susan18

susan18 has 32 years experience and specializes in correctional,ICU,CCU,ED,military.

Latest Activity

1. What's your story? Why did you take up nursing?

   susan18 replied to Joe V's topic in General Nursing

   i started out as a secondary ed major, concentrating on french and spanish, as i thought i was going to become a foreign language teacher. my father (bless him) in 1973 said to me, "what are you going to do as a young wife and mother to support yours...

2. Verbal orders vs Telephone orders

   susan18 replied to DEB52's topic in General Nursing

   I work as a correctional nurse educator. We discourage verbal orders as well, unless there is a life-threatening event transpiring. We hand the doc the order sheet, smile, and say, "Please just write it". For telephone orders, the nurse is required t...

3. Recommendation for Personal Statement

   susan18 replied to mvanz9999's topic in Post Graduate

   I agree with arciedee's reply to you. I wrote my personal statement in a similar format, and got accepted to my school right away. Let your heart show through, be sure you state your goals clearly as to why you want an advanced nursing degree, what y...

4. Any ideas for MSN/Education online programs?

   susan18 replied to dansmom6's topic in Post Graduate

   I am currently enrolled in Loyola Univ. of New Orleans' online Health Care Systems Management MSN curriculum, and I absolutely love it! I am a nurse educator for a large state correctional facility, and plan to teach after I graduate. I am also a Loy...

5. ?'s from non medical people about this type of nursing?

   susan18 replied to Happy2bRN's topic in Correctional

   Reply to ORCA:You couldn't have said it better; I agree with you completely. I love correctional nursing, and find it challenging and rewarding.

6. Appointment notifications

   susan18 replied to Orca's topic in Correctional

   Reply to ORCA: Our state prison also posts these appointment lists. We post all Med Clinic appts., all Dental Clinic appts., all sick call appointments in the dorm nursing stations ( have 4 units of these, plus seg, which we give the posting list onl...

7. Use of Certified Medication Techs in a Prison

   susan18 replied to WRCRN's topic in Correctional

   Reply to WRCRN: My state prison uses Med Techs, but they are always CNA II's with 1 yr. experience, and we in DOC in our state have to train them through not only a 40-hr. course we administer (that I teach as a nurse educator to these Med techs) but...

8. Correctional Nursing Education

   susan18 replied to nurs010's topic in Correctional

   I use online nurse websites all the time. I especially look for free offerings, and they are out there. The big drug company websites like Baxter also have free stuff that is not all about medication. I am a nurse educator, and I compile a "Continuin...

9. Why all the private company bashing?

   susan18 replied to Rambo-ette's topic in Correctional

   I agree completely with sjoe...our state facility works all the time to do things as best and as cost-effective as possible so as to avoid privatization, which we DO NO WANT for all the reasons above. We have a wonderful DON who is a visionary, and s...

10. Infection Control Nurse position in prison system??

    susan18 replied to hoolahan's topic in Correctional

    We have an Infection Control nurse position in our state prison. The position works mostly with interviewing inmates who have been through a positive TB screen, or had a positive Mantoux test, or come in with a positive RPR from outside. The Infectio...

11. Up Keep on Skills

    susan18 replied to SerenaT's topic in Educators

    reply to serenaT: I am a nurse educator in the NC correctional system. I was an ICU nurse, with an ER subspecialty, for 28 yrs until my career change. I have been doing this educator/staff developer thing for a year now, and love it! Because I have a...

12. What are the Typical Shifts in Your Part of the Country?

    susan18 replied to BabyRN2Be's topic in General Nursing

    In Raleigh its mostly 12 hr shifts, 7 to 7, 3 one week, and 3 with an 8 the 2nd week. We have Baylor contract positions in some hospitals and float pool 8 and 12 hr shifts. I went into correctional nursing to get solid 8 hr shifts, which I could onl...

13. Nursing caps required at your job?

    susan18 replied to Blackcat99's topic in General Nursing

    I remember having to wear my cap until about 1980. I was in ICU by then, and we all voted to not wear them, except on Nurses Week in May each yr. for fun. My cap is pretty traditional with one red velvet band across it. It reposes in a spot on the sh...

14. Can't take anymore

    susan18 replied to ferfer's topic in General Nursing

    reply to ferfer- boy, do i remember these feelings! i was an lpn and a single mom, trying to work 3 12 hr night shifts per wk and get my bsn as a "generic" student, not rn completion. i felt like i lived, slept, breathed nursing. there were only tiny...

15. Nurse's Sick Call

    susan18 replied to fiestynurse's topic in Correctional

    Our prison divided the sick call process up by dorms where the inmates live. We only have RNs do sick call. We schedule sick calls every 15 min. from about 0800 to 1300 with a 45 min. break somewhere between 1045-1130 so the RN can come up for air. T...