pantheon

Hello, Check out John Travolta! Never even graduated High School but is extremely successful/rich. He can not only act but he flies his own plane!!!!!! So I see your point!

Just one question to everyone. I have nothing against further education so lets get that out of the way. But having an RN and almost completing my BSN, also get that out of the way too. I don't know what anyone means when they talk about low pay. I've been making $100,000 or more in a hospital as a staff RN so I don't understand why so many people are complaining about their pay???? Someone please explain????? Is it the state you live in or work???? And respect, I've earned it and I get it!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello Traumahawk, I totally see your point. I'm probably going a little off the BSN topic about what my only complaint is with "respect" as a Nurse. My only complaint is that when I am sick and I go to the ER and they very well know I am a nurse in the hospital and make me wait for an extremely long time I get angry. I see the patients that arrived after me and they are being cared for right away. It's not very private you can hear their complaints "My baby is teething and I can't sleep I have such a migraine now" meanwhile My strep throat is so bad my pain level is a 10 and my throat feels like it's closing. But they make me wait. Then when my fiance who is an M.D. walks in the ER it's "Oh, he's a doctor he said he feels like he's getting an URI, get him in right away" and they do! Every freaking time! Then when they find out we are together and remember my face the nurses apologize and tell me next time you will not have to wait Miss. I'm so sorry for the last time if I had only known! Known what? That I am engaged to a doctor or that you treated me like crap the last time I was here? Who's the eyes and ears for the doctors? Nurses obviously, as well as anyone that works in the hospital that see's something wrong and then alerts the nurse. My fiance doesn't think it's fair either and has made complaints on behalf of all nurses but nothing has happened. So this is really the only time I feel disrespected as a Nurse. A friend of the family who is in pharmaceuticals, she's a chemist. She has a PH.D and when her mom is sick (CHF) she tells the ER nurses she is a doctor and they scramble to get her mom in right away. You can even hear the nurses saying she's a doctor get her mom in a room stat! She says with a smile it works! That's my observation/experience and I don't think it's fair. How could I when I've been through it several times?

Thank you! You are someone that is making an excellent point and observation. We need more people like you! Have a great day. -Pantheon-

Hello, I agree with you about giving great patient care but I also want a nice salary for busting my butt off. Basically, I'm not in nursing for the money. If money was my main concern I would of gone to law school! I do expect to obtain a decent salary however and I do. But I've earned it. There is nothing I won't do for my patients unless it's illegal! But I have seen nurses that barely see their patients and are in it for the money. That is pathetic and they should be fired. So what I'm saying is I agree with you. Pantheon:nurse:

Hello and yes it does make sense! Thanks for the info. I have to say Anatomy & Physioloigy I & II helped me understand diseases better but CHEM I & II and Mico did not. I know it's different everywhere. These were taken at Montclair State University which was affiliated with my NSG school. Also I lived in the dorm through out Nursing School even when I wasn't taking nursing courses but instead taking BSN courses. Those are and always will be some of the best years of my life! Even though my Diploma Hospital based school over 100years old in it's nursing program & the hospital itself, it had a 3 floor dormitory that was very large. Kitchen, Laundry room, Lounges, nothing different from any University except it was attached to the school. You could literally role out of bed and take the stairs or elevator right to your class. The 3rd floor was for smokers, at the time I was one. But I was a social smoker and that did not last long. But I thought it was cool they had that option. Our house mothers loved us and let us party a lot. Sometimes a couple of them even joined us. Yes, there was always plenty of booze for everyone. I also like my brother and sister could of chosen to go to a 4 year school but I chose my school because a lot of people recommended it. My sister chose a 4 year (nursing) BSN program at Messiah College but hated it and switched to Human Resources as a major! I also had people from all over the world come to my school. Some from the Carribean! I thought that was amazing that they knew our school even existed but apparently a lot of people did. I have to say our schools don't sound that much different. The only difference that I have read is yes, I took nursing research (boring) but it was part of the BSN option. I don't know maybe I was just lucky to have found my particular Diploma program because I know they all differ just like us as people! Peace out, Pantheon:typing

Susan9608, Take a deep breath and try to calm down Girl! There is nothing wrong with a BSN. I haven't read every thread but if you read mine right above what you just wrote I think the first paragraph says how I feel about it. Listen, I have many friends that went to BSN schools and have great nursing careers but it took them a little longer to catch up to other programs that had more clinical experiences. When I was in nsg school they recommended obtaining a BSN that's why I took BSN classes along with the diploma schools curriculum. But I got a lot more hospital experience in all the nsg fields than any of my BSN grad friends did. Ask, and I will list them all for you. Your lucky, your done w/ the BSN part. So now it's up to you if you want to stay there or go further! I wish I was done already but it will happen soon enough. So what ever you read don't take it personally. You should be proud of yourself!

Hi Elvish, Trust me if I could of gotten the experience that I did in a diploma program but instead got a BSN I would be on cloud nine! Well, we both know all BSN programs are different. I just happened to not like the one I was in. You know what the best part of the program was? I'm not kidding either. Nathan Lane's brother Daniel was my English Professor! He was as funny as his brother is! We were supposed to meet Nathan like a lot of the students have done but he was doing one of the voices for The Lion King so he couldn't make it. Daniel and I got a long very well, he was fun to talk to or even argue with! In the end we always found humor in our discussions! So I mentioned earlier what classes I have taken on a thread I wrote earlier today. Well, I wrote where you can see it. Now, I'm just trying to figure out where's the best place to finish my BSN. If they aren't going to take all my credits then I won't go to that program. Because if I had to take Statistics etc., over just shoot me! Maybe an on-line program would be good. They are ridiculously expensive. So I'll have to see what happens. I'm leaving for Europe the end of May, so I'm not really looking a lot right now. I would love to know what kind of program you went to. Did you like the theory used and what was it? I would have to take my books out to explain the one I didn't like. I know I would mess it all up if I were to try and explain it! Also how did you think it helped you as a person and nurse? I'm happy you feel that way but I did not. I agree we need ALL the Nurses. In NJ where I am, I don't know where you are from but the nursing shortage is REALLY starting to show. It's getting scary. So if they mandate a BSN to become a Nurse I am worried b/c some people just want to get in it as fast as possible and work where there is tuition reimbursement to further their education.

Hi hpcat, I could not agree with you more! You wrote exactly what I wish they would teach us in these BSN programs. I was told I would get .75cents more an hour if I completed my BSN. Now that's a real motivator! For all that money spent only 75 cents more? I didn't think that was fair. I also think the hospitals should have programs right in the hospital Education Department rooms that are available from different schools. Make it convenient for us and allow atleast $10,000 a year for tuition reimbursement. I hope things change hpcat!:nuke:

I agree with you on the care of the patient but what do you mean by" it's not about the money?" Just curious.

Hello! I just wanted to say that a BS is BS! Back aroung 2/08 you can view on one of my threads of all the classes I have taken. I am very close to obtaining my BSN. In all honesty it's a bunch of crap! It hasn't made me a better RN or made me well rounded. It's just money going out the window. If the BSN programs actually taught me something useful I would be grateful and positive. But so far it has taught me not a thing to improve anything in nursing. What will happen to LPN's? Some of the LPN's I have worked with are awesome, they really know their job (nursing)! I have a lot of friends that are RN-BSN grads. Guess what? They are clueless. One friend in particular worked in a hospital for about 6 months and quit because she said I refuse to help with bedpans etc. Well, then why did she ever become a nurse? Easy answer: Money. The ironic thing is she is making $50,000 a year as a Charge Nurse at a LTC and I am a staff nurse (most of the time, sometimes charge) and I work at a different facility (hospital) but I make over $80,000! I also know way more than she does about diseases, how to handle difficult situations, how to handle codes. She just calls 911. So NO, I don't understand what the big deal is. I wil probably finish my BSN soon but I don't believe that makes me a better RN. I make myself a better RN by educating myself on things I forgot and read about to refresh my memory.

Hey Bugaloo, You are so kind! Thanks so much for writing back to me so quickly. Also thanks for making me feel like I'm not a freak! It just seems like my brother, sister, and my parents are fine and went back to their normal lives. My dad was her only child. She always used to say she could remember the pain from his birth and she closed down her reproductive factory after that! I guess it's different for me because we were so close and I lived with her since I graduated nursing school in 1998. I moved in on the first floor as she and my grandfather were on the second. My grandfather had diabetes and his health was failing so that's why I initially moved in. I will never regret it. He died a year later and my grandmother said if it wasn't for me living with her she didn't think she would have made it. I'm starting to cry as I'm writing this to you. I think your right I should see my primary and go on an anti-depressant. I look forward to reading more of your threads. I'm not sure how to IM you but I'll look into it. I always get a message on my AOL that I had a reply. Thanks again. You must be an awesome nurse! I hear you though it is difficult being a nurse and I think of a career change sometimes too. It's my mother that's always building me up to go back to it. She's gotten positive feedback from people she knows that have been my patients. I also took care of her mother when she lived with us. I was only 12 years old and I cleaned out my Nana's brown crusty mouth because I couldn't take seeing her like that. I never got grossed out ever. So I know I have it in me. It's just not showing right now. Please feel free to offer me advice or anything anytime! You made my night!

Hi, I really enjoyed reading your thread. I have worked in Med/Surg for almost 9 years. I loved it except when telemetry became mandatory! One class does not make a med/surg nurse a competent cardiac nurse. You might have a patient on tele once a month and your supposed to remember all that you learned in that class? I need advice and I think you may be the right person to ask but I'll take it where ever I can get it! I haven't worked since 7/07 except for a job from hell in 9/07 until 10/07. I don't like to just quit but the job was NOT what was presented to me. The floor was understaffed, my preceptor was Charge Nurse so she couldn't help me, and they had me covering LPN's on orientation! Now if I worked in a hospital and was off orientation I would have no problem covering an LPN. I've done it in the past. But I didn't know the computer system neither did the staff because it was new! All the medications were on the computer and your tasks. No kardex's and everything about the patient was verbal so if you had an incompetent nurse that gave you report you were screwed. The reason I left my job in 7/07 was because the commute was horrible and it had been 5 years and I wanted to get something closer to home. Also my Grandmother was not feeling well and I lived with her so I wanted to be there for her. My job from hell was close to home but not worth it. My Grandmother passed away in 10/07 so that was also the last straw for me to leave that job. I was so depressed as she was one of my best friends. So I live with my fiance and he is very supportive. He's a doctor and makes a great salary and I also received a nice inheritance from my Grandmother. So financially I'm great but I'm worried because I am starting to dread going back to working. I know I have to because I don't want to depend on my fiance or waste my education. But my motivation is just not there. I have thought about working in a Same Day Surgery setting or Endoscopy. I'm really thinking about working with a Plastic Surgeon. I love before and afters and seeing people happy. Whether it's elective or not for example a burn patient. I don't know what happened to me. I became really depressed after loosing my grandmother and then I just lost most of my drive for nursing. I'm not depressed as I used to be anymore but I don't exercise as much as I used to and I sometimes sleep more than usual. Yes, I know these are signs of depression but they don't occur on a daily basis. Has anyone ever felt this way and what did they do about it? How can I get my love for nursing and my confidence back? I don't like going to shrinks, been there done that. I watched Oprah Friday about people that hate their jobs and how they achieved what they wanted. So maybe I need to focus on my strengths and make a list like they did. The advice was NOT to focus on the weakness areas but only the strengths. Anyone out there have anything to say??????

I said what I wanted to say and I believe I made my point clear. I have nothing else to add. Have a nice day psych 1998!

Just like Politics if you look hard enough you'll find what ever information you want. Whether it be true or not everyone has an opinion. The truth is sometimes the truth, but most of the time it is stretched out (false). Look to your resources and even better look at what you are observing first hand. Don't ever forget that! Be your own influence based on visual facts.

What ever you are describing does not belong to me. I work med/surg not psych like you where sitting on your a*s all day and taking blood pressures and handing out pills is a common routine. I've been in psych many times and observed the nsg staff. I'm not impressed. My med/surg floor requires multiple skills and I use them on a daily basis. It may be a CBI that needs flushing to a NGT to low intermittent suction etc. Face it psych is not as fast paced as a medical/surgical unit. I know because first I have seen it and secondly I've had friends that work on psych and they have said they love it because it doesn't require that much energy. Maybe from security at times but that's about it. I don't know what you are trying to prove but it's not working.

I am in by the way the in "OLYMPIC SHAPE" but when I give 110% of myself it is only normal to get tired even if it's an 8 or 9 hour shift. When you go all out for your patients you will be tired even if you are in shape! 5ft5" 110lbs, you can't tell me that's not in shape with eating correctly/nutritiously and exercising at a gym regularly, can you?

The subject here is 12 hour shifts not just the patients but how we feel about the different shifts and what impact they have on us as nurses and the care the patient receives. As a RN I have always put the patient first but if the environment I'm working in is unsafe I will not tolerate it. I also make sure to complete the exit interview so that the hospital can see why I decided to resign. I have only quit one job recently for these reasons. In the past since 1998 when I first started practicing I never felt this way because everywhere I went was 8 hour shifts! If you are a nurse and don't put the patient first then why are you a nurse???? At work it's all about the patient but once I leave it's all about me and my responsibilites.:nuke:

I have always worked 8 hour shifts and at the end of the shift I was pretty exhausted. My co-workers worked 12 hour shifts and then an 8 hour shift to equal 40 hours a week or 80 hours in a 2 week period. Some even did 16 hour shifts! I found that time and time again these nurses made a lot of mistakes and became grumpy and lazy as the end of the shift approached. The only thing I can say is that the nurses were given the choice of what shift to work, that part I liked. Also the hospital wanted to make sure you reached the full 40 hours a week. When I started another job that only had 12 hour shifts, I never felt so tired and emotional in my life! It was way under staffed and the PCA's were not much help. I also realized I felt ripped off. I was working my a*s off and not even reaching the 40 hours a week. The hospital was the one gaining from all of this. So needless to say I got out of there and will never do that again. Sounds great 36 hours a week but with no overtime and feeling like crap NO THANK YOU!:nuke:

Actually, I can't say the patient was confused but definitely lacked common sense! This was actually a patient of my fiance's. Well, this young woman in her 20's came to the ER and complained she was pregnant. She stated I don't understand how this happened. He asked well 4 months ago you were put on the birth control pill so have you been taking it everyday around the same time? She answered yes. Then the next questions did you miss any doses or were you put on any antibiotics? NOPE, I took it everyday as I was told and at the same time 2pm. Then he said I don't understand have you had nausea or vomiting during the last four months. Again, she answered NOPE. The only problem I can think of is almost everytime I put it in it would fall out eventually! This just goes to show you sometimes you have to be extremely thorough! The pill goes in the mouth not the lady parts. As the saying goes don't assume! This happened at UMDNJ.:icon_roll

Hey TXRN07, I think the nurse that wrote you up is being a bully. I have been in the bully's position when a medication was missed. My first thing to do is to check on how the patient tolerated the procedure granted they are oriented x's 3. If the patient complained how she had so much nausea and or vomiting during the procedure but feels fine now well then I would have to talk to you and tell you what happened. Then I would call the M.D. and tell them what happened and ask what does he/she want to do. Most of the time in my experience and I worked the same kind of floor as you when I was a new grad, the M.D. would say just explain to the nurse what happened and make sure it doesn't happen again. The only time I recall having to write someone up/incident report was when a chemo med was not given. That was major so no questions asked it had to be done. In your case the patient was comfortable during the procedure and no harm was done. I would just let you know and that would be the end of it. Your going to be more careful in the future just by being told what happened. Also they did give you way too many students and tasks. Hang in there. Don't be afraid to confront someone for writing you up either. A lot of nurses will test you to see how far they can push you. I had a nurse say that my admission was not given any of their 10pm meds and that this happens all the time with my ER's! By the way the patient came to the floor at 10pm! She even went as far as saying that I walked to pharmacy picked up the meds and did not give them! It was a complete lie! The meds never came until after my shift, I knew this because I checked the med room at 11pm before going home and nothing was there. The next day my Mgr called me in her office and I showed her the M.D. order sheet that showed the time of the fax to pharmacy which was 10:30pm. I also said this is a complete and utter lie. I asked to be shown all these other patients that I done this to and guess what there was not one. So I was actually apologized to by my Mgr and I made it clear to the nurse that tried to get me in trouble that I had my eyes on her and I was not going to take any crap from her! She never bothered me again. Remember no matter how nice you are to people not everyone will like you. Sad but True.........

Hi, I just read your reply and I have to commend you on being so honest! I 100% agree with you. I'm glad someone else realizes what these hospitals are trying to get away with. Thanks for sounding off!!!!!!!!

Hi Larla, Well, now I get it! I still can't find even Baylor in Websters or Tabers dictionary but I understand what you mean. Your hours add up to 160 hours a month which is like working full-time. That sounds like an awesome schedule. Plus you probably get an extra differential fee for working on the weekends! You go girl! Thanks for explaining. I thought I was losing my mind! I'm one of those people that doesn't pretend and in nursing I don't think anyone ever should. If I don't understand something I'll be the first one to say it. With patients and family members I just say let me get some literature for you to make it easier. That way I don't look or sound like an idiot. Thanks again!

You lost me! What do you mean by Balard? It's not in my Webster dictionary and I haven't heard that used in any hospital I worked in. We had weekend people that were considered per-diem, no medical benefits etc. They made 50 to 60+ dollars an hour doing 12 hour shifts sometimes 16 hour shifts. Are you saying you work during the week and are on call for the weekends? How do you receive an additional 16 hours of pay in a two week period? I'm very interested in what you mean. Thanks.