Meriwhen ASN, BSN, MSN, RN

Psych ICU, addictions

Member

All Content by Meriwhen

  1. Meriwhen

    NURSE work schedule

    Meriwhen replied to Student Nurse_7's topic in General Nursing

    1. Yes. However your exact schedule needs to meet the facility's staffing needs, so don't expect that it will always be 3-in-row-on with 4 off, or the same 3 shifts every week. 2. Depends on where...
  2. Meriwhen

    Psych patient refuses medication but can't tell me why...what now?

    Meriwhen replied to Marshall1's topic in Psychiatric

    Possibly. That's one of the reasons patients are not usually very forthcoming with sharing. There are ways to minimize/eliminate sexual issues though...but only if the prescriber knows about the...
  3. Meriwhen

    New Grad Getting employed/ getting employed in San Diego

    Meriwhen replied to Vdietrich's topic in California Nursing

    Seriously, if it is at all possible, do not relocate to ANYWHERE in CA without an official job offer in hand. Bay, coastal and southern California are horrible job markets for new grads: too many of...
  4. Meriwhen

    Tattoos in healthcare

    Meriwhen replied to savoytruffle's topic in Nursing Professionalism

    I have a large one on my leg. So far it's not been a problem as scrubs/pants cover it completely. But should I ever enter into management and the new dress code involves skirts, it's going to be a...
  5. Meriwhen

    Pay vs. specialty

    Meriwhen replied to Ted D's topic in General Nursing

    Come work the psych emergency room with me for a while, then tell me what you think Seriously, it's all apples and oranges--different specialities, different environments, different skill sets....
  6. Meriwhen

    Difference in Extended Treatment vs Acute Treatment

    Meriwhen replied to serenitylove14's topic in Psychiatric

    Acute = short-term (a week, maybe two, but often less) Extended = long-term (your long-term or chronic cases), or it could mean outpatient/day/partial hospitalization programs where the care isn't...
  7. Meriwhen

    Old New Grad - Over 1 Year without a Job

    Meriwhen replied to mo2rn's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    There is already a thread at AN regarding this new-grad petition: you can find both the link to the petition and discussion of it here:
  8. Meriwhen

    HIPAA violation???

    Meriwhen replied to Chrissy2003RN's topic in Psychiatric

    If you work in a psych facility and you intentionally disregarded the patient's wishes regarding visitors...yeah, that was a big mistake. Psych facilities are very sensitive to patients' privacy and...
  9. Meriwhen

    New psych rn grad

    Meriwhen replied to lynds80's topic in Psychiatric

    Welcome to the dark side! :) I know a lot of nurses who were able to go to non-psych jobs after their time in psych. IMO, you're only limited in psych if you let yourself be limited. If you do find...
  10. Meriwhen

    Is their wisdom in becoming a psych nurse if the nurse has his own psych history?

    Meriwhen replied to j_tay1981's topic in Psychiatric

    Only you can answer if you would be happy in psych nursing. I will give you a few caveats though: 1. Your having prior psych experience does not guarantee that you will be a successful psych nurse,...
  11. Meriwhen

    Need help breaking back into Nursing after being out for four years

    Meriwhen replied to goomer's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    Four years is a long time...maybe consider taking a refresher course? Or look outside of acute care for a job to get your feet wet again: LTAC, rehab, SNF, etc. They may be easier for you to break...
  12. Meriwhen

    How early is too early to start hunting?

    Meriwhen replied to wareagle5's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    I would definitely start networking and applying now. A lot of places may not glance at your application until you pass the NCLEX, but you can at least start making your name and intentions known to...
  13. Meriwhen

    First Interview. Is this normal?

    Meriwhen replied to serenitylove14's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    Not surprising at all, especially for a mental health facility. They're usually stricter about obtaining applicant information upfront than medical facilities, due to the nature of
  14. Meriwhen

    I sent thank you note after interview. Should I send another one after job offer?

    Meriwhen replied to Niki_RN's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    IMO, I think sending a second note is a little bit of overkill unless--as RxOnly mentioned--there was someone who particularly made your hiring happen. Congrats on the new
  15. Meriwhen

    New grad interview

    Meriwhen replied to newgrad503's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    Moving to First Job Hunt Assistance Forum for more targeted responses. Good
  16. Meriwhen

    White Scrubs

    Meriwhen replied to shaybrown0924's topic in Scrubs, Uniforms, Gear

    Roger that. You have no idea how often I see nursing students that I can tell are wearing red/blue/patterned underwear...or worse, NO underwear at all. Even if they're not transparent or thin scrubs,...
  17. Meriwhen

    University of Wisconsin Hospitals- Nurse Residency

    Meriwhen replied to _ac_'s topic in General Nursing

    Moving to the Wisconsin Nursing forum. Best of luck to all
  18. Meriwhen

    California RN Endorsement (Grad from ABSN)

    Meriwhen replied to gunrock's topic in California Nursing

    Same here, except I didn't go in person to Sacramento. Check your nursing school transcript and if the pre-reqs are listed as being satisfied by transfer (or however, as long as you've gotten credit...
  19. Meriwhen

    Tips for RN moving to Sacramento, Ca in October.

    Meriwhen replied to WhitneyLizRN's topic in California Nursing

    1. Get your CA endorsements now, or at least within the next couple of months. Reason 1: CA BRN takes forever. Reason 2: if there are issues with your education/endorsement, you (referring to...
  20. Meriwhen

    I want to start a support thread for us unemployed New Grads in California

    Meriwhen replied to coughdrop.2.go's topic in California Nursing

    I think it's a great name. However, I Googled it and found that someone's already using it for their blog (will not post URL as that's against the TOS). But they haven't updated it in a couple of...
  21. Meriwhen

    Need help! seniority or higher pay?

    Meriwhen replied to loongway2goRn's topic in Nursing Career

    I agree. There's too many things that can make the later job go away: budget cuts (either the job itself or that $1 more an hour); changing their mind about hiring you for whatever reason; deciding...
  22. Meriwhen

    UTA Math 1302 Algebra Spring 2013

    Meriwhen replied to jadiva's topic in University of Texas Arlington

    That was probably wise of you. The 8-week classes aren't the Reader's Digest Condensed version of the class--you end up covering the exact same amount of material as in the full class, but only in...
  23. Meriwhen

    UTA NURS 3425 Health Assessment to start 1-14-2013

    Meriwhen replied to ScarletFire's topic in University of Texas Arlington

    You need to come up with one COLDSPA for every assessment. And don't forget the little details like adding "BPM" after your pulse. To be honest, the best thing to do is take the rubric for each...
  24. Meriwhen

    3 months LDRP experience enough to apply elsewhere?

    Meriwhen replied to knufflebunny's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    Honestly, employers will look at that and will question how much knowledge of LDRP you have learned, especially if this is your very first nursing job. They may not feel you know enough for them to...
  25. Meriwhen

    what are master time records and performance evaluation?

    Meriwhen replied to sublime_e2000's topic in California Nursing

    I'm guessing that #4 would be any evaluations that you have from any prior jobs for the last 2 years. As for #5...I don't know. Perhaps it's something for internal/state/county employees only? To...