14togo

The trouble with gene pools is there are not enough lifeguards.

Whist browsing through the site I came upon this thread for the first time. I have a "ghost" story I would like to share although it is not particularly scary. I worked in a veteran's hospital in Australia in the mid '90s. It had been built in 1942 to accommodate the Australian and Allied soldiers who were injured in the Pacific theater of war. (It later served for veterans of WW I, II, Korea and Vietnam) The buiding was an old style barracks type with an 'L' shape. There were 8 beds in the open ward separated by a low wall with 8 more beds. At the 'L' was another nurses station, as the female section of the ward started there, around the corner, separate from the men. Over the years many vets had passed away on this particular ward and there was definitely a military aura to the whole place. Every so often a figure would appear, dressed in the regalia of the Australian Infantry Force (AIF) of the Second World war. He would stand at attention beside the last bed of the men's section before the "L". The appartion has been seen by many of the nurses I worked with (not me however) There was no feeling of threat emanating from him and he would disappear if approached, but not usually until the nurse or whomever reached the foot of his bed. He would then salute very slowly and just fade away. I have heard the story many times from many different nurses and there is no doubt there was a certain degree of embellishment that accrued over the years. Two things though, were consistent through all the stories I was told. He always was dressed in full regalia and always saluted before he faded away. I would have liked to have seen him. What a thrill that would have been to have my own ghost story. Not many people take such stories seriously though. I often thought that the non-observer/believer of such phenomena would think the nurses were into the narc cupboard. I have since learned that the old building has been demolished and a new-age building with all the modern amenities has been erected in its place. I wonder (and secretly hope, I think) if the old AIF digger (as they were called) will show up again standing his post. I hope so

hi there. i think that saying that every new grad struggled, be they of today's generation or that of years gone by (pick a number), is not a misperception. i certainly did, as did most of those i graduated with. we were new, on our own, no instructor/preceptor/mentor to hold our hands and comfort us when we felt lost and alone. we were out of the womb and our comfort zone. we stuck to our guns, took our lumps and learned what it was like to nurse. the statements that patients have changed, acuity has increased etc. etc. are all true. that our population is presenting with more chronic illness at a younger age and that the older ones are living longer with more co-morbidities is also true. medicine has a "thing" about keeping people alive at all costs and nursing by and large bears the burden of caring (not necessarily treating) for these patients. so add up all of those and weigh it against what you were taught in school and you will find school comes up short. as it must. if nursing school taught you everything you needed to know to be a nurse in today's dynamic, ever-changing health care system, you would never get to nurse because you would never get out of school! there is too much to learn and there is more to learn every day. as such you will never be fully 'clinically ready' to slide comfortably into practice. having said that, the problem of clinical unpreparedness largely begins in the academic arena. it is widely known as the 'theory to practice gap" and it has been recognized since as far back as 1937. dr. h. baum, a canadian doctor who was assigned to assess nursing education in canada stated: "it is what is seen on the wards which sticks and it is a great pity the instruction of nurses is not at present based on that fact." in order to begin to influence nursing care, a restructuring of formal nursing curricula is necessary. the difficulty of trying to develop a clinical curriculum based on academic theory that must be successfully combined with clinical skills training and practical know-how is huge with so many mitigating factors. in many university programs clinical faculty and educators are often distanced from development of curriculum. therefore, they are hard pressed to incorporate relevant material to practice situations. and as has been stated many times, it is the lack of relevant clinical practice that seems to precipitate the real or perceived notion of clinical unreadiness to practice. through a practice driven approach, educators and students can re-evaluate curriculum and can offer opportunities to revise curriculum to meet common goals of systematic change. it is very difficult sometimes to reach out across the span of the abstract to the concrete. as long as power struggles occur in academia as to what philosophical bent should be adopted and, equally important, how it should be taught, nursing will continue to have an appreciable spread between what is and what should be. so what does this mean? new nurses will struggle. now and for the foreseeable future. through your own fortitude and as joe cocker says "a little help from your friends" you will get by. and someday down the road when a brand new grad comes to you with a look of abject fear and total bewilderment on their face and in their hearts you will be able to reassure, comfort them and tell them it will be alright. off the soap box now. ta

I would suggest Phathophysiology, Pharmacy and somehow learn aspects of critical thinking. My nursing career has been entirely in acute care and I firmly believe that if you as a nurse do not understand what is going on at the cellular level in the disease process, your effectiveness as a care giver is greatly diminished. If you do not know what is going on on the inside, how can you expect to do something about it on the outside? A lack of knowlede re: A&P, disease pathology and etiology and pharmacokinetic/dynamics greatly limits your ability to critically think about effective therapeutic interventions leading to positive outcomes. After all, is that not why we are in this profession? If possible take a course in syllogistic logic (going into nursing school, I'm sure you will have scads of free time: NOT!) but it might make for an interesting elective. Have a good day. Post Script. If you get the chance during your A&P etc to attend a post-mortem you will find it will add an element of understanding that books and other assorted media simply will not give you

Whien I was nursing in Australia, there was a child psychologist named......Dr. Dumbel

When I changed my used name I tried to be creative, but alas, there was no epiphany forhtcoming. I said to myself I was getting too old to be doing this stuff. My (new) user name reflected at that time I only had 14 months to go until retirement (now down to 11) Merry Christmas (Hannukah, or whatever your faith allows) to all and a prosperous new year as well.

From an old Persian work of times past "I cried because I had no shoes till I met a man who had no feet" Merry Christmas and all that to all who chose to read these lines.

FYI. ingestion of poppy seed bagels/cakes the like DOES reult in a positve tox screen for opiates. And...yes second hand smoke from Cannabis will register on the tox screen. Happy Thanksgiving

Welcome to reality kiddo. Don't internalize the negativity you perceive here. Racism is alive and doing well (unfortunately) and will continue to do so for the forseeable future. It exists in patients of all backgrounds. It exists in Doctors of all backgrounds and it exists in Nurses of all backgrounds. It lives among the rocks and trees and roots of the fiber of global societies. North America cannot claim ownership of this pernicious dogma. Racism is international in scope and in some places (where I have lived and worked) it is far more overt and violent (often deadly) than much of what you will hear or see in Canada or the US. Examine why you went into Nursing. If it was for the money, quit and become a plumber. If it was for the caring for your fellow man, then dive in head first and take the knocks. They will come. But with some experience and wisdom, your ability to deal with the trying times will improve and allow you to move on (perhaps sadder but certainly wiser). Others in this thread have said it more eloquently than I can, but never refuse care and always give care to each and all with equal compassion and such skills as you have.

It has been interesting reading the various submissions, coming as they are from the broad spectrum of nursing. If I may suggest one exercise, if you will, that is very apropos to the learning of A & P, is to attend a post-mortem. I am not familiar with the various rules and regulations of all the areas represented by the posts, but here in Canada, if you are a student (or an active nurse for that matter) generally there is some latitude for attending an autopsy.

Being a bit of an old fart, and having travelled several discipline paths in my nursing journey, it has been my observation (and one of my most ardent beliefs) that the better you know what is happening at the anatomical (read cellular) level, the better you will be able to nurse your acute care patients. If you do not fully understand what is happening on the inside your ability to maximize effective care on the outside is diminished. Your ability to critically think outside the box is limited. I would therefore respectfully suggest that no matter how tough you find A & P, no matter how frustrated you get, hair you pull out, tears you shed ad nauseum, LEARN it and learn it in the very best way you can. It will only stand good in your stead. ta for now.

You are absolutely right. Nail on the head. Needle threaded...ad nauseum. We nurses I believe, think of our selves as professionals. A professional, by definition, is someone who does something specific (in nursing it is many things specific) for money. I do not think it is the everyman who discredits us as professionals, but the managerial and financial hierarchy that does so.

Not only America. Canada will also share in this.

As someone who does not own, nor has ever owned a cellphone, with what little knowledge of texting I know, I found K.P.A.'s post hillarious. As a grandparent, I am not a little concerned that the command of the English language will be lost to cyber babble. I believe it is paramount for the younger nurses (and several of the older ones to be sure) to master a command of the English language, both the spoken and the written word, to the best of their ability. Doing so not only protects them in the legal minefield, but more importantly protects their patients from improper care through misunderstanding. A bit of comprehension could be added for taste. If you don't understand what you read, you cannot possible reply in a cogent manner. It all boils down to patient safety. Bottom line. 'nuff said.

. pay attention to the leittle things . do not worry about the things you can't control .never take the counsel of your fears