ArrowRN

Sounds like a nightmare if you have to write a note for each med....I would do a general note something like Patient has been given education on use and purpose of each medication and has been made aware or potential side effects. Hand out given for new med education, patient able to restate why medication is taken and verbalizes understanding....if you using EPIC EMR, save you save it as a smart note. When it comes down to it what your leaders really wants is good HCAPS surveys...get with your clinical leader and nurse educator to find out what questions patients are being asked related to medications during these surveys. That will be your guide. Create a guideline. Of course makes no difference if a note is created and it's not being actually done with the patient. When I was staff nurse I created a flash card project that was simple to understand to give out to patients when they had a new meds it increased our HCAPS survey scores on our unit.

At this one Kaiser in San Leandro California, I travelled to the nurse educator was a "travel educator" this was the first time I encountered a travel nurse in such a position but they are out there. That was earlier this year. We were all with AMN...a company I now love to hate....but that is another story. maybe they were hired under a locums tenens contract but she said she been doing that for several months and kept getting extended.

I realize this is old post and I encountered NPs working as travel nurses at bedside but why would you want to travel as a bedside nurse? Research traveling as an NP...its called Locum Tenens, many agencies hire NP providers. I do not know the demand in the state you are moving too but You will get much better benefits than how they treat us travel nurses especially with the low rates situation these days.

A small agency can do it in less than a week, big agencies take about 3weeks on average but it really depends and how quickly they need you to start.

Totally agree, but who cares...I also met a lot of seasoned nurses willing to train others....When I hit 2 year's experience I was doing a lot of training of new nurses....the nurse eat nurse world is yet another reason why I jumped on the travel nurse bandwagon after 7years of putting up with staff politics and 50 cents annual raises....I hear the squabbles and complaints of the inner politics on the units, they complain about unit budget and travel nurse pay being higher but I just don't care, if it sucks do something about it. Travel is the last straw and I am going to use it to invest in something I can call my own. I took 2 months off for Summer and about to take all Christmas off...enjoy the staff nursing world...Cheerios!

If you got a BS degree already you should be trying BSN program applications or accelerated BSN programs, not just ADN. When I first applied I actually got denied to ASN programs and actually got into the BSN program which was my top choice anyways...that was like back in 2013. A fully online program with not be an option for you unless you have LPN, or RN already. I suggest going to your closest state University and meet with a Nursing advisor on how you can reach your goals.

It's way too easy to get accused of something. I get a female in there with me, its always an option so I don't see why I should take the risk. Younger females are just uncomfortable with men in general and it should be done.

I seen on this one low budget Christian movie, the patient was connected to an IV...but when I looked at it closer it was a dang tube feed bag hanging full of water and the purple port was taped to their forearm...lol ?

I would never work at a place like that. They fail to recognize that is a system issuse and NOT an RN failing to do their job issue. At our hospital what we have done is in the computer system, in the MAR pain assessment are now built into it when administering the medication and there is a reassessment reminder that shows on the main patient list page when its due, so you can be reminded of it as soon as you login. Even now it's still not perfect and some people still miss it. All this came from a suggestion from a nurse to our Computer Comittee. We have gotten vast improvements in our reassessment since then. I am on our Computer resourse comittee and I am thinking of ways to make it better because even I too miss doing it in a timely fashion. We use EPIC by the way. Your manager needs to asks you guys to come up with solutions for the problem not threaten with lame threats of being fired and bullied. See if you can find out who is the person in charge of Nursing Informatics and ask them is there is some sort of reminder solution and if it can be added to the MAR, document your solution so you can get credit. Start up a committe in your unit or hospital to find a feasible solution that does not involve threathening a nurse. A low tech starting point would be to just print out a pain scale reminder and place it on each nurses computer like a laminated card or something. Bring the solution to your manager, implement it, then ask for a raise! lol

It really depends on the type of med surg floor you are on and how sick the patients are. For me 5 is just on the edge of tolerable but it takes only 1 patient to turn it to a nightmare. Most hospitals in my area do up to 7...I will stick with my hospital which is union protected and can't assign us to more than 5, if fully staffed my floor gets 4:1 but we are often seem to be short. Reality is you probably won't find a hospital floor in med surg that does less than 5. I did work on one that does 4 patients but it was progressive care...always a trade off. Maybe consider ICU, less patients but more work per patient but it give you that focus, if thats what you looking for.

Oh so we do got some nurses with priviledge, maybe I just working at the wrong hospitals :) It's not an issue for me only because I work nights. I was late leaving 1 morning and did get a warning ticket. They actually check car tags to rule out employees from visitors. For day shift the Decals plus monthly fees runs anywhere from $300 per year to $1300 per year. Guess which has the long walks and shuttle rides? When I do have to show up for days for training I get a discount at $4/day unless I cheat and hope they dont spot me in one of the ungated visitors lot, haven't been caught yet hehehe. I think some urban hospitals is where the problems as. They could manage this by limiting number of visitors and the length of time they stay so traffic can be better circulated, and stop them from treating hospitals like hotel rooms.

A witness does not verify the information provided to the patient, the purpose of a witness is that the provider spoke to the correct person and and that person signed the form and agrees to the procedure. In medical field its based on facility policy but only RN's can witness at our facility. Ideally yes the witness should be there in the room but realistically anyone can sign as witness. When you go to a notary, a total stranger, for them to witness, they dont know you, nor will they often not know the information stated in the document you need notarized, they look at your ID, see you sign the paper and witness that yes they see you signed it and you affirm you are that same person.

I have never liked "graduate" positions. I believe in focusing all your time towards passing the NCLEX than looking for a job. My gut would tell me to run from this verbal offer, its a bait and switch, why should you have to settle? What did they say happens if you don't pass? Will you be let go and out of a job anyways? Only exception is if you find the training to be exceptional, but they are just trying to save a buck training you with CNA pay vs LPN pay, a dollar or 2 less is reasonable but not $7. and the way how it way done...is very questionable.

Yeah I did the same as well due to excitement plus a family of 4 and none or us working. bills piling up, that first job I left had 7:1 ratios, I felt like I learned nothing and was exhausted and unsafe. I now work with a hospital with strict 5:1 ratios, makes all the difference. My second job is part-time and they got 6:1 ratios, its doable but on the edge of crazy unsafe, but i got more experience now so I handle it.

I haven't written anything in a while, but keeping it short and venting...I am just so frustrated with all these employers who are treating nurses are second grade employees when it comes to parking. Doctors get priviliges such as their own lots closest to the facility. Some even get reserved spots with their name even if they there maybe once or twice per week. I work at two hospitals and both of them treat nurses parking as a threat to their patients. One of them charges rediculous fees to the day shift and require them to purchase annual parking decals. Thanks goodness I work nights, but if I don't leave on time I will be cited and possibly ticketed. The other facility, makes nurses park off campus and "shuttle" them to the hospital. Which means instead of reaching to work 15 mins early you got to be 30-45mins early to beat the shuttle rush catch your shuttle, more time unpaid and being wasted. All this is being done in the name of "patient first"...so what the rest of it? Patient's first...Nurses Last? That brings to bear the question, are nurses truly essential personel at hospitals? and if so why are we always treated this way? What made me write this is a facility now threating crazy citation fees if the parking rules are not followed...I mean..if the parking rules are not followed BY NURSES. This extends into other areas in society as well. For example, on Family Feud, there was a question on asking 100 people to name an occupation that save lives. The top answer was Firefighter, deservidly so but I dont think nurses even made the list. In my state there is a discount program for mortgages called "Good neighbor next door" but it only applies to firefighters, EMT/paramedics and police officers. you would think a nurse would be a good neighbor to have but the State does not think so. When will the status of nursing be respected to where I can at least get a decent parking spot?