Meriwhen ASN, BSN, MSN, RN

Psych ICU, addictions

Member

All Content by Meriwhen

  1. Meriwhen

    My worst fear come true.

    Meriwhen replied to decembergrad2011's topic in General Students

    I'm surprised they did that too, letting you continue on--in a lot of programs they would have dropped you ASAP...unless they were taking that time to decide what to do about the matter and possibly...
  2. Meriwhen

    Unit manager as first job?

    Meriwhen replied to vm156's topic in First Year After Licensure

    You have no nursing experience outside of school and they still want to interview you for a unit nursing manager position? This is no slur upon you, but something about this scenario screams "Big Red...
  3. Meriwhen

    How long can it take to hear back from an employer?

    Meriwhen replied to en1024's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    Usually I've heard back, good or bad, within a week. Occasionally it took a couple of weeks but most of the time they were prompt to consider me or reject me. My record (outside of never hearing back...
  4. Meriwhen

    Do you work with any super nurses?

    Meriwhen replied to Bringonthenight's topic in First Year After Licensure

    When I was a new grad, I was very lucky to orient with one on our home unit...and because of all I learned from her I can handle a lot of pretty tough situations without cracking. Plus her knowledge...
  5. Meriwhen

    Is it hard to get a job with an Associates degree in Nursing?

    Meriwhen replied to bailee4's topic in Diploma, ADN, BSN

    And I often thought the reverse--that I would have skipped the ADN and gone straight for the BSN, but at the time it was not financially feasible. I'm getting that BSN now though...it'd be nice if...
  6. Meriwhen

    Is it hard to get a job with an Associates degree in Nursing?

    Meriwhen replied to bailee4's topic in Diploma, ADN, BSN

    Also, it depends on how well you sell yourself in the
  7. Meriwhen

    Accepted psych position..am now unsure due to family history......

    Meriwhen replied to Gratefulprn's topic in Psychiatric

    I'm not you, so I can't tell you how you will handle working there. However, I can tell you that there are a lot of psych nurses who have/had psych problems and are able to work effectively. Some...
  8. Meriwhen

    Mentally ill and refusal of meds

    Meriwhen replied to as1234's topic in Psychiatric

    Here in the US, involuntary patients can refuse medications or participation in treatment. Refusals are documented and treated as they would be with a voluntary patient. However, they can not refuse...
  9. Meriwhen

    Is Ativan 10 mg po per dose too much?

    Meriwhen replied to lorster's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    I agree: it seems like the doctor may have meant to write it for Valium, since that dosage range would fit diazepam perfectly. I've worked in detox and I've never given a patient more than 2mg of...
  10. Meriwhen

    She sure did... and with a straight face!

    Meriwhen replied to Camemile's topic in General Nursing

    My personal...er, favorite...was when I received a call-back from a company that I filled out an application with (indicating that I was a new grad, of course). So this woman gets on the phone and...
  11. Meriwhen

    Are there really RN Jobs in Southern California?

    Meriwhen replied to onesmartgirl's topic in California Nursing

    I moved out here in October and had a job by the end of November. I'm not a new grad though--I have a couple of years' experience under my belt. I don't have a BSN either, which put me out of the...
  12. Meriwhen

    Was asked if I was bisexual?!?!?

    Meriwhen replied to caregiver1977's topic in Ob/Gyn

    When doing psych admissions I have to ask patients about their sexual preferences. I just state it very casually in the same tone of voice I'd use to ask where they lived: "sexual preference: men,...
  13. Meriwhen

    psych tech to psych nurse?

    Meriwhen replied to MadameFreckles's topic in Psychiatric

    One of my classmates did that. The psych hospital she worked at as a tech paid for nursing school; in return she had to commit to two years' of working there. No problem for her--she wanted to be a...
  14. Meriwhen

    How would I address a firing?

    Meriwhen replied to Izzy11's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    Best of luck with everything! And keep this experience in mind for when the inspectors/surveyors come around next time...because unfortunately they will At least you'll be better able to handle
  15. Meriwhen

    First job in Psych nursing

    Meriwhen replied to beachhorizon's topic in Psychiatric

    Not mad at all that you asked :) Keep in mind that as a student you are there for a 6-8 hour snippet of time, most of which is probably spent conferring with your instructor (pre-clinical,...
  16. Meriwhen

    psych tech to psych nurse?

    Meriwhen replied to MadameFreckles's topic in Psychiatric

    It's a very good idea! It's great experience that will make the transition from psych tech to psych nurse a lot easier, and you will have a chance to see psychiatric conditions first-hand. And...
  17. Meriwhen

    disaplinary action for chemical addiction

    Meriwhen replied to nicky74lpn's topic in Licensure: Criminal History

    To be honest, the state of PA and the PA BON are the best sources for these answers. They usually consider these cases on an individual basis, so there's no cookie-cutter answer to cover all...
  18. Meriwhen

    Per diem policy question

    Meriwhen replied to MinnieMomRN's topic in General Nursing

    My last job had to give per-diems two hours' notice for being cancelled on day shift and four hours' notice for evening/weekend shifts. If they didn't cancel you in time you were guaranteed two...
  19. Meriwhen

    Dayshifters - do you take a breakfast break as soon as you get to work?

    Meriwhen replied to Snugglibumkins's topic in General Nursing

    That's what a lot of my coworkers would do: while the patients were down at breakfast/eating breakfast on the floor and if it was calm enough, they'd grab a quick bite and bring it back to the unit,...
  20. Meriwhen

    Dayshifters - do you take a breakfast break as soon as you get to work?

    Meriwhen replied to Snugglibumkins's topic in General Nursing

    No because I already had breakfast at 4:30am :) However, I will take a couple of minutes to fire up some coffee, once the immediate fires are put
  21. Meriwhen

    Do any of the nurses here working 40 hr weeks and going to school, have children?

    Meriwhen replied to Glowinthedark's topic in General Nursing

    My last job I worked about 32-40 hours a week and was taking classes for my BSN; I also had a 6 year old. Fortunately my last job was straight day shift so that helped to make it all possible. I'd...
  22. Meriwhen

    Occupation in the military.

    Meriwhen replied to mialedbetter's topic in Government, Military

    I could have sworn we had a nursing and the military forum around here...if you can find it, there's lots of good resources there. You need a BSN to be commissioned as an officer in the military;...
  23. Meriwhen

    Should I give 2 weeks or finish schedule?

    Meriwhen replied to ertrek84's topic in General Nursing

    To be honest, the legalities of labor laws didn't even cross my mind. That is an interesting point though! I was thinking along the lines of her leaving as professionally as possible so the facility...
  24. Meriwhen

    Do nurses get holidays off?

    Meriwhen replied to Jmiami's topic in General Nursing

    But not every facility has someone like you ready to do that. Nor should you ever be expected to do it just because you don't have kids or family--they should never take that for granted. You're...
  25. Meriwhen

    Student feeling hopeless and needing some motivation

    Meriwhen replied to nikkole318's topic in General Students

    First, don't go by what a coworker says, as they're not the ones who ultimately hire you. That would be the NM and HR. Perhaps your coworker meant well by "warning" you, but unless they are directly...