redhd5

I'm an LPN in Illinois and wondered if I could work in Canada. Am I able to move there and work, or do I have to be an RN to do that?

We did head to toe assessments on each other. My partner was actually my co-worker from my job--we were in nursing school together! Not only was my partner fatter than I thought she was--I found out she had a pierced naval as well! I was a little surprised, but we made a big joke out of it, and all went well. Overall, most of us could have cared less, as we were all CNA's in our program (it was a requirement).

That is hilarious! Where did they find this guy amyway? Is he affiliated with a hospital? Can't one of his peers do something about him? :chuckle

I don't know that this was funny, but it was weird. I had a guy several years ago at the nursing home that came in with staples up and down his arm and hand. The staples went way up past his elbow. He was also in isolation. I was a CNA at the time. I asked him what happened, and he said that he was fishing off the coast of Florida and a big fish came up and bit his arm open. They didn't know what kind of fish it was. He had stretched his arm out over the boat and it just came up out of the water! He said he loved to fish, and since he recently retired, that was what he planned on doing!

------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yes, I hope God Does Have Mercy on my soul...if I was the patient, I would want a compassionate nurse to hold my hand and support me through an abortion. Imagine in no one was willing to hold you hand..... I think everyone deserves a second chance in their life, and that is why I think the nurse's role is crucial. The nurse can counsel the patient, and give them some guidance and direction.....to stop it from happening again! Does this not make sense? That is the only reason I would be willing to work in an abortion clinic. But I love my current job:) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- We, ourselves, feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. --Mother Theresa

The role of the nurse in assisting with abortions is critical. Everyone here seems hung up on the actual procedure--but think about the big picture here!!! A lot of the patients are young, uneducated woman. While in recovery, it is the nurse's job to educate, educate, educate! There are a lot of birth control options that your patients don't know about! I was doing a rotation at the public aid clinic (which is big) and most of the patients I ran into during that rotation were poor, uneducated woman, who were very young (mostly under 20 years of age), and didn't speak English. About half had venereal diseases. Most all of them had been abandoned by their boyfriends and a family member was helping them deal with the aftermath. A lot of them wanted abortion referrals. I am pro-choice, but do not work in the ob/gyn field, but if I did, I would think the support and direction you would give that patient would be crucial. I have never met a woman who WANTS this procedure done. I have met lots of woman who think it is the ONLY option for them at that time in their life. I have never met a woman who would want to go through an abortion again. Hence the important role of the nurse....... There for the Grace of God goes me. And I am Catholic. :)

I had a situation in LTC where the ambulance was called to send a resident to the hospital per families request. Dr. wanted the guy seen to resolved respiratory distress issues, and it was on a Sunday, and our portable x-ray guy takes Sunday off (there are three major hospitals in my area). The family wanted him sent, and then didn't want him sent to the ER. The family wanted to paramedics to monitor the guy at the bedside and stick around for a few hours. When I came in that a.m., I could not believe that no one ( nurse or paramedic) had taken charge of the situation. The paramedics were standing around acting impatient, and the guy really needed to be sent. So, I pulled the family aside, and explained that the resident needed to go to the ER to be evaluated by the MD and that he would probably return that day. I told them that the paramedics could not sit around and wait, as they were the EMS for the entire community, not just this particular resident. I told the son that if he didn't want his dad sent, then the paramedics would be leaving, and when they made up their mind to send him, we would call them back. The family decided to let him go to the ER at that point. (He had pnuemonia and was started on i.v. antibiotics and returned to the facility.) I have only witnessed one rude EMS worker. Everyone here is really great to work with. I even walked in on a situation where two nurses were doing CPR on a dead lady (obviously gone for awhile) and the paramedic team was professional and courteous. They instructed the nurse to call the MD and the coroner, ran an EKG strip for the nurses, and were very pleasant. I was surprised, because I thought they would get nasty with the nurses for that. The only time we don't treat and send is for residents who are comfort care, and the family is given our written policy prior to making that decision and a staff nurse or social service person worker goes over it with them. And "comfort care" is an order from the doc, so there is no gray area. I find that a lot of residents have a hard time with the code/no code choice, mostly due to the way it is explained to them. I try to keep it simple. (Coroner or 9-1-1, people!)

I have worked in LTC for 20 years now and have worn the hats of NA, CNA, Admissions, Supply Clerk, Medical Records Clerk, LPN, Wound Care Nurse, and Administrative Nurse. I feel one of the fundamental problems is lack of education. When I started as an NA and got certified, it required so much more than it does now. I recently asked several new CNA students who were towards the end of their training for the normal parameters for blood pressure, and no one seemed to know. Some of them didn't even know how to take blood pressures! Unfortunately, the staff nurse doesn't have the time to help CNA's hone their job skills, as this should have been done prior to getting certified. Times have certainly changed. I am finding that if I include and empower my CNA's in decisons--I get much better performance from them. They are not given the tools to do their jobs well. CNA's don't know about care plans because they don't cover that in class. They have to be taught and shown, just like anyone else. With a reasonable explaination as to why, most will do what is asked. Alot of the "attitude" has to do with not being informed as to why they are an important part of the care. With HIPPA, things are just going to get worse, I am afraid. But I make sure my aids get report, so they are informed. In a lot of long term care settings, the CNA's aren't even getting report anymore. Can you imagine working somewhere and not getting report and being expected to do everything right? And there is such animosity in the nursing heirarchy. The administratvie nurses act like they could never pass meds, the staff nurses can't figure out how to take charge (because most of them don't know how), and the CNA's need direction because they lack basic skills. I have complained to the CNA instructor who brings her students into my nursing home about this, and she agrees that skills aren't what they should be. Well, I ask, "Who is responsible for this?" I work on an acute care unit in LTC at present and I try to fit in "teaching moments" as much as I can, instead of having a constant critical eye. My CNA's do everything I ask of them. I used to be one of them at my own facility, and I have never been given an attitude about being "too good for the job." I am an LPN and we hired an RN who was afraid to suction someone. This is a basic nursing skill for nurses. Instead of shaming her, or belittling her, I simply said, "Come on, let's go learn this together." She was thrilled that someone would help her. Being on all sides of the fence has helped to put things into perspective, but the longer I work in nursing, the more understanding I have certainly become and I do commend those that become BSN's and run the facilities. There is a lot of crap out there with funding cuts and trying to make sure the right hoops have been jumped through, for funding. I wouldn't want that job. But I certainly am supportive of their efforts to run the nursing home on a shoe string budget.