peace_solace

My understanding is that they're more concerned about this virus becoming more virulent and coming back around a second time. Why don't they allow it to spread now while it's still mild so we can all build up an immunity to it? Maybe that's a stupid question but it's crossed my mind...

I would work 24. That is my goal one day once we get all our debt paid off.

Title: RN status: 32 hours/week, staff (non-traveler) Category: Long-Term Care Facility Specialty: Nursing Home # of beds in the unit: 202 Geographics: Southeast Wisconsin How has your facility or department been affected?: Low census in the facility, lowest that it has been in many years. There is talk of decreasing staff, but nothing has been done yet. No hours decreased yet either.

I would take it if I were you. I work night shift and I love it. It's great when you have kids because if they have a program during the day or an appointment, you don't need to try and take off of work to get there. You can be available for those types of things without missing work. I love the slower pace on night shift and the fact that I can spend more quality time with the residents. If your kids are okay with you being gone at night, I would take it. Especially not having to work weekends. I still have to work every other weekend. Your kids won't notice much of a difference because you'll be working when they sleep and sleeping while they are at school, and still available to them after school. But it's really nice when something comes up during the day and you can be available.

Hi all, I'm thinking of making the transition from home health case manager to hospice triage/on-call RN. Has anyone made this transition? How are the two similar, and how are they different? Is the charting as extensive in hospice as it is in home health? The position I'm looking at is a salaried on-call position from midnight on Saturday to 1 p.m. on Monday every week, being paid for 32 hours. Does that sound like a pretty good deal? I've been a full-time case manager for a home health agency and I'm hoping that maybe there will be a slight decrease in the amount of charting, just because of the fact that it's a smaller amount of time each week that I'm on duty and perhaps fewer visits altogether? Also I've had several palliative care patients in my experience as a home health nurse -- do you think that will help me? I would guess that some of the issues that arise would be similar.

When I interviewed I told them that I would prefer to be able to focus on one patient at a time and give them my undivided attention without being pulled in several different directions at once. In the home, you can spend more quality time with each patient and family individually. I also told them that I would prefer to be able to care for people holistically and there is more of an opportunity for that in home care as opposed to acute care. Good luck to you!

Just curious how long it took everyone to chart their first admission. I did my first one last night and it took me 3-1/2 hours!! I'm hoping that's not too far from normal for the first one, and I'm also hoping that I'll be able to whittle that down to about an hour eventually. Is that possible? How long does it take all of you experienced nurses to chart it? How long before I feel really comfortable with it? Thanks!

Hi all, I'm a new grad and I'm also new to home health. I'm in my third week at the company and enjoying it a lot. They have a very extensive orientation and have a lot of support available so I feel comfortable working there as a new grad. My question is, what are your policies regarding verifying medications upon admission? It seems to me that every time an admission occurs, there is usually a mix-up on the meds because of a recent hospitalization, etc. The company I work for doesn't have a set policy in place -- some nurses call the MD and verify over the phone, and some print out the med list and fax it for verification. Just curious what everyone else does. It seems like kind of a mess every time we have to sort all the meds out. Thanks!

I will keep you in my prayers, and will you please keep me in yours? I'll be taking it June 13 for the first time. Good luck!

Yes, it can be done. When I started school my girls were 6 and 3. Now we have three kids, they are 9, 6, and my son is 3. I had my son and did all online classes the semester after he was born (still doing prereqs at that time). I have worked 20 hours a week and done full time school for the last two years, and will be graduating in two weeks! Good luck to you. It is hard but it is a great feeling to know you accomplished it once you are done. P.S. I did a lot of my studying and reading at night after everybody went to bed.

Hi all, I am a nursing student just about to graduate and thinking seriously about pursuing a career in hospice. It looks like I am late in joining this thread but I want to let you know that I appreciate everything that has been discussed here and I agree that it's all stuff that needs to be faced and brought out into the open if there is ever going to be any real closure or peace in the end. I commend you all for speaking your opinions and for working as hospice nurses. What a privilege. I would like to add that I also think it's interesting that many people have not joined in this thread and find the observation interesting that perhaps because it's too "spiritual" and not religious enough, it's driving people away. But I for one consider myself religious AND spiritual, and I never once considered the topics here too new age or anything of the sort. Obviously these are all things we all eventually need to face, and it's better to do it consciously and with some amount of choice than be forced to deal with it all in the end. I would like to add that I many times feel alone in my beliefs and my philosophies about life - and I feel that I have found some similar souls out there in you all who agree with me about what's really important rather than the materialism that pervades our society and the masks that we all put on. What a refreshing dialogue. Thanks to everyone for the good reading. Candice

I have been a medical transcriptionist for almost 8 years, and prior to that I worked as a CNA. I will be graduating from nursing school in May of 2007. There are a lot of great things about the medical transcription field and I do enjoy it a lot, but it was hard to sit still for 40 hours a week and I also feel like one day that profession will be phased out by computers, so I decided to go back. I will probably do both for a while at first. Candice

That's how our school has done it all along. We have to get 77% on the tests, and everything else is added in after that. No matter how good we do on the rest of the stuff, if we get an average of less than 77% on the tests for the semester, we are out. And some classes only have 2 tests! Good luck! Candice

You are not alone. I also have a fear of vomit; in fact I would call it a phobia. It has taken a lot for me to decide to face my fear and go to nursing school in spite of the fact that I am going to have to deal with it, because I know that in all other areas of nursing I am going to do really well. I guess I just look at it like I am challenging myself and expanding my horizons, and that I am stronger for facing stuff than running away from it. I posted a thread the other day about my fear of inserting NG tubes, mostly because it elicits the gag reflex and possible vomiting. I guess I just have the idea that if I keep facing it, it will eventually get easier. It has already gotten a lot better since I've had kids, and I refuse to let my fear control my life. But I definitely feel your pain. Hang in there! Candice