Oooohhhh, Now I feel cosmopoliten, do you ALL wear scrubs?

Nurses General Nursing

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Heya!!, wow, Im a british male student nurse, and firstly,

hi!

secondly do all nurse in the US, austraila, everywhere infact wear scrubs? I dont, I wish I did, "surgical blues" (scrubs) are so comfortable, just like pyjamas! :)

Oh and what does LPN, RN stand for? (I gather, nursing positions)

We have Registered Nurse (RN)thats a normal nurse nurse,

Enrolled nurses (EN) Very rare now, kinda a NA/RN hybrid in the 70's and Health care Assisstants / Nursing Auxileries / Nursing assisstants (HCA/NA)

Thanx!!

Apology accepted.

I agree with you that the system of training does need to be changed,but not in the way you suggest. I think that students need to be out there doing hands on patient care more not less.At the moment students seem to have difficulty in becoming part of the team,as they seem to be in and out of uni,having lectures that have little or no relevance to the patients they've been caring for in the ward setting.

I don't want to sound like a dinosaur,but I did the old style of training.We had an orientation period in school,at the start covering the fundementals,and then a ward placement where we shadowed our mentor.Then it was back to school to consolidate what we had learnt,and prepare for our next ward.

We also had longer on each ward placement,which means that staff had chance to get to know us properly,and so were able to assess our llearning needs more individually and therefore effectively.

Two hours is an awful long commute in any job,can't you try to change that situation at all?

One last thing,then I'll shut up yammering,if you are worried about the money aspect,you are in the wrong job,Honey.It's not just the students.When I was promoted from D to E(and now take responsibility for a very busy 34 bedded surgical ward) I started earning an extra 30p an hour.You may want to consider a different career if you want to earn big bucks!:D

Don't even start me on CHI!!!!!!!!(I'm at a zero rated hospital too)

Oh cool, you do surgical as well as me :)

Im totaly not mercinary, but eating beans all the time sucks! :p

But their is money in nursing, just not in england, in the arab emerates or the colonies, US, canda Aus et cetra, tell me please, if you'd like to, why dont you, as a nurse in the time of the greatest nurse shortages ever not emigrate or work overseas or the like? why stay with the NHS, phiosophicly (arrgh! spelling sucks) I can see it, I love and support the idea of free health care for all, but dont the ..... benifits of travel can forign horizens call to you?

Er...not with a husband,two sons, a dog and 2 goldfish!!!!(although I often want to run away to somewhere else,now you come to mention it!:D )

But seriously, if I was your age again with no ties,then I might consider going abroad to work.However,aside from the money,I think nurses everywhere are facing difficult issues of their own,you only need to read these forums for a while to see that.

The grass is not always greener.

But there is only one way to find out, and thats to do it for yourself.

And the reason I'm still here,doing it day in and day out for a pittance??That's easy,I love my job and I make a difference to the lives of each and every patient I care for.Nuff said!:D

Love your sig btw.

tell me, if you will, o' font of nursing knowledge :) would you still be happy in your job if, as I feel it will, nursing is finaly hewn in two?

Right now nurses have stretched them selves thin in their duties, too thin to be efficent or provide a decent standard of care in many area, nor can nurses make claims for higher wages and more powerful unions while we continue to cling onto the 'core nursing activities' that are slowly being taken up by NA's and in truth do not actualy require 3 years academic training to do (bed making and patient washing for example)

YES, they are vital,

YES, they are nursing activities.

But nurses now have allot more to do beside basic care and the ward drug round, and cannot feesably keep these tasks as well those formaly a medical responcibility and soon a choice has to be made,

with NA's and HCA's rapidly being redrawn as a profesional body, and with their own specialised training, Registered nurses do not need to keep up these activities, as there will be others equally if not better trained for this kind of care, the kind you dont need 3 years of education for just some empathy and interpersonal skills.

NA's are nurses too!, is it so wrong to let them administer this vital care?

How would (will?) you feel if (when?) the last vestiges of nursing care are re-districed into NA's territory?

....mmm, its late and that may not make comple sense, sorry in advance. :)

Let me know if I have this wrong, but it sounds like the nurse education system in Britian is the same system that we had in place in the states for a number of years. Diploma nursing, there are few Diploma schools around anymore. A Diploma nurse trained through a hospital, and worked at the hospital as well. They were paid very low and some programs no pay at all. That is one of the reasons that the Diploma schools have gone by the wayside here. The American Nurses Association pushed very hard to have all nurses 4 year degree university trained, but we also have a associates degree program through community colleges where it takes most people three years to complete, it can be done in two, but it is quite difficult. I did mine that way and would never do something that stressful again.

The way the program works is you start in nursing fundamentals, and while doing the classwork, you also do clinical time at a facility that accepts students. So the class time and the clinical (ward) time go hand and hand. A teacher shadows the students in clinical, meds, treatments etc... can't be done until the instructor is there to watch.

I'm curious if the new things in Britian you two are discussing have anything to do with Beverly Malone? I know she became head of the RNC a couple years ago, I do not know if she still is or not, but she was the head of the American Nurse Association a few years back. I may not be understanding exactly the way you described the system being split between nurse and aide, but if I am then it sounds like the way things are done here between aides and nurses. That does not mean that nurses do not do baths etc... it does mean that the bulk of that work falls to the aide.

The time crunch that you talk about with nurses is very alive and well here also. I know we do make more money, but I do not know how that equates into the cost of living differences either. Trust me most American nurses do not feel they are being paid what they should be paid. And pay differences from one area of the country to another can be quite different. Nor can you expect to be working in a union facility. Most facilities are not unionized. You will be expected to pay for your own insurance, and how good that insurance is also depends where you work. There are an awful lot of aides that I have worked with over the years who cannot afford to pick up insurance, so if you have an illness it all has to be paid for out of pocket, and that can be extremely expensive.

I have one last question, is the states really called the colonies on a regular basis? I know you are also referring to other British started nations, but I have to tell you I think it is a hoot to hear the states called the colonies. ;)

You don't think it's quite rude,Rncountry? I was worried when BritishStudent wrote that,that it may cause offence.

well, the term colonies is used by the more cynical, it has heavily loaded dry overtones, and its a little bit disrespectful on purpose. :) I suppose its a term of endearment..

I love the term, but also common is "the States" "state-side" "and acrosss the pond"

Yep, your old diploma system sounds like our diploma system, except in pracite I find myself more .... unsupported than on paper

Naw, I don't think it is rude, I think it is funny. Maybe just me though. I think of it this way. Britian is a very small island, but it's impact has been huge. The culture that has been dissimated by the Brits is felt all over the world. The Scots once had THE place to go for learning, particularly as a physician, but the Scottish enlightment would not have likely happened if it were not for the merging of the two kingdoms, it was an economic boom for Scotland, if that had not happened we may never have had John Locke or Adam Smith, two men whose writings heavily impacted the founding fathers of America. Without John Locke and his Rights of Man would we have a US constitution? It's worth considering that we would not. One cannot study the history of my country without studying the history of Britian. I wouldn't even have a church to attend if Queen Elizabeth had not stuck to her guns and continued the Church of England, since the Episcopal church in America takes it roots from there and remains in the Anglican communion. Not to mention the fact that I wouldn't be here if both my mom's and dad's people had not had the foresight to immigrate here to begin with. ;)

Of course I find it amusing that we both speak English, but sometimes seem clueless as to what the other is saying too. Maybe I just have a warped sense of humor. :p

warped sense of humour was a requirement on my nursing application form :D

Funny that, mine too! But then it helps to get by in the job. You know Brit, I'm thinking your pretty ok.

I think you're OK too britstudent. From one in the colonies, I think it is funny too.

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