miniaussie

Hi Mommy nurse2b, Thanks for the reply. Interning sounds like an interesting idea, but I can't do that now. The program I am in is considered a 3 yr. The first year we get all the nonnursing prereqs done. Then I will start the nursing classes and it will take 4 semesters to finish them. The third semester I will not have any classes as I will have completed them.

Hi! Thank you all for your help. I am going to take the A and P 16 week course at Rio and I also have registered to take their 4 credit Microbiology online class. I just got an ok this morning from my school and was told the Micro class will transfer in! I will be taking classes right up to the first part of June, 07 and then I will start the nursing classes at the end of August, 07.

Hi. Thank you so much for your posted reply to my questions. You helped a lot!

Hi. Thank you for the reply! I have decided to stay where I am. I am prn in long term care and am able to pick up shifts there as needed.I need to stay full time where I am or do part time between the hospital and long term care that would equal full time in order to keep my benefits as they are such as health insurance so another job is out of the picture. After reading all these postings it was fairly easy to make a decision. Thank you again!!

Hi. Thank you for the reply! I have decided to stay where I am. I am prn in long term care and am able to pick up shifts there as needed.I need to stay full time where I am or do part time between the hospital and long term care that would equal full time in order to keep my benefits as they are such as health insurance so another job is out of the picture. After reading all these postings it was fairly easy to make a decision. Thank you again.

I am currently working as a hospital nursing assistant 72 hours every two weeks. Prior to that I worked in long term care. Some days I run for 12 hours and maybe have a chance to sit and relax for 20 minutes all day when it is busy. The longest I can take a break off the unit is maybe 10 minutes all day. I am completing my first year of the ADN program finishing up the non nursing classes so that once I start the nursing classes I will only have 7 to 8 credits per semester while working. My current schedule is 6 days out of 7 and then I have 7 days off. This schedule will work out well once I start the nursing classes as I should be able to switch if need be with the other full time nursing assistant or take personal time off as necessary. I am thinking about cutting back to 48 hours a pay period in the hospital and working again in long term care for 32 hours a pay period which would be four 8 hour shifts there. Scheduling there is not as flexible and it is more difficult to get time off which I would need to do once I start the nursing classes. The unit secretary will just respond with "well you will have to find someone to switch". I am just really getting tired of all the running with out being able to take a break in the hospital setting. I do love working there though. I am learning a lot and also see a lot. I also realize that once an RN in the hospital I may not get a break all day but it is a different kind of work. One gets to sit while charting etc. The DON there has said she will hire me as an RN once I am done with school. If I cut back on my hours there I would not give a reason why as I would not want to jeopardize being hired as an RN. I would probably say something like I miss the residents in long term care. I need some help on making a decision here. Any advice to offer would be ap

For those of you who are nursing assistants in a hospital I am curious as to what your job description is. What hours do you work? What is the patient to nursing assistant ratio or rather how many patients are you assigned to? Do you get a break off the unit or do you always have to be on the unit for your break? Are you respected as a member of the health care team? How are you treated by the RN'S that you work with? What about the physicians, social worker, physical therapy, dietary and others who are on the unit? Do you perform range of motion excercises and ambulate patients? Do you assist swing bed patients? How many patients is your hospital licensed for? Do you do all of the following: admit vital signs, vital signs as ordered, accuchecks, chart vital signs, enemas, nail cutting, showers, bed making, clean IV poles, nebs, aqua pads etc., personal possesion inventory, answer call lights, pass meal trays, pick up meal trays, intake and outputs and charting of this as well as charting vital signs, sit in and listen to report at the beginning of your shift, height and weights for new admits as well as charting them, sterilize colonoscopy scopes etc on colo days only (this is all you do on colo days), give bill of rights and obtain signature, pass ice water, on low census days or as time permits check oxygen supplies and replace as necessary for each room, etc? If you work in a hospital setting how long have you worked there? Do you have a set schedule? How many nursing assistants does your hospital employ full time and part time? Do you work in a small or large hospital? Do you work in a city, suburb or rural hospital? What is your starting wage with no experience?

I did not take high school Biology. I took Bio 156 and I don't think it helped me at all with Bio 201 or Bio 202. I would not recommend taking any other class when taking Bio 201. It is intense and requires lots of studying. I have never taken a chemistry class and it is not required at the nursing school I am attending. I know that past a 2 year degree it would no doubt be required. If you have to take chemistry, I would do that first.

Has anyone had experience taking the Rio Salado online Anatomy and Physiology II accelerated class? If so I am interested in your experience. Would you recommend this class? Do you feel the 16 week class there makes more sense? I want to take the class again for a better grade. I think a good understanding of this material is essential for nursing. I have been accepted into a 2 year RN program and will be starting in Aug, 07. I only have Microbiology left and then I will just have the nursing classes.

Hi. I have been a full time nursing assistant for 19 years working in long term care. I am now employed in a hospital as a nursing assistant. What a change! I will soon begin the ADN program.

I agree with previous postings on this. When a patient hears the word cancer they panic. It is a scarey word especially if you have been told you have it. It does appear that the family is trying to protect her from knowing the truth. Sometimes not telling the truth about a prognosis can be more harmful as appears in this case if in fact this is what happened. A family conference should definitely be held to address these issues. Perhaps the family is in denial. The patient if aware of things should be told the truth by the doc and possibly already had been. This is tough to answer until all the facts on the communications are in.

Here is the scenario. The residents care plan is followed. 2 staff are present. The resident does not appear agitated or angry, is cooperative and agreeable to have cares done. While the resident is being helped into a sitting position they throw a punch to the staff helping them to sit up. The second staff present is unable to stop the punch because they were unable to stand within stopping distance. After the punch the resident still does not appear angry. The staff is told to fill out an accident report and go to the ER. The residents primary care physician is notified as well as social services and the DON and care center administrator. Within a couple days the residents medications have been changed to add a med that will help stop the aggressive assaults on the staff. The primary MDS nurse is angry and takes it out on the nurse who was in charge at the time of the incident. They are angry because the meds have increased. Following an IDT meeting a memo is issued by another MDS nurse present at the meeting addressed for all staff to read. In the memo it is stated that many residents have attacked staff but that cares have been delivered because care plans have been followed. The memo further states that if a second staff is present as indicated in the care plan that they would be able to stop the punch to the staff by intercepting it. This MDS nurse is asked about the memo as it appears that staff are being blamed. The MDS nurse states that they had to write the memo because the main MDS nurse told them to. Can someone please explain why the main MDS nurse is blaming the staff?

I have been kicked, punched,and scratched. Why is it that when resident care plans are followed, and incident reports are filed that the main MDS nurse makes it out to be your fault. The primary MDS nurse is angry because the physician has ordered new medications to decrease the violence of this resident. Following an IDT meeting,this MDS nurse has had a memo issued to all staff stating that many patients have attacked staff but when care plans are followed and two staff are present in the room that should eliminate the attack or physical contact by the resident on the staff because the 2nd person will be able to stop the punch. This is not always true. If a violent resident does not appear angry or agitated, is being helped to sit up, throws an unexpected quick blow, the other staff may not be able to stop this unless they are standing on the bed and in a few inches of the residents arm. This positioning of the second staff person is not always possible to be within inches of this residents arms. Following this IDT meeting the MDS nurse who actually wrote the memo blamed the main MDS nurse and stated they had to write the memo. Can someone please explain?