Orca ADN, ASN, RN

Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC

Member

  • Content

    2,066

  • Visitors

    30,930

  • Followers

    2

  • Likes

    841

All Content by Orca

  1. Orca

    how to help a struggling student?

    Orca replied to MaraG.'s topic in General Nursing

    My take on this, after reading everything you have said, is that this student is not cut out for nursing. She doesn't seem to retain anything she is told. Whether that is due to lack of effort or just...
  2. Orca

    how to help a struggling student?

    Orca replied to MaraG.'s topic in General Nursing

    (duplicate post
  3. Orca

    Orientation losing it's flavor

    Orca replied to NewNurseAlert's topic in General Nursing

    You have no obligation to stay in a bad situation just because they hired you. I agree with Arelle, though. Be very careful about leaving this job before you get another one. It's tough out there, and...
  4. Orca

    Please Help! Need Advice!! LVN or RN????

    Orca replied to ravenmothermary's topic in General Nursing

    I completed an ADN program, and I'm now a DON. It doesn't appear that the lack of a BSN has hurt my career in the least. I chose ADN because I had to work full-time the whole time I went to school...
  5. Orca

    If you didn't get the job after interviewing, did you ever call to find out why?

    Orca replied to DeLana_RN's topic in General Nursing

    Not at all. However, there is a time and a place to ask for special accommodations in terms of hours and schedule. The initial interview isn't it. Most of the people we hire have families, and some...
  6. Orca

    If you didn't get the job after interviewing, did you ever call to find out why?

    Orca replied to DeLana_RN's topic in General Nursing

    I completely agree. If an applicant starts laying down conditions before the job is even offered, I get the impression that the person will be high maintenance. I have heard applicants say - during...
  7. Orca

    If you didn't get the job after interviewing, did you ever call to find out why?

    Orca replied to DeLana_RN's topic in General Nursing

    Speaking of references - an employee I terminated during the probationary period due to poor work performance and bad attitude listed me as a reference. I have to wonder what kind of thinking went...
  8. Orca

    If you didn't get the job after interviewing, did you ever call to find out why?

    Orca replied to DeLana_RN's topic in General Nursing

    I tried it once, and I'm pretty certain that the response was a lie. Now, my tactic is to ask what I could have done better or what areas I might need strengthening in to improve my chances of being...
  9. Orca

    Need help! What would you do?

    Orca replied to JoblessRN's topic in General Nursing

    I have worked in correctional nursing for the past eight years. You will not lack experience. As a matter of fact, you may gain more experience in some things than you would on some hospital floors....
  10. Orca

    Does reputation matter for Nursing School?

    Orca replied to Lindsay2228's topic in General Nursing

    I graduated from an associate degree program in 1994, and I'm a DON. The school isn't going to make or break you. If you're good at what you do it will be recognized (perhaps not by all...). Good...
  11. Orca

    Nclex

    Orca replied to bthsp's topic in NCLEX Exam, Programs

    There are a lot of reference materials out there for the NCLEX. Of all the ones I used (mine and fellow students'), Mosby's came the closest to what I saw on the board exam. Fortunately, my school did...
  12. Orca

    Accused of cheating by instructor

    Orca replied to BWebb99's topic in General Nursing

    Speaking of instructors and cheating - my nursing school had an instructor who detested the idea of men in nursing. She was actually caught altering the test answers of a male student so that he would...
  13. Orca

    Need some advice

    Orca replied to KAW1962's topic in General Nursing

    I would include them. Most employers understand economic and family situations, especially in times like these. When I interview applicants for employment, I always ask if I see something on their...
  14. Orca

    trying to chose specialty, what if I want to change?

    Orca replied to erwigg's topic in General Nursing

    The only specialty I have worked in with a stigma is mental health. There is a perception (and unfortunately some mental health nurses reinforce it with their actions) that mental health nurses are...
  15. Orca

    Health Insurance

    Orca replied to pat8585's topic in General Nursing

    I work for a state agency. We have a choice between a state-funded PPO and an HMO. We also have flexible spending accounts (the accounts you referred to - I have
  16. Orca

    Company loyalty meaningless?

    Orca replied to AprilW3's topic in General Nursing

    Mine as well. Generally in health care longevity is figured by time in the same or an equivalent class. Otherwise you may have a CNA who has been at a place for ten years and suddenly becomes an RN...
  17. Orca

    Company loyalty meaningless?

    Orca replied to AprilW3's topic in General Nursing

    Very eloquently put - and unfortunately all too true. The private sector employers I have worked for have pretty much been this way. They expect you to be willing to come in on a moment's notice (even...
  18. Orca

    New to psychiatric nursing and would love any and all advice/suggestions!

    Orca replied to LilRedRN1973's topic in Psychiatric

    Whenever we had a restraint situation, we always had a debriefing immediately afterward. We discussed what we did well, what we didn't and what we could take away from that particular situation. I...
  19. Orca

    Working triple shifts

    Orca replied to Aviationurse's topic in Psychiatric

    Your mental health counselors are endangering both your license and your safety. You have already reported the problem to administration and they apparently don't care enough to correct it. Time will...
  20. Orca

    Needing advice about MSW vs RN

    Orca replied to jcmoore07's topic in Psychiatric

    From reading your description of your work history, it seems that you need change from time to time - sometimes drastic change. Nursing can certainly provide that. If you wind up in a specialty that...
  21. Orca

    Correct Care Solutions for Shelby County (memphis) Jails...

    Orca replied to Since1982's topic in Correctional

    Management has a lot to do with it. I am a state DON, and my agency has hired a large number of nurses who left the local county jail (which has a medical operation run by an agency). Without...
  22. Orca

    How do you study for Nursing Exams

    Orca replied to Dragtail's topic in Nursing Student Assistance

    We used to study as a group. Getting away from the house helped in terms of distractions and with about five or six people in the group, if there was something someone was struggling with, at least...
  23. Orca

    Health South Rehab Hospital?

    Orca replied to Mulan's topic in Rehabilitation

    I am a former HealthSouth RN in Las Vegas. I wound up working for HealthSouth when the stand-alone mental health facility I worked for was abruptly closed by the parent company. HealthSouth was at...
  24. Orca

    New to psychiatric nursing and would love any and all advice/suggestions!

    Orca replied to LilRedRN1973's topic in Psychiatric

    Hopefully your unit will send you to some sort of crisis intervention training. My unit used the Mandt System. Mandt teaches you restraint techniques, but it also teaches you crisis response so that...
  25. Orca

    Moving from Med-Surg to Pscy

    Orca replied to pandora44's topic in Psychiatric

    You have avoided one of the pitfalls of mental health nursing by getting a year of med-surg experience first. I didn't have that (I went straight from nursing school onto an adult/CD unit) and when my...