Caffeinated

I have been wondering about this myself. I accepted an offer to work as a sitter for a family when I was in nursing school and they paid me pretty well. I wouldn't mind doing it again but I'd be worried about the liability that may be involved in doing so with a license and if you could even identify yourself as a nurse in a situation like that...speaking as an LPN without anyone to work under.

When this nurse shared her horror stories about her other patients, I'd be likely to wonder what fault she'd find in me to share with others. I guess I am lucky to have never really encountered any remarkably bad conditions within a client's home. I suppose you can only try to educate people on more healthy habits; share with them what you know and respect their right to not follow a word of it. People do things all the time that they know are not good for them, but knowing doesn't necessarily make it any easier to change.

I'm betting you work at a state prison

I know in this state you can get a grant for vocational school that will pay for the program almost entirely. It is funds generated by the state lottery and there are no income requirements on it, but they'd let you know about something like that when you filled out your FAFSA.

It always tickles me to see the super cheap stethoscope on the TV and in ads. I always wonder if any nurses or doctors actually own one of them. I know some facilities have them lying around for staff use but they are just awful; guess they are cheap to replace by the truckload tho :)

I also live in TN. When I was in LPN school I took a PRN job as a CNA that was offered to me during my clinical rotation. I was able to become certified without any classes or experience in it other than what I had done in school for nursing. I had to submit some papers to the state showing I had training equivalent to or greater than what would be obtained in a traditional CNA program and I had to take the test. It was a very easy process. I am fairly certain you wouldn't have much trouble either. As far as how the process went the company that was recruiting me did most of the leg work. I had to obtain some documentation from my nursing school showing what I had completed but they arranged the rest. I'd say contact the board or perhaps you could inquire with some prospective employers.

I think they may have meant something along the lines of asking if this nice gesture was actually done by a man. I don't really think they are questioning if Steffers is a man with a boyfriend or not.

I was thinking something quite like this. Maybe you could get him a nice smelling men's bath and body set and tell him how much you adore it's smell. He might be inclined to use it to please you. If he did and you let him know how great he looked and smelled afterward it could boost his confidence and maybe he'd be inclined to use it more often. As for counseling I'd try suggesting couple counseling first as it will probably seem less intimidating.

Had a patient that was listed as allergic to warfarin but took Coumadin on a daily basis. I could see if they were allergic to a certain brand but last time I checked Coumadin is still warfarin.

Same question...why would you sit for the NCLEX-LPN if you are eligible to take the boards for your RN?

poor hygiene could be a symptom of depression; low sex drive could be as well. Besides tooth decay and gum disease poor oral hygiene is linked with cardiac disease. Abscesses wouldn't be very pleasant either.

I currently have a write-up hiding somewhere in my file for excessive absenteeism; I missed work for two consecutive days with a doctor's statement. Our policy states three or more episodes of absenteeism in a 30 day period is excessive. Because I work weekends, 12hr shifts, the director says this is the equivalent of three days. She also interprets each day missed as an "episode". These are the only days I have missed in a period of about 9months. I considered arguing the write up with corporate, etc but in this facility I think such action would do more harm than good so I summarized the policy in the comment section and left it alone. Trying to talk to any of the management in this place is like talking to a brick wall, only with more attitude. I think its just awful that your manager reported you to the BON, however I just love that it resulted in them coming after her for her policies on sick employees. :)

Try reading Sickened; a book written by a woman who suffered through this as a child. http://weread.com/book/0553381970/Sickened+A+Memoir+of+a+Munchausen+by+Proxy+Childhood/BOK-14109562-1 I need to pick up a copy of the book A Child Called It. I've heard of it before but I never got around to checking it out.

I am completely serious. The inmate reportedly managed to fall down a flight of stairs which resulted in him having a fractured leg and a few assorted injuries. He was ambulatory with his crutches (it isn't uncommon to have WC bound inmates in general population) and didn't have any medical reason to need to be in medical all the time or have extra nursing supervision. We didn't even have an infirmary...if his condition was bad enough to warrant infirmary care he'd have had to been transferred to another facility. His arrangement all came down through both the heads of security and the medical administrator and wasn't at all kept secret. Do anything remotely like this for some random inmate and you'd most likely be terminated or put under investigation on the spot. This was at a privatized prison. In my experience the privatized ones do seem to have more "perks" but nothing like this. I'm sure there was an interesting story buried behind it, but I never did hear anything as to what that might be.

I have seen a lot of facilities here that use these for agency nurses. In the form I've seen its nothing to be really concerned about as it isn't anything that goes to the state or even outside of the facility. It doesn't even indicate that you've done anything wrong as a nurse. Usually its just a little list that is kept in the office of the person who does the staffing of the facility. They add people to it mainly for not showing up for the shift to avoid it in the future. I know of one in particular that will also add you to it for something like failing to complete all the charting assignments etc. All that happens is that if your agency is filling spots for them and they offer the name of someone on this no client return list then the facility staffer will say no and ask for someone else. I've never known of an agency that will stop using a nurse for that reason though, they'll just try to staff you elsewhere.

It seems pretty mild compared to some of these other posts but.. I was working at a small correctional facility. We had this inmate who was staying in the medical unit despite the fact that we had no infirmary; no security posted within the unit; and policies that clearly prohibit inmates in medical without a security escort. He would just sort of hang out in medical all day and have medical call for security to take him back to his cell when he was ready for bed. The prison would rent him movies daily from the local video store. They also purchased for him chocolate ice cream and milk. As per our administrator's instructions the nurses were to rewind his videos and replace them with new tapes as needed and prepare for him chocolate milkshakes when he requested. This was a daily routine for probably two months. I was always curious as to what the true story was behind the special treatment but never found out.

NHC in Somerville has a CNA program for people that intend to work there. I believe Kirby Pines does it as well. I'd check into something at a LTC facility. I would imagine the training is better at one of the career schools but it is faster and free at the nursing homes.

Near the beginning of nursing school we were informed we'd be required to team up with a partner to give each other bed baths for a skills check off. We were told that by doing this we would learn how it felt for our future patients and that it would promote a respect for their privacy. During this announcement I'm thinking fully naked bed baths with one student and one instructor to witness the nakedness. I spent the time until this was due to take place dreading it and debating with other students as to how exactly this would go down. Nearer to the time it took place we were told we could wear our undergarments. So on lab day I wore a sports-bra, my regular underwear, and a pair of my husband's boxers that I borrowed for the occasion. In the end it turned out to be pretty much get in the bed and hide under the covers. Then your partner does the most simplified bed bath ever by temporarily uncovering one tiny section of your body at a time and dabbing at it with a dry washcloth, no private areas involved. Our "lesson" was all about how freaked out we were going to be all exposed. They wanted us to remember the feeling before we proceed to let some nude/semi-nude patient be exposed more than necessary. The way it was told to us is not the way it turned out at all so perhaps what they are planning on doing is not exactly as it sounds. But yeah...peri-care that doesn't sound like something you'd ever volunteer for. I'd say they've lost their minds if they actually expect the average person to expose that area of their bodies to a classmate much less let them wash it.

Oh wow so they paid people who are fired on minimum wage too. I was wondering what they'd do if no notice was given or if they terminated you, but I guess I'll assume its minimum wage on the final paycheck if you don't do the months notice. It doesn't say anything specifically about being fired specifically though. I've never been fired, but I have failed to give 2wks notice before in a job that I absolutely loathed and that I had only been at for a few weeks. Regardless, this rule just makes me extremely apprehensive about working for this company.

I read a posted notification this week regarding changes in the employee handbook. The new policy requires ALL RNs and LPNs to provide a 4 week notice regardless of their specific position (floor nurse vs. management). It goes on to say that should an employee leave prior to the completion of their 4 weeks notice they will be compensated for all hours worked toward their 4wk obligation on their final paycheck, BUT the hourly rate would fall to minimum wage for the hours worked. Now I read this notice like 3-4 times because my jaw was touching the floor. I questioned myself how this could be possible, but obviously it is something they have the right to do regardless. My next thoughts were more of gratitude that this isn't my full-time job. I would have thought they'd be obligated to pay you what they had agreed upon when you were hired, but again I guess I am wrong. Note to self: if and when I quit taking shifts at this place it could very well be better to just stop accepting shifts and get wrote off the schedule. Has anyone heard of people doing this before?? I've never heard of a non-management person being required to give more than the standard 2 weeks. I've certainly not heard of anyone slashing your paycheck if you fail to give full notice. Well it also says it would affect your rehire status...but I doubt anyone would be concerned with that after they took their check:angryfire.

I've been looking for a new job myself. My employer cut some of the hours of the nursing staff which changed some of us to part-time status a while back. Some of the staff fought this through outside agencies and were given the shifts back to maintain their full-time status. When this hour reduction took place I was already inclined to think that it was time to consider a move. Because I did not have an explicit need for the additional hours or the health coverage at the time, I was simply glad to be relieved of the obligation of working an additional day at a job I had grown to dislike. I also don't have a lot of faith in the "system" as far as fighting something management has decided to do without feeling the repercussions in some form. Things have changed for me since then and I do have a need for additional hours (not overtime just a full 36-40/wk) and I could definitely use full benefits. Now I could get additional hours once again at my original job and most likely be moved back to full-time but I really do not want to go there with them since I'd most assuredly have to finish another 90days to be benefits eligible again and always wonder when they may decide they feel like cutting the position once again. I've been looking to replace my job with a full-time one elsewhere. While I've not had problems finding a job offer; I have yet to be offered anything other than a part-time or PRN position. So at this point I am juggling shifts with three employers to work full-time hours and of course I have no benefits. When I realize my hours for the week are what would be overtime if I worked for only one place it frustrates me.:hdvwl: The medical help wanted ads for this city are a fraction of the size they were a few years ago. Perhaps companies are advertising less to save money with the economy as it is. I definitely think I am seeing a pattern with what seems to be "stacking" PRN and part time positions to avoid having full-time employees to pay benefits out to. It looks like the next step for me in trying to locate a F/T position is going to be venturing out of my comfort zone a bit.

Thanks :) I found someone to do the checkoff this afternoon and it ended up being quick and simple once I found the magic phone number.

My CPR card has expired and I am looking for a place to renew it ASAP. My employer has offered it a total of zero times in the past 18 months so I do not expect a class there any time soon. I took the online cognitive portion from American Heart, but I have had no luck finding anyone to do the skills checkoff to complete the renewal. I started looking for a traditional class again through the AHA website and can find none listed in the near future for Memphis or the general area of West TN. Does anyone know of a place that offers BLS for healthcare providers on a fairly regular basis in W. TN...Memphis, Jackson, Dyersburg?? From the looks of the AHA website class finder the Middle TN area has no shortage of them, but hopefully it wont come down to that:banghead:

Hi. I'm just wondering how often other nurses are required to take call and how long a period of being on-call lasts. Also, I am curious how it is determined who will do scheduled weekend visits if they are planned. I am first call roughly 50% of the time. Our on-call periods are from 5p-8a Mon-Fri. Weekend on-call is 8am-8am. :uhoh21: For the most part if I am not first call then I will be secondary. In response to complaints about on-call structure, the company reports that it a triage team is being considered to decrease the number of calls. If the team was ever actually formed the only calls the on-call would receive would require a visit for a specific reason. I haven't quite figured out the "rule" for determining who is responsible for weekend visits if they get scheduled. I have done weekend visits when I was on-call, not on-call, when the patient is one of my primary patients and when the patient is not a person I generally visit.

Hi. I've recently began studying to take the Excelsior exam for microbiology. I probably will not be ready to test for a month but I'm concerned about registering myself too soon or too late. I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me if the Prometric centers usually have a waiting time before an available test date or are you generally able to test soon after registration. Thanks in advance for any input