Giggles

i totally agree that bg and insulin should be checked a lot closer together. when i started at this facility that was the norm because day shift does not have time to check bg during meal time and do there med pass as well. which i think is a bunch of crock. where i used to work bg was checked then insulin was given depending on bg right away. not only do we check the bg on night shift, the doc ordered that bg be done once a week for people that were on insulin. i guess he felt that the bg was stable and only needed to be checked once or twice a week. again i think this is a bunch of crock. all of our insulin dependent residents have extremly high bg, the docs answer to this, do teaching re: eating proper foods and portions. none of these resident listen to teaching and just get mad when they do not get a second helping or dessert. it is a joke.

I work straight night at a nursing home and I have to do the BS checks between 0530 and 0600. Day shift starts at 0700 but does not give insulin until 0800-0830 with breakfast. If the residents BS is below 5 I give juice or glucogon if needed.

I work nights in a LTC facility and we are always telling ghost stories. One night we were working short staffed, so there was a PSW and myself. We had a death happen on days that was unexpected and another lady who was palliative. It was the beginning of the shift and I decided to check on the lady who was not well, sure enough she had just passed away. I left her there until both the PSW and myself could deal with her. The PSW and I were doing our rounds and we were walking near the activity room that was empty. All of sudden we heard what sounded like a chair move accross the floor. Both of us looked at each and asked if we both heard that. We walked in the activity room thinking that maybe one of the residents were up and wandering around. But the room was empty. Later on that same night the PSW came to where I was and asked if I was her home area. I said no why, she said that she was had taken her cart to one of the residents room and left it outside of the door. When she came back out the cart was moved up the hall and up against the opposite wall. We were pretty freaked out that night but had a good laugh thinking our minds were playing tricks on us. Another night I was in the basement (which I hate going to) to pick up supplies. I had funny feeling that I was not alone that night but shrugged it off that it was my mind playing tricks on my. As I was leaving the hallway to go the elevators I felt as if someone or something was behind me the I heard my name being called in whisper. I quickly went to the elevator and got on as I was standing that the door would not close, it kept opening as if someone were blocking the door or trying to get on. I don't think I went the basement for about a month after that.

I graduated from Georgian/York U. last June. The classes were not very large at all in University, at most there would be 30 students per class. You only need 3 electives outside of nursing at York, I only took one course that had maybe a 100 students in the class. Yes it was large and not very personal but you dealt with it as is the whole University experiece. The 3 nursing electives you have to take they of course would maybe have 15-20 students depending on how many were interested in the course. It really was not that bad for class sizes. As for the theory part, I totally agree there. We spent a lot of time on theory and not alot on skills. Although in the first two years of school we spent more time on skills and more time in clinical as it was 2 days instead of one day at York. I do know that York had intergrated a skills component that tried to bring everything we had learned in the last two years together, which was helpful. They also had a lab component that was mandatory in the first semester of thrid year and this helped further our skills with different scenarios. But it would have been nice to see it in our fourth year too. Alot of the graduates felt that they did not have enough skills to enter the nursing field by graduation. But some how we all seemed to manage, you are not going to learn everything you need to know in nursing school. I found I have learned a lot more when I finally started working. Prime example would be that I did not have the opportunity at all to do a catheter in all of my four years of school. I finally got to do that in my job. I am not really sure I would recommed York Univeristy, I have heard that Humber spends alot of time on skills and clinical. I have also heard that Ryerson has a good program. I am sure that all the schools have there flaws with there programs somewhere along the way. You should go the school that you are most comfortable with.

I was really debating whether or not to buy the fertility monitor. The monitor is approx. 200 dollars here that is why I have been debating it. And I really was not sure if it would work. It is a lot of money to dish out with the uncertainty of it not working. How long after you used it did you get pregnant?

Thank you for all the replies. This gives me hope and food for thought. I was told by a nurse I work with (whom I do not hold highly in my books) that I would not get pregnant while working nights. I actually like working nights and would prefer to stay there if I can. I guess my husband and will have to keep trying and have fun. Giggles

Anyone from Canada order scrubs online, most of the websites provided only ship in the US?

Hello, I am a new RN working in a Long Term Care Facility full-time nights, but I am not new to allnurses. My husband and I are now trying to conceive as I am not getting any younger:wink2: Anyway my question is, is there anyone out there that got pregnant while working straight nights? And if you did how did you find a way to eat properly on nights? Right now I am finding it hard to eat three meals a day. When I first started nights I would have my lunch around 1:30-2am but now every time I eat while working I get such heartburn that it hurts. So right now I am just eating 2 meals a day. Also I am a little concerned that working nights is messing up with my cycles and when I am ovulating. I am tempted to buy a clear plan fertility monitor just to see. Has anyone used this monitor as well and did it work for you?. I seem to have more questions than I do answers. Any response would be a great big help. Thank you Giggles

Sorry about the confusion, yes it is in Springfield Mass. Gigglez

Hello, I was wondering if any one works for Sister of Providence Health System, specifically the behavioral health hospital. I am a Canadian nursing student and I am graduating in June, I have had two calls now from this hospital and they seem interesed in me. What I want to know is what is the pay like there? Is it a good hospital or unit to work on? What is the housing situation in Massachusetts like? If anyone could answer me that would great. This is a big decision for both my husband and me. Thank you Gigglez :)

Trent, I am graduating this year from York U. I too wanted the O.R. but York said that anyone wanting the O.R. would have to finish a six week training course before they did the O.R. I decided that was too much for me and opted for something else. You can try asking for day surgery, I know a lot of people who got that, they just had to do a six week placement in med/surg first. Hope this helps. Giggles