Peggyfaye

Kinda strange that they don't even have the H1N1 available at work right now. (or anywhere else in town.) Pregnant women should not take the live virus nasal spray vaccine & they can request an immunization without the Thimerisol (mercury derivative ) in it. Enough lectures about professionalism, humility, etc. etc.

I have 33 yrs. experience as an RN, Lamazeteacher. The swine flu was the 1st epidemic that I dealt with as a new grad in '76. I have worked in the ED for over a decade, front lines when it comes flu seasons. So we disagree~because of that you assume that I stay less informed of credible sources of research? There is lack of data on the effectiveness of this vaccine, people are hopeful & I pray that it will not harm those who receive it. I don't agree with everyone's conclusions on this forum, but I also don't lecture them that I am right & they are wrong. There are many things that are not definite on the subject of flu epidemics & vaccines~ I am happy in life & respected in my medical community. I'm not robbed of anything because I expressed to you that your post came off as arrogant & offensive. When people disagree with your opinion, it doesn't mean that you are correct & they are wrong / misinformed. This forum is to express how we are all dealing with these difficult events in our nsg. practice. Peace.

Interesting you can say "definitely" lamazeteacher...you got a crystal ball? Now that's real scientific. Spreading misinformation? You've got some nerve. Do you work OB or ER?

The Squire~ Measles, mumps, etc. are proven vaccines~ do some reading on H1N1 before anyone dictates what other nurses do to maintain their health. There are plenty of other options besides getting an unproven vaccine. Some of our worst enemies may be our co-workers , employers, government. I've worked ER charge nurse for over 15 yrs, have never gotten a flu vaccine & haven't gotten the flu. Go figure, maybe it's the masks & handwashing....

What century are you working in purple scrubs? Our hospital hasn't done TB tests for years~ not the standard of practice anymore?

. ..."you're blaming men because of human nature." What a leap you take sir. Your other comments, ie: "mad @ God"; 'before you ate that apple...". come off as very strange. It's been good to read a number of the posts from the men in nursing here. Sensitive, well thought-out & expressed...helpful. I thank you for your input on the subject of this post. I appreciate the men in life ... personal & professional relationships. They've been invaluable in helping me understand what is going on at work right now . Inequality in the workplace because of one's sex. More than 30 yrs. I've worked as an RN. Being born female 54 yrs ago has been a real education in & of itself. Equal rights don't feel like a joke to me. Being a "joker" in the workplace is a way that some express anger. It's different than having a great sense of humor, which is healthy rather than destructive. "take care" :wink2: too

" Re: Do male nurses recieve as much respect from patients as female ones do?INPUT IS G LOL..don't worry. You will get confused with the physicians and when I come in the patient will invariably ask for the nice Dr. who was here yesterday. Statistically, you will make more, hold more administrative nursing positions, etc. So don't worry, the deck is stacked in your favor." Ahem... Yep, like I said...patriarchy is alive & well in the nursing profession these days. The stacked deck that you refer to is an old one.

What I've witnessed in the last 4 yrs. has been hard to take. We've got a no. of new grad male nurses in our ER. The patients call them doctors, because they're male, & a few of them don't bother to tell the patient that they are a nurse. They like to hang out at the doctor's station & B.S. ...with the male doctors they talk sports, with the female doctors, they flirt. There are a few of the young men nurses that I do respect as a co-worker. I tend to appreciate the older men nurses more... There are a number of the men nurses that are disrespectful to the older female nurses..."reporting charge nurses, writing up co-workers instead of talking with "them...etc, etc..." I, too, just found out that a no. of the males are getting more money than females with more experience, who are just as good, if not better nurses. Thank God for the union... This is now becoming another patriarchal profession. Good luck in school guy.

I still work with a man that I consider a dangerous nurse. (he's in another area of the hospital) We worked together in the ICU/CCU years ago. He was a new nurse & acted like he knew it all , which concerned me as his ICU/CCU preceptor. He was a wiley one to orient. Charmed & flirted with the other nurses, who grew to love him. One incident with him (oh yes, there have been others...) One night in the unit, I was in charge, he was taking care of a man in late 30's that had an anterior MI. Lidocaine gtts were going out of favor. I noticed the man's heart rate brady'ing down. Asked this nurse if he still had the Lido gtt on. (Had been dc'd a good 2 hrs. before.) He replied that it had been off. He then proceeded to stay at the desk to call the cardiology doc (my job as charge) & told him "you better get over here fast." While he was on the phone, I went to check a BP, as he hadn't. The Lido gtt was on - 4 mgs/min. I turned it off, he came in the room. I said, "the drip was on." He looked straight into my eyes & said, "no it wasn't." W/the doc arrived, he continued his charade...the pt. was actually fine by the time the dr. got there. I took the Dr. aside & said that the Lido had been on during the episode that this nurse was describing. The Dr. then said that he wasn't trying to place blame, just wanted his pt. ok. The Dr. & the male nurse then began discussing football at the desk & the doc left. This nurse now inserts PICC lines at our hospital, & is the "expert" on central lines. Which is funny, as, after the ICU incident, I was the IV Therapy Manager in the CCU/ICU/Hospital for 8 yrs. after leaving the unit. A co-worker & I inserted the first PICC lines in the valley, where there are 4 hospitals. ps: yes, I did write it up. He slid through that whole process also.:bowingpur

TNCC is a great review for me every 4 yrs. It can feel tedious, long days sitting, lectures, study, tests. The best part are the scenes, created to practice various trauma-types. It gets the nurses working as a team, step by step, concise methods, evaluation, treatment, charting. Can prevent those scenes with too many people in the trauma room, without roles. Many TNCC instructors have not been that great, just like many nursing school instructors. But I appreciate them taking the time out of their lives to become instructors. Otherwise, TNCC courses locally dry up, next thing ya know you're traveling long distances to take a certification course required in the job. It's the information that's of real value, in a real trauma.

To work in our ED, we have to keep up TNCC, PALs or equivilant, ACLS, BLS. Many of us keep up our Neonate recerts also. That's alot. I want to keep up these certifications, as I want to know how to deal with any emergency coming in. It's not a matter of "having to keep up the minimum." A person who just keeps up the minimum because they have to probably isn't a terrific ED candidate. These courses take alot of time & most of us are happy to do it, even when our hospitals require, but quit paying for the courses. New in an ER? There's alot to learn (I learn something new each time I work) ... not easy to do so from books or observing for a day. Experience...being able to recognize "sick or not sick"... many 12 hr. shifts without lunch or breaks.... Physical, not to mention, emotional exhaustion. Gotta have a way to balance work & personal well-being. I also have my CEN, which I paid for, not my hospital. Had my CCRN when I worked ICU/CCU for 18 yrs. It's a matter of profession, not just another job.

It takes alot of guts for a new grad to put themselves into a busy ED. I've precepted many of them & have asked to not do this anymore. It's exhausting & most of them leave after a yr., if they last that long. One of the worst things I've seen is when our egghead manager hired a new grad as a full time charge nurse. She had no skills at managing other people & it was obvious to most that she was in over her head. She wrote people up, spent most of the shift in the mgr's office, & was one of the most passive-aggressive people that I've ever met. When I worked under her, she tried working me to death. If they can't carry their load after a yr., they should leave the ED. Alot of us experienced nurses get very tired of helping them manage their pts. Some new grads have surprised me, but the ones who act like they know it all are usually downright dangerous. Then again, any nurse or Dr. who thinks they know it all are dangerous to the patients.

Oh yea, Those hyperemisis pregnant smokers. What hysterics they display. How are they going to handle being mothers?

Some excellent nurses have been fired. I agree that alot of school nsg jobs are political. A few parents can be the bane of school employees; you absolutely made the right choice in triaging those 2 kids. One was life-threatening, the other was not. Doesn't surprise me though, I've had parents who bring their kids in "for well child checkups" in the ER, yell & scream at me for taking back a guy who had chopped off his thumb & had an arterial bleed. "We were here first!" oy vey. Being laid off is being fired. This happened to me & it was devastating. The most important job you have right now is taking care of that precious babe of yours. There are lots of nurse jobs out there, pick yourself up, hold your head high, & choose to work with a population that you will be nurtured by. Good luck, you've been through alot. :redpinkhe

In triage a lovely elderly man & his wife. The man states, "I have a woodpecker stuck in my rectum." To which I replied, "Isn't that a bird?" No, it was a wooden carved woodpecker "that has been in my family for 2 generations." :eek:The little old wife sat & told me about their lovely grandchildren & how great retirement life is. When I took the gent to the back, out of his room could be heard the phrase, from the Ed doc, the surgeon, the radiology tech, "Isn't that a bird?" Still cracks me up to think of that day. ps: He went to surgery, woodpecker was recovered, er, to be passed onto another generation???