keeptryin

Is anyone else strugling with statistics?? I am a reasonably intelligent woman, but wow, I'm so lost! Our professor has a unique way of lecturing...He doesn't. From day one, he started class by asking us questions about the text. For instance, something like..." what is meant by standard deviation?" Then he takes a few guesses, and when no one answers correctly he yells, "Come on people! Haven't you ever heard of this stuff? That's scary. Well,I'm not going to tell you, you need to research this. I promise it will be on the test!" And then the next topic is presented in the same way. He yells and calls us all morons! ( I'm starting to think he might be right... I just don't get this stuff). I had an A untill this last test, ( I do ALOT of independent study, and research, trying to learn it) which was a 70! I have met with him a few times, and he's been good about that, but I really am having a hard time grasping the concepts. However,I can handle the math part. So, I guess what I want to know (after that long rant...) is , Any one else feel my pain? Any tips to get me through the last test? And does any one actually retain the info they learned once the class is over? I can't tell you what I learned last week...

Something to keep in mind is that there is always two sides to every issue. I am not in an administrative or supervisory role, but my husband is (not in the medical field, however), so I get to see the other side of the desk, so to speak. I am always more than annoyed when someone will approach him and "joke" about how nice it must be to have such a "cake" job:that it can't be that hard to sit around in a suit all day, hiding out in the office, etc... They have no idea all the things he is responsible for. Many things that he must attend to have legal ramifications if they aren't handled just right. And often times, if he must be out of the office, for meetings (always work related) then he gets to stay down there late into the night to catch up on things that didn't get done during the day. Supervisors and administrators have a heirarchy that they must answer to as well as we do. I'm not saying there aren't some duds out there, there are, I have worked for a few... but they don't seem to stick around long, as productivity is always the bottom line. I guess what I'm trying to say is , just because you don't see your supervisor doing anything, it could be just that... you just don't see her. It's very unlikely that he or she is just hanging out looking to pounce on some poor unsuspecting nurse. A supervisor's job description is different than a floor nurse's. I't s huge waste of emotional energy getting irritated at a co-wroker because you don't feel she's doing her job well. I have found that my pt's and I am better served if I worry about my job performance and not that of my fellow nurses. just my two cents...

I did call the center and was actually allowed to talk to him. I think that was a mistake. He was very beligerent and manipulative, and wasn't telling the truth about everything. He said he's leaving Thursday, he has no intention of going to rehab, kept saying he hates it in there...that they are "mean" to him, that he has "no control", that he has always been able to manipulate things to his advantage and he's unable to do that in there. UGH! He told me that he tried to commit suicide. But the way he told me seemed that he was just wanting a reaction from me. Said he cut his wrist, then went to an AA meeting. Then he tried a guilt trip, telling me that he knows he scerwed up my life for being born. ( I have never thought that!) I know that I sound cold and heartless, but right now, I'm more angry at him than anything. His friend keeps calling and asking me for money, a phone card, etc. I have firmly told her no. (I have bailed him out of things more times than I can count, and it's always a disaster). She then calls his step mom and tells her that I don't care about him , and that she should help him. Step mom and I have fomed a unified front on this issue. I know this isn't making a lot of sense, and I'm just venting. Is it normal to feel so angry? I love him whole heartedly, I don't want him to continue to live like he is, but it doesn't look like he has any desire to change. Plus, I think I'd be willing to help him if I thought he was trying to help himself a little. I don't know what to do. I'm so afraid when he leaves that he will either overdose, hurt someone, dissapear, or end up in jail. This is a nightmare for me. I don't know the right way to respond to him. I told him I love him, but I think he wants sympathy from me, and I can't give him that, at least not when he is so arrogent, deceitful and beligerent. What's the best way to interact with him? What can I do to show him I love him and care about what happens to him, without enabling him? I'm in nursing school, and it's stressful enough, without this added to it. Is there any hope for him?

I've posted some time ago about my son disclosing his drug problem to me, and I got some much needed encouragement. Now I'm back. Here's the deal: My son is a nurse. He is suspected of stealing " a card"? from work. A "friend " got him into a detox center, which I will be forever grateful for. This " friend" has called me a few times , informing me that he needs a 100.00 to continue to stay. Then she called his (my son's) step mom and told her that he needs 300.00 for a med that will help with the withdrawals. Step mom called me and told me what was up - mind you, I've not heard any of this from my son, just the Friend - Together we decided ( for many reasons ) that it may not be in my son's best interest (long term) to just cough up the money. Money that neither of us has, by the way. So Friend called me today and told me the same story she told step mom. Only she told me that if he didn't get this money, he would very likely die. She said they are being mean to him and he's going to leave the ceter and live in his car. I know that he is suffering terribly. My heart is broken for him. He is my child, and I love him. However, he has manipulated, lied to, stolen from, verbally abused evey one he knows. Detox is exactly where he needs to be. And I'm not sure I want him to be comfortable. I'm not sure he's " rock bottom" yet, as a matter of fact I know he's not as he has told me that no one can prove that he took those drugs and that he is way too smart to get caught any way.I want my son healed. I know this med will help make it easier, but I TRUELY don't have money for it, and really, I'm kind of feeling like something funny is going on here. Why the "middle man"? My son and I are close, we have no secrets and he knows that I am not sitting in judgement of him. there's no reason for him not to call me and ask me in person for help... BTW, friend also wants us to take care of son's car payment... I feel that is enabling him further and is not going to be helpful for recovery. HELP! I am confused, suspicious and heartsick over this situation. Any thoughts?

I can SO relate to what you are saying. I also panic! I mean freak out! It is the issue that kept me from going to nursing school for a long time. Then I aksed a nurse about it. You know, How did she "get used" to it? She told me that she never has. That when someone is "actively vomitting" it is really tough for her. But she just deals with it. Since then I have been placed in situations where people are vomitting ( I even hate the WORD!) but when I had the attitude that it is what it is...(go back to your phisiology class and think of it in terms of a physiological occurance)it becomes easier to deal with.And then I just focus on the person, not the puke. I also think for myself, the anticipation of someone throwing is worse than the actual event. Baiscaly it's mind over manner. Remeber, you ARE a professional. You can't change what's going on, but you can change the way you think about it. It really does help.

Thanks for all the responses. Looked up that websight, it's fabulous, thank you! I too, am going through the book and working problems over and over till I get them right, and yay for me,I am figuring it out, I guess I just assumed that she would demonstrate how to do some of this , and I'm so worried that it's only going to get tougher, and that eventualy I won't be able to keep up. The professor has a reputation for not being helpful and scolding you if you go to her for help. oh well. Life's tough aint it? By the way, what's a sticky? And where do I find it?

I just started taking basic chemistry and am really worried. It's been 25 years since high school, (went to a really small rural one and the only math I had was basic algebra.) and we didn't have chemistry. So I'm entering this as a blank slate. Now, I think I'm a reasonably intelligent woman, but I'm completely clueless in this class. Silly me, I assumed the instructor would teach, but class consists of her handing out 3 or 4 pages of different types of conversion equations,and an answer key.Then she'll show a movie on elements or the power of 10.That's it. She has yet to show how to work one problem. We've had 2 quizzes and I've skidded by just barely. The book demonstrates a few basic problems and from that I'm starting to be able to figure them out, but for me it's slow going.I know that I can not afford to fall behind. Is this normal? Her syllabus states that no prior chemistry knowledge is neccassary, but the school I'm at has a strong pharmacy program and the first day she told us she was going to teach us as if we were all going on to Pharm. I went to the help room once, but the girl there was only interested in doing her own homework, so that wasn't much help either. Is this just the way it is? Was this every one's experience? And if so, any web sites that can help me along? I'm willing to do the work, I just need a little guidence.

My 23 year old son is a nurse, I myself am in nursing school. This morning he told me what I had long suspected... he is addicted to opiates. He is scared, wants to stop, has tried on his own in the past but has been unsuccessful. Will he lose his license if he goes into rehab? He says he can't afford to quit work. I say he can't afford not to. He needs help. Where do we start? What will the ramifacations be?

I don't really know where this thread goes so I'll write it here. Yesterday I went with my mother in law to start the difficult process of stem cell harvesting. While I was in the room, a nurse and another girl, whom I'm assuming was also a nurse or a student, came in and started the harvesting. The "big" nurse was incredibly ugly to the " little" nurse. Talking hatefuly to her and at one time even physicaly shoving her out of the way. Told her if she didn't leave her vials alone she was going to pinch her head off.(It looked to me as if the "little" nuurse was doing her job and numbering the vials to be used.) I'm currently taking my pre- reqs at the local university, and I'll be honest, I don't know how well I could work under circumstances such as those. My head would fly off my body if someone treated me that way. :angryfire It was so bad I almost spoke up. What happend to being professional? Am I niave in thinking that as nurses we have compassion,even to our fellow nurses? Now I' know every one has off days, but there was no reason that I could see for this nurse to treat the other the way she did. And it wasn't just her, the rest of the nurses also would back bite the other's as they left the room. Right in front of us! It made a stresfull day for my mom in law that much worse. I want to be a nurse with all my heart. Currently I'm a hairdresser, and we are notorious for being catty to each other. But really, in my 20 years working in salons I've never seen anything this bad. So tell me, how do you plan to handle this if and when it happens to you?