PeachPie

I had the same problem when I was a new grad, and my solution was to go for the smaller, less advertised hospitals such as Triumph, which is now Kindred, Reliant, Nexus, Solara, etc. Don't be afraid to reach out further into the suburbs or even rural...

I do I do! I wear pressure socks, plus some cushy low-cut socks over them for padding, plus my Z-Coil shoes! The combination is as unsexy as it gets, but I'm going to stave off varicose veins as long as I can!

I have a question about the etiquette of meeting higher-ups, asking recommendations from them, and how to offer a means of meeting and compensation for their time without it seeming like a bribe. This has to do with my current situation, but I know t...

cheapesttextbooks.com is a comprehensive search. They search both resellers and online stores. I go into the school store, note the titles, editions, authors, and ISBN (if possible, some cover the bar codes), then search on the website. It's saved me...

I work Neuro ICU stepdown, which means that they're not acute enough to need the ICU, but still need staff with specialized neurological training.

You are incorrect and elitist. The only people who should be having kids are the ones who are dedicated enough to raise them. Those who won't shouldn't have kids. You're just like my dad. He and my mom had 6 kids. As the oldest, I ended up doing a l...

Sitters can definitely be an asset, and you sound like you care about your job. Good for you. Ignore the haters. I will tell you about some of the negative experiences I have had with sitters though. I'm not sure what your job description is. Some s...

It's considered abnormal to not like kids, and women get judged more harshly. I agree with everyone else here, it would be selfish to have kids knowing that you don't like or want them. Seriously, I've seen so much horrific abuse of children, and eve...

I went to the Shenandoah/Spring/Woodlands/Conroe area. There was only one nursing school in the area, which meant better chances.

In Houston, we have about 6 nursing schools in the area. This means a glut of new grads every semester, with hundreds of applicants competing for a few coveted jobs. I drove out of the Houston area into one of the many surrounding suburbs. The commut...

To the family of a very difficult patient with BPD: don't tell us that we're the problem and cause her to be rude and difficult. If it was a problem with just one or two people, it would be them. Since she has a problem with everybody that she sees, ...

I put little stickers on my pens so I can distinguish mine from others, and rightfully claim them if someone else has one without my permission. I also keep a pack of cheapo Bic pens on hand for people to borrow, and use the good clicky comfort grip ...

You are denying pain meds to the same woman who gave birth to you? Oh, it just "kills" you to see her take a med that would make her stop crying and cringing in pain? There is a special hell for you. The difference between you and an interrogator is ...

I've only been a nurse for 2 1/2 years, and all personal and professional references when job searching have been mentors, instructors, friends, coworkers, and other fairly familiar people. Basically, all of my past references have offered to be one ...

To all the grown-up (I use that term loosely) Mama's boys and Daddy's little girls: Thank you so much for making me the meanest mom in the world. People like you horrify me into disciplining kids in hopes of them turning out nothing like you. Serious...

1) Be willing to drive out. Here in Houston, there are >6 nursing schools in the main metropolitan area, and competition is fierce. I had to drive out to the suburbs to find a job. Commutes sucked, and it was boring when I moved there, but I after...

I have worked both shifts. With day shift, the job is definitely crazier, but the rest of your life is pretty normal. With night shift, your whole world is upside-down.

I get cold easily, but don't like to wear long sleeves because they can fall or drag in poop. I also need shirts with modest necklines under my scrubs because of the V-necks of my scrubs show a bit of decolletage. These 3/4 sleeve boatneck shirts fro...

I know for a fact that a certain local famed oncology hospital refuses to treat certain cancer patients because it'll mess up their success rates too much. A family friend was given too low a chance by them, and went on to be successfully treated at ...

I work with a lot of Yorubas and a few Igbos. You'll have no problem finding them!

It's that time of the fiscal year where administration is trying to look good and maximize their bonuses, and it's hell on us floor nurses and PCAs. Don't get me wrong, they're always trying to squeeze more blood from stones, but it's been especially...

A few months ago, I cared for a 25 year old female who coded on the operating room table after getting an analgesic shot in the eyeball for Lasik surgery. I cared for her in LTAC after a few weeks of being unresponsive (forgot the Glasgow coma scales...

I'm wondering about the hidden variables. With universal healthcare, would one still have to hire special staff to wrangle with insurance companies and turn unpaid bills into tax writeoffs?

Addendum: Although I do not believe that men are inherently better than women in the workplace, I think that the factor is that men are more SOCIALLY CONDITIONED to the workplace and that they are taught that they will be responsible from a young age...

Be careful. People who claim to hate their same sex and prefer the members of the opposite sex are often histrionic and feel threatened by competition from the same sex. People of the opposite sex aren't going to play the games that the same sex does...