AnonymousCanadian

Thanks for all replies. Just to clarify once again, I am not referring to exam areas, only waiting areas where female patients are in hospital garb awaiting their exam.

Gathering information on how the subject is dealt with in different facilities. For those who work in hospitals or settings where mammography is performed: Does your facility restrict access to these areas to female staff/visitors only, or are exceptions made for male nursing staff? To clarify, I am not referring to the exam area, only reception and waiting areas, and more specifically, areas where females may be in hospital garb awaiting their exam.

What is it, 6 months later?...and more of the same....

Leadership is not receptive to this kind of communication. It is a "do as I say" situation, which staff acquiesce to for whatever reason (we need jobs?) We don't have the same level of documentation here so papertrails are poor or virtually non-existent in some cases. You mention pt being involuntary at the end of the 72 hr obs period. Where I work, the 72 hr period is extended without documentation for "completing the assessment." And in some cases when pts come for 72 hr obs and are found not certifiable but in need of hospitalization, they are simply not informed of their status. This is not on my initiative, this is by direction. I find among some co-workers there is what I characterize as an attempt at "plausible deniability." It's difficult to swallow. I have tried without success to educate staff, and now I don't involve myself with the handling of these pt situations. It's discouraging and I'm out of energy. There is so much effort put into excellence in nursing care, and at the same time such a disingenuous attempt at dealing with involuntary assessments, it's making me crazy!

Patients admitted and not informed of rights, patients admitted for involuntary assessment and not informed when they become voluntary, patients informed they are involuntary long after the law says they cannot be so (more than 72 hours), patients admitted as voluntary to locked unit ie not allowed to leave without doctors order. If this happened on your unit, with the implied consent of unit leadership, what would you do? I believe my role is to inform patients of their status and rights and to assist patients and advocate for their rights. I have spoken to doctors and they have ignored my concerns. So where to next? PS: I am Canadian, so much US regulation does not apply

The CRNE has more psychosocial stuff, compared to the NCLEX, which I found had a lot of medical questions requiring more specific knowledge. IE, the CRNE I could reason through, where the NCLEX stuff had to be memorized. Poor description, but I'm at the end of my 12 hr night shift. Cheers!

As far as I know, from past experiences, we (Canadians) cannot work "tax-free" anywhere. We must report income from all sources and be taxed accordingly. There's no exemption for Dubai or any other jurisdiction. If I am wrong, please correct me, so I can start planning my move :-D

I'm itching to get my application in the mail, I just have one question. I have my two photos signed front and back as they ask, but that means my front signature runs across my shoulders and chest in the photo, and is practically unreadable. How can that be useful? There is no white bottom border to sign, what should I do? I'm waiting for CGFNS to reply to the same question....

I did something along the same lines, borrowing 1/2 the cost of my 4yr program in student loans, the other half from myself through the Lifelong Learning Plan ie I borrowed from my own RRSP. Put things in perspective. Examine your immediate financial needs and the prospects if you continue with things the way they are. I felt I could do better and the investment in myself would be worthwhile. Strictly from an improved sense of self-worth it has been priceless. It is not without its negatives. You mention a creeping feeling of cynicism. You may find that feeling will not leave when you switch careers. Two words: frequent fliers. The people who, no matter how well you do your job, how much you care, how hard you try, these are people who will not perceptibly improve. Personality disorders are particularly challenging in this respect. Search the forum for discussions on that subject. And the people you work for may or may not seem to care. I think that phenomenon applies to many work settings. Even caring professions. Hospitals and health authorities are businesses with budgets and bottom lines, like any other business. They're not in business to make a profit, but everything else goes as far as I've seen from my own experiences. Let me try and strike the balance. Helping someone through an acute, or chronic period of mental health challenge will leave you with a pretty good feeling about yourself. Most of the time. Did that help?

I agree. There is no good reason this shouldn't be graded in a month or much less. There's definitely something fishy about it all.

I did receive mine, and passed!:balloons: I received mine from NB and I understand others have received or are receiving their letters this week. So hang in there!!

Me too, 12 weeks is crazy!! Why does NS get theirs sooner?

It's more like 3 months. :angryfire There is no good reason for such a delay.

I'm not sure you can take the CRNE. I think the best place to ask would be the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba http://www.crnm.mb.ca/ If you are going to move to Winnipeg (great city!) they would be the authority on your exam requirements.

Post them here when you receive them. I am going out of my mind waiting. :trout:

I came into a hospital I had never practicied in for preceptorship. I found it very difficult to adjust to a new way of doing med, doing paperwork, different equipment, etc. Everyday seemed like a string of errors and near-misses. I missed entries on flow sheets, I missed signing off meds frequently, I once missed a stat order for bloodwork (it was noticed by my preceptor a few hours after being ordered). Plenty of mistakes to fault myself for. And I was extremely nervous around my preceptor, on edge everytime she was around, just waiting to be told I had done something wrong or could do better. I went through the whole thing without a good plan, and in retrospect it was an aweful decision to come to this hospital. My comfort level would have been better if I had stayed where I studied for the last 4 years. I liked the community clinicals much more than hospitals. I liked my psych rotation. And I liked the structure of the OR. I did enjoy my day in the ER but I don't think I have the knowledge or skill to do that job. I did enjoy all my cardiovascular lectures, the heart is an amazing device. I am considering ltc as another option, but I really don't like it.I want to thanjk everyone who has given their advice and opinion. I really appreciate it.

I changed careers and decided to go into nursing without really knowing what a day on the floor was like. I spent a lot of money and time to earn my degree, and I thought I wopuld eventually "get it". But after a disastrous preceptorship I feel like I cannot do the job. I am working in psychiatry now, and I can manage that. But I don't see that I will ever be able to manage a patient load on a med/surg floor. I am seeking the opinions of experienced nurses as to what career paths within nursing I should investigate.

I have a previous diagnosis of depression. I don't know if that's a big deal for a nurse. I imagine there are many of us. I finished my degree this year, and in my last term I began to notice all the telltale signs of depression. I am now working in the acute in-patient psych unit of a nearby hospital, and that makes me feel trapped. I am using the coping skills I developed years ago to help me through things, but no medication, and I often worry I will not be able to overcome this.