rsharpe

I once wrote a column in the newspaper about EMT/Paramedics that was syndicated across the united states in response to a patients family member who was nitpicking an incident that occured with their family member and the services provided by our local Emergency Response team. In that column, I wrote about the education and defensive driving classes, the Advanced Cardiac Life Support training, Intubation techniques and the general caring attitudes that our men and women projected and utilized in their day to day training. I have tremendous respect for the training that these wonderful men and women recieve. Not often do I have to deal with extremely dangerous situations, fires, car wrecks, falling debris, etc that they deal with on a day to day basis. I also think it wonderful when anyone furthers their education. That being said, I have no negative or critical comments to make to Keith. However, i do have advice based on years of managment experience. Utilize two departments. Your nursing service department and the Risk Managment department. Both, if the situations you presented were indeed true, need to be "in the know". They will need specific time, date and person information. While i hate to say there are incompentent nurses or doctors or lawyers, etc. out there in the world, the fact remains.... There are those who are incompentent for various reason. Lack of education may be one, lack of caring may be another. Lack of access of education may be a third. I, too, in my nursing tenure have seen things that make me cringe. My goal is always to strengthen my own education and those of my co workers. When you do this the right way, all benefit. Being critical in our profession is the equivelent of destroying our own self worth. I am highly education, but when a co worker of mine offers advice, you can bet your last dollar I listen, even to a new first year nurse. I have always said, the day i stop listening, learning or crying over my profession, will be the day I leave it. I am still here after seventeen years, and still love it as much as the day I entered nursing school ( back in the dark ages). I have a wonderful telemetry tech that i work with, when he calls, my hiney jumps. Its about trust and a professional working relationship that you develop that is paramount to life saving. Isnt that what we became a nurse for? Respectfully to all my fellow medical personnel. rsharpe

Our Lady of the Lourdes in Lafayette la uses it. I took it today. It has been the most intensive orientation test I have had to take to date as a travel nurse. had never heard of it before, but i can see where it can be used for good purposes. It is designed to trigger areas needed for education in new nurses, new grads and travel nurses. I have heard that some hospitals demand you pass or your contract is terminated. OLOL uses it for the correct purpose, to educate its staff in individual deficiencies. the only problem I can see, is that it doesnt factor for poor test takers. Most nurses can do the work all day long with their eyes closed and recognize and manage the various conditions designated in PBDS. But some simply are not great test takers.