i'll probably get flamed to the moon and back for this but..

Nurses General Nursing

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does anyone else get tired of hearing (from other SNAs/hopefuls/vets) what we nurses are "suppose" to be like ?

i read through thread after thread of how if you're not "compassionate to the core" and "really into nursing" and all this other stuff, you won't do well in the program or as a nurse in general.

is it really that big of a deal that some use the profession as a fallback option, or as a way to get by while trying to pursue something they'd really wanna be doing, without having to work something that provides just above minimum wage to make ends meet ?

i often hear people being scolded because their "heart" isn't in nursing, and for taking a seat away from others who "really" want to be there. Are any of us less deserving because we went through the same prereqs as everyone else but were competitive enough to actually secure a seat ? Is this something i should apologize for ? Should we be barred from applying simply because we have different prospects for the horizon ? Say med school ? or a field outside of healthcare altogether ?

Is it wrong to consider this profession a job ? one in which i will do my best to do well as i would with any other endeavor ? I go in with an attitude to make sure all of my duties are done, everyone is accounted for, and everything is the way it should be from the time i arrive until the time i clock out. Does it make me a bad nurse that i don't cry with a patient when they're going through a hard time ? Please dont take this as an implication as me directing negative or rude comments towards the patient. I'm attentive, and consoling, but i'd rather not have my emotions tie me up in knots to the point where i start to make clinical errors, which in the end is truly the most important thing to me.

Don't mind me, just my Tuesday morning rant for the day. I'm curious to see who else feels like this. I know im the minority but i can't be the only one

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

No, it didn't take sitting for certification exams for me to "dial in" to how important those topics are. They're an integral part of day to day practice. I was giving you an example of how those topics you consider trivial can wind up being more important than you think.

I don't mind spending time answering questions from someone who really wants to understand the topic at hand. You have gotten many replies from many people who have tried to explain your questions to you. You don't really want answers, though;you just want to argue (and remind us of your awesomeness).

Tying in information as a second semester nursing student is far different from having to pull it all together when the responsibility for the patient's care is all on you.

You're right about one thing: your exaggerations are truly heinous.

I wish you luck finding someone who will continue this dialogue with you.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Well you kind of did

et tu, brut ?

it specifically says, these are things id rather learn OJT, in an HR handbook when im on the floor

but somehow got turned into "i hate nurses and everything we do that doesn't deal with an IV"if youre telling me that there wasn't a single day throughout nursing school that you weren't bored by the content material you were going over (not saying it was useless information, or not helpful or relevant to what we do) then you either blocked out some memories, or youre florence nightingale herself

i asked to be quoted specifically because especially when it comes to text-based conversations, certain tones can be (and often are) misinterpreted and have to be assumed. im aware how some of my posts sounded both here and in other threads. ive attempted to disarm this barrier that ive apparently put up so that i could try to clarify exactly what im saying. nothing i say needs to derive any additional implication outside of exactly what i say, specifically IN THIS THREAD. ive since done away with the others, because a lot of my opinions on that topic were unwarranted to say the least. So for the last time, lets keep everything from here on out factually based, on topic, and not speculate on what i "probably" meant when i said "such and such"

You mean Et tu, brute?
The quotation is widely used in Western culture to signify the utmost betrayal by an unexpected person, such as a friend.
I never said there were not classes that bore me to tears....I was, after all, 17 years old and by no means Good Ole Flo.

I believe that there is a glaring deficiency in nursing programs in the last 8-10 years. Many new grads are finding themselves in hot water because they lack the introduction to the legal side of nursing and have no clue what so ever about their states nurse practice acts. I think it is a disservice to these new nurses to navigate these dangerous waters without at least a working knowledge of the legal implications of their actions, or lack there of, at the bedside. Hospitals and your nursing board believe the onus is on the nurse to KNOW these things by osmosis and will hold them accountable regardless.

I don't think a nurse needs to know how to make a tight bed to be a good nurse but, I feel a good nurse needs to care about how a patient feels. As a patient I will tell you it is the little things that count. Fresh cool sheets...after being in bed all day. A face cloth to wash my face and hands before eating. That moment when I look at you frightened and in pain and I FEEL that you really care when you ask....are you OK? Means SO MUCH that someone actually gives a crap. That I am more than my DOB and name as an identifier.

Just think the next time at the patients bedside...what if that was your Mother, Father, sibling or child.....someone you love....how would you prefer them to be treated. I was a Trauma flight nurse/paramedic for a while...some of the most important things I did had nothing to do with intubation, starting an IV or titrating a drip. It was sitting in a crumbled car upside down reassuring someone who is trapped by making eye contact, human interaction, a touch on their hand so that they KNEW they weren't alone and someone cared...even if it was the last thing they ever saw. They were NOT alone.

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
You mean Et tu, brute? I never said there were not classes that bore me to tears....I was, after all, 17 years old and by no means Good Ole Flo.

I believe that there is a glaring deficiency in nursing programs in the last 8-10 years. Many new grads are finding themselves in hot water because they lack the introduction to the legal side of nursing and have no clue what so ever about their states nurse practice acts. I think it is a disservice to these new nurses to navigate these dangerous waters without at least a working knowledge of the legal implications of their actions, or lack there of, at the bedside. Hospitals and your nursing board believe the onus is on the nurse to KNOW these things by osmosis and will hold them accountable regardless.

I don't think a nurse needs to know how to make a tight bed to be a good nurse but, I feel a good nurse needs to care about how a patient feels. As a patient I will tell you it is the little things that count. Fresh cool sheets...after being in bed all day. A face cloth to wash my face and hands before eating. That moment when I look at you frightened and in pain and I FEEL that you really care when you ask....are you OK? Means SO MUCH that someone actually gives a crap. That I am more than my DOB and name as an identifier.

Just think the next time at the patients bedside...what if that was your Mother, Father, sibling or child.....someone you love....how would you prefer them to be treated. I was a Trauma flight nurse/paramedic for a while...some of the most important things I did had nothing to do with intubation, starting an IV or titrating a drip. It was sitting in a crumbled car upside down reassuring someone who is trapped by making eye contact, human interaction, a touch on their hand so that they KNEW they weren't alone and someone cared...even if it was the last thing they ever saw. They were NOT alone.

But...but...that stuff is so BOOORRRIIINNNGGG!!!

Specializes in Public Health.

Dude, perception is reality. So it doesn't matter that you don't mean to come off as someone who doesn't care, your words imply that fluff is a waste of time.

A lot of the people on this thread have MANY years of experience as nurses and educators, so they have perspective and their opinions are much more valuable and valid than yours are when it comes to knowing what is important.

You are a student.

Dude, perception is reality. So it doesn't matter that you don't mean to come off as someone who doesn't care, your words imply that fluff is a waste of time.

A lot of the people on this thread have MANY years of experience as nurses and educators, so they have perspective and their opinions are much more valuable and valid than yours are when it comes to knowing what is important.

You are a student.

I get that, believe me I do. But it's not fair to only take it how you (not you specifically; the reader in general) want to take it and leave It at that, especially when I'm trying to explain myself. I've already read all the "you said this and it sounds like you said/meant this" posts, so rather than perpetuate the miscommunication I'd rather clarify it, but it seems everyone is heckbent on sticking with the idea that I hate everyone and everything about nursing lol

Esme I have a question

And before I go any further let me preface this by saying this is an actual question -- not one where I'm trying to illicit a response or bait you in or anything like that

Have you encountered any/many/more students/new grads who found themselves in legal trouble because they acted outside of their standard of care? You mentioned a lot of the new grads in hot water and whatnot which I find interesting. I don't know if depositions work differently for nurses or are more common (obviously I haven't visited the legal and ethics section of this forum LOL too soon?). Is the average of these professionals those who acted unethically, or were they those who didn't know the legal ramifications of their actions? I'm not sure if I'm wording this right. I guess I'm asking do you find these issues more on a knowledge deficit side or a negligent side?

Sidenote--as far as the et tu brute quote goes, i know what it means and when its "Widely used". i also know that its literal translation is simply "you too brutus?" and by this i was referring to the post that i made just before yours asking that the inferences stop based on what it seemed like i meant,and that i desperately wanted to get to the topic of my OP, and thus my reaction was, "really? you too?" sorry if that wasn't clear.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Esme I have a question

And before I go any further let me preface this by saying this is an actual question -- not one where I'm trying to illicit a response or bait you in or anything like that

Have you encountered any/many/more students/new grads who found themselves in legal trouble because they acted outside of their standard of care? You mentioned a lot of the new grads in hot water and whatnot which I find interesting. I don't know if depositions work differently for nurses or are more common (obviously I haven't visited the legal and ethics section of this forum LOL too soon?). Is the average of these professionals those who acted unethically, or were they those who didn't know the legal ramifications of their actions? I'm not sure if I'm wording this right. I guess I'm asking do you find these issues more on a knowledge deficit side or a negligent side?

Of course right now my brain is failing me for specific cases as my teens are creating drama leaving for school planing for no school tomorrow and skiing due to snow...LOL

I have seen posts here..."I didn't know I couldn't do that" "No one told me!" "OMG I never knew!!!! am I still liable?"

Delegation of tasks not sanctioned under their nurse practice acts. Knowing Good Sam laws in their states. Lack of information about state mandated reporting and documentation. Defensive charting. . Legal responsibilities under the law. Abandonment, staffing, refusing an assignment...reporting abuse. Medical legal and chain of evidence. Search and seizure at the bedside. Privacy issues. Some state have mandated reporting of ETOH levels right in the ED is your state one of them. Reporting their co-worker...some states mandate in the practice act that if you don't you are just as responsible as the offending party. Title nurse protection laws (not that will cause anyone to lose their job if they don't report). Staffing an OT are written into some NPA's. But it is important to know how to navigate the waters. Depositions if you are called for one.

The big ones I see are the delegation, mandated reporting, refusing assignment, abandonment, and out of scope issues with certain meds and procedures...like propofol and epidurals. even seasoned nurses are in error of these things just because "it's always been done this way" or "the doctor said so".

I think many of these can be avoided with education. There are many threads here...about finding to not knowing nurse practice act of their state....when THAT is the most important policy you will ever need to know and a new nurse is particularly vulnerable to these mistakes and need to know them BEFORE they walk onto the floor....the hospital won't care they are looking for a scape goat when mistakes are made.

Specializes in critical care.

The thought occurred to me after reading this thread that no, we haven't actually pulled out the nurse practice act of my state and discussed it at any length in my BSN program. I looked at my final semester's syllabus for our senior seminar class, where I would expect we would discuss legal issues, and we do have a week where we discuss legal and ethical issues simultaneously during one week. We also have another week where we discuss delegation. My point is.... It seems these topics should be WAY more emphasized, as the BTDTs in this thread have indicated. I've pulled up the nursing practice act a few times to review things for personal reasons (I've been considering what to do in a graduate program, and the level of autonomy in my state for NPs), but no.... I haven't looked much at the RN's scope, and now I am really bothered by this. I suppose it is because not every student will stay in the state to take the NCLEX, but at the least, you'd think we'd be introduced to this. I doubt many people in my cohort even know what a nurse practice act is, because no one has introduced the concept to us. Hopefully this is emphasized in the coming semester, in addition to tasks that are "delegatable". Going into the 4th and final semester, I feel like I should already know the scope of practice for those I will be capable of delegating to.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
The thought occurred to me after reading this thread that no, we haven't actually pulled out the nurse practice act of my state and discussed it at any length in my BSN program. I looked at my final semester's syllabus for our senior seminar class, where I would expect we would discuss legal issues, and we do have a week where we discuss legal and ethical issues simultaneously during one week. We also have another week where we discuss delegation. My point is.... It seems these topics should be WAY more emphasized, as the BTDTs in this thread have indicated. I've pulled up the nursing practice act a few times to review things for personal reasons (I've been considering what to do in a graduate program, and the level of autonomy in my state for NPs), but no.... I haven't looked much at the RN's scope, and now I am really bothered by this. I suppose it is because not every student will stay in the state to take the NCLEX, but at the least, you'd think we'd be introduced to this. I doubt many people in my cohort even know what a nurse practice act is, because no one has introduced the concept to us. Hopefully this is emphasized in the coming semester, in addition to tasks that are "delegatable". Going into the 4th and final semester, I feel like I should already know the scope of practice for those I will be capable of delegating to.
You should also know the Nurse practice act for LPN's as you can delegate differently to them....while maintaining responsibility....it's a big deal. Here is my issue with nursing programs they have had 4, that's FOUR, years to find a spot for this, the Nurse Practice act affects every aspect of being a nurse. :no: Shame on them
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

[h=1]Find Your Nurse Practice Act[/h] [TABLE]

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[TD]FindYourNPA.gif[/TD]

[TD] The practice of nursing is a right granted by a state to protect those who need nursing care. Safe, competent nursing practice is grounded in the law as written in the state nurse practice act (NPA) and its rules.

Select a jurisdiction from the drop-down list below to obtain a specific jurisdiction’s nurse practice act and rules. If you need assistance email us.

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[/TR]

[/TABLE]

go to the NCSBN there is a drop box to find your state......https://www.ncsbn.org/4319.htm
Specializes in critical care.
You should also know the Nurse practice act for LPN's as you can delegate differently to them....while maintaining responsibility....it's a big deal. Here is my issue with nursing programs they have had 4 that's FOUR, years to find a spot for this, the Nurse Practice act affects every aspect of being a nurse. :no: Shame on them[/quote']

I wholeheartedly agree. Class starts Monday and I'll be picking up my books then, too (or maybe Friday). If I remember to, I'll come back and update whether this is expanded on in any decent level of detail. Although, the actual lectures that cover the topic may be better or worse than what the book and syllabus say.

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