australianrn

Yes - i have regrets. But I am in my 40s, and I have no real drive to change directions.

Here in Australia, 100% but we did have several goes at it

I have never heard of an RN having a credit check prior to employment - that is a complete breach of a persons privacy IMO. Maybe its common in your country but it is not done here in Australia. Good luck "fixing" your credit rating, I was able to fix mine up. After an expensive divorce and serious health problems ( no work for 6 months ) I ended up with a bad credit rating, that was 4 years ago. I slowly paid off all the debt and began saving, and just today I was approved for a car loan ! I feel such a lot of relief and I am sure with time and determination you can fix up your credit. Its definately fixable. Good luck

I am constantly self diagnosing myself ( incorrectly). I am definately a hypochondriac. I thought I had colon cancer, breast cancer and gall stones just to name a few. Im trying to relax these days. I am all for regular screening though. Today I had skin cancer screening, I do that every 12 months. Came back clear. I think my main problem is that because my job is stressful and hours are crappy, i get overtired and run down, and then I begin to imagine I must be sick.

middle child of 5. 2nd daughter, father alcoholic (RIP)

my son had a mishap and was admitted to hospital last sunday and consequently needed (and had) surgery on one of his toes) on sunday night. Although we have private health insurance, it was recommended we use medicare. This is because although almost everything is covered if using private insurance, there is often still a gap, which can end up being approx $500. So Medicare it was and he was admitted as a public patient. Fantastic care given, discharged today with no out of pocket expensies. He was given a course of antibiotics and 2 boxes of panadeine forte for pain relief. No cost for abs or pain meds either. We did go up to physio dept and hired a set of crutches, $25 refundable . All in all I am very happy with Australias health care system. I am sure though, that if elective surgery is required, things are somewhat different.

I work afternoons, 2 til 10.30pm. It works well for me, i have time in the mornings to tidy, cook, shop if i want, or meet a friend for an early lunch or coffee.. then go off to work. Only thing i have to watch is not overdoing it before i get to work - because i end up getting way too tired I dont like starting at 7am, i am cruddy in the mornings and clumsy. Takes my body at least 2 hours to wake up completely. Here in Aus, most nurses are still working 8 hour shifts. I dont actually know of any nurses that do 12 hour shifts. I wish we had that option. Any aussie RNs out there, if you know of any places that are doing 10 or 12 hour shifts, I sure would love to know.

Just remember - the messenger always gets shot.

quote=RNKittyKat]When my blood sugar drops to the 30's or my bladder just can't stand one more minute. According to the rules, even water bottles aren't allowed on the unit. So we dehydrate, blood sugar drops and kidney stones form. Kind of sad. Arggggggg.. not even water bottles allowed on unit ? we have water bottles, snacks. cake , fruit. Tea and coffee is also allowed so long as its past 7pm ( pediatric unit - this rule assumes all children in bed ). Most shifts I sit with coffee while i do my documentation. Seems alot of rules where you work.

I work 8 1/2 hour shifts and i get two breaks, one 20 minute early in shift and one 30 minute meal break.

Hi Meegs Some days when things are hard its not easy to remember our dreams. I know for fact how difficult and competitive just GETTING into the EN course is. You got in and you will get through. My best friend just finished the same course and she found it very stressful Keep your head up, try to catch up on all that you missed and take a deep breath. Make sure you get enough rest, get out in the sun when when you can. Make friends with your classmates, they can be a good support when needed. Good luck to you .

HI I am considering applying to work in the special care nursery of several hospitals close to my home. I have no experience in this area however I have worked with severely disabled babies and children for the last few years. Due to the nursing shortage here, I have been told that I will be readily accepted and will be trained up once i commence. I am wondering if any of you out there might be able to help me with some advice re working in the special care nursery. My main questions are, what common meds do you administer, what types of issues are relevant. Actually I would love to hear what an average day is like in the special care nursery. Thank you in advance and I must add that I come online every few days to read all the forums here and absolutely love reading all of your posts. Gabby.

I get so sad and depressed when I read about the problem of drugs. Its so aweful, so many wasted lives. So many hurt and damaged people, children not cared for. Horrible.

I have a great job and feel so lucky to have found it. After 4 years I am still enjoying all aspects of it. I look after 4 or 5 disabled children each shift, under 6 years of age. I do all the charting, meds, g feeds, ng feeds if any. I have gotten very close to the kids and their families over the years. DD is a very rewarding area to work in.

In my present job and my last job also, I had no choice but to be in charge. We (the RNs ) were rotated around, all of us being in charge on different shifts. We get an extra $19 per shift for being the RN in charge.