gauge14iv

Happens all the time - some people keep these charades up for years apparently... http://www.bon.state.tx.us/disciplinaryaction/imposteralert.html

Let's put it this way - you can have fun and be professional, but cute does not serve "the cause". Here's a video that demonstrates it pretty well - It depicts a doctor, not a nurse, but the end perception on the part of patients is the same. Warning - it may not be work appropriate. This is how we are perceived when we put on the cute factor when working with patients. Their health is a serious matter to them, we should treat them as such. Doesn't mean we can't laugh and joke with patients, just means the hair flip, tweety bird tops and hot pink pants are probably not working in our favor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsS9MslU72Q&feature=related

"If nurses want to be taken seriously they need to quit wearing holiday socks and act like the intelligent educated professionals they are" Don't remember who said it but it has stuck with me and served me well!

The doctor will write an order to "weigh daily"

Me too - we took a special 12 week class offered by the hospital for nursing students, and we were able to do foleys, assist with sterile dressing changes, phelbotomy, set up equipment like a chest tube unit or infusion wamer etc, pretty much everything on the list. This was back in the early 90's when they were pushing the PCT concept pretty hard.

Ridiculous isn't it? If WE need a glossary to figure it out, how is anyone who isn't a nurse supposed to figure it out? The KISS principle applies here :)

In texas, this is illegal, in fact they made one vet clinic chain stop! It should be reported.

Tenet left their staff stranded the longest in NOLA. Even when HCA/Columbia was sending their own private rescue choppers in, Tenet was holding out. Nope. Wouldnt work for them. On principle alone.

NOT reporting this facility can jeopardize your license too! You have a legal obligation in most states to report this type of thing

Some state medical boards (like Texas) have policies on treating of friends and family members - start there, because whatever goes on in a facility will need to at least mirror whatever the state's position is.

I don't know about slowing down as an NP! I run just as hard during a days work these days, and faster, but without all the manual lifting and labor intensive tasks. More decision making while on that run for sure. Some days are busy and easy, others are busy and difficult, but I can definately say there is no slowing down. We have to quit propagating this myth that NPs have more time to spend with patients. I don't get any more time to spend with a patient than my MD counterparts, but ALL of us take the time that is necessary when a patient needs it. Long hours charting - yes - I do a lot of charting after hours and from home. Still worth it for the simple fact that although I may be working 12 hours a day most of the time, 3 of those 12 are from home. I am closer to self employed in that I pay my own overhead and keep whats left so it makes me definitely more willing to work more as well as more efficiently. I know what it takes to break even, I wonder how I earned my salary at my first employer!

Heh! A sense of humor will take you almost everywhere you want to go!

The beauty of a career in nursing is you are not limited to a single type of job. I have been in nursing in some form starting out as a nurse tech for 20 years now. I have been an RN for 17 of those 20 years, and an NP for the past 4 years. I have worked in hospitals (ICU, ER, Med-Surg and NICU) home health, management, and worked as an industry consultant for a major advertising agency. I have done consulting for an electronic medical record company, and worked agency. I also did case management for an insurance company for a couple of years when my family needed me on more of a 9-5 no weekends and no holidays schedule. If you aren't happy where you are, get creative and find someplace where you will be happy. I am in family practice now as an NP and honestly, I don't see ever doing anything else. I love it, it just took me longer than I thought it would to get here. Everybody is suited to different things, if med-surg (or whatever) isn't your thing there are thousands of other avenues to choose from, and the opportunities are endless. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

We see late arrivals, we just let them know that since they are late we will need to work them back in and so there may be a wait. If you do this people are generally pretty understanding. You cant penalize the people who show up on time because someone else is late but things happen in life - the dog throws up, the kid decides to put his clothes on backwards. A little understanding and forgiveness goes a long way towards building your patient base and saving your sanity. It's really all in how the front desk handles it - sometimes you need to train them.

You have to choose Acute, Family, Pediatric, Womens Health, Adult, or Midwifery up front - in Texas anyway. Your entire program is geared to that specialty, and you are limited as to where you can practice. I have a friend for instance who is an anp - she had to go back for an FNP cert, and is basically having to do an entire program all over again except for about 8 core courses.