rn4ever?

Is that part of your cost-cutting measures? I see a couple of issues with that. First, the person doing the shake must be trained & educated in what to make. They should know something about the appropriate nutrition a certain patient with health issues should have. What are also the contraindications. Also, it should be done in a clean and hygienic way. What if it gets contaminated? What if the fruits also get contaminated? Maybe your Registered Dietitians could be a big help on this?

I am sorry you are going through this. But they do the UDS so they can weed out nurses who would not think twice about taking other people's meds, especially prescription meds and controlled substances. You could have filled your script in 15 minutes and it would have saved you all this trouble. Live and learn.

I don't want to be judgemental but taking prescription medications that are not yours is illegal and a big problem-----especially if you are a nurse who has access to all your pt's meds and other controlled substances. I hope you do the right thing if this happens to you.

i'd think that after your yearly evaluation, your NM will tell you how much raise you are getting (if you're getting any). If not, you may ask but be prepared to tell her why you deserve a raise.

Freedom of speech didn’t say you should only speak in the English language! If you think people are talking about you all the time and you have paranoid thoughts, go see a shrink and take your medications, please! It depends where these nurses use their knowledge of a foreign language. If it is in the break room or staff lounge and you’re on break, I don’t see any issues with that. If your co-worker gets upset because she couldn’t butt in your conversation or she has paranoia, that’s not your problem. It might be rude but she’s too nosy too…..so serves her right! If you are talking to a patient or giving report, then it should be in the English language. If you are on the phone and talking to your family while on break, I don’t see why you can not speak in Filipino. When you’re on the phone and talking to a patient’s family, then obviously use the English language. If it’s about patient care and you are sharing the vital information to the team, then use the English language. Otherwise, you can use whatever language you like!

Well the say that the worst thing about having a job is not having a job! If you need the money to pay off stuff, then you have to hang in there. Don't pick up extra hours (if you always do), just work regular schedule. Also, take your days off when necessary. Do something fun and enjoyable and don't think about work when your off. Hopefully, that helps. Used to work with a nurse who refused an assignment and got fired that same night. It wasn't an unreasonable assignment. But nurse x didn't want to go because it wasn't nurse x's turn to float. Supervisor thought that skill-wise, nurse x is the best person to send floating. nurse x flat out refused and got fired. less than a year later, we found out that nurse x passed away. apparrently, when nurse x lost that job, nurse x wasn't able to find one anymore. nurse x wasn't also able to buy the medicines nurse x needed (nurse x had serious health conditions). We were reading the obituary and discovered that nurse x was highly educated and qualified. But that very sad thing happened. So hang in there.....

Look the person in the eye and say "that's private and confidential". If he is educated and well-bred he will feel awful that he asked and won't ask you again. If he's not, just repeat the same line over and over again.

I'd brush it off if I knew that wasn't true. Miserable people suck. Don't let her affect you. Who knows she didn't take her meds-----so she's not in control of her emotions?!

Ask her to stay behind to complete her shift. If that doesn't work, then let her go. I know that there is no perfect employee but showing up especially in the nursing field is very essential. There are about 310.5 million people in America, I'm sure you'll find somebody as good as her, and somebody who shows up for work.

Do I hear multi-million dollar lawsuits here? What if they were wrong? What if you were triaged incorrectly? Is the US following the healthcare practices of some developing countries now? Came from a third world country before.....and things were done a little similar to this. Patient comes in and needs treatment. Before he is seen, a deposit is needed. No deposit=minimal to no treatment. Is this where America is heading to? I seriously hope not! There is a gray area here because if they discover that you don't have any means to pay your bills, then they might just say you are "stable".

Gratefulprn, I don't see why sending a thank you note would be your fault or should be harmful after an interview. If that former co-worker has had issues with your before or is a psycho, it's not your fault. Don't feel bad about it. If they truly wanted to hire you, they would. If not, then they will come up with a bunch of reasons. If people who work there are a bunch of odd people, why would you want to work there?

Congratulations! God works in mysterious ways.

I think you were fired on the spot. However, your ex-boss can play dirty and make it hard for you. So, lawyer up when necessary. Sounds like that place of work is very unsafe though. Just consider what happened a blessing in disguise. While it might be a difficult time for you right now, it could have been worst. So just be thankful of that.

Trust no one. Be civil but not overly friendly. Keep your private life private. Keep negative comments at work to yourself.

Was in the same dilemma before. I am a Psych RN and an opportunity for me to be in the OR opened up. I thought really hard about it since I really like Psych but then realized that the OR thing was just a fling thing :)....and nothing serious :) I am still in Psych.....and still content.

One nurse I know washed her hands thoroughly as soon as she got home. Then she would kiss her 2 little kids. They always got sick, always had Bronchopneumonia. Finally, the doc said to her change clothes and shower before she even greets/kisses/hugs them. After that, kids never got sick again. So yes, I shower 100% after a shift.

As per the US Census Bureau, if you’re born between 1946-1964, you’re part of that baby boom generation. So they’ll be about 47-65 years young in 2011. I know many that planned to retire soon. Unfortunately though, with the economy and the depletion of some of their financial accounts (like 401K, stock investments, etc.), many say that they will continue to work until they can. Some that have retired actually went back to join the work force. Bedside nursing is tough on the body…..will I want to do that when I’m 70? Definitely not. But if you don’t have the resources to retire comfortably, you might just have to do so! So it’s important to save early on. And yes, I met a nurse doing bedside care and she’s 70 and still doing great on the floor!

Sorry you feel that way. Unfortunately though, it really happens. Not just in nursing, but in other professions too. Just wanted to share what I learned early on in my nursing career………. 1) Watch your back all the time 2) Keep your private life private. The work place is not really a place to find best friends. But if you do find one, good for you and still, watch your back. 3) Still related to number 2, don’t whine about your lazy husband that you are divorcing, your sister who asks too much money from you, your daughter who is in and out of rehab, or talk about how smoking weed as a teen-ager helped you relax. Believe me, all these will be blown out of proportion and it will haunt you later on. Don’t also talk about the million dollar home your Wall Street banker fiance bought for you. If you do, I’m sure everyone will be smiling and be "happy" for you-----and surely too, the next day, you’ll have the toughest and most critical patients. 4) Be civil to everyone and professional. 5) Document, document, document 6) Don’t make nasty comments about any one. You will be quoted and be in trouble. 7) If your co-worker goes to your boss to complain about you. Even if the boss says you’re okay, clarify things still. You’ll be surprised (or maybe not) what portion of the story is a lie. 8) If you are unsure of something, ask one to two persons who can be a mentor to you about it. If you ask many people, they will talk about how $tupi_ you are instead of being helpful to you. 9) Avoid adding them in your FB/social-networking pages 10) Avoid partying and drinking with them!

This story is sad but may be true. As the song goes.....money, money changes everything!

In CA before, they would allow you to take the NCLEX without the local board and just ask you to write an explanation of why you don't have it. VT also allowed it before. Check with them before taking the local exams. You might just not need it anyway.

Are you sure that this is really what you want to do? With this economy, you might would want to think things over. However, if money won't be an issue for you or your personal situation makes it impossible for you to go full-time, then you can go ask to switch to per diem. It can back-fire on you though, your boss can simply let you go or not call you to work at all.

So if daddy is so rich. Maybe the patient whose rights were violated can sue Gucci girl for emotional pain, mental distraught, and HIPAA Violation so she can find some justice?

There is no nursing shortage obviously. I heard from a seminar that the average age of a nurse in the USA is 50 years old. So there you go folks.....12 to 15 years down the line, there just might be another "nursing shortage".

CONGRATULATIONS!

Don't burn bridges. The world of nursing is not very big. You might bump into your DON or a former co-worker in another facility. There's no use to air your grievances and grudges when you exit. Just talk to her directly and tell her that you are quitting and giving her your two-weeks' notice because you have found employment elsewhere and although you learned a lot from working there, it's time to learn more and move on. You don't need to reveal where you are going. Just politely say so. Then, you can e-mail her that same day so that you have evidence that you gave appropriate notice. Call and e-mail your scheduler too.