Meriwhen ASN, BSN, MSN, RN

Psych ICU, addictions

Member

All Content by Meriwhen

  1. Meriwhen

    How long were you at your first RN job?

    1. Staff nurse (RN); 3 months 2. 2 years 3. Relocated to a new state;
  2. Meriwhen

    ANCC

    I recently got certified through them in psychiatric/mental-health nursing. It won't result in a bigger paycheck...I did it as a professional goal. As far as searching goes, when you're in a forum,...
  3. Meriwhen

    Start RN-BSN right away?

    I did start right away...at least I started with the pre-requisites. They took a year to wrap up because I took them one at a time. By then I had a year's experience under my belt and was ready to...
  4. Meriwhen

    New Grad in need of Advice =(

    Very true: most applications will specifically tell you not to list friends or family as references. Some better choices for references are: Your nursing/clinical instructors Your former employers,...
  5. Meriwhen

    New Grad in need of Advice =(

    The job market is really bad: there's tons of new grads and not enough jobs to go around...plus employers know they can be very choosy right now since there's so many applicants. You could do...
  6. Meriwhen

    Are online job applications a waste of time?

    Nowadays most facilities won't accept your application unless you apply online. They're getting flooded with applicants calling/dropping in--accepting online applications probably makes the...
  7. Meriwhen

    Excelsior Info

    State Board Requirements - excelsior.edu It looks like even if you get your license in MS and try to endorse in, they're still going to review your application and there's a chance it could be denied....
  8. I believe UT at Arlington doesn't have a chem requirement. They have CCNE
  9. Meriwhen

    Maryland... MBON

    Contact the BON directly; if you are not comfortable using your name then do it with an anonymous e-mail. However, keep in mind that the BON may say that they won't give you an answer until you...
  10. Meriwhen

    Associates degree RN or Diploma RN

    Both programs will result in the same nursing license being awarded (after she passes the NCLEX, of course). Either way she will be a RN. Diploma programs are generally but not always faster overall...
  11. Meriwhen

    DUI reporting and IPN help!!!

    i'm no lawyer (nor should my advice replace one), but as far as criminal records go, it's better for you to report duis/convictions than waiting for them to find out about it. that doesn't mean...
  12. Meriwhen

    Is this staffing normal???

    Normal? In a lot of places, unfortunately. Safe? Hell no. 22 patients need far more than two staff members, especially if you are dealing with detoxing and unstable patients. Detox is not just...
  13. Meriwhen

    Z track for IM injections?

    You should ALWAYS aspirate and Z-track. It only takes an extra second or two, gets the medication to where it needs to be--and keeps it there--and can save a patient from harm. I've done it even in...
  14. I would still apply. After all, the worst they can tell you is No. Also, it's not like you're applying two years' out of school. You're just past 6 months--if you are a strong enough candidate they...
  15. Meriwhen

    can you refuse an assignment?

    You have the right to refuse an assignment, especially one that you think is unsafe...because if something happened on this assignment that resulted in you going in front of the BON, they're going to...
  16. One thing to be aware of about listing it is that some people, especially those in HR who may not know what nursing degrees are, may think that the masters is in nursing. Before anyone says that's...
  17. Meriwhen

    aspergers

    Yes and yes :) As far as nursing goes, the issue is mostly how you will interact with other people (both patients and coworkers). Wish I could give you the ready recipe for success, but it's not that...
  18. I did while I was searching for that first nursing job, and it did mean I had a 5 year period of unaccounted for time. In interviews, that's when I'd explain that I went to nursing school and...
  19. Meriwhen

    hipaa accusation

    They can compare the records accessed to which patients the OP was assigned to and what units the OP was working. They can also see how frequently these records were accessed and exactly what in the...
  20. Meriwhen

    hipaa accusation

    The big problem here is that the auditors see the OP accessing the files. And since every facility's HIPAA training drills into their employee's heads at orientation to never share passwords and to...
  21. Meriwhen

    No nurse in a mental health/addictions facility?

    No nurse in a detox facility is a big red flag as far as I'm concerned. Detox/withdrawal from many substances is physically and psychologically uncomfortable at the best; at the worst it can be...
  22. Meriwhen

    Does LPN experience count?

    Does it count? Yes and no. LVN experience is not RN experience, so no matter how many LVN years you have under your belt, you are still a nurse with 1 year of RN experience. However LVN experience...
  23. Meriwhen

    Holiday Scheduling

    My last facility divided all the staff in half and assigned each group the holidays that we'd have to work, and every year we'd switch holidays. We were not mandated to work the day before/after the...
  24. Meriwhen

    Getting ACLS, PALS as a Nursing student?

    Having ACLS helped me as a new grad...interviewers told me it showed initiative/motivation on my part. It definitely can't hurt, especially if you are interested in ED/ICU. Don't rely on it solely...
  25. Meriwhen

    How bad is it to not work a two week notice?

    Try to leave this job on the most professional terms possible because as caroladybelle said, you never know if you will end up going back to them with hat in hand to ask for a reference or a job. Give...