedures, and devices easier with your knowledge of a good nursing assessment and critical thinking skills – instead of learning the basics of how to actually be a nurse in the middle of a high-acuity intensive care unit. Beginning your nursing career on a floor that wasn’t your top choice is never a negative.

Pass your NCLEX.

And take it early. Yes I know you need a break. Yes I know you just graduated nursing school two days ago. You should already be signed up for a review course and have your approval to test (ATT) in process by this point. The longer you wait to take NCLEX, the longer it takes you to get hired. A lot of hospitals will ask you in your interview for your test date. They want to know that you will in fact be able to practice nursing by their intended start date. They will not wait for you in most cases to test. There are way too many other applicants that have already passed and are ready to start working. It is so much easier to test as early as you feel ready, have that date scheduled or better yet, tell them that you have already passed and are ready to go. I graduated nursing school on a Saturday, I began a week-long NCLEX review course on Monday. Of course that was terrible. But suck it up. I knowwwww… you just had finals. But you’re only just getting started here. You’re not gettin’ too far with a BSN and no RN behind your name. Get it done. I studied about a month before I tested and passed on the first try just in time to accept my job offer. And yeah, a lot of places will withdraw their job offer if you fail. So get studying.

Prepare, prepare, prepare for your interview.

This is THE BIGGEST factor on getting you that dream job. This is your chance for the manager to get to know who you are. Envision you on their unit. And I know this is probably the most terrifying part of it all, your first nursing interview is so nerve wrecking. I remember mine so vividly still – having a sort of imposter syndrome sitting there before 5 other experienced nurses, trying to put into words how me, with zero nursing experience, wants to work in the ICU. I wrote a separate blog post entirely on how to nail the nursing interview (for new grads). So read that as you begin to prep for your interview and celebrate when you get to this point cause YAY, you got an interview!

Follow up.

Send them a thank you email or card, to thank them for the opportunity to interview. Most people don’t think to do that, so it’ll make you stand out. If you don’t get the job after you interview…use this as a learning opportunity. Email them and ask straight up why you didn’t get the job. In a nice professional way of course… Can I have some feedback on my interview so I can improve for the next time?  How can I do better? What were you looking for? Totally okay to do, and they’ll respect you for asking. It shows you care about your growth and performance.

Be kind to yourself in the process.

This is an extremely stressful time. Don’t think you’re the only one feeling what you’re feeling. Try your best to eliminate the negative self talk, and express that anxiety with other nursing school friends. Everyone is feeling the pressure. These emotions will all be a distant memory when you get hired. So keep trying, stay motivated, mentally encourage yourself and others. I remember the first hospital I applied for was out of state. It was the first application that opened that I could apply to, and it was in a state I was fine moving to if I didn’t get hired in California. I remember getting the email saying I had been waitlisted for an interview. Waitlisted?! ME?? I remember crying in my kitchen to my mom out of frustration that how in the world could someone have a better resume than me. I had done so much. But like I said before, some places just want to hire locals first, or students that actually had clinical in their hallways. Or who knows… maybe I truly. was. not. qualified. in. their. eyes. And that’s okay. Once you cry it out to your mom in your own kitchen, you will tell yourself that you know what? It was their loss. You are going to be a badass nurse. And you will say this as many times as it takes until you land that job, whether it’s on the first try or after your twentieth application.

So there you have it. Getting a job out of nursing school is a rough time I know. I remember the stress. I hope this helps you in the process, and I wish you all the best of luck in getting your dream job!!

How to get a job after nursing school

TAGGED WITH: critical care, icu nurse, intensive care, new grad RN, nurse residency, nurse resume, Nursing, nursing interview, nursing school
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Hi, I'm Marissa.

I'm an ICU Nurse on the nightshift. Here you can find some education & motivation, along with a touch of sarcasm to keep you sane in a difficult but rewarding career. Thank you for stopping by!
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Instagram post 2185954718529320955_6816277
And as you become more successful,⠀
The amount of haters will grow. ⠀
There is a direct correlation⠀
As you check off more boxes⠀
Smiling as you go⠀
They are watching⠀
But do not forget⠀
You were not born to please other people. ⠀
Getting their approval ⠀
Was not part of your bucket list.⠀
Keep your head up 
And
Eyes fixed on your daydreams⠀
Because soon⠀
They will no longer be daydreams⠀
It will be your reality⠀
If you keep this mentality. ⠀
So⠀
Envision your future self often. ⠀
Set your intention daily.⠀
And get to work.⠀
-⠀
Sincerely,⠀
My exhausted jotted-down thoughts post nightshift 3 in a row. 😂 .
💾 Save this post for motivation 👍🏼

Instagram post 2184325088189709002_6816277
Y’all asked for ECMO education...I’m gonna break it down real simple. 👌🏼 ECMO stands for ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. “Extra” = outside, “corporeal” = body so, outside of the body. Membrane oxygenation = oxygenation by a membrane. Outside of the body. Ya?

There are two types of ECMO. VA or VV ECMO. Veno-arterial or Veno-venous. First letter is where you’re pulling from and the second is where you’re returning blood. VA ECMO provides heart and lung support. VV is solely lung support. Blood is pulled from the body via cannulas and travels through an oxygenator to be oxygenated and for CO2 to be removed. We control the amount of CO2 removed via something called “sweep.” Then it is returned back to the body. ⠀
⠀
This treatment is a last resort for patients when other conventional therapies don’t work (max ventilator support, max pressors/inotropes, end stage heart failure etc) and there are contraindications of course. But it does work and use of ECMO is growing. ⠀
⠀
Examples of patients who may require ECMO include but are not limited to: septic shock, aspiration pneumonia, ARDS, pulmonary embolism, cardiomyopathies, myocarditis, cardiac arrest. The list goes on.⠀
⠀
These patients are SICKY SICK. K like not well. The ECMO specialist cannot leave the bedside, we are constantly monitoring these patient’s vitals, intake & output/fluid balance and also typically manage the CRRT machine along with it. We are responsible for maintaining therapeutic anticoagulation to maintain circuit integrity, checking pre and post oxygenator ABGs as well as patient ABGs, serial electrolytes, hourly pulse checks to make sure the big cannula doesn’t occlude perfusion to the lower extremities..managing sedation for patient and circuit safety, and sometimes paralytics for ventilator compliance or to decrease oxygen demand. ⠀
⠀
There is also another nurse doing patient cares, medications, possibly managing another device in addition. Who here does ECMO and who wants to?! Doesn’t want to? 😂😝 .

Save this for reference later 📋

Instagram post 2182341693549085563_6816277
TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT. ⠀
⠀
Wow. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be designing and opening an online shop I would have laughed 😂. I have been working very hard over months and months to design some #nursemerch with a sassy and trendy flair to it. Over the years I’ve had numerous situations where I wanted to buy a nurse a graduation gift, thank you gift, etc, and I was so disappointed in the tacky stuff that’s out there today! (ive seen enough incorrect EKG clip art designs, thanks) Next thing you know I’m designing my own products... that I’m actually excited to gift to my friends and family that are nurses or in school! 🏩📝⠀
⠀
I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing combined with excitement combined with extreme gratitude FOR YOU. You guys that have followed along my nursing journey... YOU have made an amateur blog that was created to get through personal trauma, into a community that gets me excited to keep going, move past my struggles, and continue to spread positivity in nursing. So thank you, THANK YOU 💖⠀
⠀
Shop link will be posted tonight at midnight MST in stories. 💋
@lipstickandlifesaving

Instagram post 2180256768918308180_6816277
Rest In Peace Nonna ❤️
.
My sweet grandmother passed away this weekend surrounded by family. It was very unexpected and sudden, and I am so fortunate to have gotten to Canada in time to be with her when she passed. Also feeling so grateful she was able to make it to my wedding in Arizona just last month.

This was my first family member being cared for in the ICU. I always wondered over the years how this would go for me, and I am so wowed by the hospital staff who were so accommodating to me and my giant loud Italian family that took over the entire waiting room with people, pizza, and biscotti 😂
.
Not only that, our family included 5 nurses, 2 RTs, 1 medical student, and a million questions. You can only imagine how annoying we would be for that night nurse...but wow. She pulled up every CT, ABG, CBC we asked for, without a single roll of the eyes. This was closure for us. She also made EACH of us one of these EKG strips that she hand cut, and placed a heart bead with her favorite color. THIS is nursing. Don’t ever forget the little things you can do as a nurse in these situations. This meant the world to us.

Nonna you were a light in all of our lives. Always so happy, and had a social life I could only dream about. Heaven gained a beautiful angel this week 💖


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