jeroboam

Some thoughts: (1) what is a "letter of regret" ? (2) why were you terminated ? (3) from your name, I'm assuming you work in Indiana; are you living in a town that's controlled by one hospital system ? When you can't find a position in your local area, or you're dependent on "knowing someone", my advice would be to move. There are many places that have a huge need for nurses; don't be afraid to leave your current town and move on.

I paid $45,000 (cash) for a 14-month accelerated BSN at Johns Hopkins. I would pay it again. I went from floor nurse to director in 12 years. I can tell you that 80/20 is already here. My facility does NOT hire any RN who does not possess a BSN. There's a myriad of reasons, primarily related to Magnet requirements, and the fact that BSN-prepared nurses have better critical thinking skills (I didn't do the research, but it's sound). Get your BSN.

The OP stated that this woman is not a friend. If she's using street drugs, then nurses with knowledge of that fact have a duty to report it to the state BON. Morality is not relativistic.

I strongly disagree. When drug use is the issue, she needs to be reported to the state BON. Just ask yourself: would you feel comfortable having that nurse take care of you, or a member of your family ? The answer I'm sure is NO.

Benzoin spray is indeed still manufactured; you would never use hairspray.

It goes on a well-developed MUSCLE mass, as close to the site of surgery as possible. NOT an area of fat. Fat is an insulator; muscle is a conductor of electricity. If you place it on a fat mass, the power settings will need to be higher.

I agree about the Zander course; a huge thumbs up from me !

The AORN course is pretty much worthless, in my opinion. The Zander course, which I took, was awesome and gave strategies for how to answer multiple-choice questions, and simplified the guidelines into points that you really had to know.

The OP doesn't want a nursing career; she wants to be married, with kids, and have nursing as a hobby. She says so herself in the last paragraph of her post, where she inquires if it's possible to work part-time immediately out of nursing school. In my judgment (and it's "judgment", not "judgement", not that I'm passing judgment on you), that's laughable. I've been an RN now for seven years, and it's taken about that long for me to become fully competent and capable in my specialty (the operating room), as well as certified. One doesn't graduate from nursing school with enough competency to work solo on a part-time basis, and the poster will never gain enough experience to be fully capable by working part-time only. So, NO, she won't "have it all" unless she postpones a baby, gets her BSN (she already has a degree so she likely can do an accelerated program in 14-16 months), and gets some experience under her belt. However, she already feels put out by having to postpone a baby until she graduates, not to mention her abhorrence of shift work and weekend work. This mindset is one of the reasons (not the only one, but one) that nursing doesn't get the respect that it deserves: because it's a largely female occupation with a substantial number of its workers not interested in a long-term career; their interest extends only until they're married with children. After that point, it's PRN and registry to supplement their husband's income. Flame me all you want, but that's the truth. I think the OP is a dilettante.

You're quite wrong about Florida requirements: they require verification from your original state of licensure (your exam state) and from a state in which you have a current active license. Only one verification is required if your original state is current/active. Moreover, everything for Florida except fingerprinting can be done online: the application, payment of fees, Nursys verification, and the medical errors course. All states in which you have a license participate in Nursys; you'll only pay one $30 fee. Take the medical errors course using your MA or CT license number. You don't have to have a FL license to take the medical errors course. It's offered online by a number of providers. It's sort of unbelievable that you couldn't figure this out. Yes, you correctly reported your criminal charge and you'll have to provide documentation. You'll likely be granted a license but required to participate in an oversight mechanism for a period of time, perhaps with alcohol testing.

It's safe to say that I don't know what to say, because I can't understand what you're trying to say. Totally incoherent. Try again.

As someone who started working at age 14, the oldest in a large family that was not well-off, and who had a successful career in law prior to becoming an RN later in life, I was offended when I first read this posting. Then I re-read it, and I just had to shake my head. So, you don't want to work on an occasional holiday, or on the weekend, or to work 12-hour shifts (even though those 12's allow you to work three days a week, and have four days off, with full benefits). Millions of people, across a broad range of occupations, work on weekends and holidays. Personally, I'd rather work a Saturday or Sunday and have time off during the week ... movies are less crowded, and so is the beach, the grocery store, and the gym. If you want a M-F, 9-5 job, then go get an MBA and take a job with a bank ... if you can get hired. No RN I know works every weekend and every holiday, unless he/she wants to. And believe me, some do. Nursing hours can be incredibly accommodating to a person with a family, but to think that you're entitled to escape any vestige of inconvenience is pretty startling. Now comes the touchy part: you want a nursing career, but you want to have a baby "in a year or two". Well, I suggest you choose one or the other. But you won't, because you "want it all". You want a family AND a career AND you want to feel fulfilled, etc. All without working weekends or holidays. Ugh. I better stop here before I say something that some will feel is inappropriate. I mean, really ... the words that come to mind are "prima donna". I guess it's a generational thing; your generation seems much more entitled than mine. Anyway, I wish you luck finding that interesting, well-paying, and fulfilling health care job that allows you to work 10am to 4pm, Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday. With holidays off, and full benefits.

Most people are unable to speak precisely. We often say one thing and mean something else. Language is subjective. Lawyers are paid to ask questions in order to elicit the true meaning and intent of a witness's words. Both sides do it ... plaintiff and defense. This, by the way, is why charting is so important. Unfortunately, in my opinion, a majority of nurses have poor writing skills (which is no surprise to anyone who visits this forum). I once settled a case for a client against a hospital for over $500,000 all due to one poorly crafted sentence in a chart note involving a do-not-resuscitate order. The nurse who wrote the sentence said, on the stand, referring to what she wrote: "but that's not what I meant". End of case: we settled at the next break in the case.

A defense representative ... that's a different story. The hospital wanted to put a "human face" on its corporate existence, and so an employee was required to sit with the defense lawyers. As for out of state people who were called by the defense, they no doubt agreed to appear voluntarily, and were reimbursed by the hospital (of course); almost no one would appear voluntarily without having their expenses paid. Regardless, the point is that out-of-state residents cannot be compelled to appear in a state court in another state. Now, if the case were in federal court ... that's a whole other matter. But malpractice suits are rarely filed in federal court.

Most of these responses are wrong in some respect. I practiced law before becoming an RN, so I'll attempt to answer. You're asking (1) whether a former employee of a hospital, one who has moved "very far away", can be compelled to attend a court proceeding related to a hospital lawsuit, and (2) whether a former employee who hasn't moved away could be compelled to attend a court proceeding despite being busy with a new job. As for question (1): most malpractice lawsuits are filed in state court. I'm assuming the former employee who has moved "very far away" has moved out of state. A state has personal jurisdiction only over people who live within the state. Thus, a state court could NOT compel a former employee now living out of state to attend a court proceeding. The court could issue a subpoena, which the lawyers could then take to a court in the former employee's new state of residence, and that court could compel the former employee to sit for a deposition, which could be used in the proceeding. But state courts do not have power over persons outside their borders. Question (2): the former employee could be compelled to attend a court proceeding. The new employer is not obligated to give the employee time off to attend court, but most employers would. At worst, the employee would have to take leave without pay. But most court appearances do not last long; I've never seen a medical witness on the stand for longer than an hour. By the time a case gets to court, everyone knows the facts; the examination on the stand is merely a way to get the facts in front of the fact-finder (usually a jury). As for the "other side" paying the "expenses" of a witness: lol. NOT. Assuming for a moment that the former employee is still around and can be subpoenaed, all that is paid is a nominal witness fee, perhaps mileage. As for being in a courtroom for two weeks: highly unusual. Most witnesses are told that their testimony will come on a particular day. I tried plenty of cases in my life and never had a witness on the stand for two weeks.