circa68

I am blessed! Where I work I have great co-workers (95% of time) . And administration does do little things for nurses. But sometimes I get totally befuddled over NM's. I do believe that JACHO requirements are a big part of some problems. Every year it is something else, so we have constant changes in the charting,etc. Plus where I work, we are headed toward total computerization, the latest I heard was by 2006, even the docs will do orders in computer. That will be nice (and med school will be able to eliminate that secret course for illegiable hand writing that was always required.) I too feel that the charting is too standardized-click here, click there, oh! Nothing fits the click I need. So then I type in the notes, but must remember that the first 5 words must be the eye-catcher, cause when reviewing the notes it is essential for those looking to be able to find that note fast, and only about 5 words show up on that screen. Plus the docs never review them I am told. At least there are committees that nurses can join to review charting and change the fromat and screens to improve them...but that also takes extra time and extra staff to cover the nurse that was assigned to floor that day and needs to do committee. Thankful that there are some computer savy nurses among us. It has been a real challange for me and if it were not for helping co-workers I don't think I could do my job any more. I think too that having a good team,and having the thank yous, and the decent pay and benefits are key to retention. Very few nurses where I work leave cause they are disgruntled.

My prayers for you and CJ. I currently have son in Iraq with Marines. He was previously in Kuwait. It is hard. What works best for me is water exercise class and swimming at the local Y. Hugs to you.

Our supervisors need to back us! So many nurses and other health care workers are injured on the job that a supervisor should do all she can to protect us. There are so few of us anyway!! I am sorry that you were treated like this.

I agree with no cap at work but a capping ceremony would still be special and I like the pin for the guys! I am so blessed that we had it all cap, lamp and pin back in the days. It doesn't make you a great nurse but it would be a momento!

My hospital has a ban on cellphones My co-workers go outside on break to use them. No worker ever uses them in side. But the past few months has seen a rise on the number of patients who are non-compliant to the ban. One evening I was in a pt room and there was a terrible vibration--it was his self phone ringing inside his bedside cabinet. He had it set on vibration and it actually moved the whole cabinet! Also kind of scared me. He would not give it up. I called security-then he gave it up. Yes it seems that folks can not live without them.

Thanks Karo Snow Queen and Lovebug. I will search the sites,and keep the potential CFS/FM in mind. Right now he is Marine for 2 more years and he has gone in with some complaints to the medic but he says there really is no medical care. I guess you just suck it up there. It looks like he is going to Iraq soon so I can only pray for the best. Boy '88 was a long time ago, I thought once you got over mono that was it, but there are so many chronic things that only get diagnoised by elimiantion. I can see that there could be a relationship there. And I hear you about stuff like this not being taken seriously by some doctors.

My son had a bad case of mono in high school. The doc said it only lasts about a week-acutely. His seemed to last for 3 years! He tested + for mono 3 different years on his labs. He also developed IBS in his senior year. He seemed tired out all three years. He seemed better after he graduated high school--he didn't like school so I thought maybe that was 1/2 of it. Two years after high school he joined the Marines. Last year while he was deployed to Kuwait, he collapsed twice. I don't know if it had anything to do with the mono or not or if it was just dehydration (most likely). They just run Iv's and antibiotics for 24 hrs and let you stay in bed. But it seems to me that once he decided to join up he got really physical running and lifting,etc and that is when he seemed to start feeling his best. However, all of a sudden he still will get hit with severe fatiqe and it seems to last for several months. Is he getting mono over and over again? Or does he have CFS?

I like it except for the "fast line to your degree" blockin what ever is in the dropdown

One thing I have learned-you got to know what kind of feet you have. My friend and I both heard about Dansco and we both wear the same size. We finally decided to find them and pay as much as we had to if they were good. Well we both put on the same shoe, same size and walked in the store. She is saying oh these are wonderful and I was saying I can't walk anymore. She wears hers every day and stands in a bakery for 8 hours each day. The salesman then put me into a pair of Brooks-same price range and I said-wonderful. She has a high arch-I have flat feet with a slight pronation. One thing important about Dansco-they should fit so that you can kick them right off your foot-if they stay on they are too tight. And always walk a long time in the store before you buy. You really won't break a shoe in later at least I have never been able to I have thrown away so many new shoes in my life time cause I didn't walk at least 1/2 hour in store.I hear it is best to go after you have been on your feet all day and give yourself enough time to walk in the store.--good luck finding the right shoe for you.

No I don't wanna be one, but in the past few years several of my expectant co-workers have used midwife and they totally had the greastest birthing experience- you should just hear them talk. So please pursue your dream all of you-there is a growing need for you--good luck!

We are still archaic where I work. our policy is 10 of nss 100 units of heparin q 12 hours for capped piccs, centrals. However as a nursing measure any pt with a low platelet count or history of HIT just gets 20 of nss.

I know Lebanon-it is about 1 1/2 hour drive from here. My daughter in law was in school here-in high school she took the vo-tech route for medical technology and then completed 2 years at a community college. I understood from her that she was soon going to be able to sit for LPN boards here in Pa. Then she was going to continue for RN. Prior to moving, she had decided on a transfer to a community college in Oceanside. She was meeting with admissions when she moved out there and that was only a few days before classes were to start, but at that meeting she was told everything was filled and she is supposed to start in June now. I think she is pursuing RN at this point and really about to get into the nursing courses. So we will see how it goes. She has been saying that she wants peditrics ever since she decided to go to nursing school-but that is a bit in the future still. Yes it does sound very expensive out there. I hope to visit them later this year-I have never been to CA.

WOW! :) I think I am beginning to understand these boards. You respnded to my poorly done post--thanks. So I thought I would just say that once upon a time - everybody did at least a year med surg after graduation--not so today, but for me I actually gravitated back to med-surg and that is what I like the best because of the variety. It is very busy but you really do get a lot of experience and it is a great building block. So if you think you might like surgical I think you should try to arrange for a floating day to a surgical unit, as someone else already suggested. I once thought I wanted OR and got a trial in the OR where I worked--in 3 days I realized it was not for me. So I didn't make the move. Good luck!

I am really not good at these boards. First off I did not think I was soliciting. I was just trying to find help for someone I cared about but I did not explain anything very well. The person who got the job was not me- I still live in Pa. It was for my son that I was trying to get advice about the area and how to get certified in CA . and where some facilities were located in that area. And how to get around there. See he would call me and say how nothing was working out well so I thought well maybe I could get info here from someone who knows the area. I guess it all takes time and my daughter in law does not start her job till May. At this time I do not even know where the job is at. I think she was looking for nursing homes or anything, but she has 5 years experience in nursing homes. Hope fully school will work out she just missed the Jan start date-classes were full. Thank you for responding Nrs-Lala Land--and good luck with your budding career. I am from a small town-about 50 miles north of Philidelphia. The kids are coming home for a week soon-my son wants to get some trout fishing done. So I can let you know later where the job was landed.

I found this at http://www.capitolupdate.org/Newsletter/index.asp?nlid=98&nlaid=291 "The ongoing fight over the proposed changes as to who is eligible for overtime pay once again found its way to the Senate floor recently when Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) offered an amendment to a corporate tax bill (S.1637). The Harkin amendment would have blocked implementation of the proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) redefining overtime eligibility for employees. Republicans argued that the Harkin amendment was totally unrelated to the tax bill under consideration but an effort to block all unrelated amendments to the corporate tax bill fell 9 votes short in a 51-47 Senate vote. Then rather than facing a vote on the Harkin amendment, Republican leaders withdrew the entire corporate tax bill from a Senate floor vote."