catsanders

I drive an hour each way every day, but I live in a rural area and the closest facility is about 45 minutes away. The pay scale to drive to a larger facility made the extra 15 minutes more than worth it.

What you describe is fraud. It is illegal and would make you subject to termination.

I graduated with a BSN in 1986 and received a commission in the Air Force at graduation. I was lucky enough to be accepted into the AF nurse internship program. I served for almost 4 years and loved it, I only left for family reasons. The first step begins with a recruiter. Go to your local recruiting office and they will put you in touch with a medical recruiter.

Being thankful is not groveling. And yes, I might give up some things to help my hospital stay open, if it came to that. I've know people who worked for 20+ years at hospitals that have had to close. It was very sad for the staff and the community. I believe in being part of the solution, not the problem.

Wow, who would have thought there were so many people who felt they were "deserving" of gifts! In this day of decreasing reimbursement, high unemployment, and increasing numbers of people without healthcare coverage, I'm just thankful to have a job. No extra gifts needed. A sincere thank you is great. A manager who actually went to the effort to write out cards and attach a token - wow, above & beyond. Some of you need to grow up.

Have definitely written "RN" after my name away from work, answered the phone at home by saying my department and my name instead of just saying "hello" and once, in 1988, I fell asleep at a Def Lepard concert after working 5 twelve hour night shifts in a row then driving 7 hours to see my fiance. I don't recommend that to anyone!

I've been an RN for 23 years. I graduated with my BSN in 1986. I remember very well being in your shoes. Everyone has felt that way at least once, probably more. YOU CAN DO THIS. Nursing needs you, our patients need you. Take one day at a time, study, listen, and you will learn. You won't ever know everything. I learned more practical knowledge my first year out of school that I learned in the whole 4 years of college, but, I needed the foundation from school to be able to learn it. With everything you learn, temper your knowledge with compassion. We're here to care for those who need us and we need more people to take up our cause. Hang in there! It is all worth it when even one person thanks you for the care you've taken of them or their family member. :hngon:

The wearing of artificial nails has been associated with adverse patient outcomes. An outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa occurred in a NICU from January 1997 to August 1998. 49 infants were infected or colonized. Two infants died. Infants were more likely to have the infection if they had been cared for by a particular healthcare worker who wore artificial nails that were found to be colonized with the same strain of bacteria. The hospital changed its policy to require short natural nails in the NICU and have had no further incidence of infection since that time. (NEJM Vol 343:695-700 Sept 7, 2000) Another incident occurred in 1994 with CV surgery patients who acquire Serratia marcescens infecitons, one of whom died. A nurse who wore artificial fingernails was identified as a risk factor. (J Infect Dis 19997 Apr:175(4):992-5 Another article of interest: Can a fashion statement harm the patient? Long and artificial nails may cause nosomial infections. Am J Nurs 2000 Sep; 100((): 63-5. As professionals we should allow our practice to be driven by science. There seems to be a risk to the patient associated with the wearing of long or artificial nails. We should do everything we can to minimize that risk. Like one of the other posts, I have thin brittle nails. I keep them cut short enough that they do not snag.