tddowney

wanting to make a decent living and caring about pts are not at all mutually exclusive. in my experience, the people who do the best job in any field are those with the pride in doing a task well. that pride also carries over into wanting to be reco...

Exactly. The Pt's choice has to be communicated to those that could follow/not follow it. In the magic world inhabited by lawyers and commissions, every caregiver can remember the code status of Pts with perfect accuracy, along with their fall risk,...

The first step is to find out about the clinical hours of the programs you apply to enter. Ask directly, and don't count on rumor or what their schedule was last year. Tell them your restrictions, since there may be changes in the works for future se...

What do you mean by "dangerous?" Physical, emotional, financial? Like any profession, nursing has exposures to each of these.

You don't want to give any kind of statement until you have a lawyer with you. If you're suspended, it means your license as well as your job is at risk, plus the possibility of a lawsuit. A lawyer experienced in nursing issues will know your rights...

I think you're describing a lazy nurse, not a nurse motivated more by money than love of the profession. In my experience, these sort of folks are just as unprofessional in any field you happen to be unfortunate enough to find them.

If I were an administrator, I wouldn't want to get into defining what it "tastefull and not offensive." That way lies lots of headaches and probably a lawsuit sooner or later. So, the policy I think works best is no tats showing. Simple, easy to unde...

First of all, I'm not inexperienced or naive enough to believe the government will take care of anything. I've been an adult for 35 years, and I know the goverment talks a much better game than it ever plays. Like any good emergency responder, which...

If I followed your post correctly, the Pt had gone more than 24 hours without food or anything to drink. No surprise that he's going to sneak something.

So, if you're sitting down, that must mean you're on a break, and don't need a real one, right?

In this case, it was nurses who came up with the hourly rounding. The idea is that it cuts down on call light use, and thereby saves nursing time. But, no doubt the researchers forgot to take into account all the documenting time.

Start with the complaints commonly seen on these boards. Nurse/Pt ratios, inadequate and shortened orientations, unhelpful or worse response from those with experience on the unit. The solution to these complaints is an organizational committment to ...

This is one of those paradoxes in life. Taking a break allows you to refresh your mind for a few minutes, grab a snack and a drink of water, tea, etc. You'll probably think better with some nutrients and hydration on board. The change of pace will le...

Search your cart for the actual wood--no aluminum, please--Louisville Slugger Alex Rodriguez model bat you purchased for one of your family members. Remember to step into the swing............. A bit more seriously, as a practical matter all that stu...

If the pt does recover, he ought to sue not only the doctor, but also the family members who insisted the doctor act against the DNR. In some cases, some family member might be siphoning off grandpa's SSI or other retirement payments, and if grandpa...

I don't mean to pick on you, but............................Why in the world did you apologize? This wasn't your lack of professionalism, but lack of professionalism by your supervisors and management. Management is a profession, and it should be he...

All bureaucracies come to serve their own interests first, and one way to do that is to make silly rules, in addition to the ones that make sense. More rules require more people to enforce them, and thus bigger empires for the bureaucrats, job securi...

If they are going to enforce this policy, then you and your fellow nurses need to enforce the rules about luch and breaks. Take this opportunity to let your supervisors know that you will require, for your safety and good patient care, regular break...

I think you're making an unwarranted assumption that all nurses are learning grammar, or having previous lessons reinforced in college. Many do, I think, but there's an increasing minority who aren't. That's not entirely the fault of the student, bu...

Your questioning of what could be a dangerous situation for both patient and staff (drawing blood w/o gloves) made a change in how things are seen on the unit. Well done. I've recently been in your position, and I think one of the things people with ...

Bingo.

Either that is a very mis-informed or very dishonest risk manager. The hospital could have reason to discourage nurses from having their own insurance. If you're footing the bill for your own lawyers, it's less likely that you'll make your own case, ...

Yes, but the reason I need one is because some other evil attorney forced me into hiring one.

A big problem with our tort system is that plaintiffs have a free shot at suing everyone, and pay no penalty when they are wrong. Just as a nurse will end up paying the legal fees of the injured party if he is found liable for an injury, the plaintif...

If everyone votes for "et," will we then have an "et al" situation?