BookwormRN

I have the Cardiology III and LOVE IT! IMO, the Master is very heavy and the diaphragm is large...harder to listen to my small little elderly/pediatric folks. With my Cardio III, I can use the pediatric diaphragm and it works great! (Plus, it is lighter than the Master, which is an added bonus.)

I have applied for/been offered jobs which would require significant pay cuts. I currently work in an acute care setting, averaging three 8-hour evening shifts per week. The new jobs were Mon-Fri, days. No weekends, nights, holidays. If I'd taken those "perfect jobs" I'd have had to work 2 extra days a week to make what I make now. Guess I'm an evening person and have the BEST co-workers in the world, because I've turned down and backed out of 3 different day shift positions so far. I should also add that these positions were in my dream specialty of psych.

Along these lines...a few weeks ago, I was outside a Pt's room and saw a family member figure out how to work the over-the-bed table. Then she said, "Look, I could be a nurse!" I wanted so badly to go in and have a heart to heart conversation with her...

Our facility had something fun each day last week (celebrated early), culminating with a special Nurses Day Mass on Friday, at which they had a Blessing of Hands. (Catholic Hospital) Not only did they bless the hands of those present at Mass, but one of the nuns and another RN went to each unit of the hospital to do so. They also came back to the hospital on PMs and NOCs to bless those shifts. It was beautiful and appreciated.

Actually, I have given names of new grads to my manager when we have had a position to fill. And yes, we've hired new grads. (My nursing school friend and I were hired as new grads.) However, we were new grads who started as CNAs in this facility, worked as Nurse Techs and then as Grad nurses. And, our facility happened to have two openings at the time of our graduation. We've hired new grads since that time, however, we are a critical access hospital (25 beds) and are, for the most part, fully staffed. Just had to add my 2 cents.

This post hits home! We are building a new hospital in the near future and am told that the nurses will be carrying cell phones, in addition to a new call system. I just cannot imagine the interruptions when in with a patient! It is bad enough when someone comes to the door of the patient's room looking for me. At least at that point I can tell the person that I'm busy, but will be available in X amount of time. Technology has it's place and at times is a wonderful thing. In this instance however, I think we're missing the point of bedside care.

"The CNA then wrote out her totals of fluids at the meals she'd had on the board to help her understand that she'd had too much fluid already, and she still got mad about it. I told the nurse and the nurse said do not give her fluids, she's had enough today. I was then asked to remove the water pitcher because the pt's family had filled it for her. I encouraged the pt to talk to the doctor about her concerns and she said she had already that morning, but the orders were the same." I've been reading the replies and didn't see this issue addressed. (If I missed it, please forgive me!) At our facility, we assign fluid distribution according to the number of mls ordered per day. For example: with an 1800 ml fluid restriction, we delegate 900 ml to the kitchen (300 per meal, or so much per meal and per snack during the day), and 300 mls per day/eve/NOC shift. That way, the patient should not "meet" their restriction by evenings and have nothing left for NOCs.

Hahaha! Usually I can figure out the initials; this one had me stumped :)

I'm sorry, but I don't know what A.L. means...

Not all schools have 12 hour clinicals. The school I attended did not have them; however I did do 12 hour shifts during my preceptorship during my last semester. Not all schools are the same, nor do all med/surg units have 12 hour shifts for their nurses. The nurses on our med/surg unit all work 8's.

Thank you for all of your well wishes! I will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay online. I spent several years at UW-GB and therefore have only the nursing classes to take for completion. I'm so excited!!!!!

Having had 3 c-sections personally, um yeah, those nurses should be assisting the patients! I was unsteady, in pain and at times unable to move quickly enough to pick up the babe from the bassinet, let alone get to the bathroom on my own to urinate for the first time after the foley was DC'd. (Not to mention exhausted from attempting inductions prior to the second and third sections and loopy from pain meds!) While I can sympathize to some degree (I've floated to OB a few times myself) about those patients who think they're at the Hilton vs Hospital, I feel that these are the exception rather than the rule.

Hi Everyone, I am just so excited that I have to share; I have finally decided to go for it and am applying to an RN to BSN program!! This has been a personal goal for me since before I finished my ADN. I put in a few years at a university right out of HS and then got married, had kids, went to nursing school at age 32. So, now I'm going to put those university years to use and finish my BSN online through the same institution. OK, now that I've shared my news, I have to go finish up the application and click "submit". Happy day! Thanks for listening! BookwormRN

"Bellin is good school but is private and quite costly. There prerequistes are quite specfic. It is affliated with a Bellin Health (hospital) and I hear there clinicals are great. There are several universities (UW) that are high ranked also. Have high entrance requirements, but no waist lists. I do withhold my opinions about technical schools. I am a BSN and am such prejudice." I am an ADN; the year I graduated from Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, NTC had the highest NCLEX pass rate in the state (that included Techs, all UW programs and diploma programs). When I read this post, my eyes popped out of my head. While I agree that a BSN is wonderful, it is not the be all end all...Please note the bold sections of the above post...THERE should be THEIR in both cases. As far as the last line is concerned, I can only guess. Perhaps, " I am a BSN and as such am prejudiced."

I currently work with two nurses who attended Bellin. They both enjoyed the school and their experience. One did tell me, however, that if she knew then what she knew now, she would never have gone into so much debt for her nursing degree. The second one told me that her loan payments/month are higher than her mortgage payment. (of course, I don't know how much of that was strictly books/tuition.) Don't know from first hand experience; good luck!

In my area (Northern WI), there is no difference in pay for BSN vs ADN. Hospitals here will hire you as a staff nurse with either degree. In Milwaukee and Madison, some hospitals require a BSN. There has been talk for quite some time about having the BSN become the entry level degree. If you already have a bachelor's degree and are in Management, go for the BSN. Will save you some steps later :)

I am known for carring a pocket drug guide for nurses on my COW (computer on wheels), as I always look up meds that I am unfamiliar with. If I cannot find it in my book, then I will resort to the computer (I prefer books!). If I don't at least know why the Pt is receiving the medicaiton and what it is used for, I have no business giving that med. Keep in mind; you will never remember everything about every med.

Hi, my name is Michelle and I am a pen addict. We are in the process of switching to computer charting at our hospital; our manager made the comment, "You won't even need to carry a pen anymore." I almost passed out. You will NEVER find this RN without a pen!

I work for a hospital that has a union and am currently the president of the local. We belong to the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, which is part of the AFT. While unions are not perfect, I am happy to have a union contract. Yes, it is for the good of all, and some individuals don't like that, but in my mind, it really does give me and all RNs, Lab Med Techs, Speech/Physical/Occupational Therapists a safer working environment. We do not have mandatory over-time; if the facility decides it wants to change wages, it must be negotiated. I have a Union Rep in Milwaukee to turn to if something does not appear to be on the up and up. It is a nice feeling of security.

Thankfully, our facility has a union! We get time and a half for anything over our 8 hour shift; if the supervisor calls us 4 hours prior to a shift to work on our day off, we get a bonus. The way you all are being treated is ridiculous. I say take a stand! If they won't pay-don't go in. Perhaps is we stopped allowing ourselves to be treated as doormats, they'd stop wiping their feet on us.

Yes, Nurses are really that important. Do we always FEEL important and appreciated by those in the medical profession? No. However, I learned a long time ago (before I became a nurse) that it is what I think that matters. I KNOW that I am the eyes and ears for the physician. I KNOW that I am the link between the patient and the physician/family/social services/radiology/PT/OT/Lab/Speech/Pharmacy/Pastoral Care/CNA. I KNOW that I coordinate the care of my Patients and I am responsible for them. Yes, this Nurse is REALLY that important! and so is every nurse out there! When we start to believe it, others will believe it, too. Look the MDs in the eyes-ask questions; offer information about their patients; be PROACTIVE, not reactive. It really does work. Good luck in the ICU...I hope you find the respect you deserve. "I'm quite happy in my community not-for-profit hospital, where the docs I work with are very respectful and team players. Well, most of them. " Oh, and Ditto this!

I like to pack left overs if they are available; sometimes a "Lean Pocket"; always fruit/veggies; yogurt is good, too...I like something relatively light, as I work evenings and hate to back to running around with a heavy stomach.

I've had 3 c-sections, each one with a different healing period. That being said, your physician will probably impose a lifting restriction for awhile-usually no more weight than the baby. Don't think you should be assisting an 80 lb. person with lifts in the bed. Don't rush your healing; that usually leads to setbacks.

Excuse me? I chose nursing to be a bedside nurse. In that role, I am a professional and expect others to be professional as well. That includes proper English, pronounciation and spelling. It has nothing to do with "rising to another level of nursing." In fact, I expect my children to speak proper English, pronounce and spell words correctly. It has nothing to do with a certain "level of nursing". It does have everything to do with looking, acting and sounding intelligent.

We are celebrating Nurses Week at our facility...There are banners hanging throughout our hospital stating "Blank Hospital Supports our Nursing Staff"; They have a big screen TV in the main hall near the cafeteria playing a continuous slide show with pictures of all the nursing staff set to music such as the ER theme song, MASH theme song (very cute pics, too!); special themed meals in the cafeteria; donuts in the break room; last week they took group pics of the nurses and made them into posters which are hanging on the units. I feel appreciated. Oh, and as a side note; we lost one of our very best RNs to cancer this week. So, we had a Florence Nightingale candle lighting ceremony at the funeral home. Very fitting tribute to a wonderful person. May she rest in peace.