TAB_RN

I cannot see where liability insurance has anything to do with this situation. The only advice I can give, is NEVER EVER EVER sign for something that you are not fully aware of what you are signing. If you are signing for meds, then make sure you open the bags, look, and compare to the list the pharmacy is having you sign for. That is just common sense. They wouldn't have somebody sign for it if they didn't want to hold somebody accountable. Lesson learned. ... oh, just FYI -- ALL NURSES should have their own private liability insurance.

Where I work, it is against HIPPA to look at charts of patients that you are not directly caring for... She should not be going through your charts if she isn't directly precepting you.

PPPLLLLEEEAAAASSSSEEE!!!! How the heck can you get someone in trouble for "looking" at you. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. She is going to look like an idiot when she files that complaint. I don't remember seeing anywhere in the original post that he made any snide remarks or harrassing remarks. I am ashamed that our society has come to this. If she has a problem with people looking, maybe she should dress more appropriately. sorry for the rant.

I understand staying home for our sick children, but your sick time is for you - if you are sick. If your children are sick, my hospital says you have to use vacation time or not get paid to be out. Sick time, by policy, is to be used only if the employee is sick. Whether or not people agree, it is understandable. If you work in an "employee at will" state, your employer essentially does not need a reason to fire you. It stinks, but it is true. If you work at a union hospital, maybe you should contact your union rep. Good luck!

Well if you deserve a raise for that, then I deserve a raise for all the times I have to be in the room as a "witness" for rectals and pelvics! LOL!!!

How about "2L O2 NC" for the tetraplegic patient that has a trach and vented.

I worked on a cardiac thoracic surgical floor for a year. Our patients were up and out of bed the evening of surgery (in a chair). Typically, the patient feels better than before the surgery on day 2. They stay one day in ICU, then back to the floor. The chest tubes usually come out by the afternoon of day 2. The wires (pacer) are usually out also on the afternoon of day 2. Day 2 is typically the first day for walking. AMAZING how well these patients do. By day 4 the patient is going home. I LOVE CABG patients. It is one of those surgeries that is like "instant gratification" - the patient looks amazing after regaining their circulatory system!

I would let them know, to be sure you are not put in a position to be exposed to medications/illnesses that would put your baby/pregnancy at risk. You will be doing clinical work in hospitals and can be exposed to things you really shouldn't be exposed to. They cannot ask you to leave school because you are pregnant. Good luck to you!

Actually, you actually gave less than the ordered dose. If you drew up 2mg/1ml... then added 10 ml ns, and then gave 5ml - that is slightly below the 1mg order. It should have been 5.5ml :) No worries....

Well, I would have to question that order anyway... Oxycodone has tylenol in it - not less than 325mg/5mg pill. That would be 7800mg of tylenol in one day given the full dosage.

Well if you put it that way, we can also say that nursing is comparable to waitressing, working at McDonald's, a department store, etc. I actually had somebody tell me that their job (a Correction's Officer) was very comparable to a nurse. Maybe we can also say that a daycare job is the same as well... Please... It is nothing alike and it irks me when our Management wants us to treat the patients as if they are "customers". I guess what I am saying is that if you are comparing the pace, you can say the job is similar to just about anything. I suppose we will agree to disagree. :)

I was a bartender for many many years... and I am a nurse now. I have to say, with all due respect, the professions are nothing alike. NOTHING.... I find it absolutely mind boggling that you can say that they are at all alike. First off, you don't have to know anything about who you are serving, and if you don't like the person coming in the door, you don't have to serve them. You don't have to know how to make every drink in the world, because as long as you have your bar book with you, you are all set. Nursing now, you have people's lives really in your hand. I can assure you that your choices in nursing will be taken much more seriously if you do harm. You have to know how to assess and what you are looking for. You have to be sure that what you are giving (for meds) is safe... I could go on and on, but I won't. I am just really shocked that you can say that the professions are anything alike, unless you are joking.

I graduated last December in Massachusetts, as well. It was a bit easier for me because there are very few nursing graduates in December. 42 schools just gradated nurses this past May in Massachusetts. I had worked as a PCA in my last year of school, so I had a better chance getting in the hospital as a RN than somebody off the street with no experience... however, it still took a lot of frustration and persistence to get a job. I was really nervous that it wasn't a slam dunk to get in. I am not sure I would say that MA doesn't have a shortage, but I do believe that many nurses are re-entering the field due to the hard economic times we are in. I am finding that the per diem nurses in my hospital are finding little work these days. We are in tough times, and let's face it, oil is expensive, health insurance is rising, groceries are outrageous and people are nervous of what the winter months will bring financially. Be persistent. Follow up when you send in a resume. Talk to the Human Resources Nursing Recruiter. It is easy to have a resume end up in a pile on a desk. Walk the darn thing into the HR office... you have to be persistent. Good luck

I feel so lucky that I work in a hospital with such a supportive staff. I am a new nurse and working on a Cardiac/thoracic surgical floor. We deal with the CABG patients, valve replacements and a fairly high acuity level of cardiac problems. I think I would sink if I didn't have the support I have had. I have learned more in the last six months on this floor, than I ever did in school. Every nurse I work with (there is a team of 6 nurses on my shift), is supportive, helpful and will always work with the "patient first" attitude. Some of the nurses are new (under 1 year) and some have been there for 30 years. I have never, ever gone through a shift where somebody hasn't offered their assistance. When a nurse has caught up on my floor, it is customary for them to walk around and offer assistance. I cannot imagine what it must feel like for you to work with the people you are describing. On our floor, we actually like each other and we also try to find time periodically to schedule a lunch together (including nurses, PCA's, unit secretaries, and anyone else that works with us) just to have time out from the workplace. Everybody's birthdays are celebrated and when somebody has an achievement, that is also celebrated. I love my job and feel even more lucky to work in such a cooperative environment that I just wanted to let you know that not all places are like you are describing. If I were you, I would look around for a place that has a reputation for camaraderie. Good luck to you... and your patients.

Being a parent takes the highest level of "critical thinking"... doesn't make you a good nurse. Just because you served in war, and was a police officer doesn't make you a good nurse. When I state that experience as a nurse will season you as a great critical thinker, I didn't mean And, because you feel nobody will respond to your whole "I would bet my left kidney" statement... AGAIN, more than 80% pass the NCLEX on the first try... your statistics are merely opinions... strong opinions, but merely opinions. It is silly to think that you want people to respond to that statement. Second, with that statement, you are also insinuating that you probably would not pass it given the chance to take it again. If I remember correctly, your posts show tremendous anger when you were waiting for your results. You were going to give up, not become a nurse... and I do believe you also said that you were going to go back to your job as a police officer because they would take you back in a heart beat. Everyone offered you help, especially Suzanne, which you didn't embrace very well. You need to get past this. It is sad. If you want to change the system, do it in a positive way. You will not change the system here on a message board. Write to the NCLEX, get involved and stop belly aching here - whining will not change the system... And using questions as ridiculous as your "homeless man" example is not using educated examples - it will not help the case you are presenting. Using exaggerated examples weakens your argument. Show some maturity and learn from your experiences.

Well, Jon, thank goodness you have so much confidence in your abilities and critical thinking skills. From what I understand, you do not hold a job as a Registered Nurse yet, so you are not experienced yet. Critical thinking skills in nursing are "acquired" over time... hopefully, you are open to learning as you go. I, also, find that people with your attitude are dangerous in this field. I wish you well and hope you lose the anger.

I didn't say you were a bad nurse because you didn't pass the NCLEX the first time. I am simply saying that just because you didn't pass, doesn't make the test a "bad" way of showing competence. Let's just say that you had a say in how they should rate you competent... what would you suggest they do to come to that conclusion. This really is the only way to rate competence at an entry level. There really is no other way. If there was, I am sure there would have been an alternative to the way it is being done. If you go back to your posts and read them, maybe you will see how you sound. You do sound like you are bitter... and the fact is more than 80% of anyone in the United States passes the NCLEX on the first try. That is a fact. I actually didn't make that up.

Jon, The passing rate on the NCLEX (overall) is over 80%. That means, most people pass it on the first try. That is huge... and pretty amazing. Only one in my class of 42 failed the first time... everyone else passed. She then passed 45 days later on her second try. I find it absolutely offensive that you base your statistics on your own personal experience. It is irresponsible to do that and you just sound like a very angry person. I have been following your posts and at some points when you were going through the worst of times taking the NCLEX, you came across as a spoiled angry child... you sound like that again. Giving people support through this test is what they need... not angry resentment if they are not succeeding or beating the test. It is important to be able to understand what a question is asking and how to respond to a situation when presented with it. These questions ask you those important questions. If you cannot answer them correctly, then you may not be interpreting the question properly. I find that most people that insult this test are the ones that have failed it. Sometimes it is easier to say that "the test is not the real world", then admit that you are "the less than 20% in the US" that cannot interpret the test enough to answer correctly. I am sorry if this offends you, but I cannot help but find you somewhat angry.

The incentive should be ones health. There is plenty of support from our medical professionals, but the problem that seems to rehash over and over is that we live in a society that is not patient. Everybody wants results over night. That isn't going to happen. If there were truly a pill that would make you lose fat and you could choose that over exercise, what would you choose? I am sure the majority of people would choose the easy way out. I know I would, but that choice really doesn't exist. It does takes determination and a change of lifestyle to achieve a healthy status if you are not healthy. It is as simple as that... and I honestly think that no matter how many times we hear that as a society, it simply sounds too hard to accomplish.

I agree. This conversation usually brings forth the whole "fat discrimination" conversation. I simply cannot believe how unhealthy we as a society are becoming. It is truly sad.

We live in such a excuse driven society. The 23 year old we are talking about is just an example of the obesity in America. We live in a non-active era. It is sad. This is not "fat discrimination", it is time for everyone to wake up. I work on a cardiac surgery floor. Our biggest culprits are smoking and obesity. It is sad to see people in their 40's dropping dead of heart disease and having heart catherizations done to place stents due to grossly clogged arteries. I am not the "skinny" person you think I may be making these statements. I am merely an average person. I work out 3 - 5 times per week and believe me, it is a chore... but I do it, because I shouldn't feel tired while in only a few months I will turn 40. I do it because it is necessary. I smoked for 20+ years and stopped because I was really starting to feel the effects of smoking. It was the hardest thing I ever did... and my reward... I gained 20 lbs. I am saying that when somebody has the BMI of 40 - no matter how you look at that, it is incredibly hard on a 23 year old body. I can totally see why an insurance company wouldn't want to take that on. It isn't right, or maybe even morally correct, but I understand their financial standpoint. If insurance companies were very clear with what their requirements were before taking you on, then it probably wouldn't be such a shock. For example, with car insurance, if you are a crappy driver and a higher risk, insurance will cost you more. Maybe if health insurance companies charged more for the people that place their health in higher risk status, then people would work harder to stay healthy. I know, that in my case, I have to work harder than the average person to stay healthy. I wish I didn't have to, but I do.

It's quite ridiculous to think that a 23 year old has "no" options as a truck driver to be healthy. That is absolutely ridiculous!

I don't agree with you totally here. Many people feel they can control their symptoms with a pill. Many people also do not want to exercise because it is work and it is hard. Insurance does not promote a healthier lifestyle. Discipline does and change does. We all know what we have to do to make healthy changes to our lives. We live in a world where convenience is more important than health. It is truly sad.

This conversation is really getting ridiculous. First off, not every truck driver is a long haul truck driver. This 23 year old may not be at all. People that drive trucks can pack a cooler of food. It is not a job that requires no choices. Second, America is becoming fatter and fatter. The 23 year old man in this conversation has a bmi of 37.7! That is not overweight, that is morbidly obese and can carry a pretty long line of health issues. We live in a world where cardiac disease is the number one killer. Obesity raises that risk as well as diabetes, stroke, etc. This should be a wake up call for this young man. 23 is WAY too young to start racking up this kind of medical bill. The insurance company is also probably looking at this job as yet another risk factor to his health. I would be incredibly concerned if my son (who is 18) had a bmi that high. I would find a way to turn that around with him. As for health insurance, I live in a Massachusetts, which requires every breathing person over the age of 18 health insurance. Although I think it stinks that people don't have a choice to be covered, I do think it is helping make up for the billions racked up from the uninsured. If you don't have coverage, you get severely penalized at tax year end. These insurance companies deny because they are losing money. Maybe this isn't the answer to the problem, but if everyone carried health insurance, then maybe less people would be denied, and the premiums wouldn't be so outrageous.

A PA (Physician's Assistant) actually does get MD rates. They are more in line with an NP... They assist in surgery, prescribe, diagnose, etc. I guess I am not sure what you are stating... It said doctor services, or they called the PA a doctor?