ddunnrn

ddunnrn

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About ddunnrn

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  1. Taking a lunch break

    Are you salaried or paid hourly? If you are not exempt from overtime, then you have to be paid for all hours you work, which includes having to stay in the office for "emergencies" during your break. You must a completely relieved of all duties not t...
  2. Lvn overtime?

    Federal labor law states that, unless you are exempt from overtime, which is very unlikely, any hours more than 40 in any given 7 day period must be paid overtime. The pay period dates do not matter, but many employers try to get over on employees wh...
  3. Day RN going into ER Night shift -- advice please?

    I worked night shift, in psych, for about 25 years. The pattern I eventually developed, especially if I did any OT, was to get as many errands done (grocery shopping, post office, etc.) on the way home. Wind down and eat a light meal, then get about ...
  4. Best thing my Psych instructor ever taught us was "never let the patient get between you and the door", which meant to always have an escape route in mind when dealing with Psych patients. This came in handy numerous times in my 25+ years as a Psych ...
  5. What is the proper way to address an RN?

    Very interesting topic--Personally, I prefer to be called by my first name, because being called "Mr. D---" makes me feel like an older coot than I already am. Having been in psych nursing, I usually didn't wear uniforms, so I would get called "Doc" ...
  6. Psych Nursing

    I agree with Davey Do (who is obviously also a genius since his initials are DD like mine) that psych nurses get stereotyped as " not real nurses", etc. I have almost 30 years psych nursing experience, all in psych, in a variety of settings. The thin...
  7. Just got job at a union hospital

    I can only tell you from personal experience that being in a union can protect you and your coworkers from the whims of management. Without a union, you can be fired or disciplined without much recourse, because the grievance process, if there is one...
  8. Nursing mission statement

    I'm just curious--what is the purpose of a mission statement? Back in the '90's they were popular at a hospital I worked at. They even laminated ours and made us carry it with us as part of our uniforms. To me, it was just another useless and clueles...
  9. help please!!

    I agree with the poster who suggested Ebola, but it would refine it to deal with how nurses can educate the public regarding hysteria over unrealistic fears of epidemics (whipped up by media, in part). Another topic in the public eye is the rise of v...
  10. According to federal labor law you cannot "donate" that time to your employer. All time worked must be paid for. They are in violation of the law for allowing you to do it. They would also be justified in firing you, especially if one of your coworke...
  11. Thanks for the citation. I actually printed the whole shebang out from the web and posted it on my employer's bulletin board. When I later referred to it, they thought that they had posted it. The employer can fire you for being "off the clock" but t...
  12. Mispronunciations That Drive You Nuts

    Don't know I'd it's benn mentioned here by others, but my all-time favorite, as a psych nurse is "hound dog" instead of Haldol or haloperidol. Although it's not a mispronunciation, I also got a kick whenever my psych patients would scream, "I want my...
  13. Labor law is very clear--any work you do for employer must be paid for. That includes answering the phone during your "lunch break", coming in during off hours for disciplinary actions or in services, et al. Over the years I've had to remind various ...
  14. Written up for refusing to work on days off

    1. Confer with your union, if you have one. Management pranks like this are a prime reason to be unionized. 2. Some states outlaw mandatory OT for healthcare workers except in dire emergencies. Call outs and bad staffing are not dire emergencies, bu...
  15. Not all nurses wear scrubs

    I had a slightly different experience when I was a psych nurse in the Philly jail system. I wore casual clothes so I had no obvious signs of being a nurse. Newer patients or other inmates would almost always call me "Doc", assuming a male must be a d...