classicdame

an important part of critical thinking is allowing your own ego to be put aside and LISTEN to what others are saying. The opportunity to learn exists in every human interaction.

I worked in-pt dialysis a short while and really enjoyed the patients. The atmosphere in that center was lively and upbeat. We had a warm meal waiting and headphones for those who wanted to sleep without being disturbed or watch their own TV show or listen to music. It hurts to watch them get sicker. God bless the nurses who care for this patient population.

do you ever feel you are judging people who may have actual pain? Even addicts can hurt and may need additional doses. How do you know they are NOT in physical pain? Can you feel for them?

I totally agree - pain is so misunderstood and not treated effectively. Borderline negligence in my view

call or drop by. Say you want to be sure they have the right contact number or some such. It SHOULDN'T take this long, but sometimes does. Sorry. You must be anxious.

Once people my age retire there will be loads of openings. But I am healthy and do not want to retire till working is more trouble that what it is worth. The economy is not all that great either. So even though many people MAY retire, they may not. Hard for bean counters to predict the time when a genuine shortage will occur.

I assume you are talking about "street" drugs, not EVERYTHING. The Netherlands tried this tactic years ago, to legalize marijuana and give out free needles to the addicts for safety sake. Total flop. People came from all over the world to sleep in the streets and parks, taking advantage of the system and in general creating a locale for useless (to society) addicts. Recently the law was repealed. I believe they restrict the needles to citizens only. These people need more than free access to their crutches, they need free access to mental health.

The Health Care Reform Act mandates electronic health records by 2014 for all hospitals. Our program takes the assessment and creates a care plan from that. Pretty cool. We use automated thermometers, BP machines, and many other things and they are great up to a point. What is missing is the BRAIN of a nurse who does the critical thinking and determines that the clinical picture does not match the readings on the equipment and then intervenes appropriately. Machines are tools only, even electronic "machines".

the shortage is in EXPERIENCED nurses, not new grads, at least in our area. We do not want too many "new" nurses on the floor at the same time. I know researchers are projecting for the future

no one can guarantee they will never get pregnant, move, get sick---- your first instinct is the best

think of it as an endurance test. Once it is done, and you are licensed, you can work many places outside the hospital. This too shall pass

Texas is a right-to-work state, which means even if my hospital goes union I do not have to join. Unions are limited legally by what they can accomplish for the worker, although a lot of people believe otherwise. It would be good research for you to determine what they can/cannot actually provide. A friend who used to work in CA said her major complaint was not being able to work things out between your supervisor and the staff. EVERYTHING had to be approved by the Union first. So if you are wanting off next week due to family event, you have to get it pre-approved as opposed to just asking a co-worker to switch days with you. Unions have decreased in size (all trades) because the benefits for workers that unions pushed for are mostly covered by law now. So there is little need for them.

I did not read all of your long post, but your priority is to take care of patients. If co-workers get in the way of that, let them know

two lessons really 1) it is nice to work with smart people 2) you cannot cure stupid (not co-workers)

I don't know who the Trust is, but I am guessing you are not in USA. When someone presents to HOSPITAL our goal is to evaluate/treat within 60 minutes. We have MD see pt in ER, get CT of head and start meds as needed. We call this "Code Stroke" so a special team reacts to the code. As for treating outside the hospital - Doctor offices will tell people who call office to just call 911 or go to hospital. They are wasting time otherwise. Not sure this is what you meant, but hope it helps