emergencynurse2011

I am in IPN in Florida. We can use a few labs, but I always use Labcorp because there is no collection fee beyond my normal cost of test. They are open from 6-3 so I just go before work if I have to test on a work day.

I am coming up on the end of my 5 year contract and use hand sanitizer at work and in regular life and have never been positive. I believe them saying that is if you use it right before you give a sample you could contaminate it, etc. Just don't drink and run any med you take by them and you will be just fine.

Thank y'all so much for the feedback! My manager pulled me aside and explained what they are planning on doing (baffles me why they didn't do this in the staff meeting, but whatever). She mistyped the ratio, we will be staying at 4-5. And it is not true 'team nursing,' it will be more of a buddy system, so you take your zone with absolutely no regard for acuity or patient load, and you communicate with your buddy what is going on with your patients so that we can help each other throughout the shift. We will see how it goes. It did worry me when I asked if they would adjust the zones if you have an immunocompromised patient and a cdiff patient and they said no.

Also, they are zoning the unit, so your assignment is based on your zone. Not by acuity. We get such a variety from immunocompromised, to CABG, to medical with cdiff and VRE. This isn't a safe way to make assignments

I wish we were unionized! The CNO managed to chase the reps off, unfortunately. Yeah I'm not sure how they think this will help, I'm starting to lose faith that my management has my back (they honestly used to, the new CNO has changed things) and am thinking about jumping ship. Very discouraged right now.

From what I've been told, their goal is to try to make things more efficient and smooth since we have massive staffing shortages right now. It's a hard unit and we have a ridiculously high turnover rate. I havent seen any documentation of a 2 RN team, just RN/LPN so I'm not sure how it will go. We have had zero education or notice of this so nobody has a clue. I'm guessing it will be 1 person has 5 the other has 6 and we will just buddy for tasks, but the only way this is different from the primary nursing we are doing is increasing our patient ratio.

I am wondering if anyone has any experience (positive or negative) with team nursing. I am on a transitional care unit that takes care of post-CABG, critical drips, general cardiac patients, and ICU stepdown. We currently run 4-5:1, with 1-3 CNAs to 33 pts. With 4 days notice and no training, management is about to roll out team nursing consisting of 2 RNs and 1 CNA to 11 patients. This just seems very unsafe to me, but trying to get feedback before I start stressing too much. Thanks!

She has two teenagers, and I could understand if my kid had the flu, but an ear infection??? We are debating getting a new one because she is now saying with what we are exposed to all the time she isn't comfortable with us even coming to her house to pick the baby up...just not sure how well this is gonna end. Feel like I'm getting stigmatized for being in healthcare

I'm having the problem where my babysitter is scared to take care of my baby because my husband is a pain management ARNP and I'm a PCU nurse. Baby has an ear infection and isn't allowed over there until its 100% healed. Not sure I'm even going to be able to work without childcare! And my husbands ex wife is trying to keep his kids from him because of what we do for a living.

Oh I absolutely agree. I think someone switched my urine at my monthly addictionologist appointment...it came back positive, so I scheduled myself one through my monitoring program an hour later and it came back negative...as did their extra ordered hair test just to make sure I wasn't lying...even after all that evidence of my innocence, I'm coming up on 2 months of Observed urines. That line in the handbook about us having a right to dignity is pure garbage.

IPN only does 5 year contracts now. The 2 year ones were done away with a year or so ago. I did not hire an attorney, as I never heard of anyone that it made a difference in their contracts. IPN is rough, and you have to be constantly on your toes (don't eat poppy seeds AT ALL, no alcohol in your food, alcohol free hand sanitizer, etc) and they are a money making enterprise, but at the end of the day if you keep your head down and do what you are supposed to, you can come out of this with your license 100% free and clear! It just depends on how much you want to remain a nurse. Just be prepared to go to rehab, it's extremely rare that an evaluator does not recommend that. Find someone experienced in your support group to ask for advice, it has kept me sane through some of the rougher times in the program! But at the end of the day, when i can return to the ER, it will be worth it! Good luck, keep your head up, and remember that this mistake does not define who you are as a person or as a nurse! You are amazing!

Do NOT report to the board! Call IPN, which is the Florida peer assistance program. If you can show steps that you are getting help and doing what you are supposed to, it will look much better for you when it is time to go to court. The board will refer you to IPN anyway, but bypassing the board is always better for you. The BON is not your friend!

Have you asked about going on vivitrol to get your narcotic restriction lifted? I got hired at a SNF after i got mine lifted. Other than that, try doctors offices or dialysis clinics...they usually don't require narcotics. Also, you can volunteer at free clinics and that will count towards your narcotic restriction time! Wish I had known that when I started!

I was given the choice of 6 rehab to go to, all of which said 3+ months inpatient and we're not covered by my insurance. After I called them to tell them I couldn't afford it, they gave me permission to go to rehab in Pennsylvania (Livengrin Foundation) which only put me in for 28 days and far more affordable...all that to say, don't be afraid to tell them you need more options, they mayh just come up with some!

I totally agree! I really question if they actually want to help us...i had a false positive at my vivitrol appointment (No chain of custody, urine was dumped into 3 different cups, etc...i think it was a tiny piece okf poppyseed bread [i was assured by labcorp it wouldn't make me positive]). Anyway, I scheduled myself for an IPN test as soon as that came back positive, and my Dr refused to let me retest. IPN test came back negative, but because my addictionologist was pissed that I missed an appointment due to a family emergency, he insisted I get hair tested ($178) and increase the frequency of my urine tests, even though my test (that had a chain of custody) came back completely negative. I'm being punished for being innocent!