Meriwhen ASN, BSN, MSN, RN

Psych ICU, addictions

Member

All Content by Meriwhen

  1. Meriwhen

    new grad with a dui history in new jersey

    Meriwhen replied to NJ2013's topic in Licensure: Criminal History

    I'm not familiar with how the NJ BON rolls so I can't tell you if what they told you is correct or not. However, I do know that you don't need to be arrested, fingerprinted or detained to end up with...
  2. Meriwhen

    How do you keep your clinical skills sharp?

    Meriwhen replied to mon00707's topic in Psychiatric

    Anyone--and I really mean ANYONE--can enroll in an ACLS class. You need not be a nurse or other healthcare provider to do so...though why someone not working in healthcare would want to take ACLS is...
  3. Meriwhen

    HRN and SoCal per diem pay

    Meriwhen replied to mursinary's topic in Agency Nurses

    I'm also in SoCal. My agency only pays in the low-mid 30s, so you are not necessarily being lowballed. Agency pay generally blows around here. I make far more as a per-diem employee for the hospital...
  4. Meriwhen

    Admission Evaluations and the DSM

    Meriwhen replied to onegoodnerve's topic in Psychiatric

    This. You're not officially diagnosing patients, just assessing and stating what you think that they may be presenting with based on their symptoms, history, etc. Think of it as giving a report on the...
  5. Meriwhen

    Where do you all get textbooks from

    Meriwhen replied to maj0079's topic in General Students

    I've always either bought or rented through Amazon. Amazon has good rental terms and you can extend the rental if necessary. I've also bought books through Barnes & Noble online. Very rarely do...
  6. Meriwhen

    Help! Nurse finders/ agency nurses

    Meriwhen replied to Nikitah016's topic in Agency Nurses

    The best source for the answer to your question is your specific agency office, because branches of the same parent agency may have local differences in their rules. Ask for a copy of the contract...
  7. Meriwhen

    Nursing student theft

    Meriwhen replied to beeker's topic in General Nursing

    You can't file criminal charges against her--only the state can. You could take her to civil/small claims court to be reimbursed for the cost of the replacement steth. To be honest, even if you did...
  8. Meriwhen

    Don't you just hate it when a patient yells at you?

    Meriwhen replied to Brian's topic in Nursing Humor

    Tell me about it. Sometimes, it's actually more alarming when they're not yelling and have gone very quiet instead. In psych, too quiet can be just as bad as too
  9. Meriwhen

    Falsify credentials

    Meriwhen replied to cptkathy's topic in General Nursing

    Most likely, you'd probably get fired and tagged a "Do Not Rehire." If in nursing school, you may be dismissed. Worst case scenario: you're fired, made a "Do Not Rehire" AND the fraud reported to...
  10. Meriwhen

    First public drunk charge, May graduation

    Meriwhen replied to missy423's topic in Licensure: Criminal History

    Actually, it can be either. Whether it's a felony or a misdemeanor depends on the state the DUI occurred in and the circumstances surrounding
  11. Meriwhen

    Going back to work after 12 weeks of Maternity Leave

    Meriwhen replied to Jahna's topic in Emergency

    It took me about a week before I felt fully back to speed. Fortunately, my schedule was very conducive to frequent pumping, so that wasn't a big problem. My challenge was getting used to all the...
  12. Meriwhen

    The Commuter(s), Any and All RN's What's the real deal?

    Meriwhen replied to cee cee g's topic in NCLEX Exam, Programs

    So did mine, and so did I. I tested on a Friday, I wouldn't be able to find out until Monday at the earliest...it was the worst weekend of my
  13. Meriwhen

    dismissed felony & trying to become a RN

    Meriwhen replied to Sam222013's topic in Licensure: Criminal History

    The fact that whatever it was has been dismissed is good for you. Most places only care about whether you were convicted. However, some places--and BONs--do want to know if you've ever been arrested...
  14. Meriwhen

    First public drunk charge, May graduation

    Meriwhen replied to missy423's topic in Licensure: Criminal History

    Since it's going take some time, put expungement on the back burner of your concerns. Your immediate issue is facing the BON this summer as you apply for licensure. Talk to your BON (anonymously if...
  15. Meriwhen

    New RN - help on how to get out of med surg!!

    Meriwhen replied to east-westRN's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    As hellish as working there is, try to stick out the full year: it looks a lot better on your resume and gets you out of the new grad black hole. Also, most opportunities require at least one year...
  16. Meriwhen

    The Commuter(s), Any and All RN's What's the real deal?

    Meriwhen replied to cee cee g's topic in NCLEX Exam, Programs

    Reason(s) people fail the NCLEX...and they can happen to both the worst students as well as to the best: They barely made it through nursing school through lack of studying, or adopting the "C=RN"...
  17. Meriwhen

    medical marijuana past and wanting to be a nurse

    Meriwhen replied to lakersfan92's topic in General Students

    Oh, to answer your original question, OP: your doctor's recommendation to use MJ should NOT show up anywhere as that info is part of your medical care and thus would be protected by HIPAA. However,...
  18. Meriwhen

    are fluids and electrolytes really THAT bad?

    Meriwhen replied to TarheelGirlx3's topic in General Students

    If you are struggling, get "Fluid and Electrolytes Made Incredibly Easy." It breaks it down so anyone can understand
  19. Meriwhen

    medical marijuana past and wanting to be a nurse

    Meriwhen replied to lakersfan92's topic in General Students

    I work in CA, where 4/20 is practically a state holiday. Even here, a medical MJ card will NOT offer you protection from disciplinary action from either employers or BONs should you test positive for...
  20. Meriwhen

    I don't psych nurse like the other psych nurses here

    Meriwhen replied to Umberlee's topic in Psychiatric

    Remember that nursing school is all about ivory-tower nursing, where everything is perfect or nearly so, interventions work exactly as the textbook tells you they would, and your patient won't flip...
  21. Meriwhen

    Alert but confused

    Meriwhen replied to mytoon38's topic in General Nursing

    Actually, that describes a lot of my
  22. Meriwhen

    Staffing gaps and gaffs

    Meriwhen replied to SunDazed's topic in General Nursing

    I just wanted to throw in a thought about something in item #2, the 8 hour workers who merrily go their way at 1500. It's not the fault of the 8 hour workers that the facility decided to shift to 12s....
  23. Meriwhen

    Nurses prescribed marinol?

    Meriwhen replied to francoml's topic in General Nursing

    The employer is well within their rights to decide how to handle a positive drug screen, and even a valid prescription is not bullet-proof protection aganist disciplinary action. So the answer to the...
  24. Meriwhen

    Studying during break...

    Meriwhen replied to rosyariana's topic in General Students

    I never studied during breaks because that was my time to mentally and emotionally recharge from the stress. I did once idly thumb though a Fluid and Electrolytes Made Incredibly Easy book during one...
  25. Meriwhen

    I don't psych nurse like the other psych nurses here

    Meriwhen replied to Umberlee's topic in Psychiatric

    This, especially the bolded part. Consistency with the rules and boundaries is VERY important in psych nursing. If you start rearranging requests/privleges, rules and perks for one patient, other...