Meriwhen ASN, BSN, MSN, RN

Psych ICU, addictions

Member

All Content by Meriwhen

  1. Meriwhen

    Psychiatric Nurse working with Police

    PET: psychiatric emergency/evaluation teams. They usually work in conjunction with local law enforcement. Police can place people under psychiatric holds and transport them to the hospital, but...
  2. Meriwhen

    Has anyone been in this boat before?? *legal*

    The only thing I can tell you is to lawyer up for this hearing, and you've already done that. Unfortunately, you did admit to using a Schedule I drug. You can't undo that, but hopefully the lawyer...
  3. I'm not a staffing coordinator...but speaking from the perspective of the staff nurse, if the attendance and cancellation policy is clearly laid out (that is, they're not some big secret that I have...
  4. Meriwhen

    Abandonment?

    Clocking in does not mean you have accepted a patient assignment. Clocking in is reporting to work. Most if not all BONs leave it up to the NURSE to determine if an assignment is safe before...
  5. I agree with GrnTea. Even if others with similar experiences come by to chime in, there's no guarantee that your story will play out the exact same way that theirs did. And even so, it's not what...
  6. I got into the per-diem door as a new grad with zero psych experience. I will disclose that the saludictorian of our nursing school class had worked there as a nurse, and she recommended that I apply...
  7. Meriwhen

    Recent Graduate and DUI

    Jillyfreeze: I remember seeing it quite a while ago, and of course I can't find it for you :/ I'll keep looking for it. The odds are probably in your favor, IMO: if that was your only offense, it...
  8. Meriwhen

    No opinions please just facts

    And even if the drug is legal and you have a script for it, you can still be bounced. Neither is bulletproof protection. For example, a company may decide to check the serum level of a drug; if that...
  9. I agree. If you can hit the year wicket, then you'll be out of the new grad black hole and in a better position to find something. Plus you won't have to lie on your application...which to most...
  10. Meriwhen

    Joining the Navy

    Nursing Jobs: Navy.com Already being an RN will not be a problem with the Navy Nurse Corps. However, you need a BSN from a CCNE or NLNAC-accredited school in order to go active duty. Until you get...
  11. Meriwhen

    Sick time off

    If you are sick, you are sick. Call off. That being said, since it's 3 days of illness, you may want to go to the doctor for two reasons. One, to make sure you are OK. Two, to get a doctor's note,...
  12. Meriwhen

    Safety and Unsupervised bathrooms

    I've also never worked at a place where bathrooms were routinely locked. They may have locks on the doors, but they were never kept locked unless that bathroom couldn't be used for some reason. One...
  13. Meriwhen

    Travel Nursing

    Moved to the Travel Nursing forum. I don't know how much experience you have, so I'll just throw this out there anyway. One thing you should know about travel nursing: almost no agency will accept a...
  14. I wanted to add that my above post doesn't mean I think you shouldn't work in psych: we love fresh blood, especially those who want to come over to the dark side :) But please be sure you have a good...
  15. I agree: psych does tend to attract a lot of nurses with psych issues. However, as a psych nurse, I am going to lay down some truths for you because better you hear them now than learn them the hard...
  16. Meriwhen

    How is the San Diego Job Market?

    You could apply to military facilities and would have hiring preference. However, all that means is you'd have the advantage compared to other candidates with comparable experience. It doesn't...
  17. Meriwhen

    Confused/decisions

    If you do not plan to stay in acute care, then jump for this job as it may be a long time before another one like that rolls around. If you do plan to stay in or return to acute care within a few...
  18. Meriwhen

    job offer--can I ask this?

    I agree with everyone: let them know upfront that you need this time off so they can plan for it. However, depending on your facility's HR policies as to when your PTO kicks in, be prepared to take...
  19. Moved to the Nursing Students forum...and edited your title so as to end the confusion about your role. Keep in mind that as far as healthcare goes, the title of "nurse" is protected in many places...
  20. Meriwhen

    Job outlook in SoCal.

    Being a BSN-in-progress may satisfy some of the "BSN preferred/required" employers, but not all. I was rejected from a job, despite being certified in psych, solely because I didn't have the BSN...
  21. Meriwhen

    Well aren't you a little joiner?

    Malpractice insurance is a must. A facility will only look out for you as long as it's in their own best interests. Should your best interests be different from their best interests, guess who's...
  22. Meriwhen

    denial of license

    CA has some of the strictest educational requirements of any BON, as tons of foreign grads and Excelsior students will tell you. You could try to appeal this...but honestly, I don't see that going...
  23. Meriwhen

    Dressing for psych

    CPI is a nonviolent crisis intervention training course. It teaches the basics of recognizing and managing escalating behavior in patients...and should that not do it, how to break holds, block blows...
  24. Meriwhen

    Why did you choose psychiatric nursing?

    Same here: I didn't actually choose psych either. Well, I didn't choose psych because it was psych: I chose the psych job as a new grad because it was the better offer (option #2 would have been a...
  25. I don't feel sorry for you in the least. If anything, I feel a sense of admiration for you and anyone that works LTC. It's a very tough job in a very tough environment, and it takes a special kind...