rnprincesstlo

We can add hospice to that list as well. One of the best things about nursing is the diversity that is available both inside and outside of the hospital setting. This list barely touches the surface of all the possibilities available.

Most districts in Ca have a stock epi pen for those who are not know to have an allergic reaction. Additionally, any student who does have a known allergy requiring epi must have their own pen. This goes with them on field trips while the stock stays at school. The nurses are trained that this is the one and only medication ever allowed to be given in an emergency situation, even without an order and parent consent. Of course each district does have a physician order to administer the epi in case of anaphylaxis (for anyone in the school). Law section.

I have been a school nurse over a couple of schools. Now I work with school & district nurses in several districts. Never have I seen a nurse pulled to substitute as a teacher. This is a first. I am glad everything has worked out.

On the other side of that, when parents find out that a child was found to have lice and was not sent home, then they complain "Why was he/she not sent home?" Perhaps some of these schools don't want to have the majority complaining that the school is not doing anything and so they continue with the old policy of no nits.

We used to sign an "Assignment Despite Objection" form to protect us in case an incident occurred while working with more patients than we should be assigned since there was not that additional help available.

When I first started nursing, I worked 4 eight hour shifts/week, nocs. This worked well for our family for awhile. Then I chose to go to PMs, which did not work so well so went back to nocs. Eventually went to the 3 12's which was great for a time. My husband stayed home for the children. When I left the hospital, I went into homecare and hospice but felt like I was working 24/7. Working in school nursing was the most ideal for work-life balance as you only work M-F and get holidays, weekends and summers off, but the pay is much lower than the hospital pay. As everyone has mentioned, only you and your husband know what you need and what will work for you and your family.

I was reading my students' documentation during post-conference (a really bad idea!!!). One student wrote "pt ambulating on w/c." I had to leave the room and decided not to read anymore student writing in front of them.

Homecare and Hospice are options. Many of them offer flexible scheduling. There may also be some school nursing jobs that may have some shorter hours.

If getting to know the variety of specialties available is what you would like to do, especially for future teaching possibilities, float nursing was something that I found enjoyable after my first year in MS. I learned the variety of different nursing opportunities available throughout the hospital (and did some homecare on the side also). Some hospitals also have trauma centers which would give additional learning opportunities, especially to someone with a background in EMS. When I went into teaching, I was able to bring all of my experiences into my teaching as a generalist since I had such a varied background.

I remember an incident in acute care where we only had the charge nurse and myself with one nursing assistant for 25 patients. It was not long after this that the safe staffing bill was starting to be implemented. What a relief that was for everyone. I do hope that this could be implemented nation-wide. It was not ANA that helped with the staffing ratio issues when California fought for this It was our state board (CNA) that helped the California nurses band together to obtain safe staffing ratios. The fight was taken to the families and the patients, appealing to their desire to receive safe nursing care which can only happen with safe staffing ratios. If you type in CNA safe staffing ratios, you can see some reading regarding this issue in Ca. Some of this information may be useful for those fighting for this now. http://dpeaflcio.org/wp-content/uploads/Safe-Staffing-Ratios-2013.pdf https://www.amsn.org/sites/default/files/documents/practice-resources/healthy-work-environment/resources/MSNJ_Tevington_20_05.pdf

I used to dress in business casual with a lab coat.

Something as simple as picking out what you will wear the next day can be very useful as well (provided you stick with that choice). This can help the day start out with a little less stress and possibly get you out the door a bit faster. This is something that my husband always insisted but I ignored since I often would make a decision in the evening on what I would wear for the next day (without getting it out and put together), and change my mind in the morning. However, when we travel, we will choose our outfits for each day, with accessories as we are packing. I found when I am getting ready in the hotel room that I get ready much faster since I already know exactly what I will be wearing each day. Now I find that if I get the outfit out, with the accessories, in the prior evening, the majority of the time my day starts less stressful and with more energy.