JoeyDog

She said that they were informed about the smelling like smoke at clinicals rule from the begining. In my comment I stated that she go over the policy and procedures of her institution with a fine tooth comb. If it states that students cannot smell like smoke at clinicals, but does not state where and when they can smoke it is a catch 22 anyway. I have never met a person who can smoke yet not smell like smoke. I am all for individual rights and I think today's treatment of smokers is borderline discriminatory. However, as a smoker entering in to healthcare it is up to the Op to make herself aware of the rules that govern her academic institution. I based my comments on what the Op said in her statement. If there are no such rules in place then by all means I would tell the instructor she can go......eat a doughnut. If there are rules regarding the whole smoking issue then I think that my comments are valid. Only the Op knows what the rules are, I meant my suggestions as only that, suggestions based on a glimpse into another's life.

LOL!!!!!!!!

Anjann, I like that comment, if you rock the boat they will push you out of it. I have seen that before!

Okay I know a lot of people have given you good advice, here are my two cents. BTW, I smoked for 6 years, all the lectures in the world didn't help me, it came down to a sheer desire to quite for my own personal reasons. You have to decide what is stronger your desire to be a nurse or your desire to smoke during clinicals/work. Notice that I said smoke during clinicals/work and not smoke in general b/c if you want to smoke at home then you go right ahead missey it is your right! 1. Write the papers, go over the rules about smoking with a fine toothed comb, file a complaint if you feel you have good grounds to do so. This will keep you in the program and get the ball rolling regarding your instructors behavior. I would talk to your instructors boss about her unprofessional behavior regardless of what happens. 2. If you have not done so already DO NOT give your instructor the letter you wrote. That is just about as mature as her saying she is going to tell your mom and if you do file a complaint it could hurt you later. 3. Although you (and the other student) broke the rules, the instructor had already assigned and then carried out your punishment (docking your grades). It is inappropriate for her to decide later that she wants to punish you further, to me that alone seems unprofessional never mind the fact that she did so in the hallway. 4. DON'T SMOKE WHEN YOU ARE AT CLINICALS!!!! Use the nicotine gum or the patch before, durning, and immediately after clinicals. Don't smoke until you are well away from anyone who could get you introuble. 5. Try to think about it from a patients point of view. If you come in reeking like smoke (it does reek to non smokers no matter how much lotion/body spray/ect you put on) there is no where they can go. They are pretty much stuck in their rooms (or whatever). If you are around someone who stinks you can get up an go away from that person or try to avoid them. Patients can't get up and avoid their nurse for 8-12 hours. 6. Lastly think how badly you would feel if you sent someone into respiratory distress. You wouldn't even be able to help them, you would have to leave the patients area immediately while others tried to fix what you caused. Good luck, and maybe this is your opportunity to finally kick the habit, I am so glad I did, it was the best investment I ever made in myself.

Hi all, I decided to post this in the NP forum b/c it is r/t my NP. I am in my early 20's and my grandmother had breast cancer at 29 y/o and had a mastectomy. There is a history of breast cancer/cervical cancer on my mom's side of the family but my grandmother is my closest relative who had breast cancer. My NP did a breast exam on me in the office found nothing abnormal but she did referre (sp) me to have a routine screening mammogram and said that I will get one every 3 yrs or so and until I turn 40. So I called to make the appointment and the people at the medical imaging place said that just b/c my grandmother had breast cancer in her late 20's doesn't mean that I will have it. They told me that is what is considered a "weak family history". They went on to tell me that mammograms are not effective in women in there 20's b/c of dense breast tissue. They continued to tell me that b/c I was not having any symptoms I did not need a mammogram, and that b/c my insurance doesn't pay for routine screenings that it would be an expensive peace of mind. The were baffeled that my NP wanted me to get a mammogram. So I did not make the appointment. I was not looking for peace of mind it was just something that was addressed at my appointment and so I was just following NP's orders. My question is this, did my NP make an appropriate judgement call? Or was it really as bizzare for her to referre me to get a mammogram as the people at the medical imaging office made it out to be? Should I still get the mammogram, or should I contact my NP's office and tell her what happened? Thanks!

Awesome A&P lectures!!!!!!!!!!!!! He he I am so excited!!! Thanks so much!

I was just curious, why do you want to be a nurse?

I will be taking micro with A&P 1 winter quarter and will not be taking a third class. I have been told by others who have done the same thing that it was like having 4 classes b/c both were so demanding. If h&p 1 is like A&P I would not take anything other than it and micro. Good luck.

Also welcome to the site! :biggringi :balloons:

I have worked as both a CNA and a unit secretary. They both have their benefits. As a unit secretary you will become familiar with the charts and MARS. As a CNA you will become comfortable interacting with patients and staff. Personally my suggestion would be for CNA, because I think the experience you get will be more valuable later on in nursing school. I will say that working as a CNA is VERY hard work b/c most (if not all) CNA's have to start out in LTC and that is back breaking work. Working as a CNA in the hospital is cool but you have to pay your dues to get there. So, 1 vote CNA

I am not a nurse yet but I think this is a really dumb idea! Here is my suggestion, rather than color coding the departments why not institute a mandate that says ONLY nurses, CNA's, RT's ect can wear scrubs. At the hospitals I worked at everyone wore scrubs. The unit secretaries, houskeepers, laundry aides, central services, ect. I am a CNA and when I became a unit secretary I stopped wearing my scrubs b/c I felt silly sitting at a desk answersing phones and transcribing orders in my scrubs/birkies. I had absolutely no pt contact as a US and saw no need to wear my scrubs. Furthermore I do not understand why housekeepers, laundry aides, ect feel like they need to wear scrubs. They provide no direct patient care. Color coding departments will only alert other staff to the department you work in. The patients will not know what color tops go with what department/profession unless they are given a color coded key to carry with them. Rather than forcing the nurses to buy scrubs why not have uniforms for the staff that do not provide direct patient care? My aunt was a houskeeper at a hospital and they had a uniform that was provided to them by the hospital. It was khaki pants with a yellow polo top with the department (envirnomental services) in the top left corner. If the hospitals did something like that I think it would be more beneficial to the patients. The patients would then see that only those people who wear scrubs are liscenced (sp) to provide care. To me that seems like a wiser route. Okay I'm done.

I attend a community college and the max is usually 3 classes/qtr. Anyway I took intermediate algebra, developmental psych, and social problems in one quarter and I did fine! I got A's in them all, and I spent the majority of my time on the math b/c I am waaaay sloooow when it comes to math. Personally I liked sociology when I took it so it made the quarter go more smoothly. I think your schedule will be fine. To me the humanities classes have always been pretty easy, it's the sciences that can be killer. Good luck!

I agree with DaughterofRuth. Call the school and talk to a nursing advisor. At my CC the information is avaliable through their website by typing nursing into the search engine. Also my school, and I am sure most others, hold nursing information sessions which answer common questions and usually have a Q&A session at the end. In the end your best bet for getting reliable information is to contact the school or do some research on the schools web page. Good luck!

You will be fine! As previously stated this is not an uncommon situation. If there are enough people enrolled in your class (to make a full or almost full class) they will find an instructor. The only time I have ever seen classes cancelled at my college is when there are only 10 or so people enrolled once the quarter starts. But A&P is a major prereq for all of the health science degrees so you will be fine. You are stressing over something that should not be stressed over. They will find an instructor.

Just explain to them why you chose to be a nurse and what it means to you, what aspects appeal to you about nursing, and why they should be proud of your decision. Tell them nursing school is so competitive that it is a major accomplishment just to be accepted into a program. I would also tell them about the down side of being a doctor. Long hours, never home, stress up the wazoo, 11 years of schooling, can't switch departments when you get bored with your specialty/dislike your co workers, just not the right fit for you, ect. Remember that they mean well, and although you are an adult with children of your own you will always be their child (thats what my mom tells me anyway).