mrh1953

I recall once seeing a reference to staffing ratios, limits on hours, etc. for Canadian nurses. It had to do with the health care system, I seem to recall, and may have been nationwide. What sort of 'controls' are there on how Canadian nurses are treated with regard to forced overtime, workload limits, and such? Here in the States the guidelines and realities seem to vary widely, and I am thinking in particular of California's setback in staffing ratios. Thanks to anyone who wishes to explain conditions in Canada (or a particular province) at present. MRH

There probably aren't too many of us Vermonters here on AllNurses, given the overall population of the State. Still, it's good to have our own special forum. I'm wondering about working at FAHC. Anyone out there have opinions on the work environment there? (You can PM if you prefer not to post publicly.) Thanks. M.

>What happened to the good ol' days when all docs >thought everything was "in your head"? I have tried this approach to my own "complaints" (assuming that, as a nurse, I'm inventing stuff I know too much about!). It can backfire, though (and has). Sometimes the woes are truly real and need to be dealt with. A faker in the hospital may not have a valid physical complaint, or it may not be the presenting problem (as he or she states it), but it could be real, nonetheless. And probably does need treating, if only in a psych setting at times. I may not appreciate the faker's "wasting my time" but I do try to understand what motivates such folks. No one does something for no reason at all... (It's hard, though, when you have to wade through a lot of distracting s/s to find the real problem at the root of it all.) I think we have to find a happy medium between all-in-the-head and not all-in-the-head. sigh...

I don't think it's fair to "steal" nurses from other nations. There is a *worldwide* shortage of active (working) nurses. It is fine for nurses to practice where they wish, but active recruitment of Irish nurses, for example, to get them to come to the U.S. is a disservice to Ireland. And ultimately it's a disservice to us ALL because, as so many have said here, it's the CONDITIONS that need humongous improvement. "If you build it, they will come." If staffing ratios, hours, shifts, attitudes, etc. ever fall into line, there will be no shortage. All those myriad nurses out there who are currently "inactive" (myself included) will return in droves. Treat us like valuable workers with varied working needs--not like interchangeable machines--and the rest will follow. Do ANY DONs and other hospital administrators *ever* read this BB???? Do they talk to each other about the real issues? If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one there to hear it... Margaret

Hi, Boggle-- I appreciated your response to my question about CEUs on paper (as opposed to on-line). Last evening I tried printing out the text of a study course (Nursing Spectrum's ALS update) and earned a (free) contact hour. I didn't mind taking the test on line since I had the printout right in front of me, all marked up with comments and underlines. It seemed to work as smoothly as doing the same process by snailmail. Thanks for the nudge. 'mrh1953' Margaret

Greetings, all. I'm new here (tonight!). I'm looking for CEUs *not* on line. I like the feel of a book, and the scratching of a pencil. (I am a computer programmer hoping to return to nursing--inactive license at present. I want to avoid sitting in front of a computer for even more hours a day.) I posted a similar message in another thread. Apologies for the repetition, but I'm hoping to reach more people this way. So: anyone out there know of companies providing *printed* CEU courses? (Money no object... within reason!) Thanks! MRH