Meriwhen ASN, BSN, MSN, RN

Psych ICU, addictions

Member

All Content by Meriwhen

  1. Meriwhen

    About to graduate with BSN

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

    That's a sign of how bad the market has become...it used to be that working as a tech or CNA at a hospital would all but guarantee a job after graduation. Now you're lucky if it even gets you an...
  2. Meriwhen

    Question about gauged ears.

    Meriwhen replied to allan87's topic in General Students

    IMO, I don't think that many patients care about tattoos/piercings/etc. as much as we think, especially since the number of patients with them is increasing. Granted, I am in psych, but well over 50%...
  3. Meriwhen

    Home Health vs. Rehab to reach ultimate goal

    Meriwhen replied to pradachick's topic in General Nursing

    IMO, home health isn't the best place for a new grad to start off in, unless they have a few years of LVN experience under their belt. Yes, there are new grads that start off in home health and do...
  4. Meriwhen

    Listing agency work on the resume

    Meriwhen posted a topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    It's time for my monthly resume update. In the last month I started working for a nursing agency as a second job (I am still working at my first job). I know I would list the agency as my employer....
  5. Meriwhen

    Listing agency work on the resume

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

    Thanks
  6. Meriwhen

    Sad...

    Meriwhen replied to LindseyRN86's topic in General Nursing

    You can definitely ask because you may learn something or find out if something needs to be fixed. But keep in mind they are not obligated to give you an answer, so if they refuse to tell you why...
  7. Meriwhen

    Listing agency work on the resume

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

    Well, it's all psych facilities, so if there's any variation it's going to be the specific units I'm on. Would I mention these facilities by name or say something like, "worked on psych ICU and CD...
  8. Meriwhen

    Question about gauged ears.

    Meriwhen replied to allan87's topic in General Students

    I think policies can vary widely between nursing schools as well as hospitals, so you should check with the specific school/hospital for the most accurate answers. From my experience, both schools...
  9. Meriwhen

    Where to go for sample nursing resumes

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

    I had a classmate with one of those "inappropriate" e-mail addresses. In the resume review class, the teacher told her to get a more professional one. Classmate's answer to the problem: keep the...
  10. Meriwhen

    Murphy's Law of Nursing

    Meriwhen replied to Pepper The Cat's topic in General Nursing

    A patient will not verbalize a single complaint all day but decide 30 minutes before the change of shift that they wish to leave
  11. Meriwhen

    Accrediation - which ones matter the most?

    Meriwhen replied to WorkingTowardsBSN's topic in General Students

    I know there's a difference between the two but I don't know what. I've also haven't heard of a lot of programs with both accreditations--most programs have one or the other. I do know that it's...
  12. Meriwhen

    Borderline personality disorder

    Meriwhen replied to wish_me_luck's topic in Psychiatric

    so far you've gotten some good info. i wanted to add that not every difficult patient you encounter is a borderline personality disorder patient. there tends to be a bad habit, especially in...
  13. Meriwhen

    What is your favorite antiemetic?

    Meriwhen replied to Kay28's topic in Addictions

    Phenergan IM usually works wonders for the vomiting patient. Downsides are that it must be given in a large muscle, it's a painful shot even in that large muscle, and some patients can get a bit of a...
  14. Meriwhen

    Are there any psych LPN's?

    Meriwhen replied to sakiohma's topic in Psychiatric

    The hospital I work at uses LVNs (same thing as a LPN) a lot...in fact, I see a lot more LVNs in public/government run facilities than I do in private hospitals. The LVNs usually pass meds, do...
  15. Meriwhen

    Is attending a patient's funeral overstepping "the" boundary?

    Meriwhen replied to BostonTerrierLover's topic in General Nursing

    Depending on how well I knew the patient, I may go. I don't see paying my final respects to them as a boundary
  16. Meriwhen

    Same patient's over and over again

    Meriwhen replied to MattNurse's topic in General Nursing

    "Frequent flyers" are very common in psych. With some well-known patients, I can give intake a full report on the patient before the patient even gets to my unit
  17. Meriwhen

    Anyone ever use Monster.com???

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

    I've used Monster, but not to post my resume--only for the job search results. However, I've had great luck with nurse recruiters and Indeed.com. I've been contacted a few times about positions, one...
  18. Meriwhen

    Has Nursing hardened you?

    Meriwhen replied to ThePrincessBride's topic in General Nursing

    Of course, there are some truly hardened nurses out there...I won't deny that. In my experience, most are not. Also, I wouldn't call it a hardening...but you quickly learn there's a time to wear the...
  19. Meriwhen

    Was this a fair consequence?

    Meriwhen replied to danachap1's topic in General Nursing

    OP: I'm sure you figured out by now that you were in the legal wrong. I think that if you really needed them, you should have asked supervisor if you could have a couple of needles for your...
  20. Meriwhen

    Denied employment at agency due to ordered prescriptions

    Meriwhen replied to RNwithHonors's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    I agree. Either way the OP's test would have been positive...better the employer knew upfront about why than for them to be blindsided with it after the fact, because after seeing an unexpected...
  21. Meriwhen

    HIPAA violation or just a bad decision?

    Meriwhen replied to concerned2012's topic in HIPAA Challenges

    The BON may surprise you, as that nurse's fraudulent actions speaks volumes about her ethics and practices. You could contact the BON and file a complaint, and see what
  22. Meriwhen

    Negotiate New Salary: New Graduate

    Meriwhen replied to mscoulte's topic in General Students

    Agree with the other posters: office jobs usually pay less than hospital jobs...but on the other hand, you have a stable and fixed schedule. You won't have nights, will likely not have weekends...
  23. Meriwhen

    Is this fair? Honest opinions, please.

    Meriwhen replied to BC913's topic in General Students

    It's not particularly fair. But neither is life. And definitely NOT nursing school. The latter two you will rapidly get used to. IMO, worry about yourself and your own performance. Those whose...
  24. Meriwhen

    New DON and new rules

    Meriwhen replied to FarrellGirl,RN's topic in LTC: Directors, Assistant

    Not in LTC...but in psych, we do notify the DON or ADON before we send a patient out. They can't overrule the MD's decision, though. But they do want to be aware of it, plus an incident report needs...
  25. Meriwhen

    Hourly Rounding

    Meriwhen replied to Erianne1074's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    In psych, we have someone--usually a tech--rounding on every patient Q15-30 minutes. This doesn't mean they are asking the patient "are you OK, do you need anything" Q15-30 minutes...it just means...