Meriwhen ASN, BSN, MSN, RN

Psych ICU, addictions

Member

All Content by Meriwhen

  1. Meriwhen

    HIRED AS A NEW GRAD

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

    If there is no contract, you are not obligated to work any length of time for anyone. So focus on what would be best for YOU and YOUR career. That would be staying there at least a year so you're...
  2. Meriwhen

    Cost vs realistic job prospects

    Meriwhen replied to Paticake35's topic in General Nursing

    IMO, a lot depends on the area's job market. A region oversatured with nursing programs and thus new grads means that a lot of those grads won't be getting their desired job or even a job at all....
  3. Meriwhen

    University of North Dakota (UND)

    Meriwhen replied to alxabraham's topic in Student Nurse Practitioner

    Agreed, thanks for the info, ThisOldGuy. I'll have to check it out. I don't have a lot of Psych NP options in my area and of the ones that are approved, tuition is in the $1000+/hr credit hour...
  4. Meriwhen

    Invega Trinza

    Meriwhen replied to nickfitz1969's topic in Psychiatric

    It's not used a lot here in the States yet. Invega Sustenna is more common, with dosing q2-4 weeks. But like the PP said, getting insurance to cover any/all of it is tough. The Invega injectable...
  5. Meriwhen

    Nurse who has an eating disorder

    Meriwhen replied to Em31200's topic in Psychiatric

    Not crazy at all! Just make sure you have a good handle on your own disorder (that doesn't necessarily mean full remission) before you attempt psych. You'll likely come across other ED patients and...
  6. Meriwhen

    CEU'S

    Meriwhen replied to jlha's topic in School

    I use nurse.com for my CEUs (albeit not school nursing ones). Their Unlimited CE is a good deal, and whatever isn't free (anything over 1.5 hours) is half
  7. Meriwhen

    Do I need to report to BON?

    Meriwhen replied to NerdyRN26's topic in General Nursing

    AFAIK, you don't need to report a resignation if it wasn't for a reportable reason. And as someone pointed it out, if it was for a reportable reason, your employer would be reporting you for you....
  8. Meriwhen

    Breaking Internship Contract?

    Meriwhen replied to pamela812's topic in General Nursing

    This. Consult with an attorney (preferably one versed in employment law and/or contracts), have them review it and see what they think. Keep in mind that even though you may feel you have good...
  9. Meriwhen

    Is this normal exit interview question

    Meriwhen replied to Carolyn1234's topic in General Nursing

    You could write "not applicable at this time" or "to be determined"...both of which are perfectly accurate in your
  10. Meriwhen

    3 on, 4 off vs 6 on, 8 off

    Meriwhen replied to sjalv's topic in General Nursing

    Unless I was planning around a vacation or other event where I'd want a long stretch of days off, I'd stick with the 3 on/4 off. 6 days in a row of any length (8, 10, 12) is a lot to put on a person....
  11. Meriwhen

    Underage drinking question? please help

    Meriwhen replied to xjay22's topic in General Students

    What happened, OP, is that you got INCREDIBLY lucky. You did something foolish and you got lucky that the police didn't want to bother with you. Blowing a .02 probably helped, because you weren't...
  12. Meriwhen

    Night Nursing: Precepting & Perception

    Meriwhen replied to Larry2016's topic in General Students

    Clearly your less-than-loved manager never worked in psych :) I'm lucky if just half of the unit is
  13. Meriwhen

    Please help :(

    Meriwhen replied to %D#2's topic in General Nursing

    IMO, you don't owe her or anyone else an explanation as to why you can't cover. Simply say "sorry, I'm not available that day". It's not about being a bigger person, it's about taking care of...
  14. Meriwhen

    Nurse-Patient Ratio Adult Unit

    Meriwhen replied to pennie4n6's topic in Psychiatric

    I felt the same way because before I came to California, I was used to being the only RN for up to 16 patients. On my first day working in CA, the charge nurse apologized for having to give me 4...
  15. Meriwhen

    Nurse-Patient Ratio Adult Unit

    Meriwhen replied to pennie4n6's topic in Psychiatric

    Where I work, it's 1:6 come hell or high water, as it's state law. That doesn't always mean that 1:6 is a safe ratio, because a lot of it depends on the acuity of the patients assigned. Having 6...
  16. Meriwhen

    Psych nursing is easy

    Meriwhen replied to studentnurse9806's topic in Psychiatric

    Perhaps you should reread my reply, as the point of it was that medications--psychoactive or otherwise--would not work to cure a personality disorder because of the nature of personality disorders....
  17. Meriwhen

    Psych ER or inpatient

    Meriwhen replied to justdoiting's topic in Psychiatric

    Keep in mind that working psych ER involves much less medical nursing than you think. Some of your patients may be medically unstable, but it won't be anything that couldn't be managed on a psych...
  18. Meriwhen

    Does anyone use nursing diagnoses in mental health care anymore?

    Meriwhen replied to nickfitz1969's topic in Psychiatric

    Care planning is alive and well where I work. They work the same way as the ones we'd use to have to write in nursing school, but they're more concise and
  19. Meriwhen

    I don't like pediatric patients, am I normal?

    Meriwhen replied to Wonder RN's topic in General Nursing

    I thought I'd want to go into nursery or pediatrics...then I had my pediatric rotation. It's not that I don't like children; working with ill kids just gets to me too
  20. Meriwhen

    How much trouble am I in?

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

    OP: I understand that you wanted to help alleviate your husband's suffering due to delays in his care. However, the fact is that at the time, you were not there as a nurse on duty caring for a...
  21. Meriwhen

    Transferring from Psych to Medsurg

    Meriwhen replied to babaloo's topic in Psychiatric

    I responded to a similar thread, so forgive the mostly cut and paste :) Given the job market, it's tough for a lot of people to switch specialties, and not just those of us in psych. There's too many...
  22. Meriwhen

    Transition out of psych

    Meriwhen replied to Jmira.BSN.RN's topic in Psychiatric

    I love psych, but lately, I too have been feeling ready for a change. So I decided to lay some groundwork down for that change. I took an ED nursing course which has been an enlightening and...
  23. Meriwhen

    How to leave unsafe situation?

    Meriwhen replied to Janeaux's topic in General Nursing

    I agree: if you are not comfortable with this, give your notice ASAP and start looking for something else. Quitting without notice might get you out of there faster, but might also leave you tagged...
  24. Meriwhen

    Should Healthcare Professionals Ask About Guns in the Home?

    Meriwhen replied to P-RN's topic in General Nursing

    I have to ask about firearms, because I'm dealing with psychiatric patients that are potentially dangers to themselves or others. Also, some are or have been on legal holds, which prohibits them from...
  25. Meriwhen

    Safe to take new admit at shift change

    Meriwhen replied to russianbear's topic in General Nursing

    If the admit arrives within an hour of shift change, all we are required to do are vital signs, skin check and if needed, emergency medications. The rest is left to the next shift. If it's a slow...