[NRSKarenRN]

Community Spotlight: Daytonite

Are you considering a career in nursing or a student nurse with questions about course material, nursing procedure or care plan? Then you’ve probably read a helpful post by our member, Daytonite.

Since joining the website in 2005, she has over 5,000 posts. With thirty years of broad nursing experience, Daytonite has the expertise to help polish our future nurses and launch new grads with successful nursing careers.

NRSKarenRN


Current practice setting –
I am not currently working because of medical problems that have physically sidelined me. I am in career transition working toward earning a degree in health information management and medical coding because this work is less physically demanding.


Bio/Nursing background –
I have primarily worked in acute hospitals on a variety of medical units, stepdown and as an IV therapist. I started out working in a nursing home and often worked a part time job in LTC to earn extra money. As soon as I earned my BSN I started getting promoted into supervision and management positions although my first love has always been working directly with patients.


Most memorable nursing event –
The evening I was invited to a special awards dinner and then presented with an engraved plaque award for stopping to help a hospital visitor several months earlier who I had seen get injured. My picture was in the facility newsletter, then mounted and displayed along with the award in our department office for some time. It was a moment of pride, but I was also embarrassed since I had to wear a special name badge that identified me as an awardee, so was recognized and congratulated by everyone I interacted with. I felt I was just doing something that was part of my job as a good citizen and employee at the time. I think my manager and the other people in my department enjoyed the honor more than I did!


Answer the question. Nursing is –
giving of yourself to support others through their process of illness and healing


Favorite allnurses forum –
Nursing Student Assistance Forum and the Nursing Student Discussion Forum. I usually only venture out to the other forums after I've felt I've been able to answer student questions first. I will also focus in on the posts of people who are new to nursing or looking to get started in nursing.


Allnurses members who’s advice you follow –
Ha! Ha! I don't even follow all the advice that I give most of the time! If I did I probably wouldn't find myself in half the situations I get into!


Members signature or avatar that tickles your funny bone –
txspadequeen921 currently has an avatar that shows a computer window processing "Attempting to give a damn…" which then gives a message that it is unable and the process has failed and says, "Damn not given." Makes me laugh.


If I was a tree, I’d be a -
willow because as I child I loved to play under the huge willow tree in my grandmother's backyard and always felt safe there. The branches were long and dense so we could hide inside there. I wish everyone could have that feeling of safeness.


How have you influenced the practice of nursing?
I always thought about how my behavior and performance was being watched and perceived by others. I was always concerned that I was being seen as a good role model. I worry a lot about how new nurses coming into the profession are oriented into nursing and treated because of the horrid treatment I received at the hands of charge nurses in a nursing home as a new grad. I've spent my career doing what I can to help new grads and new employees acclimate to this profession. I've served as a committee member and officer on a number of groups in most of the places I've worked. I am very proud to say that I was part of a group that worked to trial and help perfect one of the sheathing IV systems in use today. Somewhere out there in America I am preserved on celluloid and a very large group of nurses have seen me on a video that I made with several other nurses demonstrating how to start, maintain and troubleshoot problems with IVs.


Advice for bb members –
Be helpful to each other. Haven't most of us experienced enough backbiting and negativity at work? And please don't use the phrase "eating our young". People that "eat their young" are just nasty people who are difficult to get along with. They are in every profession, every walk of life, and not just nursing.



Best Threads:
Help with pharmacology measurement conversions

Free drug calculator download for pocket PC's

Patient teaching materials (websites)

Care Maps


Great posts:

good website/resource to find specific laboratory values which are correlated to specific types of pathophysiology:
The only site I can think of that does something...

Finding Nursing Journal articles
http://allnurses.com/forums/f205/help-need-journal-article-144469-2.html#post1793882

How much do I need to know..

I have to tell you that I worked on a stepdown...

Started out rural hospital, will larger one hire me?: Yes, it makes sense. I started working in a...

I worked quite a few LTC jobs over the years. ...

12 hour shifts?

Head is spinning: can I get into nursing school? Fill out an application and send it to the...

Finding work requires getting out, filling out...

? Missing meds: Our personal ethics sometimes play a number in...

Peds clinical today- just need to rant

Tearing my hair out Postpartum Diagnosis

Stay in the program and work as hard as you can...

You do nothing. And, I literally mean nothing....


Career Transition:
About Medical Coding & Medical Records: AHIMA


Medical records and health information technicians

[earle58]

congratulations, daytonite!
i've always known you to be an invaluable source of information.
you deserve this recognition.

leslie

[sirI]

So good to see Daytonite in the spotlight!!!

You have been a most valuable source of information for each and every pre-nursing and nursing student as well as seasoned nurses here at allnurses.com.

Rest assured that the wisdom you've imparted will forever make a difference.

KUDOS to you!!!!!

[VivaLasViejas]

Congratulations, Daytonite!! You are an incredible resource here, and we all appreciate the time you give in helping students and prospective nurses navigate the wide (wild?) world of nursing. Thank you for all you do!

[Spidey's mom]

I love your informative posts. And I always always look at whatever "Daytonite" has to say. And usually add a . . .





steph

[donster]

I am very happy for you, Daytonite; you are so deserving of all the accolades. You already know how much I enjoy your posts, but I sincerely doubt that you understand just how valuable your contributions are to those of us embarking on a nursing career. Your posts never fail to inform and educate all of us students, and you will never know how grateful we are for the interest you show in our success. To say "thank you" sounds incredibly minor, but I don't know how else to say it. So, thank you.

Wish you were my teacher... !

[VickyRN]

Congratulations, Daytonite! Well-deserved accolades for all you do! Your assistance is invaluable on the board and you have helped so many aspiring nurses to successfully achieve their dreams. Kudos to you

[Tweety]

Always nice to read her posts!!! Great to see a "spotlight"

[LPN,RNNow]

Congrats Daytonite! Great Spotlight article as well!

[Cherish]

Congratulations. I love reading your posts because you always provide informative feedback. Plus you have an arsenal of reference websites to whatever the situation may be.