armyrn

Tylenol? This much drama over tylenol? Tell her to buy a bottle and donate it to the hospital. For six bucks she can have a clear conscience.

RN for 6 years, last 3 in OR. I left the Army on 1 Sep, planning to commission into the Air Force next week. My wife wanted me to get out completely, but agreed to the Air Force because of the Army IRR callups (I'd still owe 2 years) and the shorter deployments for USAF. I like that I don't stay in the same place too long, the pay and benifits are great, and 90% of the time, my patients are unconscious. I am planning to stay in and try for CRNA school.

I would pay real good money to see that. :chuckle

I should not give the daily trigonometry lecture. Teachers should not manage chronic diseases. That's why we (nurses and teachers) have separate schools.

Absolutely I would recommend the army, air force, or navy for great experience, chances to advance, educational opportunities, it's a good deal! I have been army for the past 6 years, am switching over to AF for quality of life (i.e., assignment location) reasons. I've also worked with a few navy nurses, and recommend the military nursing system to anyone.

Actually those are good examples! anney, you'll need to know what the patient's probelm(s) is, i.e., what are you rehabbing? Also need to define what is short vs. long term. We usually keep total knees for 3-4 days and define short term rehab as what is done prior to d/c.

Scrub nurses actually scrub in (that is, perform a surgical hand scrub, gown and glove) and physically assist the surgeon in performing the operation. A good scrub nurse needs to have knowledge of sterile technique, anatomy, surgical instrumentation, and know the steps of the procedure. At many hospitals (mine included) specially trained technicians are used to fill this role, it is not required to be an RN. Circulating nurses are not part of the sterile team during surgery, although they are in the operating room. The circulator is responsible for interviewing the patient pre-operatively, assisting with anesthesia administration, positioning the patient for surgery, and ensuring the sterile team members have everything they need. This role is a little more hands-off (most of the time). I like to think of circulating as doing whatever I have to do to ensure the best and smoothest surgery for the patient, as well as making things easy on the rest of the team. That's pretty simplified, but I hope it answers your question.

I am with ya, Veetach! Good body mechanics only go so far. GET HELP!

"AWOL" = Alcohol With Out Liquid You have to admit, that is really creative marketing.

Yes, I have actually seen this. There's no actual "drinking" involved, though. The mucous membranes in certain areas absorb the alcohol into the bloodstream. I'll leave it at that.

some hospitals have their own training courses for or staff, but that's mostly in your bigger hospitals. the army sent me to a four month long course to learn to work in the operating room. other than that, i would make sure the hospital has a good orientation program. you don't want to be dumped into an or without knowing what to expect.

I remember rushing past a hopper, thinking, "...if I just pulled my pants down here, I could survive. No one would see." In the end I didn't and just survived. Glad I wasn't on a diuretic! Good luck on your decision! You should have. There's not much that feels better than filling a hopper after holding it for about 10 hours.

I didn't forget anything, I chose to highlight what the group says is their ultimate goal. You say fight on many fronts, I say focus resources and fight the battles that truly need fighting.

"The Center's ultimate goal is to foster growth in the size and diversity of the nursing profession at a time of critical shortage, strengthen nursing practice, teaching, and research, and improve the healthcare system" -Taken from the Center for Nursing Advocacy Mission Statement (emphasis mine) I just don't see how worrying about what Ms. Aguilera is wearing (or not wearing) does much to improve the healthcare system. If the Center thinks that media portrayal of nurses is the biggest problem facing the profession, then that's fine. I happen to disagree.

Great work, Nursing Advocacy, on getting the hot picture of Christina Aguilera pulled. Great work too on stopping that new overtime law. Oops, oh well, 1 for 2 isn't too bad I guess.

I don't get overtime on active duty, but as a Captain, I make a heck of a lot more than most nurses, so my money's good. However, I am planning on attending school to become a physical therapist, so you can see my view of the future of nursing is dim. I can't understand why anyone would take (or keep) a job where you are forced to work unpaid overtime and not compensated fairly. There are other jobs and career fields out there. If this works out the way most liberal observers say it will (there are 2 sides to every issue, you know) then I think it's safe to say the nursing shortage will continue. Supply v. demand works, and if RNs are willing to work 50-60 hour weeks for low pay, of course that's what will happen.

How can I relay my reasons for leaving and have her hear me out? She can be kind of intimidating. If you have already decided to leave, why do you care? If she won't listen politely and wish you luck, just walk away.

Eggs are also great with the oatmeal, or as a snack. boiled eggs are very portable, and tasty. or a peanut butter sandwich, easy and fast. You should pack your own food if you want to eat right. I work in a freaking hospital, and the cafeteria sickens me. you would think a hospital would have some interest in people eating healthy, right? WRONG! I would try to cut out the soda! i have soda maybe one every 2-3 weeks. sure they taste good every so often, but they are evil. especially for women, soda leaches the calcium right out of your bones. well, in men too, but it's not as big a risk in men. checking your BS won't hurt, but i'd go more by how you are feeling. try to get yourself on a (healthy) repeatable pattern of diet and exercise and I think your problem will be solved. Best of luck!

Christine: First off, congratulations on the weight loss! That can be a very difficult thing to do and you are to be commended. Now for the "mean" part... Your diet, to me, sounds horrible. I am not really familiar with weight watchers (other than their delicious frozen mini-pizzas) but if they have taught you to rely on "starburst candy, soda, and McDonalds" (your words)to manage your hunger, then they have done you a grave disservice. 3rdshiftguy already broke down a lot of what your problem probably is, so I won't go into depth. Suffice to say, you (your body) needs protein and complex carbs, stay away from the simple sugars, especially soda, which is inherently evil. Drink water! It's better for you, and cheaper (free in most taps and fountains). Buy a nice insulated bottle and carry it with you everywhere! If you have taken a clinical nutrition course, break out that book and get reading! If you have not taken clinical nutrition yet, make friends with someone in the class and ask them to plan a diet for you, see if they can get credit for it as a class project. That shouldn't cost you anything. You mention diet, but not exercise. Essential for (healthy) weight loss and will help you manage stress, too. 60 minutes of moderately strenuous exercise is recommended for everyone everyday. You'd be surprised where you can fit this in. Take the money you save drinking water instead of buying soda and invest in a gym membership (if your school doesn't have one you can use free of charge) and do your reading on a treadmill instead of on the couch. Walk to class or around town instead of driving. Take a date hiking instead of to dinner and a movie. Do what you can! One word of caution, fix your diet before starting to exercise. Think of food as fuel for the machine. You can't go for a drive with no gas in your car! ***Of course, if you make these changes and still have problems, see a doctor. You may also want to consult with someone before starting an exercise program. Time and $$$ are most people's biggest reasons for avoiding exercise, so I tried to help with those. If you have a legit medical condition then obviously you need medical advice before beginning any exercise program.*** Good Luck!

my vote is for 7-7 nights, only for that hour between 4 and 5 when all you want to do is take a nap.

Six is one less than seven. I use the 0-10 scale as part of my pain management, but there are other ways to assess pain that should be used as well. If a patient comes to recovery screaming, crying, 10/10 and after medication is 8/10 but relaxed, comfy, and chatting with a buddy, then my friend their pain is under control. Do the right thing and document everything and it will be hard for a JCAHO inspector to ding you, if that is what you are worried about (which everyone is, when it comes to pain management these days). Just one man's opinion...

military girl: i didn't get a bonus when i joined, but i was ROTC and got all of my college paid for, not a bad deal there. assuming you are a direct commission, there is a bonus but i'm not sure how much. a rule that will serve you well in the army is to get any and all promises put in writing. start with this one. by the way, OBC is great, have fun!

i got picked up by a USAF recruiter who was actually at my hospital working on a CRNA who made the switch. there is a lot of paperwork but the process is not that difficult (going from army to air force).

thanks. the surgeon did not sign as a witness. our surgeons have to sign the consent form to indicate that he did counsel the patient/guardain on procedure, risks, and benefits. we are a military hosp., so not governed by individual state rules as far as things like this go.

yes, it's loud!