ambil

Just for fun I looked up the exact definition of mutilate...to deprive of, cripple or maim, to make imperfect by seriously damaging a part. Well, you get the point. I personally think circumcision is a little bit mutilation. Thank goodness it doesn't leave the "part" seriously damaged for life. Ha,ha. I just don't see why a parent would cut off any normal part of a babys body. For the most part a foreskin does not cause any life sustaining difficulties. The male body obviously knew what it was doing as it evolved through time. It seems to be more a cultural thing than not.

How bad is the stress? There are so many different types of stress to begin with. It really depends in what type of setting you work in. Lack of time to treat people humanly is for me a big stress maker. I get very irritated too when I know I could do a better job here or there but because of too little time I have to rush through something and do a half*** job. Unexpected situations, like a patient going suddenly bad and you having to drop everything can be a tough one. What I've learned through the years is to believe in myself, my abilities, and to know at the end of a shift that I gave my best, regardless of the outcome. And after work do something for yourself. Try to have a hobby and see friends. Don't take the work home with you. It took me a few years to be able and just close the door behind me when I went home at night. I mean, you can't change the world. I've always like the following quote......."To laugh often and much, to win the respect of diversified people and the affection of children, to leave the world a better place....to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. Don't let stress, whatever type it is, get the best of you.

These patients are being taken care of at home by their families. Our last visit is around 1900-2000, then we are there again in the morning as early as possible. So yes, unfortunatly these patients are lying in a very wet diaper for the last few hours in any case. For the most part the family members are not able to do much themselves, thats why they are in our care. The patients can turn themselves a little bit, but not always. All of our patients, when called for, have a antidecubitus mattress. (forgive my lack of wording, I've been living in germany a long time, my english is fading...) So turning is not the problem. What I simply don't get is that if you don't use pads or a diaper what do you use then? I mean, I can't let them just make a huge mess in their beds, they will also smear everything with their hands, get the picture? These patients cannot simply be institutionized, their families want them to stay home and it is of course a financial problem for many. I've been working with this team for almost 10 years and I've never seen a patient develop severe problems due to diapers with a pad. I think sometimes we as nurses have a tendency to over react. We're so afraid of getting the blame when a problem occurs, know what I mean?

O.K. A little crying is good to let of the steam about being mad at yourself, but don't pout too long, ha. We ALL have made a mistake somewhere down the road. Look at the positive side because there really is one. Your mistake wasn't detrimental to the patients health. Your're lucky because this one mistake will leave a lasting impression on you. Never assume that someone else always knows whats going on. Trust yourself and only yourself in giving meds. When asked about the mistake simply admit that you made one. Don't try and put any of the responsibility onto someone else when you were the one responsible. Say what you learned from this mistake and how you will in the future avoid doing it again. How you handle your mistakes afterward is a strong indicator of your own character.

This post reminds me of one of my embarresing moments as a student nurse. I was working in a med/surg. unit, scared out of my wits, unsure of myself and was given the task of giving someone his meds. I was supposed to crush it and mix it with his yogurt. Well what of course had to happen? I just didn't think and I exhaled right on it. I was stunned, probably white as a ghost. I quickly put my tail between my legs and told someone on shift what I had done. Of course they had their fun with me for the rest of the day. I even had to trudge down to the hospital pharmacy and get a new pill for the patient. The parmacist asked what I did with the first one. He had his laugh too!!! I've been working 20 years and NEVER did it again.:imbar

Hello all, We've got a few patients who seem to be having problems with staying dry until we show up for morning care.. The beds are so often soaking from neck to bottom with urin. We had always used extra thick pads in evening care to help absorb the excess. We even used extra absorbent diapers for adults(nightcare) and 2 pads. The product names are irrelevant because I work in germany, all names are different of course! A co-worker of mine says we shouldn't use extra pads because it stops the diapers from absorbing properly. Well, I've always found they help, expecially when one removes the pads as soon as they are wet. Hmmm, any suggestions out there how you deal with this common problem? Are there really disadvantages to using extra pads at night with a diaper?

I've been living overseas for many years and don't know some of these abbreviations. What is LTC?. Even without knowing this from what you say it sounds as if the orientation was very unfair for you. Hang in there with this menopause thing. I know from experience, being 50, that there is a sort of nursing menopausal demence, ha. I think too at times I must be getting a little wacky, but all I can say is hang in there. We middle aged nurses have soooo much to offer in experience and knowledge. Granted, I can't run the halls as fast as I used to but I've certainly not become stupid. Have patience with yourself and trust yourself and your own instincts. It will get better, and like I said, I bet the main problem was due to a poor orientation and not because your losing it!

what a riot. i could actually read this without much of a problem. i still think that spelling is important, because we simply do notice the mistakes even if we understand what is being said. it says something about our person, our character too, when we make lots of mistakes and knowingly leave them, know what i mean?

I think that spelling is very important. The problem sometimes is that I just don't have the time to check on all my mistakes. I have a double problem. I work in Germany and have to write in german:smackingf. I know as I'm writing that I'm making errors, but what can I do? I get the main point across, but I know that my grammer and word order and word usage are just miserable when I'm under time pressure. I kind of think that some of my co-workers think that maybe I'm not too smart also because my writing is at times so bad. It bothers me to have this stigma.

As soon as I sent in this post I noticed right away my spelling error-good grief!!! I've been away from Michigan toooo long. In german we say Wundpflege, which is wound care. How embarassing:imbar I know what you are saying about her desire to practice her new knowledge and the like. But it's more than that. I mean, we 12 nurses have been a positive functioning team for a long while. She is kinna ******* us off, with this "she can do it better attitude". We want her suggestions, but whats with this destructive attitude to the point that she takes patients, which I've had for months, simply away. She is also destroying MY trusting relationship that I had built up during these months. Could it be that her ego is getting the best of her? And if yes, what would you suggest the best way is to get her off her high horse?

I've been working in home care nursing 8 years or so. Usually a tour will be shared with as few nurses as possible for better continuity in care and the like. A co-worker has finished an extra training to become our wundmanager on board. O.K., no problems with that. But I'm really curious of what just HER resposibilities are and HOW FAR they can go. She has taken me and other nurses off three cases in the past few months. It isn't setting well with us. I assumed she was there to make suggestions and so on. But she just changes things around and ends up more or less taking over what were once my patients. I don't mind suggestions, but I do mind when all of a sudden, for no provable reasons, a case is taken away. And the wund documentation in all of these cases was flawless. What might be going on here? Any ideas? Is it normal for a nurse who is a wund specialist to take cases just away like this from other nurses? I'd appreciate hearing from any "specialists" out there and how they operate!! I've been working in Germany for a long time, sorry if my english is lacking in some clarity!

It's was one of "those" days. I got to work in stress due to traffic, couldn't find my tour plan, had to listen to stupid complaints from a co-worker who needed to be in the limelight for the 20th time that week, got grunted at from an grumpy doctor who didn't appreciate my suggestions, caused a patient to yelp out in pain in front of her husband who accused me of being rough.........I just wanted to go home.....home......home.......Garage door opens slowly up, I drive in and see him coming towards me. Big, brown, fuzzy,warm and HAPPY TO SEE ME!! No if's and's or but's, just acceptance. My husband always jokes and says that there is nothing worse than a woman with her dog. Do you think he's jealous?:chuckle

I could say ditto to most of what's been said sofar. I switched from working in a hospital to home care and never regretted the move. I remember how I felt the last two years in a hospital setting...frustrated, confused, stupid, used, misunderstood helpless..and so on. Now after being in home care for 8 years or so I feel secure, confident, respected, motivated and professional. This will sound corny, but home nursing really has shown me that I was meant to be a nurse. I love having to be creative and resourceful. I enjoy working between doctors, thearapists, pharmacists and medical supply firms. I like being the coordinator for a new palliative care patient and getting everything arranged so that he or she can come home and experience his last days in peace and comfort with family and loved ones. I can really make a difference in my little corner of the world in home care nursing. I can also say after all this that I don't regret my years as a hospital nurse. Everyone should put in some time there to experience the system and learn the basics. What I learned there was critical for my confidence and decision making ability in home care.:prdnrs:

Good point with asking a student why she has this need to point such things out. I'll remember that. And I didn't actually use the word "annoy". I work in Germany so am speaking german-good grief! That's a a barrel of laughs sometimes... I said translated into english..."I don't really like it when you compare me with nurse so and so, it kinna bugs me." (A softer form of annoy-ha) In any case, it's true that some of the younger,opps, new ones are just expressing themselves without thinking first. But I can also say that some of them are just being little sassy pants and trying to show off! Tomorrow I have a new student on my tour...give me strength!!

Yes, I feel it is up to me in certain situations to help a person 1) become aware of his behavior on others and 2) to help him or her change for the better. That's one of the reasons students are put together with experienced nurses in the first place, right? I'm not doing any student any good by babying him. Being able to take critisism is a part of making it in this world, especially in the nursing/medical profession. No one buttered my path along the way and for the most part I'm grateful. If I really wouldn't say anything about an annoying student then what would it bring? This poor thing would continue to stumble about, getting laughed or talked about behind her back because no one else was....courageous(?) enough to want to help. I want to help these people and simply said, sometimes the truth hurts but at least it is the truth. Students like to work with me at the station where I work. We laugh alot amongst ourselves and with the patients. I'm known to have a very strong sense of humor, which helps smooth the "positive critisism" that I share. I suppose I have a strong mother instinct, ha, and try to cradle these newbies under my wing and help them learn to fly better. Stupid analogy, I know!:imbar When I think back over the years I can only remember one student who was not impressed with my observations. :chuckleShe was so thoroughly convinced of her superhuman powers that she drove the whole station batty, patients too. But I don't regret telling her what we all thought the problem was, somebody had to. She was making a fool out of herself. I wasn't worried about her not likeing me in the end. I did the right thing and hopefully she grew up a little bit and learned about herself in the process. :igtsyt: We all seem to be able to say what we really want on this thread, well, why not in person too?

O.K. I can use my best last example which occured just three weeks ago. I was working side by side with a young student nurse(2nd year) and I was putting together an infusion at a patients house. I work in home care. She kept on talking about how nurse so and so does it this way and that way, really getting on my nerves!! I said to her, "I know that you mean it well, but it really annoys me when you compare me all the time with other nurses. Lucky you, your're young, ha, but you haven't had the chance to see that nurses all have their own style. It's perfectly normal that we all work "a little bit" different. I don't mean to sound so mean right now, but I can't work well when you compare me with nurse so and so..." Maybe it did hurt her feelings a little bit, but I think I did it with respect. She really had no idea that she was annoying me with her behavior. There is more to nursing than just learning nursing skills. Many people simply need to learn how to interact with human beings in a respectful way. Say what is needed and somehow attatch a compliment to it. I know it's not always easy! Constructive criticism is hard at first, but it gets easier with time and patience.

I didn't read all of what's here but I get the main idea. Someone wrote about "unfolding personalities" and I kinna like the sound and jest of that. People "reveal" themselves for different reasons. Many people go on and on about their own personal experiences because they simply need the attention from others. They are so involved with what they need that they don't even notice that their behavior is annoying others. Others vent their smarts to show off, this is also a type of craving for attention, unfortunalty at the expense of others. I've been a nurse for 20 years and have experienced my share of unfolding personalities, wow! :uhoh21: And these students are young and middle aged. I know within the first five minutes what type of personality I need to stick it out with for the next weeks and months. For the most part I enjoy the normal questions that come with the profession. For the other part I find the arrogance and the "I know it all" attitudes to be a real challenge. I've learned how to deal with them all, and pretty darn good if I do say so myself. When a student is annoying, for whatever reason, I talk to him or her about it in a professional way. ( I work in Germany and at the end of the semester we have an evaluation...or earlier if necessary!) Sometimes the truth hurts, but one can reveal an irritating habit in a kind and gentle manner, without being insulting at the same time. Yes, people can be so annoying can't they? ................But that's just the way it is in the world. No matter where we live, where we work, or what we are doing. My point is, "personalities" like these will be found everywhere, and not just in nursing school. Soooooo, before we say what we would like to say, like shut the **** up, try to help them recognize how they are affecting the group. It can be done!! Sorry if this is too long.....:typing

I've been working in Germany for about 15 years and I make about 17.00 Euros pro hour which is about 27.00 dollars. The pay should be better, as we all know. But at least in Germany we get 4-6 weeks of vacation, per year! And that's from day one on.

I really don't understand why our genitals are being manipulated so much. Males are circumsized in certain parts of the world and unfortunatly little girls too. Common sense tells me that both examples are barbaric and outdated with what we know about the human body and personal hygiene today. Yes, it's a personal decision and is sometimes based on religious principles. We can't change deep rooted practices. I'm just not one for causing unnessary physical pain. I hear alot about "personal choice". Babies just can't be asked, can they? But how can a grown man know what he is missing when it was taken away before he could remember. Who knows, maybe he would like it better not being circumcised.

Wow, one could read here all night... so many replies! I always knew that I belonged in the health profession since my teen years. I initially thought of being a paramedic, then a parmacist, then a psychologist...then I went into nursing. My first born son was born with a lot of problems (long story made short...) and I was doing nursing in a sense with him for the eight years that he lived. Being one who has experienced being on the "other side", that is, receiving the help and support from nurses, doctors, therapists etc., has helped me immensely in being a nurse today. It took me 10 years to get my BSN, but I got it! I know first hand what individuals and families are going through because I was there myself. Nursing kind of found me when I think of it, and I've never regretted it. Here is a fun fact. My grandmother would have been proud of me. She was one of Michigans first registered nurses in the year 1914. I have a picture of her with six other nurses who passed the first exam, stiff caps on and diplomas in their hands. I guess it's just in my genes!:)

Keep it simple, nursing is a profession. Just like the medical profession, which encompases a vast array of specialties. The nursing profession encompases also a vast array of specialties that we draw from. We practice as nurses in our profession. We work as nurses in our profession... We base what we know and learn through the sciences of our profession... We incorporate and practice good ethics within our profession... We learn about the psychology of relationships and use them in our profession... I guess one could say I'm in favor of the word profession in describing who and what we are.

I think I can contribute something to think about here. I've been working in germany for the last 20 years or so. I came over here with a , ha, BSN in nursing. Because of my great education I was taken into the system right away, even though my german was pretty shaky in the beginning. My point is, a higher education equals competence and respect, for the most part that is. I know, I know, there are nurses out there who have their BSN and even more and one wonders how they make it to work everyday-ha, but a higher education is like money in the bank. No one can every take it away. A big problem here in germany is that to become a nurse one does not have to attend a university at all. One can acquire a high school diploma and take a three year training program and become a nurse. Some people think oh great, even I can become a nurse. Well, thats the problem sometimes. Some people just shouldn't be in nursing if they don't have what it takes. When I see nursing jobs here listed next to the "looking for a maid" position I know that something in wrong. Education equals respect in the long run and if I can earn more money for that then thankyou very much! :)

Over the years I've experienced many positive and enlightening things. But there is always this one case that I often reflect on.... A young married couple were struggleing through the last phases of cervical CA. The patient was discharged into home care. She and her husband were given the belief that she just needed to "take a little break" from Chemo and that she could start again in a few weeks. We knew in our station that she was sent home to die. So, we got everything set up at home, pain meds, parenteral nutrition and so on... after a few days I started working on finding out what they really knew and believed. I trusted my instinct and was then direct with the patient's husband and told him she had only a few weeks. I also talked directly to the patient and she had a very hard time letting go and accepting her condition. As predicted the situation developed as we all know it can and does. She died then but I wasn't there on that day. I felt very unsure for a few days if I had done the right thing. Then a friend of the family came to my home, with flowers for me and a moving letter from the patients husband. He thanked me for helping them experience these last weeks so close as they did. If no one had had the guts to say the truth, they wouldn't have had the chance to say goodbye.... I'll simply never forget it. Ambil

Good going!!! Actually, I find your thread quite refreshing. Albeit, it is at times a little over done and generalized, but I certainly could relate. And I'm a well adjusted, not burned out nurse. I read through a few pages and got the just of the responses and feelings that you generated. Sorry, but the one about us nurses being "angels" is just too much. O.K., you mean well, but give me a break! I enjoy doing good for my fellow being but I do have reasons for setting limits and not turning my cheek. I don't let myself get abused by doctors or patients. I have learned how to professionally and with calm stick up for myself. Even martyrs need to pay the bills, so give me more money and don't think I'm satisfied just because I know I'm doing good in this world. Ambil

Hello, I've been working in the german system for quite a few years now. When I first started here the staffing situation was tolerable, realistic at least. Over the last several years it has turned into the nightmare that we are all experiencing. Why do we put up with it? I think for the most part simply because we have to. I, as one person don't know what to do to change it. Especially when every sane person knows that it's a major problem. It all has to to with money and costs, easy as that. Nursing changed in essence when hospitals and medical care turned into big business. The human issue has transpired into a budget issue. It all has to do with keeping costs down. The answer is easy in my opinion, it's just getting things changed in the right direction what's hard. The big power and decision making is being done way up the ladder. Take care, Ambil