systerm

I am hoping the union is strong and will stand up to this kind of nonsence. I am thinking, since there is nothing to loose, be honest with the next potential employer, state the situation as it was when you encountered this specific situation, what pressures you were under. Then focus on your accomplishments, your catches, what you learned, how you will handle things when new situations come up and your passion for learning, improving and moving forward. Nobody is perfect (including managements), but what we can learn from different scenarios is what matters. It does not matter if we fall, what matters is that we get up afterwards and carry on, that is what experience is. We learn all the time as we go along. I think anybody that does not appreciate this and see this as a strong asset, a great attitude, probably would not be an employer of your choice. There are two sides to every coin. I see your experience as a great side, you most likely do a lot of more good than no good.

Maybe this is how they divide and conquer, to create discord between staff. Something for nurses to think about and be aware of. It is good you are expressing how you feel. I will stand by your side. Remember, how they treated you does not define you. It is more a reflection of who they are as a management.

Ok, one more... "They created the stress for me, took my leaves, then they fired me! Welcome to nursing life! " Sheesh, sad how this was handled. You were thrown under the bus, I guess their money is more important than your 18 years of experience. Hopefully you can take some time to heal, and get back into a better job site, best to find a place where managements are not blood hungry pitbulls. This is not now nursing "life" should be. This needs to change. I care about patients, but I do care about those that work in health care too. Their jobs should not make them sick so they become patients too, that is highly dysfunctional. Meanwhile, to defend yourself financially, when you earn money, sock away as much as you can, so you can take one stressor (financial) off your plate. It is always good to have "walk away money" before too much damage has been done.

Ps. I like to add a note to this. I read some of the replies to this discussion, and will take the opportunity to Thank You, those who gave constructive feed back, I will thank the poster for bringing this issue up as well. This is an opportunity for all of us to learn something from. Wishing you all a good and safe day.

I smell politics. Considering the circumstances, (usually looking after 35 to 40 older residents in eldercare), two falls happening at the same time, many times quite a distance to cover before getting to a second patient fall at same time. I think firing a nurse with 18 years (!) experience over failing obtaining vitals in a unusual circumstance situation is like throwing out the baby with the bath water. Do nurses with near 20years experience grow on trees?? I wonder how many lives/complications you have saved by your experienced 18 years old nurse eyes. Knowing how managements think to a degree, its seems its all about money, were they hoping to hire a lower wage grid nurse, were they hoping to chisel you out of pension? Yes, I am suspicious, lots of agendas out there. The solution would not be to fire, but to retain experienced talent and go over "what can we learn from this"?: ie have an extra nurse to cover/step in when unusual circumstances take place. That shows respect for the nurse and the patient. I don't think you need to have a lengthy "training course" in how to take vitals etc. Perhaps management needs a training course in how to focus less on profit and remembering who is actually doing the work in the hospital. Too much politics, too much administration, too much bureaucracy, too much lawyer involvement in health care, too little care. Some how the money seems to go to the upper echelons rather than the people doing the actual work. We need some rethinking here. I will stand up for a fellow nurse, support a fellow nurse, back her/him up. We need to be united, conquered and divided we will be mere slaves. Unless we as nurses get on board on this, there will be a shortage. And that is not good for over all health care, is it?

I would say it is a lack of respect, from both patients and managements. Perhaps this society does not want nurses? If so, I wish you luck and my sincerest condolences. All in all, as a society, you need to ask yourself, what kind of a world do you really want to live in? Does punishments work, or do we need to reprogram people/humans from the beginning of their lives of acceptable behaviours (socialization), go back to good honest values, and learn how to handle situations without punching somebody in the face. In other words, be decent. It should also be noted that nurses are in majority women. So perhaps that is another issue? Hate of women? Easy to punch? Safe to punch? How about a rule, if you abuse (verbally/physically) or assault any staff in a hospital, you will be thrown out. End of story. This is not a boxing gym.

I don't have the time to look at anything at my work that does not directly involve me. I know that things happen to people, regardless of being famous or not, so who cares? The media blows them up to bigger than life, but they are just people. Firing 50 people is a lot, it will affect a lot of lives, maybe even crash some lives, a lot of employees these days are barely making ends meet. But the celebrity in question may make money on this? Hmmm... Possibly mgmt. wanted to send a strong message, but later will rehire? Was this a PR move? Does the punishment fit the crime? Where I work, we have a to complete a confidential information management refresher each year. This is to remind people about the responsibility of handling confidential information. I don't watch TV, and rarely go to movies, just b/c a lot of it crap. So, therefore I don't follow actors/celebrities, or really know who they are. As far as I am concerned, it is a financial scheme and a whole lot of fake rather than what I call real arts. But, that is just my opinion. But, we all need to be mindful about confidential/personal information, if somebody who is sick, down and out cant count on the professionals to keep noses out of "none of their business", well, then, what can we count on? And yes, they can plug into the computer at any time to see what we are up to. This paid time and the deal is to do the work, in exchange for pay. Maybe a temporary suspension, a fine, would send a strong message enough. Many times I rather not know than to know, KISS, I pick and choose very carefully where I want to spend time for info, we are already over flowed with info from computers/TV/radio/papers/magazines/social media/books etc. Celebrities are not my 1st choice for finding valuable/useful/interesting/stimulating information. CYA......the number one rule in nursing school till the day you retire from nursing career. Be smart. Just my 2 bits.....

Life like nursing is dynamic, things change all the time. It is good that you recognize that you are ready for a change. Sometimes changes needs to be facilitated, and as I am and have always been very conscious about money, I know it can play a big part in whether one can go ahead with plans. I am still hanging in there, coping relatively well with the job, but I also feel satisfied with that I am able to live well below my means by keeping my needs simple, finding low cost creative solutions to just about anything. Therefore I can stash away a good chunk of money, which lowers stress level, gives me freedom to think about what I really want instead of a panic like decision. Just a thought for those nurses out there that feel trapped. Half of our time goes to making the money, the other half should go to how to hang onto it. The reward is peace of mind and freedom. If you want to quit a job, do it well, the quitting that is. Like nursing it takes planning, if you want a good outcome.

Hi, This comment is about 1 year later, but this is a real concern, still.. 1st: LPN in BC, I started as low as $23.20/hour, which meant I was paid a mere 30cents more/hour than a health care worker.. how do you like them apples?? Now, 3 years later, I score $24/hour. I work in long term care, and have a beef with that those working in long term care are paid less than LPN's in hospitals. What's with that?? We have 35 residents, some of them quite complex, in addition to psych issues. I heard some RN's coming in from Hospitals saying it is NOT easier nor less stressful in long term care and they have a hard time keeping up with duties. Maybe it was less work say 10 or 15 years ago, but things have changed, and the wages need to reflect that. I noticed the new LPN's dont stay, they all want to work in hospitals, b/c of better pay, the workload is not heavier than long term. I keep trying and applying to hospitals, and if I land a job, Ill be gone in a heart beat, why should I work for less? Pitiful, however, sadly, makes me think in spite of everybody hailing my work, that LPN's may not be that valued, even though things would go to hell in a handbasket if we all quit. Trust me, I work like a machinegun from the minute I get into work to past clock out time, only take 1/2 of my allowed break time. Not to put HCW's down, but somehow they are able to sit down and "shoot the ****" after 9pm easily, and still collect an attractive wage with all figured out benefits (they have the time to read the union booklet..)till 11pm. (some of them give me the snide look of "well look who is the smart one" while sitting watching TV while I am still running). That does NOT justify a mere 30 cents more per hour, not to mention the large responsibility I also carry. I am also considering emigrating out of BC. I have to think of my future, my pension, and hopefully have a little bit of a life too, not run ragged in low pay situation, in a high cost of living province. Time to air out the dirty laundry, the facts that dont seem to get out there. So, I agree, BC is a bad place for LPN's. Either dont become one if staying here, or emigrate to another province.

Everybody makes mistakes, some admit, some not. Nobody is perfect. The doctor that openly criticized you has made mistakes too, in spite of his lengty training. He is no more than a human, just like you. He surely could improve his nurse side manner but then again, the dr. is not perfect. What is the point of beating your self up repeatedly over a mistake, gaining anything from it? OK, smack yourself one more time... was it useful? Get out of the punishment mode and into the learning mode instead. What did we learn from this? What will I do differently next time? Also learn how to deal with mistakes, not to assume you are bad, how to take a deep breath, think about what is the best route or solution, consider asking for advise or ideas, and the cherry on top of the cake: what can I learn from this and tuck it under my belt and call it experience. Nobody is perfect, even if you never hear them advertise their mistakes, which is too bad, since this occupation could really use the sharing of each others mistakes and what we learned from them, an honest sisterhood that will benefit both patients and nurses. Even the top boss has made mistakes, and will make mistakes in the future too. Thank you for sharing, I will take your experience and learn from it too. Take a deep breath my fellow LPN, let it go. Here, a ((((hug)))). You are OK. It they want somebody that is perfect, they will have to interview God for the job. ( hahah.. good luck with that). Done, now move on, we are always learning something new, one way or another. It is called experience.

I like to save time, not necessarily to do more, but to have more time to relax or take care of myself. I have found when it comes to shopping, one can save a lot of time if shopping in the morning or on days when many dont do their shopping (avoid thursdays, fridays, and saturdays). I have always laid out things the day before whether it has been clothing, breakfast and a packed lunch. I have a basket close to the door where where keys and cell goes right away once in the door, never have to search for keys. I am not a fan of ironing, so if a garment is wrinkled and I have the time to let it dry overnight, I put the garment on a hanger, put it in the shower, hose it down, let it air dry - next day as good as ironed. Cooking some meals in larger batches, to have left overs the next day and maybe to freeze some. Usually the same amount of work.

Who is not busy? Are you juggling things that have to be done, maybe wasting time on tasks that could be done faster or more efficiently? I am talking mostly about things that you need to accomplish in your private time. What are your tips? What would you like to share?

Well, it is always easier to go down hill versus up hill. If it was easy, somebody said, nobody would be working at McDonalds. (not to say that is less "work", it too has to be done) Indeed I have made sacrifices and in a way am still making some sacrifices as my career has not quite started yet. Yes, I had to give up a nice place to live to live closer to school, I spent savings, I had to quit my job as my boss would not give an inch in spite of 20 years of excellent service ( a non profit society), I gave up spare time basically (how can you ever relax when you know there is always more homework?), basically no social interaction except the little interaction in class. I pulled myself 100% through nursing school with no help from anybody (no relatives or friends in the nursing profession) or any financial help - money came from my own saving from living frugally for years. Yes, sleep was sacrificed, but one can manage - take naps and take your vitamins. The odd time I did an overnighter till 4 am, oddly enough I did not feel that tired after. I dont intend to sound bitter and I am not but I do wonder why most of my class mates have work by now and I dont: I scored higher on tests than most of them and have plenty of work experience (with no med errors or incidence reports due to my wrong doing). Is nepotism (relatives getting their kids into the system before others..?) live and thriving in our health care system up here in Canada?? (I am not a kid) The odd time I have been thinking about: What if I did not go to nursing school, what if I kept going at my job (somewhat well paid) and did not give up my perfect rental location? How comfortable and convenient this would have been. But...I think if I did not do anything I might have been kicking myself. I knew my abilities were above what I was doing, I knew I would still be under the mercy of a favouritist type of boss (everyday language is "bully"). I would be wondering if I could succeed at anything, I think my self confidence would be low. With this nursing licence doors can upen up for me, even more so if I am willing to continue to learn and take additional training. I have been in school for so many years, always taking courses, that I am not so sure if I would feel comfortable not continuing to learn new things. Learning and school is a way of life for me. Anyways, so far, this is my experience. I am keeping my head high, I have braved rough waters before and will continue to charge forward. By many I am blessed, and I count myself as blessed in that I am not hungry, not sick, and I am not home less, by Vancouver standards, that is a blessing these days. In the end, there is Karma, everybody has to stand for their own actions with the circumstances considered.

"You can take that to the bank. " Maybe, what is the interest? "Perhaps you could have been more clear in your delivery." I am sorry, I was not clear in my delivery. Anything else?

Socio economic factors are more than just income. Another interesting link: http://www.earlylearning.ubc.ca/mapping/mapping_sef.htm Also, the education level of parents is a socio economic factor. True, money isolated by itself is not a sole predictor of brain development, but usually those that earn more money, as you stated, have an education.