Ruby Vee BSN

CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching

Original Member of the Crusty Old Bat Society

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All Content by Ruby Vee

  1. Ruby Vee

    Starting in ICU

    Ruby Vee replied to Tacomaboy3's topic in Critical Care

    I started in Med/Surg, and that worked for me. I had already learned the basic nursing skills plus how to talk to patients, families, physicians, pharmacists, etc. I had organizational skills and a...
  2. Ruby Vee

    Switching from nights to days

    Ruby Vee replied to emaz29's topic in General Nursing

    I suggest you keep working night shift as your manager requested. Your manager helped out the nurse who has seniority over you -- the one that worked there before. She helped out the nurse who was...
  3. Ruby Vee

    If you could redo it....would you choose nursing?

    Ruby Vee replied to ICURNPA92's topic in General Nursing

    I've had an interesting, challenging career with good working conditions (inside, out of the sun, rain, snow, whatever) and flexible scheduling. My pay has been adequate to afford a comfortable...
  4. Ruby Vee

    BSN straight to NP or gain work experience

    Ruby Vee replied to clint.parsch's topic in General Nursing

    Get some work experience first. The NP education model is based on the idea that you will already have skills from the five years of bedside nursing they used to require before admittance into an NP...
  5. Ruby Vee

    Let's vent about the good

    Ruby Vee replied to Emm_RN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I was surprised to see that such a positive topic got so few comments. Then I noticed that it was pretty NICU-focused. I don't want to hijack your thread, but would you consider opening it up to...
  6. Ruby Vee

    Awful Preceptor

    Ruby Vee replied to RN Grad 17''s topic in General Students

    Perhaps you don't understand that most preceptors aren't given any notice about precepting nursing students, any choice in the matter, any extra pay or any time at work to go through your packet of...
  7. Ruby Vee

    What's the most annoying part about taking online CEs to renew your license?

    Ruby Vee replied to argh_eigh_elle's topic in Nursing Professionalism

    Our hospital offers numerous interesting seminars and classes for nurses. But our managers don't have to give us education hours OR pay for the classes. This is the first time in 37 years I've...
  8. Ruby Vee

    Contacted multiple times for same empty shift

    Ruby Vee replied to Emergent's topic in General Nursing

    "No" is a complete sentence. Perhaps at the next staff meeting you could suggest keeping track of who has been contacted and the answer that was
  9. Ruby Vee

    Scheduled to Work A Holiday Not Assigned

    Ruby Vee replied to purplegal's topic in General Nursing

    Now you know why you look at your schedule early and often. Assuming that you won't be scheduled for the holiday "because it's not in my hire agreement" is a non-starter. The person who actually...
  10. Ruby Vee

    What challenges will I face becoming per diem at a bigger hospital than I'm used to?

    Ruby Vee replied to tenderfootjoe's topic in Medical-Surgical

    I think brown book answered your questions about "on call" vs. "per diem" -- make sure you clarify with the big city hospital exactly what your obligations are in terms of availability and what (if...
  11. Ruby Vee

    Favorite nursing job or specialty

    Ruby Vee replied to nursemayj's topic in General Nursing

    I found my niche in ICU -- I love the challenge, the acuity and the difference I can make. I would hate, hate, HATE anything involving children or babies. Or visiting patients in their homes....
  12. Ruby Vee

    Undecided! PCU or BMT/Oncology as New Grad?

    Ruby Vee replied to nursejess28's topic in General Nursing

    You may get some really sick patients in either unit. My suggestion would be to make the choice based on the "feeling" you got from each place when you interviewed. Did one place make you feel...
  13. Ruby Vee

    Graduating soon, did nursing kill my relationship?

    Ruby Vee replied to TraumaICUqueen's topic in General Nursing

    My frustration lies in him being unwilling to help out at home. His frustration is that I rushed into nursing school too soon. He would have rather have me working for 5 years, save money and then,...
  14. Ruby Vee

    New 2-year contract required months after being hired on. Should I decline?

    Ruby Vee replied to LonghornChic's topic in General Nursing

    Choose the hospital you prefer -- and not just because of the pay difference, either. I've found that these things tend to equal out. Hospital B may be paying more now, but hospital A may increase...
  15. Ruby Vee

    How many weeks is orientation typically?

    Ruby Vee replied to ILNurse728's topic in General Nursing

    Many, many of your psych skills will transfer to the new job. (And you'll be valued by your new colleagues because of your psych knowledge. The mentally ill get admitted to the hospital for physical...
  16. Ruby Vee

    Any nurses who were poor at math?

    Ruby Vee replied to matcha-cat's topic in General Nursing

    I hated algebra and did horribly at it. I got through my BSN program by studying really hard because I knew the dosage calculations were important. Then I went to graduate school and had to take...
  17. Ruby Vee

    What struggles did you go through to eventually become a nurse? Share your story.

    Ruby Vee replied to alieu4's topic in General Nursing

    Well, I can see her point. But it looks like she could have waited until after breakfast -- at dinner,
  18. Ruby Vee

    What struggles did you go through to eventually become a nurse? Share your story.

    Ruby Vee replied to alieu4's topic in General Nursing

    I was the first person in our family to go to college. When my father was driving me to high school graduation practice, he told me that he hoped my boyfriend was giving me a ring for graduation...
  19. Ruby Vee

    Received a strange email from a hiring manager... Please Help

    Ruby Vee replied to Ebussman's topic in First Year After Licensure

    A silly typo which you wouldn't have made had you spelled out "June" instead of taking the less formal route of typing 6/5. In that situation, I think I would have spelled out the date (more...
  20. Ruby Vee

    I miss floor nursing...I think?

    Ruby Vee replied to tshunni's topic in General Nursing

    I feel your pain. I had a cushy teaching job with no weekends or holidays. I loved the teaching; hated the schedule and never got to participate in the really fun train wrecks except to drag a...
  21. Ruby Vee

    Undecided! PCU or BMT/Oncology as New Grad?

    Ruby Vee replied to nursejess28's topic in General Nursing

    I'm sorry -- what is PCU? In the absence of knowing, I'd vote for BMT/oncology. BMT is fascinating, and it's a great place to learn. I don't think it would hurt your chances of getting into a pecs...
  22. Ruby Vee

    What is the grossest thing that's happened to you???

    Ruby Vee replied to PrincessAlexis's topic in General Nursing

    Years ago, in my first ICU job we had this trached guy in a rocking bed. The theory was that as the bed rocked -- head up, then feet up, then head up -- gravity would push and pull on his diaphragm,...
  23. Ruby Vee

    Feeling inadequate- new job

    Ruby Vee replied to Pedsnurse1026's topic in General Nursing

    New jobs are difficult, and if the new job also includes a new specialty that makes it even MORE difficult. to top it off, I'm an introvert and that makes it difficult for me to get to know my new...
  24. Ruby Vee

    Ask A Stupid Question . . . .

    Ruby Vee posted a topic in General Nursing

    I know I've asked some really, really stupid questions in my day. Right now, though, none of them come to mind. The stupidest question I can think of right now was asked by a married father of three...
  25. Ruby Vee

    I am ashamed in myself

    Ruby Vee replied to KariT's topic in General Students

    How in the world will she be fine if she hasn't learned the material in her