DayOhioRn

A FORMER manager I had offered us BUTTONS if she didn't like something we said. This behavior was encouraged, don't like what someone says? Give them a button and tell them to BUTTON THEIR LIPS! Uh...that lasted a week, our director took the buttons after some brave soles went to HR about it all. The solution after that is now the Above the Line Below the line behavior board. The board is fixed up like a second grade class room board. When asked where the materials came from, the Associate Manager replied...OH! From this cute little school supply place! Yeah.....I totally get where you are coming from. I am sick of superstar gold stickers and candy bars for good behavior. We are adults for heaven's sake!

I have been deaf in my right ear all of my life. It has not affected my ability to take care of my patients at all, and I have been a nurse for over 13 years. I use the same stethoscope as the other nurses on the floor,and if I have any question about lung sounds, I ask someone for a second opinion. In my opinion, while it is a life changing event, you should NOT be embarrassed or hide the fact you have lost your hearing. You should be up front with others about it. Although I have a hearing problem, other that the occasional missed phrase that makes people laugh with me, it has never been an issue where I work. I have found that if you are up front and don't have and issue with it, the people around you won't either! I promise that while the loss of hearing is a pain in the neck at times, it is not career ending! Linda

I am a Master's Degree student at Indiana Wesleyan University. I have obtained my BS there online, and am currently obtaining a Master's Degree in Nursing Education online there as well. Employers look at your diploma and not whether or not you obtained your degree online. Online programs are not for the disorganized! 100% of your course work is in written form, and you must have a good grasp on written class discussions, APA format and the discipline to do your work! It is my suggestion that you look into each program individually and ask the questions such as accreditation, reputation, and coursework. I wish you luck as you pursue a higher degree!

Gee I was just thinking that maybe the OP could hook her up with Stacy and Clinton!

As a step down unit nurse, and one who has taught a code cart class, I have to ask....why not pull the ACLS Algorithm off the Code Cart???? At my facility , I am fortunate that someone had the smart idea to attach the ACLS algorithms to all the code carts, and to make it a policy. l On every PEDS cart the algorithm is chained to the side of the cart and on every Adult cart the ACLS protocol is chained to the side of the cart. If you get nervous and forget, you have a large laminated chart to assist you. I too believe that every Med-Surg nurse should have a general idea what is going to happen in a code. ACLS certification is a good start. I don't buy the "some nurses are not that smart" excuse, or the my facility doesn't pay excuse. I sure helps you from having that deer in the headlights look. I keep wondering, what about the facilities that DON'T have a rapid response team? What then? Theses women were right to call the team, and while the patient was stable, the could have pulled up a history, taken vitals and prepared the patient for the team, and called a physician. I understand that some Med-surg floors cannot push meds , but standing around is not the answer either. So I ask the Med-Surg nurses out there, call your MD, the RRT and get vitals, including a blood sugar, know your last pertinent labs and patient history including the events that lead up to the incident if possible, and be prepared to share what you DO know! It helps! By the same token, the nurses in the RRT need to LISTEN and be prepared to give suggestions without prejudging the med-surg nurse who has the patient. They are often looking to you for guidance, and there is absolutely no justifiable reason to criticize someone who has called for your help. As for the OP making fun of these women, she acknowledges she was in the wrong, as she missed an opportunity to educate these women on what is expected of them when a patient goes into SVT, and that is a shame. A learning opportunity all around I should say, and it looks like it was missed.

I think there is little value is withholding food from a special needs child because he threw it. Withholding food is NOT a proper punishment for this behavior, especially since he is not receiving proper nutrition at home. He did not choose to refuse the food, he chose to throw it away. You have made and adult conclusion that this child cannot make, that throwing food away is refusing it. You must look at this from the child's point of view. He was wronged, then he had a meltdown, overacted and threw his food out of frustration. You cannot correct his frustration over the situation by withholding his food from him because he threw it. You must respond to the real cause of his frustration and address that behavior, the meltdown. WHY did he melt down....that is the REAL issue here. Withholding food from a child who is melting down emotionally escalates the behavior. He should have been pulled aside away from the other children and allowed to return to eat when he calmed down, and the meltdown subsided. You are not rewarding his behavior, you are taking the time to address the problem, giving him the opportunity to decompress and get into control. Only when the child has regained control and composure do you address the consequences of his actions. The teachers who decided to punish him by refusing to feed him did not solve anything, they just added to the meltdown, and actually exacerbated the situation. As for punishing him for melting down, a time out, detention, or removal from recess would have been acceptable. Food is NEVER a acceptable form of punishment.

"This will be a continuing problem in your career and you need to get it under control in whatever way you can. You chose to have 6 children and they are not an excuse for excessive calling in. Just because you have a large family does not mean you get to call in more than what is policy." No where in her post does she state that she called on because she has 6 children. If you had taken the time to read further, she was hospitalized 3 times in two years. I truly wish that before someone responded to a post they made sure they had all the facts, and not jump to conclusions, as is evident with the post above. I believe she mentioned the 6 children out of fear of not having a job to support them, and is not using them as an excuse to call of from work. Please walk a mile in others shoes before you judge.... I wish you well....this too shall pass, keep your head up and keep going after your degree!

Hmm...that is interesting. The ad also states "No prior professional RN work experience prior to Program's start date." Which means that they are looking at NEW nurses, which the OP is not. Also interesting to note that this employer wants you to "complete an Online Application and complete steps (1-5) of this process to be considered for the Program". So they do embrace the online format, just not the concept of obtaining your INITIAL degree in a completely online format. If I am reading this right, they want new nurses who have NOT done their ENTIRE coursework on line, and have gone through a traditional program with clinicals. This posting is for the "Graduate from a BSN or master's level entry into practice program and requires a residency. This job posting is not appropriate for the OP to apply for, and truly does not pertain to her. I think the OP would not qualify for this position because she already has her ADN, a license, and has prior experience. I am and IWU online BSN program graduate, I have my ADN from a reputable Community College. My employer has NEVER addressed the online issue. True IWU is a traditional brick and mortar school with online options, but how you obtain you degree is not as important as HAVING that degree. Online classes are HARDER than traditional classes as EVERYTHING is written! I am in my MSN classes at IWU, and believe me it is no walk in the park! However, the issue of enrolling and getting started was easy for me. Once enrolled my books are shipped to me automatically, and I am in a cohort and I am enrolled in the entire program, and do not have to register for each class separately . I believe that the job posting by Nurse441 is addressing a different issue, the issue of attending an online class solely BEFORE being licensed. The OP is looking at online program AFTER being licensed. Two completely different issues. I wish you good luck in whatever program you choose!

I myself graduated from Indiana Wesleyan's RN-BSN online program. They are a traditional school located in Marion, Indiana and also have campuses in Ohio and Kentucky. They offer both traditional classroom as well as the online program. The program was excellent and had a Christian platform, which I found comforting. I was so impressed with my RN-BSN program that I am now enrolled in their MSN program for Nursing Education. I agree you should check the reputation of the school out. It is important to know their certifications! Also, remember 100% of your course work in an online program is written! If you are a weak writer, the online programs may pose a challenge for you. I was a journalism major at one time, so this never intimidated me like so many others! I wish you nothing but success ! DayOhioRN:yeah:

I have gone through the program as have several of my co-workers and my manager. It is about $350 a credit hour, it took me 18 months for my core classes and another 3 for electives. Easy.....no BSN program is easy. Online is completely WRITTEN work, if you are someone who is disciplined, you can do this program. If you are NOT good at writing, look into the traditional 1 day a week classroom option. ONLINE IS NOT EASIER.... That being said. I am now in their Master's of Nursing Education online program. I love the support the campus gives you, it is a Christian based philosophy, and the graduation ceremony made me feel like queen for a day. I wish you luck in which ever path you choose. IWU is a good choice!

Here is my , If a patient is a DNR-CC, COMFORT care only...DRIPS of any kind are indeed Extraordinary measures. Case in point, I had a DNR-CC with low pressures and a decreasing RR and increased HR. Family wanted NO extraordinary measures and the Doc wanted ICU. I refused to transfer this patient to a overcrowded ICU or CICU to take up a bed during BUSY trauma weekend ( We are a LEVEL 1 Trauma Center who CANNOT reroute when everyone else has) . We had 4 intubated FULL CODE patients waiting in ER for hours for an ICU bed. They indeed had priority. Why transfer her to ICU when, as a Advanced Care floor, we could weither place her on a low dose pressor and bipap or let her peacefully go without suffering as her and her family wished. The outcome? She was placed on a low dose pressor we could manage and bipap ( which broke down her face over the course of the 3 weeks she was left on it. The kicker......the DOC CHANGED her to a CHEM CODE to do it, dispite the family's uncertainty about changing the code status. She used the family's uncertainty to change the Code Status. She survived and went to an ECF Tuesday after 3 weeks with us. She is no longer coherant, but she is alive. There are many levels of DNR. The worst is the famous Chem code, "nothing but the drugs". I often have wondered WHY this is an option since if I can't intubate you, or do chest compressions just HOW are those drugs going to magically save you from Cardiac or Respiratory arrest? I have sent many of these to ICU since we can start drugs on them, but many, many of these patients DIE. DNR ARREST should also go to the unit, after all you are doing everything BEFORE the arrest occurs, and stopping only if you couldn't prevent it. Anything less than a DNR-CC should go to a ICU or Advanced Care unit to manage vents, drips, post -arrest ect. Comfort Care patients should NOT tie up an ICU bed because ICU is an EXTRAORDINARY Measure. However, they should be on a floor that is comfortable with managing drips and medications that will keep them comfortable, and treat symptoms. Remember many DNR-CC patients have multiple system problems. If it is a fixable problem fix it, but if the problem is terminal....let them die with dignity and peace! PEACE!:heartbeat

My hospital uses the computerized Epic charting system :typing, and we went live in Oct. 2006. In March we are going to incorporate the Bar Code scanners for medication administration. This requires the nurse to scan not only the medication, but the patient's ID band EVERY TIME you administer ANY type of medication. My question is....has anyone here dealt with this system, and how is it going for you?:uhoh21: Feedback is welcome in any form!

I work on a Critical Care floor, adults mind you, but we do have DKA insulin gtt's. We have had 3 or 4 on the floor before. The nurses on my floor carry 3-4 but at night they can carry 5. We also have vents, and other drips. We havea our aides do either the odd or even hour accu checks, and as a team leader, I do not assign more than one drip to a nurse or aide. It just is not safe. I agree that the nurse to patient ratio IS NOT safe, especially with a sensitive population such as a pediatric floor. I think that this issue needs to be discussed with your manager and her manager. There has to be a safe solution. Good luck!