HeadGames

I've noticed that over the last several years, the gifts and celebrations are getting much smaller. Last year, in fact, all we received was a nice "Thank you" note from our administrator. Five years ago, we had a large reception that went on from early AM through 4PM or so to include all three shifts. Food was provided, along with a door prize and nominal gifts. We used to get a nice-sized donation from a pharmaceutical company each year to buy gifts, but as the restrictions on how they can distribute grants has tightened, we are not seeing that any longer. Working for a large County government hospital, nursing staff cannot expect the taxpayers to pick up the tab for nice Nurses Day gifts. When you factor in that at my facility we have 255 licensed nurses and an additional 175 CNA's, 430 gifts costing just $5 apiece would cost $2150! A list of some of the gifts and other recognitions we've had here: Nursing administrators and managers going around with a cart making ice cream sundaes for staff (was very nice for the staff that happened to be working at the time). :) There were several years that we received ceramic mugs with the hospital logo and year on them. :zzzzz plastic water bottles pens penlights CPR face shields:yeah: It is becoming much more of a challenge due to the shortage of funds available for this kind of thing. You'll certainly never make everyone happy; some people will be dissatisfied regardless of what you do. Food seems most appreciated, though.

As a staff development coordinator in a pretty large (270 bed) psychiatric hospital, I would have to say I'm on the fence here. A couple years ago, I would have said unwaveringly that I would want you to have at least one year of med/surg experience first. The past year and 1/2 though, in the midst of a serious nursing crunch, has taught me that many of the new grads come with very fresh ideas and a good set of assessment skills. Not all, mind you. If you feel that you have strong medical assessment abilities, then you'd likely be quite successful going directly into psych. But it's also not a bad idea at all to hone your skills in a med/surg setting (most have plenty of psych consumers thrown in for good measure, too) for a while first.

Hi. At our institution, we have negotiated for seminar and educational reimbursement, which covers some or all of the fees related to ANCC's initial and re-certification. Additionally, my employer pays a yearly "Certification Bonus" for the 'C'. :roll Many years ago, when I initially became certified in psychiatric nursing, the costs were reimbursed, but there was no bonus. I did it for myself. I imagine each employer will be different with regard to the preference they might give to certified nurses. For example, clinical ladder promotions here are based on a point system that includes points awarded for relevant certification. So, all else being equal, a nurse with certification would prevail when vying for a promotion. With the shortage of nurses that we are experiencing, we'll pretty much hire anybody that walks through the door with a valid license, regardless of certification status. But I personally believe it has significant value.

"...my schiz patient..." Really? Please rethink your labeling of patients. It is really demeaning :stone.