DogloverinCA

Don't forget to add in the cost of the uninsured drug seekers who drive up all those costs just trying to get high legally from the ER---with their made up complaints-we all pay for that! Do you think they have insurance or money in their pockets?! Also, the paper pushers that administer the hospital--the secretaries, CFO's CEO's, DON's, coders, med records, etc. They all have to get paid too...

Hi, I am an ED RN for 5 years and I work in a small suburban hospital setting. I just wondered what are some of your policy and procedures with regard to starting IV's on pts. ?Is it ok at your discretion if the MD doesn't order it but you feel that the pt "might" need it that you are able to start an IV without a doc's order? Thanks in advance for your responses. Dog

Hi Crumbs, I too feel trapped in nursing as well. I was in another chosen field but it was a very uneven and employment seemed random so I went into nursing thinking it would be more steady. Not so! I have been in the field 5 years and started hating it after 3--but the economy tanked and I really haven't been able to change jobs readily (out of nursing) or even out of the hospital department I am in. I have had a couple of traumatic encounters with bully-bosses that have made me want to run screaming for the hills but I can't. So I feel your pain and wanted to let you know there are many others out there that are in equally desperate circumstances, hang in there keep your head down and remember there is someone else out there who knows you are a good person in a bad circumstance! Doglover

Hi! Thanks for your question and congratulations on starting nursing school:yeah: I check my bs whenever and wherever I can! I will go to the bathroom for privacy but there's not always one nearby (or a ledge to hold my glucometer while I test!) If I am working with folks I know well (I work per diem/registry) I might test discreetly at a nurses station or I go to the break room. Most know I am diabetic, so it's not some secret. I work in the ER with germy pathogens all around so I wash my hands and forearms often. I do wear gloves often too. I can't afford to have painful fingers hurting me all the time when I work so I never do finger sticks on myself (but for my patients-- well that's a different story--they get the finger sticks LOL). I use my forearms to test--they seem to be less painful too. I test more frequently too because the pain is practically non-existent when testing and that encourages me to do it more often. Hope that helps. Good luck in your endeavors.

Hi! I am Type 1 Diabetic (adult onset Type 1), using an insulin pump for 1 year and have been a nurse for 2 years. I have worked exclusively in the ER. It was the only place I ever wanted to work. I love working the ER but it has taken a toll on me: My A1C has gone up to .4 from where I was before I started nursing. I find my sugars are all over the place (but I tend to make bad food choices when at work otherwise I watch what I eat on days off.) Glad to hear there are others out there like me :-) Has anyone had any problems with management or your colleagues when they find out you are Diabetic? Most of my co-workers have been supportive to my face (who knows what they say behind my back though?) I even had a co-worker who was also Diabetic. Management however was not so supportive and used my disability as a way to get me to leave :-(