Allison S.

Thanks for your comments, Suzanne. I suppose it's good to know that this is not an isolated situation. I am wondering how they justify being the only department in a large multi-campus academic system to do it this way, however. Don't all other departments have the potential problem of admitting students who then fail to finish their undergrad on time? If the program is really so popular, they could fill any vacated spots from a waiting list like everyone else does. As far as going somewhere else, this is the only program like it around. As it is I'll be driving an hour and a half each way. I really can't look anywhere else. Thanks, though. Allison

Has anyone gone directly from a BSN to MSN program? While I have been an RN for several years, I am only now finishing my BSN. The problem is that the MSN program that interests me won't consider my application at all this year, because I will not have the BSN until a few weeks after the deadline for the MSN application. It will be complete and in my hand well before the program actually starts. I have heard that lots of graduate programs in other fields admit people in the spring of their senior year, conditional on their graduation. Arts & Sciences programs do this, as do law schools, med schools, and business schools. I don't understand why my situation is different. Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice? Thanks! Allison

We have what we call "forced earned time" which basically means that you can be told when to take a vacation day. Big bummer for people who are saving up for maternity or who are just back from disability or something like that. No, I don't see the most highly paid employess (read: administrators) having to do this. Interestingly, I find that when we are down staffed for low census that things actually get a lot more difficullt, because we have fewer people to turn to if we need help with something.

Regarding RSD: I'm not being callous. We treat this all the time, and treat all cases as though they are real, even when the pain is the only symptom and even when the pain is only evident when we start talking about sending the child back to school or something like that. We do, however, have kdis who have made a life out of being comfortably ensconsed in the hospital.

We see a lot of this under our chronic pain program for kids. 1. one whose reflex sympathetic dystrophy "moved" from limb to limb as discharge approached. 2. One whose legs went numb causing falls, but only in front of the objects of crushes. 3. One who had pain for the last three years, but only between the months of September and May. (i.e. when the patient was supposed to be going to school -- hadn't gone in years). We treat them all the same. Whether we believe the pain is real or not, we try to give them methods to cope with it and resume normal life. My personal philosophy is that even if they are faking it for attention, they obviously need attention. Interestingly, among the kids we see a lot are those who were sick as young children, so watch out for those micropremies.

Believe it or not, a nursing aid I work with has just made the same decision. She was a letter carrier for a while, and has just decided to go to nursing school. My uninformed opinion? Although nursing is very tough, intellectually, emotionally, and physically, I think that being a letter carrier would be too boring.

A preculiar friend of mine just had a vasectomy. He not only detailed me on the use of the stirrups, but on how he thought they might be improved. "Four bungie cords is all they would need," I recall him saying. Not sure I understood.

Some days at our unit, it really feels like the docs work for the nurses. I frequently hear the question "What do you want me to order?" from the docs. They are very respectful, and also very generous with us, especially on the weekends, they bring pastries, buy pizza. I'm sure they know that while their work is essential, most of it couldn't get done without us. (And still, we have nursing vacancies--we're in Boston if anyone is looking.) As for two-faced family members, remind yourself that they are under stress, and are trying to do their best for their family members. This involves being sweet to their caregivers to curry favor, and also speaking strongly to managers to get them to do their thing. Sadly, this does verge on lying. One family member complained for days that the patient was losing weight, needed more feeding, etc. and then wanted to take him for a walk when it was time for his tube feed. I reminded her of his schedule and priorities and then she did what she wanted. Later she complained that I was rude, telling her how to take care of her family-memeber, AND that I was late hanging the tube feed. When they left our facility, she gave me a big hug and thanked me with tears in her eyes, yet I still have a complaint in my file.

One of our patients was profiled in the newspaper and about the nurses, she said some were nice and some were rude. When you are dealing with certain issues and certain people, nice doesn't cut it, and people may find certain unpleasant news to be rude or *****y, especially if it has to be repeated. I didn't actually care for this patient so this is just conjecture and IMHO.

The Ultimate JCAHO answer is, "I don't know, but I know who does, how I can find out, to look in our P&P manual, etc. We are by far the best unit in our rehab hospital. We got dinged for having dust on our defibrillator. That could be considered a good thing, no?