BloodCleanerRN

It's not an implication that I think it's less than sane....I really do think it's less than sane. Yep, I said it. "The term 'conspiracy theory' is often used to discount and to dismiss real arguments based on facts, on personal experience and on history that another does not want examined. It tends to frighten away from discussion, those who do not want to be judged as being less than sane." Really? What factual arguement has been presented to show that your freedoms are being stripped by fingerprinting? What real evidence have you shown me and the other posters here? (and, no, your suspicions do not count as real evidence) The whole fear of fingerprinting thing is being blown way out of proportion IMO. I believe it is a fear of something irrelevant. Freedom. You have a choice. You can choose not to enter into a field of employment that requires fingerprinting or background checks. There IS a choice. For example, some people choose to live under a bridge, or a tent in the woods, rather than be on Uncle Sam's radar and be gainfully employed, own a car and/or house..etc. There again...CHOICE.... and maybe a bit of mental illness mixed in. People can CHOOSE what job they have, whether or not they have a job, what house they buy, what car they drive, what food they eat, what clothes they wear, if they want to be compliant with doctor's recommendations....the list goes on. Yes, people still have choices and the freedom to make those choices in this country.

Geez. Conspiracy theories abound. No one is stopping me from living my life the way I want because they fingerprint me. Y'all really need to get a grip. Once again, if someone does not want to be subjected to what an employer requires....then don't apply for that job. That, my friends, IS freedom of choice.

I'm sure at one point people balked at the thought of having a thorough background check done for employment purposes. Wasn't there similar 'outrage' as employers started requiring urine samples during pre-employment screenings? I do believe you missed my main point in that all security measures were derived out of necessity when previous measures proved not to be enough. As I said before, security measures evolve and change according to what happens in the real world. Maybe instead of quoting an incomplete line from my post, try reading the entire post and try to get the whole meaning I'm attempting to convey. Also, as another poster once stated...we do leave our fingerprints laying around willy-nilly anyway......

Comparing the preparation of food at a restaurant, and working in healthcare on equal ground, is an unrealistic stretch of the imagination. Preparation of food does not compare at all to the level of access a healthcare worker has to another human being's body.

Security measures evolve and change according to the issues created in the real world by real people. How long have there been the security measures in place in OB units? WHY were those measures instituted? Could it have been because of numerous REAL people baby snatching? There are multiple documented events when this has happened. Same goes for numerous REAL events involving healthcare workers abusing patients...physically, sexually. Not to mention, the stealing of patient belongings, narcotics, etc by healthcare workers that HAS occurred. All of these measures add up to, hopefully, a successful screen of all healthcare personnel to eliminate people who may have already done these things elsewhere - or may have a pre-disposition to do these things because of other problems they have had in their past. Would any of you who are screaming "NO PRIVACY!" be at ease being a patient in a facility where no screening took place? If you can honestly say that you would be a patient in a facility like that does not screen any of their employees, then fine...keep on fighting for your 'freedoms'...otherwise, yes...."quitchyourbitchin'. Not to mention, facilities are CYA's with these screenings...so that if anything DOES happen, they cannot be held at fault for hiring unstable personnel without trying to avoid it at all cost. Can you imagine the lawsuit??

Don't you have to have documentation from your physician in order to take a proper medical leave? Sounds like working the system to me to say you are on medical leave when you really have no medical issues. Kind of unethical, dontcha think?

Funny you should ask. Today is actually my last day as a dialysis RN. I've been doing Acute Hospital Hemodialysis and it's very much different from chronic clinic dialysis. In chronics, you see a lot of the same patients from week to week. It is very much about routine....almost an assembly line at best. I don't mean that to sound bad. Some people really enjoy that kind of work. Most dialysis nurses work four 10 hour shifts. Dialysis days also start EARLY. If you are an early riser...then it could be the job for you! Many clinic dialysis nurses get to work between 4:30-5:00 AM. There is a lot of risk of exposure to blood (obviously), more so than in hospital nursing. There are many sharps, especially those 15 gauge needles used to stick fistulas and grafts. Generally, there is a 1st and 2nd shift. Patients can have treatment times ranging from 3-6 hours. When 1st shift is complete, then the machines are turned over as quickly as possible and set up for 2nd shift. Then, there is the water system you need to learn as a dialysis nurse. There are DI systems and RO systems, and different checks for each. One common check is chloramine check every 4 hours. There is a lot to learn. It's definately a specialty that has it's own unique demands. As I've heard, and found out, people either love dialysis or they hate it. Good Luck!

I wouldn't recommend this. Most places have a policy that states you cannot use PTO during the time between resignation and your last day of work.

If people don't like the requirements, both government and hospital imposed, then they can exercise their 'Liberty' and choose not be a nurse.

We, as nurses, are priveledged to have full access to other human beings at their most vulnerable state. Why would you not want people in our position to have background checks? I had to have my fingerprints done in the state of Missouri in 1999 when I was going into nursing school, and again for my Missouri license. ALSO, again, when I applied for a Kansas license earlier this year. Fingerprinting nurses isn't a new thing. If you want a job with complete privacy...work from home mailing envelopes. JK.

First to be said is...I will NEVER wear white shoes ever again in my life as a nurse. Had to wear white shoes as a student nurse. Never. Again. Ever. I currently wear dark brown leather dansko's with a black sole. I also wear black knee-high compression hose. Prior shoe choices have been all black Klogs. Like I said, NEVER again will a white shoe touch my foot. White shows EVERYTHING....and most nurses wade in 'everything' during each shift. Who wants to go around showing it off? blech!

There are as many reasons and excuses are there are people IMO. Been pregnant three times. Gained more than 50 lbs (during the two full term pregnancies - the other was preemie at 33 weeks) that put my weight up over 200lbs at 5'6''. There was no one to blame but myself for the weight gain during those pregnancies...well, no one other than Ben and Jerry...and maybe Ronald McDonald. My youngest full termer is now 8 months old and I'm only 5 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight... yes, the weight I was before my 1st child. Been there, done that. My choices caused me to gain weight, and my choices caused me to lose weight. The stretch marks may never go away...but, by Gosh, the weight sure will!! And, I'm sure chasing 3 boys age five and younger help keep me VERY active too.

Yep, most places will not pay out your PTO if you leave without notice. When all is good, then you get it all paid out in one check. You'll have to look up your employee manual/policies to see what your employer does for sure.

How is discussing healthier lifestyle choices, and how unhealthy a present lifestyle is...punishment? I don't get it. Torture? Really? In this same mindset, would discussing lifestyle changes for cardiac patients, diabetics, hemopheliacs, etc (pick any disease process and run with it)...be 'punishment' as well? If obesity is to be catagorized as a DISEASE, then it should be approached as a disease as well when treated. That means truthful diagnosis, treatment options, and INFORMATION on how to best deal with the disease. How is ignoring it going to help?

I understand that there is some mental health component present. However, I feel that just as implication of 'choice' is considered short-sighted by some...the statement that it is a disease gives an excuse for many overeaters to continue down their paths of self-destruction.

Do you have PTO hours built up? If so, you may not want to leave prior to two weeks. In most places, you will relinquish any PTO hours paid out to you if you leave without notice. If you will lose a lot of $$ doing that, then I would advise against it and stick it out the next 2 weeks. Good Luck.

Rather than being offended by the use of a particular word, I personally get offended at the 'culture' of obesity. By culture of obesity, I mean an entire family bending over backwards to 'service' a 450+ lb family member, who is bed ridden, can't wipe their own backside after defecating, can't clean between their own rolls of excess adipose tissue, and can't breathe on their own while sleeping without the use of a BiPap machine.....the family members of this particular person snuck buckets of KFC and bags of McD's into this patient's ICU inpatient room. That, to me, is MUCH more offensive than the simple use of the word 'glutton'. It is offensive because this happens often. This is one of the causes of the healthcare cost crisis we all complain about. This should not be happening. The American society at large (no pun intended) also seems to be bending over backwards to serve the culture of obesity. We are becoming sickeningly PC about everything relating to this topic. We are developing bariatric EVERYTHING....WHY in the world do OR's need to have surgical tables tested to tolerate 1,000 lb. patients??!!? Seriously! It's getting beyond ridiculous. Things need to change.

I'm curious why everyone must be so P.C. all the time. I understand why the OP chose the words she did. Overeating and gluttony both have the same meaning IMO. Rather than focus on word choice, why don't we discuss the point? I think there are many factors to obesity. Personal choice is definately one of them. No one makes the individual shove that extra piece of pie into their mouth, they do it on their own. Mental health, availability of food, environment, behaviors concerning food learned in childhood, etc. They all make a difference. I've personally watched my inlaws this past year make personal choices in changing their eating and exercise habits. My mother in law has literally shrunk to half her previous size because she is presently watching her portion sizes and carb intake. Her and my Father in law were both diagnosed with type II DM about a year ago. They have both been poster children for compliancy...and, yes, their primary care physician has made similar comments regarding this. They have made a complete turn around and show that personal choice can make the difference. Now, my husband still has some of the food habits learned from them as he grew up. He overeats often and eats crap often. I have warned him that he is looking at his own future with regard to the DM if he continues down this path...but, it has to be HIS choice to make those changes. He gets frustrated with me for losing weight (after having each of our 3 children) with no trips to the gym and "not really trying"...but I often turn down dessert after dinner when he is having 1/2 a gallon of ice cream. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the difference between our habits and the results of those habits. Now, he has improved his habits significantly from the first time we dated (met 10 years ago, been married for 8). When I first met him, he ate fried foods ALL the time. blech. Now, he rarely eats fried anything and when he does, it gives him a tummy ache....a reminder IMO that he shouldn't be eating that kind of stuff. I agree with the previous poster's comment that mentioned obesity is a new problem. Americans used to have a more physical lifestyle and not the access at every corner to junk food/fast food/nasty fat filled food that is cheap to purchase and highly available. Farmers back in the day did used to eat very hearty meals...bacon, eggs, etc for breakfast...meat and potatoes for other meals...the difference is, they were physically active ALL the time. They had to be to survive. Nowadays, people sit on their hind ends at desk jobs typing on computers all day...and children do the same while playing video games. Not to mention, when schools get in a financial bind, physical ed programs are often cut. I think a gluttonous lifestyle is something that can be changed if the person living it makes the CHOICE to change, regardless of whatever mental stress is attributing to it. JMO.

The reuseable gel ice packs are the best! :)

Hey Chris...sorry to see you have so many issues, given your young age. At least you are aware and are trying to accomodate. I'm 37 with flat feet, no arches, knees that pop (after having 3 kids), and occasional back pain. I just started wearing Dansko's last week...FINALLY...because I've got narrow feet and they didn't carry narrow until now. Leather Professionals - love them! My feet don't hurt like they used to after a shift. Took a few days wearing around the house to break them in. FYI, for my back/knee issues...I go to bed every night with ice packs on both knees and on my low back. WORKS WONDERS! Got the advice to do this from my own Mom, who is a very experienced Physical Therapist. Good Luck on the shoe hunt!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE 12 hour shifts!!! Going to work only 3 days a week is the way to go for sure. Even 4 days a week is a strain for me...after starting in dialysis, I realized adding one more day added WAY more stress as far as home life was concerned. So, I'm now back to 3 12's. Did I say I love 12 hr shifts? LOL

I work days while my husband works Nights as a Police Officer. I absolutely hate that he's on nights. We have three young children (ages 5 years, 19 months, and 7 months) and our opposite shifts makes family life very difficult. From many of the posts here, I gather that most that enjoy the opposite shifts don't have children yet? Maybe I'm wrong. Things sure change with kids. I worked nights for 5 years and LOVED it. However, those kiddos are day-walkers and it's impossible to interact with them like I should when I'm a zombie off a night shift...so, day shift it was!