imenid37

Unfortunately some employers treat nurses as an abusive spouse would. You are to give it your all. It will never be enough. Whatever bad happens is your fault, not the employer's.Not all workplaces are like this, thankfully. Though, there are many that are. We should treat people well and provide care for them which is appropriate. Sometimes, appropriate care isn't what makes the patient happy. Sometimes, patients are not happy when another patient acts out and "bothers" them. We can do little about that in many cases. Sometimes, when people do not feel well anyway, their "experience" is only 7/10. It can be adequate and appropriate and not 9/10 or 10/10. it is just a way for the government to get out of paying us. Patients should be involved in their care, but they are not always the best judges of what is the very best in care. They shouldn't have to be. That is our job. We need to be able to support why we gave the care we did in the situation What we don't need is to be rated like a restaurant or an auto repair shop. Hmm? Maybe Angie's List should get into the patient survey biz Don't even get me started on the companies making money doing the surveys or sharing the "secrets" of getting those top box scores. That is a huge money making industry. None of this will go away because too many people are getting too much money out of this.

I disagree with the anti-vaccine position. I think if you don't want to vaccinate and agree that your kids stay home and away from others, then you are within your rights. Otherwise you are not. Right now we have measles in PA. The source??? Unvaccinated people. We can't protect kids from everything.There are many things and circumstances out there which are much more dangerous than vaccines. I know an anti-vaccine parent who takes their child hunting. That is more dangerous than vaccination. As is riding in a car or crossing the street. Real science points to the effectiveness of vaccination. You can try to deny it. Say what you want. At the end of it all, are the figures which show how many lives have been saved by vaccination. The risk benefit ratio is weighted heavily in favour of vaccines using real science. I am not sure why so many focus on this issue. It almost seems to be a case of "I won't be told what to do, even if what I do endangers others."

I did not read all of the responses. From personal experience, I had measles at age 25. My temp was almost 105 and I felt incredibly ill. My body was covered with the measles rash. It did not itch. I felt hot and weak. I thought I had meningitis and thought I might die. I really felt so bad, I didn't care. My liver was also enlarged and my liver enzymes were elevated. I was vaccinated as an infant, but earlier than the recommended time. Since I had been vaccinated, they had a difficult time diagnosing my illness. Another person at the hospital where I worked was diagnosed with measles and the health department wanted to test me. It turned out, I had atypical measles syndrome which occurs in vaccinated people exposed to "wild" measles. Atypical measles syndrome: unusual hepa... [Am J Med Sci. 1981 Jan-Feb] - PubMed - NCBI Never, ever would I want my children or grandchildren to be as ill as I was. I have parents born in the early part of the 20th century who had these diseases as children. They suffered terribly and knew of other kids who died. If you can avoid these diseases, why not take the precaution? Death is not the only consequence. Children can suffer lifelong sequelae, including neurological impairment. The rare child will have a serious adverse reaction to a vaccine. The risk is of death or disability is substantially less than the risk we take when we go on a car ride with our kids. It is true, as in my case, that sometimes vaccines are not effective. That too is the exception, not the rule. It never ceases to amaze me who parents choose to believe when it comes to vaccines. The propaganda spread by Andrew Wakefield was a lie meant only to advance his position and prestige. Jenny McCarthy is an uninformed celebrity and the mom of a child suffering. Of course, she wants something we can identify and blame to explain her son's illness. That is human nature. It does not mean what she says is true. You would not go to a wood cutter for heart surgery. Why do you think that celebrities and known liars know better than respected scientists, pediatricians, and our nursing colleagues? Vaccinations save lives. What one does for one's own family, is to a great extent a private matter. However, because there are some children who cannot get vaccinated due to health conditions and those for whom vaccines do not confer immunity, by decreasing the percentage of vaccinated individuals, a parent's uninformed choices may put many people at risk.

I feel very bad for her and the family of the infant. She did something any of us could do. This is just awful. You have to wonder if she was tired, distracted, had too many patients, etc. There was still a place in nursing for her. I hate that the very thing she loved most left her hanging. I hope she is with God and now feels peace, love, and forgiveness.

That is so nice. Nursing is very stressful many times and I often feel we can't enjoy caring for and being with our patients. Your story gives those of us feeling burned out a little hope! We all need a Mr. John in our lives. May he RIP. :)

I grew up in the suburbs. Things were not much different than Dudette decscribes. People met at the back fence to talk. When your neighbour was sick, you know it and dropped by and sent over a dessert or covered dish. I think we all fear one another now. There are many odd people and odd happenings. The default is to be unfriendly or even hostile. When I was a kid, we usually assumed the best about others until proven otherwise. It was normal for kids to make friends with one another by walking up to another kids' door or starting up a conversation at the ball field. We didn't have play groups to formally introduce us to kids our parents chose as friends for us. We lack social skills, because we lack meaningful, spontaneous interaction with each other from an early age. Everything is staged or planned and occurs on specific terms, rather than just happening. We are insulated and isolated in many senses. Because we have become so isolated, we lack the skills and patience it takes to get along with others. It is all about me for many people. They have not learned any manners, so they are not able to use them. A lot of people are rude and selfish on a personal level and in their jobs. They always put themselves first and have trouble even recognizing others' needs or wishes and if they do, they do not care much anyway. The first hospital I worked in, amny of the staff had been there for their entire working lives. If you think you may have to get along with someone for life, you will perhaps, make more of an effort to learn how "tolerate" or even enjoy them. Now we all move around a lot. If I do not like this person or this job, I will just get another. I enjoy things like Facebook and I earned my MSN online. but I do think that the balance has swung too far from face to face interpersonal interaction. I see this with new orientees and students a lot. They often lack social skill so vital to suceeding with patient care and relating to co-workers. Management types are some of the biggest offenders. It is a stressful world right now. The economy is bad. The work environment is often awful. The worst of times bring out the worst in the worst of people. Sometimes, all you can do is to leave a bad situation, just be very careful you do not find an even worse one.

If not professional duckpin bowler or lottery winner, I still would have been a nurse but gone into midwifery in my mid thirties. I am an RN w/ MSN but long for something more clinical than education and now I am an old grey lady. I still may be a CNM when i grow up!:)

IF people were given a couple of short breaks and a meal time (like the LAW says), THEN 12 hour shifts are ok. To me it is is just a longer period in the tangled web of too much work for not enough people. I can see why folks do it. It is bad enough to endure 3 days ina difficult situation, let alone 5!

This happened to my friend's daughter. She is a very bright girl, but not a good test taker. She finally went for LPN and is now set to complete the bridge program and for RN in December. BTW, she passec the LPN boards with no trouble. You could also consider a private program. If other factors are good (experience, standardized testing, etc), then they may admit you.

I went to St. Louis University online. Very $$$, but although I did education, I had classes with many NP students. It was rigorous. They had a lot of clinical. I think they have excellent pass rates on the certification exams. The professors for pharm, patho, and physical assessment were excellent. They were highly thought of by all of the MSN students.

I am not insulted by this post and I enjoyed the article. I am a nurse educator and I have an MSN and several certifications. I do not make enough $ to be Gucci or have a great sense of style, unless it involves sweats. I find it isn't the clothes or the position that make the Gucci nurse, it is a loss of empathy and IMHO being out of touch with who we should be. Over the years, I have come to the realization that no matter what I do or what degree I have, the most important business of nursing is conducted at the bedside. Those of us not at the bedside full-time have a role. We are there as stage hands, to facilitate excellent patient care, though indirectly. We do NOT occupy the roles we have because we are more important than the bedside nursing staff. To me as leaders and educators, we are there to provide the infra-structure. To provide an effective infra-structure and make informed decisions, we should be aware of what is going on, the good and the bad. From my experience, when they fear you in person, they mock you in private and take little of what you say to heart. I always introduce myself to folks as a nurse because that is what is most important about me professionally. The other stuff means I have some additional credentials and/ or knowledge about certain things. It is sad to think that some in nursing went from a position of total subservience to our physician colleagues to being "arrogant" to those we should be there to support. (PS I would probably show up visiting with sweats from JCPenney or Sears)

Smooth criminal: the mom's S.O. had stolen the orange top he was wearing from our local county jail! Talk about dress to impress. Please Release Me : I actually spoofed this for restraint education a few years ago.

Hi, Best of luck with whatever you decide. I think Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine has some options for people who have been in other healthcare professions to become DO's. Thier website is: LECOM - Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Pharmacy. My daughter does rehab nursing. You would be such an asset in that field! That is pretty cool to think that there are chiros returning to school for the RN degree. I also agree that financial stability and happiness with one's position in life are important. Personally, I would hate to worry with running my own business. More and more physicians are becoming part of practices owned by hospitals or just becoming hospitalists.

Often if you want to work for Indian Health Service (as an NP or CNM) or agree to teach in an underserved area, you may qualify for some sort of grant or payback. There was a program called federal nurse-traineeeships for APN's many years ago. I am not sure if it is still in existence. try googling.

I always tell my co-workers we should have National Nurses Can Say What They Think Day. To Mr. PJ's, my first thought would be..."Who cares about what you say about me! The nurses have their own survey to rate patients and you, sir are the biggest loser!!!" I doubt he is paying the bill, his insurance probably is or better yet the government. Most of our self pay patients are Amish or Mennonite. They would not speak to you like that. If you are polite, sincere, and try your best to do a good job, 90%+ of patients will be happy. Reasonable people realize that in the real world, things get busy and sometimes you are not able to cater to ther every whim. The others are often chronic whiners who we've have all decided in the past few years have a valid point or observation which they often do not. If you gave them $1 million, they would complain that the guy in the next bed got 1 million and one dollars or that he got a crisper stack of bills. It is just another example of where reality and the "business" of healthcare fail to connect. As for the, "I will get you in the parking lot" comments, that is when I would file a security and possibly police report. I am dead serious. No one has the right to threaten your safety while you perform your job. They can forward that satisfaction survey to the county jail. Sometimes patients feel vulnerable and they do act immature, but if you say "hey I am sorry it took me so long to get back to you, my other patient had a problem that I had to address immediately, MOST (unless the most self absorbed babies) will be okay with a sincere reasonable explanation.