namaste_71

Greetings, all. If you had a sick family member, what hospital in Florida would you use? (It doesn't matter what area of Florida this is in. And it doesn't have to be your own.) I'm trying to find a place to take a loved one. And I'm willing to travel just about anywhere.

As long as you don't roll through the doors and screech to a halt outside her office, I'd say you're fine. :-)

Not sure about Miami, but Bay Pines in St. Pete and James A. Haley in Tampa are supposed to be nurse-friendly and new-grad friendly. Cost of living is a lot better in that part of the state, too.

Congratulations! You might want to ask if your employer (or potential employer) has a nurse internship/residency/mentoring program -- something beyond 2 weeks orientation on your unit of hire. Some hospitals even have new grad units, where they pair GNs with experienced preceptors. The time on the new grad unit can run 6-8 weeks (you'll strengthen your nursing, assessment and critical thinking skills, as well as get familiar with the overall hospital "culture), then you're transitioned to your unit-of-hire for additional training specific to your new job. No matter what, ask for specifics about the kind of training new grads receive. What state are you in?

What a sad and beautifully written story. If I am ever facing the end of life in a hospital ICU, I hope I have a nurse with a heart like yours.

From the patient side, I don't see what difference these make. My s/o recently received a thank-you card after spending 10 days on a local med-surg unit. It was signed by whoever happened to be on shift before the card was mailed. I can't remember the exact wording, but there was a huge gap between the sentiment on the card and the actual quality of care. It was pretty easy to see right through it--an attempt to hike up patient satisfaction ratings. As a patient or patient's loved one, I'd rather see that hospital focus on retaining RNs/LPNs and keep safer staffing ratios. The unit was at full census during his stay -- with 1:7-9 ratios. Seems to me healthcare facilties that treat their employees well tend to have safe and happy patients, too.

I would think HIPAA, professional privacy and common sense would lead one NOT to divulge that kind of information. Whether or not he/she breached any regulations -- it was still inconsiderate and not very wise.

I'm very thankful for every not-so-nice nurse I've encountered, I meet 5 more who are wonderful, competent and compassionate professionals. To quote the over-quoted adage ... one bad apple spoils the bunch ...

Sorry to hear about your experience. I'm sure the problem isn't unique to nursing -- or even to women, to an extent. Chalk it up to big egos, small minds and low self-confidence, or maybe the people in question have miserable lives, and want to share in the misery. Or maybe they just need a nap and a timeout. Don't take it personally.

Now why is it you never see things like this on Grey's Anatomy?

:w00t::w00t::balloons::clpty::hpygrp::clphnds::onbch::onbch::anpom::dancgrp:

To the person leaving the kid in the car: Hmm ... let's see ... when you get in your car after it's sat in the hot sun, it's bloody HOT in the car. So hot you probably can't touch the steering wheel or the metal part of the seat buckle. So -- even if you are dumber than grass -- you should be able to tell that leaving your kid inside that car will harm her! Would you, yourself sit in a closed-up car, in the sun, in the heat? During summer, I always see warnings from the local SPCA to avoid leaving animals in a hot car, yet I see few warnings regarding children. Sad.

Try this source. Scroll down to Florida required courses, and you'll see one for medical errors (there are two: one for license renewal and another one). http://nursing.advanceweb.com/CE/TestCenter/Main.aspx Whatever you do, DON'T lie about completing the class if you haven't.

There have been lots of posts here over the years about how the nursing market in FL is pretty poor -- so many nurses (like everyone else) want to live in FL that it's a "buyer's (employer') market" and the hospitals can pick and choose among plenty of candidates without having to offer high salaries or great benefits.