deidrasue

Man oh, man, Life's too short. Are they going to fire you? Bet not. Get centered again. Find yourself, take lots of deep breaths. If you can, walk. Walk even 5 minutes at a time - leave - get a break - deep breathe - it'll help - it will make you more effecient and you'll make up the time lost effeciently. 15 minutes is better - get an ipod and walk to 50s or 60s music - go to mywalkingmusic.com and download the music you want - on 3 levels of fitness - it's wonderful........... wanting to hear the music makes me get up and go out. As soon as my back is once again stable - I'm out the door. Go read Erma Bombeck's poem - what she would've done with more time. Yours and mine are also limited. Make the most of it - and that's not doing the work for someone else - do it for your own fulfillment - or don't do it. There is a LOT of happiness out there and you deserve it as much as anyone else. Best of my wishes, DS

Are you in Oklahoma? Sucks working for the state as far as our budget cuts..... to top our problems, everyone is retiring and people who are in charge don't know anything except rules and regs.......... they have no idea how to manage the PEOPLE. Our budget was cut in my facility by 1 tenth! Our "catchment" area is everything west of I 35 and North of I 40 - including the panhandle of OK - otherwise known as No Man's Land - for a reason. Just keep stacking jobs on our heads and then complain that the work isn't getting done. What a hoot! Utilization Review meetings are a scream - and the exe. gets mad - but gotta hire people if you want the work done and they don't have a lot of licensed people out here - in any field. The money won't bring them, that's for sure:wink2:- --- and then there are the doctors - but that's another whole topic - maybe another whole message board! LOL But on the up-side - I've stayed 20 years and so now get 16 hours per month AL along with 10 hrs./mo SL + holidays - and I work M-F 0730 - 1600 hrs. and I live 1.2 Mi. from work - so don't spend much in fuel. All in all - have it pretty good. I do my work well and thoroughly - I have lots of help cross-trained to do everything and we don't have bosses running around us all the time - they pretty much forget we're there - (we're residential). Can retire in 1 yr, 144 days - not that I'm counting - but it'll be a milestone when I get there........... thinking I might work a little home health after this - we'll see - whatever I do, won't be full time.

No. The pay isn't that bad. When I found myself a single mother of 4, the youngest of whom was 6 months old, back to school I went to learn how to support myself and my children. Nursing was what I wanted to do as a very small child and went to a 3 yr diploma program right out of high school. Lasted 1 year and romance problems ended that course of study. So .... on to a two year program - the first year for it - and that program died (the next year) but I quit at the end of first semester because I fell in love - or something. 11 years later, back to school and this time to graduate with a BSN. That was 1985 - and I'm still in it. HOWEVER, I went from bedside nursing to psych and until I promoted to the level of supervisor - I loved it. I'm within less than a year and a half of retirement with the gov't - and going to stay in nursing, but change focus again. Nursing has been good to me. Fed and clothed my family, took us on vacations, allowed cable TV to be paid for, and helped the kids go to their colleges, vo-techs - etc. I live in NW Oklahoma and nursing is one of the highest paying jobs you can find - we make a LOT more than MSW or psych people with MSs. BUT they have all the political power - we're just pill-pushers/teachers and JCAH requires that the facility have us - but my checks come every two weeks like clock-work and they don't bounce (so far). When I get completely fed up with the paper, I go talk to a client and remember why I'm there. It's usually uplifting to be able to just listen - and be a helper. Nursing is a great profession - if you're built to do the job (internally). I think you should go for it - there are so MANY things that you can do in nursing, almost anyone could find a niche. NO the pay isn't that bad. Took care of me and mine at a comfortable level. Never be wealthy - but remember - you can't take it with you anyway................. much love! and best wishes:yeah:

I would vote an unqualified yes. Here we are struggling for respect and recognition as a profession but we don't, as a profession, require continued growth in our members? Since I work in a state psych facility it's really "in my face". All other professionals in my field are required to accrue continuing education hours - and are paid while they are on educational leave. I'm talking about psychiatrists, social workers, LADC, LPCs - even the social services specialists. We have Recovery Support Specialists that work for the department whose only claim to fame is having an addiction yet they go to training all the time and are awarded certificates by ODMHSAS for doing it. However, as a Registered Nurse, with a BSN, I am neither required to attend educational offerings nor paid when I do it on my own (which I do) unless I want to request vacation time to attend. And all the other disciplines know this. It's a freaking embarrassment. Just one more reason for nursing to not be respected by the state of Oklahoma and most particularly by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. We all know we are working for ODMHSAS only because JCAHO requires the department to have us on staff - and the other disciplines are not licensed to give meds. I wonder how nursing is treated in other state Mental Health facilities. MAHNA 214

Very, very funny - and often true!!! I will never forget when I was a brand new, fresh nurse and a more Experienced nurse told me "help when it helps - otherwise - let the patient help themselves!" Makes perfect sense to this day. If my patient is ambulatory and cognizant - they can certainly insert their own suppository!!! LOLOLOL Thanks to everyone for sharing. I can't tell you how much ALL of you on all the boards have helped me. I'm no longer so angry and counting hours until retirement - you helped me feel not so alone our here. Mahna 214

Hi kiddo, Follow your heart and it will be ok. There are too many opportunities in psych to put it off - and if you decide later you want to go into another field - hospitals and other sites will train you just as they would a new grad. I'm pretty disillusioned right now about psych nursing but it's the setting I'm in. I work for a state facility and if you aren't a psychologist or social worker - you have no power. Even the psychiatrists are at the mercy of the people who are licenced addiction counselors or LPCs. All they want us to do is pass meds. HOWEVER, that being said, we do not have an internist or any other doctor on staff who isn't a psychiatrist so they rely on the assessment skills of their RNs. THIS you should concentrate on - and stay current on. Believe me, when we say "ship 'em" - they ship 'em. You stick to your guns - we help more people that all the meds in the world - the meds only help the client to focus on adn remember what you're teaching. Best of careers and my wishes, Mahna

you know, i've always said i would not encourage nursing as a choice of vocations for my children. but i have to revise that. my dil who has a psych degree is headed to lpn school and i'm very proud of what she's doing - didn't think i would be. however, she has 3 small sons and her hubby - my son - is getting ready to deploy. she needs something else to think about and do - and grow while she's waiting. and she'll be done when he gets back. now that there are lpn-ad programs - and she already has a degree - it should be an easy thing for her to do. in the meantime - she'll be working toward something. i would just recommend that my kids - and others gain work experience in other fields first. nurses - all out there does not glitter. my diesel mechanic son takes a lot of verbal abuse to do what he loves - and works 80+ hours/wk at it - and travels. sil loves selling real estate - but he's pretty much 24/7 at his customer's beck and call. my son the soldier is an agr for the nat'l guard armory - and because his immediate superior is a "climber" who doesn't like my son - he's been assigned an armory an addit. 30 min away - at work at 0630 and home at 2000 hrs at night - and on call 24/7/365 - until he deploys. my job is much better that all of these. i don't make a ton of money but more than most people in nw rural ok. i've paid my dues and now work 40 hrs m-f. period. the most important thing i've learned - and my children are learning is "keep swimming". my mouth keeps me in trouble when it's open - so i'm focusing on letting my thoughts and feelings be known - not stuffing - so as not to cause the other person to lose face - or hurt them. standing up well is a difficult thing to learn but it is important for your self-esteem. and, when all else fails - consider the source - and think "here's your sign". my soldier son has a motto - since his last iraq deployment: "with a smile on my face, and murder in my heart, i will just do my job". how's that???? t-shirts anyone? lol deidra

Amen! But it sounds more like a teacher - someone who's never been in the trenches - or has been out so long they don't remember. Honestly, I do think this NM is trying to educate the doctors after one of them made an off-hand remark about "well, what do they do anyway?" - but was never sincerely interested in knowing. I have never - NEVER worked with a doctor who had either the least idea of what we did or of learning what we do. I was in school 22 years ago after wanting to be a nurse since age 5. My dream became a reality when I passed my NCLEX at age 36 and my dream died during my 36th year. I have continued to work as an RN and tried to just focus on helping my mentally ill clients - but I've been blackmailed by doctors (withholding needed med orders until I apologized to him for reporting him after he was not available for 3 hours during a medical emergency when he was on-call) accused of "making me discharge people" (doctor who would discharge no one who hadn't been on the acute care unit a min. of 14 days), told I was not a patient advocate and was not to act like one- by a PhD director of services, etc. etc, etc........ the list goes on......... Now I'm counting the days - 2 years and 132 days until I can retire. Do I sound bitter? You better believe it. But I had 4 children to raise alone and very occasionally a patient actually was better for my having been there. Now planning to become a small engine mechanic. Lord help the doctor who needs his mower or chain saw repaired. None of my children are working in healthcare and I would not encourage it. I know those not all doctors are as bad as what I've met, but I don't know the good ones.