The allnurses website has been around since 1997, about 23 years.
I've read some posts where members began visiting the site when they were students, which could mean that they now have nearly a quarter of a century experience in the profession.
Other members have been nurses for periods extending 40 years or more and have been members for years, even decades, on allnurses.
All that time set me to thinking: What if we older members had the advantage of allnurses when we got into the field?
What if we could go back even before the time of the internet, and post? What would we say?
I played around with the idea and came up with what my first post might look like:
Here's what I am requesting that you do:
Enter a date, preferably a month and year, and post as you would as if it actually is that month and year.
You may want to give yourself a different user name, fitting your status at that time.
I will be submitting more time travel post myself and really look forward to reading other members' time travel posts!
Edit: I just came back and reread your post @cynical-RN and it is, truly, a classic! Drug diversion, a dog with diarrhea, and monkey glue in sis' hair! A pulp fiction perfect!
Btw, Pulp Fiction is in my top 10 movies of all time list.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
11 hours ago, cynical-RN said:
hahaha! Do tell!
We had a spat, I got fired, won unemployment benefits, got into HH, and became the agency's NS after a month. I have nurse who drinks cherry cola to thank for that.
But the story doesn't end there. A few years later, I got a call from the Illinois dept of human rights saying that cherry cola had filed a complaint against Buoy after she was terminated. She made the complaint based on an ER case on a night she didn't even work! and I told the caller so.
I also added that I didn't know how cherry cola lasted as long as she did with her caustic personality. The caller made revelatory sounds and thanked me for the information.
We had a spat, I got fired, won unemployment benefits, got into HH, and became the agency's NS after a month. I have nurse who drinks cherry cola to thank for that.
But the story doesn't end there. A few years later, I got a call from the Illinois dept of human rights saying that cherry cola had filed a complaint against Buoy after she was terminated. She made the complaint based on an ER case on a night she didn't even work! and I told the caller so.
I also added that I didn't know how cherry cola lasted as long as she did with her caustic personality. The caller made revelatory sounds and thanked me for the information.
What goes 'round, comes 'round.
c-o-l-a, cola.
LOL, sounds like poetic justice. Negative quid pro quo. Instead of scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours, it’s itch mine, itch yours. My grandfather likes to talk about agriculture and he tends to speak allegorically. In his lesson on symbiotic relationships, he mentions the mutual benefits between cows and the short-necked cattle egrets birds that eat ticks off the cows. I digress, it’s a dog-eat-dog society. Parasitic relationships galore.
Date: August, 1988
Job: Nursing Aide
User name: CertainlyNotAfraid(2B)
Hi, I am brand new to the medical field. Having just gotten my first medical related job. I am on a waiting list for Nursing school, so have almost a year to learn as much as I can. What? Certification for nursing assistants? I had no idea! I’ve been working for 2 months in a NH(nursing home) in one state, but found out that I can take CNA classes in my state. If I stay there after course completion I don’t have to pay for the classes. But I’m committed here at the former insane asylum— yes it really was... and there are still 3 of the residents on the 3rd floor who have been in this 100 year old building for most of their lives and they are almost as old as the building! I got sent up to relieve for the RN’s lunch last night. I’d never done that and never been trained. They said nothing should happen, but 20 minutes later a resident came out of her room and stood staring at me from 3 feet away! I was terrified but tried to keep my voice steady while issuing the command the RN told me to say, “Maisy* go back to bed.” She startled me by quitting her mumbling to say “I don’t know you.” I repeated the command “Maisy*, go back to bed.” Which she did just as I heard the door down the hall open signaling the RN’s return. Other things that I have experienced here is spending my very first shift (11-7) with the very old lady with what they said is gangrene. It looked black to me. She refused amputation so nw she is literally dying. She screamed most of the night—until she didn’t. I think that they forgot I was there. No break, no food or water. The next night I did go back- I couldn’t quit—but SHE was not there. She died around 8AM. Also now that I know the job duties, after second rounds and again at 6AM someone has to push the laundry bins into “the tunnel”. The tunnel goes from our building under the road to what was the VA respite center, I am told. It is haunted they say. I don’t believe in ghosts, but it is still scary to open the door a push that bin as hard as you can— Is this what it is like for everyone?
*names changed to protect privacy (future me will learn about a new thing called HIPAA)
Job: CNA, home care/contract work at my old catering company
User name: RN(2B) (formerly: CertainlyNotAfraid(2B))
Oh my goodness! I am sure glad that I called to find out my Start date for nursing school. I thought about writing a letter since it was getting to be Summer. I hadn’t heard from school about anything related to the nursing program. It’s a good thing I did because my application had been misfiled, and they didn’t have me in the fall semester. Everything got worked out, so I didn’t have to stay at the new bright and shiny county run nursing home where I took my CNA course. It was great! A wonderful nurse in her 70’s taught the CNA course. She was the DON and wanted to be sure that all the CNAs knew how to properly care for residents. I was still working nights “across the river” in another state while I took the CNA course during the day. Those were long weeks! I drove 30 minutes to work at 10:30 PM until 7AM. Then drove straight to class that started at 8 AM. Home at 4PM to sleep quick. Thank goodness for the weekend work to give me a few days away from that schedule. Made some great friends-including LPN-Heather*, who would show me new things to help me get a jumpstart on nursing school.
Anyway, I am getting to know my classmates and instructors. What? don't call you Mrs W? I am trying to be respectful. I have a hard time calling you Jane*. All the instructors expect to be called by first names? So far school isn’t as hard as I was warned except A&P with Mr. C. But I want to do my best. I’m renting a room & bathroom from a friend of a friend. I do some house work and yard work to help with rent and I have space in the frig/ use of the stove.
One of my classmates saw a post on the job board for an in-home CNA. She thought I would want it. I interviewed and got it! I work for a VA Hospital RN caring for her mom who had a stroke, and needs 24-hour care as a relief CNA. The dream is so much alive! I have wanted to be a nurse since I was 8!
I would be telling myself to buy at least $1000 each of facebook, Tesla, Google, Booking and Seaboard. $5k investment and I would be retired today and living in BC Canada probably outside of Vancouver. I want the health care system and Whistler for recreation. Chinese and Indian food in Vancouver ????. Would kidnap my parents and my nephews and neices and have them live with me and I would take care of them.
I would tell myself not to sweat the small stuff or any stuff. Sit down quietly somewhere and think it through.
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Btw, Pulp Fiction is in my top 10 movies of all time list.