navynurse06

We had a guy came in at about 0300 on am stated he couldn't sleep. b/c coming to the ed will cure that!

Wear my seat belt but not my helmet when I ride my beach cruiser.

I didn't read all the posts, but I'll just add on from the Navy side of the house. Wt standards have to be meet just like you have to pass the PRT. I know nurses that lost their overseas orders due to failing wt standards. Also, I know nurses that got selected for 04 than lost that promotion due to not pass wt standards. Same nurse lost DUINS scholarship for not passing wt standards. So yes the navy NC does follow wt requirements. LTJG PM

No group PT at ODS? Man they gave it to you guys easy. All the pt we did at OIS (which is what is was called when I went 3 yrs ago)was group pt. We had no time for pt on our own. LTJG PM

Hey LCDR Dan, Good to see you on here again! I finally got to the ER, and I love the nursing aspect of it. Of course, I work with some incompent leadership so that made for a little drama but that is being resloved. I've got orders to Guam; I PCS in may. Hopefully, I get in the ER there. I'm also preparing (not very hard so far) to take the CEN. I still have a long way to go on that one. How is your new job? How's the fam? Take Care, sir. LTJG PM

Ok Ladies and Gents....let me answer some questions since my last post.... Lots of new grads get assigned to mental health and peds....I started out in peds. I hated every minute of it...but peds isn't my thing. It helped made me a well rouned nurse. Now that I work in the ER, I'm the go to person for peds IV's and peds questions by other nurses. I enjoyed the population in peds; it was more the people and personailty stuff that made my job so unpleasent at that time. But you have that every where you work. ER is my passion! Anyhow...you will deal with mental health pt's no matter what area you work in. I see them every day in the ER...I had two compative pts at one time last weekend...both in 4 point restraints. Mental Illness is very common in the military community, espically with all the PTSD right now. PTSD has a speical place in my heart given my experience at the VA and my little bro suffers from it. But I can't handle mental health everyday all day...nothing but that. I enjoy a good MI...a good code...etc. So god bless you if you have an interest in mental health nursing. We have a big place for you in the Navy. Come on over! As far as days off, many areas you work in will have avaiable days that you are on call. Those, of course depending on your area, are like 1 ever 2 wks or so. You aren't always called in but it just depends on staffing. Keep the questions coming. I didn't have anyone to ask this kind of stuff when I joined so I went in blind. Good luck everyone! LTJG PM

That's may be the silliest thing I've heard a detailer say....we are never "full" for nurses....espeically with deployments and all the nurses PCS right now. Oh well...at least you like where you are now. So it turned out good for you. LTJG PM

I can tell you from 1st hand accounts....we always need nurses at NMCSD. So I don't know why they told you that it matter what time of the year it was... Just my 2 cents! LTJG PM

Just want to add here...being in the military if you are asked to do something....aka ordered to do something it's kind of hard to object to it. Yes if there are some moral reasons...maybe your superiors will be understanding and work with you. However, that depends on the superior officer...and some could care less about your morals/ethics and will order you to do things any how...and part of our general orders while being in the military is "obeying the orders of those apponinted over me..." So if you disobey a direct order...you will get some kind of punishment. Sometimes it sucks and I have to do things I don't really agree with or don't like...but I pledged an oath and signed on the dotted line. Just something to think about... LTJG PM

Ok so...San Diego is a good choice for your 1st duty station, and you won't have any problems getting it. Also, it's really easy to get Japan for your 2nd duty station afterwords. However, it is harder to get to Europe from the west coast, but it happens. It just depends on the needs of the navy at the time. Itay is possible (depending on the needs) but UK for nurses....rarley ever happens. And no dependants in Diego Garcia. Hope this helps...excuse me if it's a little jumbled I'm on night shift right now. LTJG PM

So to answer some of the question since I last posted. As a new graduate....you bascilly get assigned any where in the hosptial they need you. You will not get assigned to crictial care areas as a new grad. You will have to buy your time on a regular floor 1st. When I came in I was given the choice of peds or mother/baby. I put my time in on peds for a year and a half (inculding one deployment) then I got to transfer to the ER... Next...as a nurse corps officer you are expected to be a leader for people more JR to you officer wise and to enlisted folks. After being n a floor for at least 6 months you will get trained to charge, and you will start precepting new nurses. Most of the time in the nurse corps if you are in long enough you will end up in admistration postions. ie...divison officers (nurse manager)...nursing supervisor of hospital....etc. Hope this helps. LTJG PM

I've visited Guam for a few days so I have a general idea bout the island. I'll be there for 3 yrs. Yes, the navy ships all your stuff as part of the move, including your cars. I work with a nurse that was stationed in Guam and he suggest I live in military housing too. I'm sure that's what we are proably going to do. I'd be grateful for any more advice you would have for me and my husband about living in Guam. What are some areas to stay away from? Or what are some good areas to live in? LTJG PM

Hello Everyone.... I haven't been on the board in a while. In my absence, I've gotten orders for my next duty station...Guam. I don't PCS until May 2009, but at least I know where I'm going now. It was either Guam, Lemore, or 29 Palms. I think I picked the best of the worst. Guam has a really great ER...lots of traumas....so that's awesome. Now I'm trying to choose between military housing or civilian housing. Since I'm married I get a 2 bedroom. I've been told during the storms the power stays out for a shorter amt of time in military housing. I would love to hear from anyone who has been to Guam and about thier experiences. Later LTJG PM

This is a sad one... We had a mom call in frantic one day saying her teenage daughter had just took a bunch of pills and wasn't responive....what should she do? She said she was in the car on her way in. I live in San Diego...it's a big city...it could take a while to get to us via POV. told her to pull over and call 911. She didn't and ended up in our ED a few minutes later thank goodness. The pt ended up tubed and sent to the PICU. This was like her 4th attempt at suicide. Very sad.

Pt's who take the ambulance to the ER for Sore throat...flu like symptoms, etc. Some people think this is a way to get bumped to the head of the line or get to the back faster. Since I'm in the the Navy and our pt are under tricare we don't have to pay for our health care or ambulance rides. So for some people taking the ambulance is cheaper than driving or calling a cab. Pure abuse of the system...I see it every day! People the ambulance is just a form of transporation to the ER. If you come to our ER via ambulance for such nonsense than you will go to the back of the line and straight out to the waiting room...don't pass go...don't collect $200. With tricare you have a PCP use it....not the ER.... Ok...I'll get off my soapbox now!

IV skills...time management skills....get used to giving alot of pain meds...some days I feel like I am a drug dealer with all the pain meds I give out. But the most important skill I use is anger management when I deal with difficult people and stupidity on a shift to shift basis. Some days I wonder why I went to college for this...I really love my job...don't I?

I've had several parents that brought their babies in b/c they just won't stop crying. no fever, no n/v/d. nothing....just wont stop crying. :smackingf

My lips are sealed...giving advice over the phone is taking a risk at loosing your license!

cursenurse....I totally agree with you. My favorite traige line is "People are triaged by level of urgency not by what time you get here." I tell that to the ones that come up to the window complaining that so and so went back before me and I"ve been here longer than them.

I'm reading this as I'm working traige tonight.....I just had a lady that wanted to be bumped up to the front of the line b/c she was in so much pain. (Younger girl with back pain). She wanted me to change her pain rating from a 8 to a 10. We are slammed right now...stable box backed up..... Of course, I wasn't the nicest to her...so I'm Sure I'll get a bad complaint from her! Traige really test my patients! What I want to say is if you are well enough to complain about the wait then you are well enough to set back down! But of course I don't say that.

Pregnacy test!!!!!

Preggers Polly: Oh...I've been vomitting all day...I'm (enter wks pregnant here).... Excuse me ladies n/v is a side effect of pregnacy not a medical emergency. Please see PCP for this. I know I'm a horrible uncaring nurse.

I don't know if this has been posted yet but i'll add my . ---Frequent Freda/Fred: the pt that comes into the ER at least once a wk for some random complaint, and can't be sent to fastrack because they are here so much. If you are known by your 1st name in an ER (by all the staff) in a city of 1 million plus then you come to the er way to much! You know those pts who you don't want to even mention their names in fear that they will show up. Go ahead blast me for being uncaring....

I was actually on the USS Pelieu (sp) LHA-5 this summer; not on the Mercy. So my experience was a little bit different since I was on a gray hull; after being on a gray hull I don't think I would be able to stand being on a hosptial ship. It was nice hanging out with other rates (people non-medical types). And I really didn't mind being on the gray hull at all...what's that joke..."I felt like I was in the "real" navy"...you know what I mean LCDR Dan. Ok...now I'm rambling...LOL But any who...we had a wide variety of nurses on my deployment...I think it just depends on what deployment needs bodies when you say you want to be deployed. I got lucky with my deployment. I would be glad to answer more specifics about our mission, ship life, etc. LCDR, Well...I've been sort of busy here lately. Only 1 more night in peds and I finally get to go to the ER. THank goodness...I didn't think this day was ever going to come. My 1st day is Monday. I'm getting a little nervous about working on big people again; its been so long since I've taken care of someone with Chest Pain, etc. So I hope I do well down there. I feel like some of my skills have gotten kind of rusty up here on 2east. Other than that...the other thing I discussed with you didn't work out...so it's been a difficult time for me. As a result of that I've been trying to find a new place to live which isn't so easy right now b/c I have to wait for someone to take over my lease before I can move. So my life is a little crazy right now, and I'm begining to feel a little stressed and overwhelmed. :wtosts: However, this too shall pass...or I hope at least... LTJG PM

You have to work in the hospital at least 6 months before you will be deployed anywhere. At least that is what the navy tries to do. LTJG PM