MoJoeRN,C

I too have experienced clinical depression and have been a psychiatric nurse for 27 years. Clinical depression as defined as serious enough to require hospitalization for treatment and can include being on psychotropic medications and seeing a psychiatrist regularly for medication adjustments as indicated. Are you seeing a councilor or receiving psychological counciling. I have come to understand that the medications are good to help the depression initially but the medication alone will not do the trick. Learning important intervention strategies such as assertiveness training, stress reduction, anxiety and/or depression management, coping skills etc. . As you learn how to more effectively cope with the difficulties of life with these "tools", gain confidence and increased self esteem the need for medications can actually be reduced in dosage. In some parts of the country and in some treatment centers Emotions Annomous programs are available. This is a 12 step program which members support each other much the same as AA or NA, and work very well for some people.

Sounds like you found the same kind of AA that worked for me. And you said it very well. Denial is not something one does in a conscious state, it is part of the protection of self, based on beliefs and values. The 3 biggest tools of denial are 1) Rationalization 2) justification 3) Intellectualization. I can only speak to what my life was like, what happened, what my life is like now and what has worked for me. It is a program of progress rather than perfection. You are invited to take from the meetings only what you want and leave the rest there. I was one of those who only attended meetings because it was part of the aftercare plan and was mandated by the place I worked. I went to meetings 60 miles from where I lived for about a year. Finally as my attitutes, values and beliefs were restored to reality, I was able to attend meetings in my home town. I keep hearing that loosing your license because one does not attend 12 step meetings is not a choice. Not all choices are those we want to choose but they are choices irregardless.

Truth is truth, no matter the source. :)

Amen. I've noticed some "mandated" per judge attendees at 12 step meetings. These have had to have papers signed by the chair person of a set number of 12 step meetings a week. We have several members who started out attending "because they had to" and now attend "because they truely want to". Thats part of the step which "restores us to sanity" They can even thank the judge for heading them in the direction of AA. Now that's real recovery.

If you are honest, open minded and willing, the teachers are all around you.

I am a mental health professional and have been so for 27 years. I also am a recovering alcoholic of 18 1/2 years. What I have found in my practice and at 12 step meetings is that "when the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear" Also "until the pupil is ready, you can't say anything right, and when they are ready, you can't say anything wrong"

I attended the University of Tennesse at Nashville, 170 members in our class, and another 160 or so in the 2nd year of nursing classes. I Think that the University of Tennessee complex would qualify as a "really big school" and not be considered a "community college. We had to pick a partner and bathe each other, in addition to the other clinical skills. Clinical was the deciding factor if a student graduated and became a graduate nurse. I know of several students, making well above passing grades, who because of problems doing their clinicals were dropped from nursing school. Nursing school is very difficult as are most professional schools. You are given tons of material to study and learn and are tested frequently. You are preparing for a lifetime career as a professional nurse and it's not about "how you think it should be, it is about the "Nurse Practice Act" of your state, and the "Standards of Care" on the state and Federal level. The drop out and flunk out rate is tremendous. So the person you are bathing or is bathing you, one or both may not even be there after that semester. I remember a young girl who had graduated from High School with honors at the age of 16 that was in our group. In post clinical she discussed the 1st surgical proceedure she had observed. Stated the surgeon was very unprofessional, and she objected to the music that was piped into the surgical suite. Really hard and raucous rock if I remember right. Things were not as she thought they "Ought to be" I don't think she made it through the semester.

Reading the responses to this thread have been very interesting. I have seen a wide array of responses from "putting your self in the patients shoes" to "not me, and not being exposed to the humiliation" I thought the profession of nursing had to do with giving aid and comfort to the ill. Some responses reflect this. As a nurse, when questions arise about care, I was taught in nursing school to ask the question "Who's needs is this meeting". Are we are trying to meet the needs of the client according to standards of care and the orders of the physician. I see responses that voice not me which reflect more the student needs, actually more of a want than a need in these instances. Nursing is very demanding, sometimes rewarding, and many times the tasks we perform are dirty, smelly, invasive, and intrusive. "It's a mighty thin pancake that has but one side"!! I had to get beyond "me" to professionally care for others. :) :rotfl:

We were allowed to pick a classmate we felt comfortable with and to wear bathing suit/trunks. It does give you an idea of how the patient feels. Also it is important that one is able to demonstrate clinical skills safely in school. Some say how important is clinical skills for sponge bathing. I remember my 1st patient, he had experienced a CVA and was paralyzed on his left side. When I came into his room to do my assessment, I was so nervous that when shaking down the thermometer (that's how long ago this was) it slipped from my hand hit the wall above his head, hit the top of the overhead light above his head and landed on the pillow beside his head. I was mortified. Picked the thermometer off, wiped it off with an alcohol sponge, noted that it had been shaken down adequately and placed it under his unaffected arm to get an axillary temp. Anyway after vitals, I sponge bathed him real well. I was really suprised how his color went from ashen grey to normal color with a good sponge bath. It was very therapeutic. One of my instructors told me something that I'll never forget when assisting with the bath. "Wash down as far as possible, then up as far as possible, then let the patient wash 'ole possible' "

There's something to be said for wearing uniforms and caps. Only RNs could wear black stripes, LPNs blue or another color. CNAs no stripes. If they wore a cap with stripes, it constituted passing themselves off as nurses. Name tags with titles are also useful. RN, ARNP, RN,C, LPN, CMT, CMA, etc are useful deliniations. In this case CNA or office assistant/manager etc seems more appropriate. But certainly not "nurse" :angryfire

Supervisors and administrators use the "nursing shortage" as an excuse to staff as they do. Also they are against the nurse patient acuity ratio being advocated in California for the same reason. $$$$$$

The junior college idea was excellent. Some junior colleges offer an ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing) program where you can become an RN in 2 years. Some of these are excellent and you take the same State board tests as the Bachelor of Science RNs. BSNs get the equivalant of 2 years of liberal arts their 1st year getting the prerequisites e.g. microbiology, Anotomy and physiology etc. Be careful and talk with councilors so you can maximize the courses you take so you do not get any surprises. If you do get liberal arts/sciences at Junior college and plan to get BSN at a college or university get the school catalog and work with councilor to get required prerequisites before transfer, making sure you do not take any courses at junior college such as statistics, which many colleges/universities consider an upper division (junior or senior) course. If taken at a junior college it will not count as an upper division course and will have to be retaken. Carefully planning with councilors and using the catalog can save a lot of grief and money. Good luck.

Thanks, I will.:) Latest information is that Jere Younger is now working for the Veterans Administration Hosp. Whether in Nashville or somewhere else in Middle Tennessee, I don't know. Any info regarding VA Hospitals e-mails or if anyone knows Jere or Sharon Younger will be apppreciated. Thanks. :rotfl: :balloons:

The new license renewals do not have a place to check if you want to go inactive with licensure. I e-mailed twice and got no response from their help line or Division of health boards. I finally got through to the 1-800 number and found out there is no inactive register and that one just lets their license lapse and then reinstates it when they wish to practice in Tenn. Is this costly and what is the proceedure? Also when I got my renewal forms, a Miss, Mrs, Ms? Carmichaels RN from Memphis, who works at Baptist Hosp. renewal form was in my letter for renewal. When I brought this to the attention of the person taking my call at the State board of nursing, they didn't seem too excited about this and said it must have gotten stuck to mine and been mailed with mine. I explained that if I have it, she has not been sent the necessary papers for renewal and this could cause problems with her renewal. The person at State board said I could foreward it on to the RN up for renewal or just send it back to The Tenn. State Board of Nursing. The whole experience appeared very impersonnal and non caring like talking to a computer. I am forewarding the papers, since I'm not renewing, I hope she gets it soon enough to not cause problems How's your experience with the "BOARD":confused: :imbar

Does anyone know Jere Younger RN, worked at Vandy and worked where eye surg pts were recovered. He and I attended UTN, studied together. His family and mine were close, we moved to Missouri and lost track. If you know him please let him know of this so he can contact me if he so desires. Thanks Joe Willis RN,C.