a21chdchic

I haven't sat for any cert exams in psych, but was wondering: Do you know of any nursing journals, or a source to find them that address specifically psychiatric nursing, current trends in treatments, new medications, etc., for one who is interested in psych? I know it's 'a little' off subject, but wasn't sure if I could start a new thread for that or not. Thanks for any help you may be able to provide.

Yes, alot of ICU nurses are quite serious, but there are a few who are less so. However, the 'clickyness' that is found there, I happen to find very 'high school'. But as long as you work in a female dominated atmosphere, you will find that no matter how 'professional' the job requires us to be.:trout:

teeituptom, all underwear was white, when? the 1800's? hehehehe By the way how old are you? More than a 100?

I just quit working for hospice as a case manager. I loved the work, learned a great deal, and did very well working so autonamously. HOWEVER.......In addition to working a 40 hour week, we were required to take call, and for the last 4 months, it has been once a week. Add another 24 hours on top of the 40 hours. But, this wasn't your ordinary call.......we very frequently had 'bad days' where you arrive in office on Sat am 0730, so you can organize your day, get supplies, admission and death documents that will needed - to be handy, get the paperwork for the 'scheduled' admissions, and referrals. This takes a good 45 minues. The straw that broke the camels back is the sat I didn't get home until 2300 the same night, worked straight through without having the time to stop and eat due to the constant calls, visits, deaths, etc. And then you add all of the documentation on to that. That was one of many 95+ hours weeks. SH**, that's is twice the work of a regular work day! For $12 an hour? The perk of that Saturday is I got an extra $25 for doing an admission, which by the way, both the patient and family were spanish speakers only! Go figure that one? My spanish is not even minimal. How great was that assessment? Then, after getting to bed, I'm back up at 0500 for another death (3) in that 24 hour period. And more calls. And we are reequired to go in at 0800, replicate, and give report to the oncoming nurse who did not show up. I had to call her at 0815, which was very common. And THEN there's documentation! So, we commonly were working 7 days a week.And then, the director has the nerve to insult me by coming up to me to tell me, that I get that admission bonus for the day? I just looked at her and turned away. And believe me, that was the nicest and most respectful thing I could say, do, or think. I suggested the office nurses help with taking call until they could get more nurses, to lighten our load, but, that wasn't an 'option'. That friggin $25 bonus for a 4-5 hour admission? $25 an hour isn't even an hourly wage. All it did for any of us was rub us the wrong way, to say the very least. Hey guys, I'm going back to the hospital, so I can at least be paid for every hour worked, for an additional $5/hour, not counting shift and w/e differentials, and do self scheduling.

Oh, I don't care where a RN is from either. If you were here or we were there, we would still have the same job duties, too. So, if your are BSN prepared, an international nurse, and offended, you need not be.

I don't make any posts based upon the credentials of another. It makes no difference to me how a RN is prepared, in America, and unless you're a NP, we pretty much make the same money. In different geographical areas, the wage may vary a bit. What a RN is able to do and not do varies in America also, depending upon the state you are in, and the specialty you are in. It does not depend upon an ADN or BSN. In a clinical area, the difference between the two degrees is what initials are behind your name. Sooooo.......sorry if you're offended.

Having worked in Hospice for awhile, I know how common it is for people to talk to family members who have already passed on, prior to their own death. I've been reading these many posts where the same thing occurs over and over. I've never really been afraid of death. But I realized through these posts, that I don't have anyone to meet me on the other side. It has deeply saddened me. I have a daughter who God willing, will go after me. But other than that, I don't have anyone. My mother will go to hell, she is very evil, and I never knew my father. Maybe I'll have pets who will meet me, if they can care for humans. However pets do seem to prefer the company of men, sh**, guess I'm out of luck.

If this is truly diagnosed as scar tissue from past TB that was treated and she plans to travel abroad (for a job), I would be sure and take all of my documentation that proves she was treated and statement from the MD of current status, lab tests that may have been done fro procedures etc. A future employer would want that documentation. Shoot, american employers want the same thing. But tests done abroad may be more costly than here, and if not, it is still added cost.

Are there not any regulations addressing exactly this? I did not know that the Dept of Health even got involved. I don't think they do in Arizona. Maybe for the sake of safety, all of the above should notify employer. I'm sure the BON can mandate that the nurse inform the employer, but I know of one RN in particular whose license were suspended in AZ. Her original license was in Delaware, not sure if BON notified them of the discipline, but in the meantime, this same nurse obtained a license in Cali. At the time the license in Cali was issued, her issues were still under investigation. Shortly after obtaining the Cali license, her AZ license was suspended. So, she is happily working in Cali. So, maybe there aren't any regulations and should be?

How do you figure? We do some of the nastiest jobs there are! We do things that make most people want to barf! How many ordinary people can Wipe an adult's behind, disimpact them, clean up their puke, do wound care on limbs that are falling off due to gangrene, and many other nasty disgusting things, and ALL with a smile on our face to try and hide what we really think and feel. How many times have you had to actually use a surgical scrub brush on a human trying to get months of filth off of a homeless person? And It takes many days of scrubbing for the skin to actually look like it has been washed, and how do you think that same body smelled? How many microorganisms have you acquired as a result of the direct care that you have cared for? HIV, AIDS, TB? Doesn't sound like you have exposed your family to anything as a direct result of your profession either? And that doesn't even address the politics that are inherent in every facility that provides care. I think we deserve to be paid what we're worth, a hell of a lot more! G'Day Sport!

Sorry people, I work 12 hour shifts, and I need to be comfortable for those 12 hours. You can look professional in scrubs, just be choosey about the style. Make sure they are clean, neat, and ironed if it makes you feel better, and by all means not torn, or stained. I personally would not do white anything if I could help it. It might look nice, professional to some, but rarely do we all wear white underwear. And I certainly do not want to go out buy them just for work. I hope nobody is advocating for that one!

Personally, I'm not too anal here. The ideal is following the orders, however the policy of your facility will give usually 30 minutes before and after the time ordered as we cannot be in 5 different places at the same time. Sometimes five different patients have meds ordered at the same time. If, after the appropriate pain assessment, I will let the MD know what the assessment shows, how often patient is making requests for the pain meds, etc. and make a recommendation. The whole idea behind the policy of 30 minutes before and after is because we cannot be a half dozen places at the same time, and surprisingly, this is one thing that administration actually acknowledges with the policy.

In the hospitals that I have worked in, we have always called the CRTT or RRT that was assigned to our particular unit. Some RRT's have administrative positions, but not all. It's like not all RN's work admin., some of us prefer to stay out of politics. Anyway, the RT assigned has almost always been more than competent to handle what needs to be done.

loricatus - I totally agree. Ever hear of 'heresay'. If a person IS indeed trying to do anything fraudulent, they wouldn't hesitate to sue you for slander. So, if you don't know something to be fact, I personally would keep my mouth shut. I wouldn't think fraudulent activity is going to affect the type or amount of treatment a patient needs. And lucky for us, who hear the 'hearsay', the MD decides on type and amount of treatment based on the diagnosis that they come up with. But, I wouldn't hesitate to pass on appropriate assessment data to assist the MD in making a final diagnosis. :)

I have worked in a level IV (male population) correctional facility. (The bad boys) This was a position that I learned alot in. #1 Don't bend over, besides being poor body mechanics, if you drop something, bend your knees, to lower yourself to the ground and pick up the item. I'll leave the rest of that scenario to your imagination. You will no longer be naive. #2 Every one of them talk sh**, and they are full of it. They are there because they are cons, and they will con you too, if you give them the chance. So, I learned how to maintain a professional distance (which takes on a definition of itself) while providing personal cares, and provide cares only when they can't perform the cares themselves. And they are frequently in sick call, just to see females. #3 The majority of the population is 'psych related', so if you have no interest in psych, I don't suggest you even try correctional nursing. #4 If you think the adults are morons, difficult to deal with, etc, Let me tell you, they are a peice of cake compared to the juvies. They are the most obnoxious humans I have ever come in contact with. #5 Just because they are in a correctional facility doesn't mean they have no rights, they have almost as many rights as you or I. Ex. If they get bored, and you pi** them off, they can and alot of times will, pipe dream a reason to sue you in a court of law. They can even win a law suit over something that never even happened. #6 You had better be a very strong woman (emotionally) to work in a c. facility. These people are extremely sensitive to vulnerability in others, especially women, and they will prey on vulnerability at every turn. I have seen several nurses lose not only their jobs, licenses, but also a decent life as a result of falling for the sh** that cons come up with. They are a trap. #7 If you're thinking about a facility with a female population - females are brutal in their own rites. They give new meaning to the work brutal. #8 I have seen many decent people shamed by the deeds of bored offenders in accusations that both cost them their jobs and their families. So, if you go into correctional nursing, learn to take care of yourself, take every self defense class that is offered to nursing personnel, and never ever underestimate the capabilities of another. You may think, well they can't be that smart if they ended up in jail. But everyone makes mistakes, they just happened to caught in at least 1 of them. I do apologize if this post offends anyone, but if you want to go into this area of nursing, you have to be REAL.