d2k2ross

Bobbkat, Yes, you are correct, it very much IS discrimination. The only thing is, I really want to work at this hospital in the future and I can see where some employers would look down on it a bit. So, that's kind of a catch 22. I know that there are no guarantees, but I really have every intention of taking a very minimal maternity leave (4-6 wks) and working right up until the baby is born. As I said before, this isn't my first pregnancy, so I kind of know what to expect, and I feel like I will be able to juggle it. Anyhow, I got the job offer! (and while we did not discuss the pregnancy in the interview, I was visibly,as in 6 months, pregnant at the time!) I have requested a meeting with the manager and I will get his feel on it. Obviously, he isn't going to take the offer back. But, if he seems to think that it is not going to be a good fit for the unit, I will decline the offer and wait until after the birth. Thanks to everyone for their opinions and insight.

Oh, and I don't currently work for this company, but I worked for them for a year (5/10-5/11) as an extern. I'm wondering if FMLA would apply since the only reason I don't currently work for them is that the externship ended with the end of nursing school?

You two share the same thought I do. I finished nursing school while pregnant and it did not slow me down a bit. There were some times that I felt puny but I just kept right on trucking and never asked for any special treatment. The only thing they wouldn't let me do is take patients with dangerous diagnoses (shingles and CMV). This is not my first child, it's my third. I know every pregnancy is different but my prior two went fine and I REALLY want to start working in the field. I feel like I am doing myself a disservice by waiting until after the baby is born. I have received a promising email from the nurse manager that I interviewed with a couple of weeks ago and I am hoping to get an offer today. Sooo...I am keeping my fingers crossed! Thanks for your opinions!! I really appreciate it!

Hello all, I would like opinions on a situation, preferably from those who have been in this situation, or managers who have dealt with it. If a woman is pregnant, and applying for nursing jobs (as a NEW GRAD), how should she handle the discussion of the pregnancy with potential employers? I can't think of a reason to NOT apply for jobs as a new grad just because of a pregnancy. If the person anticipates being able to complete the assigned orientation and work load, is there any reason not to accept a job offer if given one? Also, if it were you, once you had a job offer, how would you approach the subject with the nurse manager? Obviously one would not want to appear sneaky, or like they were trying to hide the situation. It is a good thing. It is a temporary thing (pregnancy, not parenthood . And if the person has the right mind set, it will not impede a successful employee. I'm just looking for ideas and opinions. Thanks!!

I define preceptors as a lengthy (not neccessarily 200 hrs.) say even 60 hrs., 1:1 training that helps introduce you to the world of nursing. A kind of "transistion" of sorts, from student, to graduate nurse. And yes, deemalt, you can have nursing school w/out preceptorships. It is not required by law. You just must have 120 of "focused" clinical time in your last semester. I am just curious if those of you who DIDN'T have a preceptorship feel like it hurt you in any way. As in, not preparing you well enough, or made it harder to get hired after you graduated?

Wow. I am simply amazed. I have spent time in a few ER's, and busy ones at that, and never saw nor heard any nurse, triage or otherwise, treat a patient in the way you are speaking Fribblet. Do you belittle and berate your patients in the way you have this OP???

I have to admit, I am agahst at how many people are defending this triage "nurse". It is never, ever ok for a nurse to say to a patient, "That is not my problem". EVER. And just "getting out still breathing" is a "job well done"??? What hospital do you work at? Remind me never to take a family member there! To the OP, I firmly believe that you should not only send this letter to the nurse, but to HR as well. There is no excuse for this type of behavior. We go into this profession to help people, not treat them like dirt. If you can't handle the stressors that very obviously come with this line of work, find another!

Just out of curiosity, has anyone attended a nursing school that did not offer preceptorships? And if they didn't, what was their rationale?

Well, I am not an OB nurse, but I have had a few babies! From what I understand, fundal height is not measured until starting at approximately 20 weeks. From that time, fundal height (in cm) should be about equal to the number of weeks gestation. In other words, if you are 22 weeks, your fundal height should measure about 22 cm. And I believe fundal height is measure from the top of the pubic bone to the top edge of the fundus (you sometimes have to really feel around to be able to palpate it). If I am wrong on any of this, someone please correct me!

Thanks so much for the responses. I didn't think that FNP's would really be involved in the NICU...oh well. My plan is to hopefully get a job in the NICU as soon as I can and then take it from there. I know that is what I want to do and I know I want to continue my education so I guess we'll see what happens! And that was a very good point about not judging the state of the economy today. I wouldn't be graduating with an NNP for at least another 5 years. Hopefully, for all of us, the economy will be better by then! Thanks again for your responses...I very much value your opinions!

I don't work on our Mother Baby unit all the time but we don't have a well baby nursery. It seems to me that when baby is away from mom for any reason, the RN takes responsibility for that baby. That usually means that the baby will hang out with the RN while he/she charts, etc. If the RN has to go to a patient room, a CNA will take over "babysitting". Granted, it doesn't seem to happen that much but this works well! If this "babysitting" takes place on your unit more frequently, you would probably need additional staff.

Hello all, I am due to graduate in May with my ADN. My goal is to get into the NICU ASAP. My question is this: What is the demand like for Neonatal Nurse Practitioners? Obviously it is lower due to the economy, etc, but is there still a demand for them? I want to continue on and get my masters but I'm trying to decide what would be the best route if I want to stay in the NICU. Some have suggested getting my FNP and maybe getting some type of specialized certificate for NICU?? Anyone know if such a thing exists? I just don't want to be "super-specialized" (NNP) and not be able to find a job...

I am right there with you 2ndwind. It definitely takes special people to work psych...I am not one of them.

Hmmm...I've had clinical rounds at a few psych facilities and I've never seen nor heard of sexual relations between patients being permitted...not saying it NEVER happened, but it wasn't permitted. Now, the smoking issue on the other hand, I've seen both sides of this coin recently. One of the facilites we rotate through still has a smoking room for the patients and has designated smoking times. The entire hospital campus is smoke free except this one tiny little room on the psych unit. The issue has been raised by the management many times, and, believe it or not, the nursing staff and social workers are the ones who adamantly oppose getting rid of the room! The other faciltiy I've rotated through does not allow smoking at all...even outside. They provide patients with patches if they wish to have them. That being said, in my opinion, I believe that the unit that ALLOWS smoking has the most unrest amongst the patients...they are constantly worrying and fretting about that smoke break. The patients on the unit that doesn't allow smoking know they can't have a cigarette, so it kind of seems to be off their minds for the most part. Plus, they have the patch to help with the nicotene cravings. I don't really see how any health care facility can condone smoking within the facility walls. We are there to promote HEALTH. I understand that it may be home to some, but there are a lot of comforts of home that can't be "enjoyed" in a health care facility...consuming alcohol, coming and going as you please, etc...because they are unsafe. Smoking is unsafe as well.

WOW! I'm so sorry I posted inaccurate information...I was told that by my financial aid officer 5 or so years ago when I was first starting back to school. When I asked about Federal Loans she said, and I quote, "You can apply for them, but if you have poor credit it would be a waste of time. They do check." Thank you for setting that straight for me! I am going on after finishing my current degree, and while I have been able to do it debt free thus far, I don't think I'll be as lucky the next time around. Now I know I can apply for Federal Loans! Thanks again!!

Yes, Federal Loans are need based but they do a credit check...and if you have poor credit, you may not get it. Also, you are not eligible for PELL Grants if you have a Bachelors or higher...the OP said she is RN-BSN...she's going for her Bachelors. I agree 100% though that OP should go to their schools' Financial Aid Dept. and see what they can do to help. Take the time to fill out the FAFSA first and then go and see what they have to offer. Also, not sure where OP is located but here in NC we have CFNC (College Foundation of North Carolina) which helped me a lot. Perhaps there is a foudation such as this in your state! Good luck!

For 2010, the maximum per person alloted for the year for the PELL Grant is $5500.00 (approx). That is if you have an EFC (estimated family contribution) of $0 and you go to school full time (at least 12 credit hours). The only way you will find out if you get the entire amount is to fill out a FAFSA online. It's totally free and takes about 45 minutes or so to complete. You will need your 2009 tax returns handy. When it is complete, it will tell you what your EFC is. If it is $0, you will get the full $5500.00 for the year. Mind you, this is for the PELL Grant, which you do NOT have to pay back. As far as loans go, I think that depends on your credit...the sky's the limit but just remember...you have to pay it all back plus interest when you're done with school! Hope this helps! :)

I don't know what kind of pump your facility uses, but where I work they ALWAYS beep with "air in the line"...but there is never any air visible. This has been a huge aggravation for staff and patients alike. Usually, if you mess with them long enough (take the cassette out and put it back in, flick the line, etc.) the alarm gives up. It's kind of a pain though!

My heavens...read all the posts!! She's a student...and either way, she didn't know the answer. It would "sadden" me if she felt like she couldn't ask ANY valid question on this board...that's why a lot of us are here! Sheesh!!

Blatant HIPPA violation. Period. She should have known better.

student4lyf: In NC, you can work in LTC without being certified. It's called a PCA (personal care assistant) and we have TONS of them in nursing homes. Not that I agree with it, but it does happen a lot. We also have "med techs" that can take a short CNA-type course and then they pass MEDS in LTC!!!! Now THAT is scary...

In the state of NC where I work, you are eligible for your CNA 2 at the end of your second semester. You don't have to challenge the test...just mail in your application and your $24. Our Dean of Nursing had to sign our apps. CNA 2's perform all the duties of a CNA plus trach and ostomy care, urinary catheterizations, and digital removal of fecal impactions (as well as a few other things that aren't coming to mind). We were required to have our CNA 1 BEFORE starting nursing school. And to whomever said RN students don't perform the same duties as CNA's, well, come to our school...CNA tasks were almost ALL we did during the first semester!

No, Fundamentals is a fairly new course that is part of an integrated curriculum, meaning, you don't have an individual pharmacology class anymore, all the meds and their classes, indications, interactions, etc. are incorporated into the entire curriculum. However, these study tips will most definitely help you in your pharmacology class as they all related to meds and that is EXACTLY what your pharm class is about! Good luck!

Hi, I am a rising senior in nursing school who had fundamentals last year. In my experience, each one of us had different meds to learn. Because pharmacology is integrated into our curriculum now, rather than being an individual class, meds were learned on a person to person basis. We did, of course, have some basics (basic psych, hypertensive, antibiotics, etc.) that were included on our exams. The majority of the meds that I learned/memorized however, were during my clinical prep time. We didn't really start learning meds until our second semester. My advice would be to learn about meds as you encounter them (see a commercial on TV? Go look up the med!) and wait to see how your fundamentals class formats the learning. Congrats and good luck!!!

While I agree that the attitude may be a little out of line, this is a vent. Let's allow the OP to have their moment. In regards to calling a patient "honey", you'd be lucky to make it through a stay at any hospital in my area without someone using a term such as that. This is the south...it's how most of us were raised. Most of the time, I don't even realize that I'm saying it! And I have never, in all my years in the service industry, and now in the medical field, had anyone get upset with me for using terms such as "honey".