neonatal3

neonatal3 has 35 years experience and specializes in neonatal intensive care unit.

neonatal3's Latest Activity

1. 

   Leaving for awhile...ambivalance...help

   neonatal3 replied to 123sunnid's topic in Retired

   Hello 123sunnid, I agree with some of the comments of others including the suggestion for you to continue to renew your R.N. license in case you later choose to work again as a nurse. I also agree with the comment that one option for being more at home with your kids might be for you to reduce your nursing work hours. The suggestion for you to talk about your career ideas with a "disinterested third party" is also good so that you could further explore the pros and cons for you of changing careers. You wrote that you have "started taking classes toward something (you) have found to love, floral design". Some people do seem to have a need for career change. For example,one of my favorite cousins worked as a policeman and as a detective for many years, and then at age 50 he decided he wanted to be a nurse--he worked while going back to school and earned his Associate In Science Of Nursing in two years--he has truly enjoyed working as an R.N. for eleven years now. Good luck in your decision!
2. 

   What should I do?

   neonatal3 replied to focuszx5's topic in Retired

   Hello focuszx5, Have you called the office of the Board of Nursing for the state of New York? The staff at that office should be able to advise you about how to pick back up in the process of being an R.N. from the UK who wants to obtain an R.N. license in the state of New York. I am sure you were a good nurse when you worked as an emergency nurse in the UK. Your experience working as an emergency room nurse probably means that you can keep a cool head when all heck breaks loose in a medical situation! Some medical facility or medical agency will probably be very glad to have you as a nursing employee after you have completed whatever the required steps are for you to obtain your New York R.N. license. Maybe you could work a non-nursing job while you are finishing any steps to obtain your R.N. license in the U.S.A.? Best wishes to you!
3. 

   Differences: Nursing then and now...

   neonatal3 replied to astig_matic's topic in Retired

   Hi again all, Enjoying all your comments about differences in nursing "back then" ! Canoehead, especially appreciated your comments about the big difference of rare use of gloves in care back then--so agree with your comment that back then the school of thought was "using gloves to clean a patient would be detrimental to the patient's body image"!--when read your accurate comment of back then " not using gloves was care planned for fresh colostomies...bleah",got memories of such messy colostomy care experiences(which always made me seriously nauseated) and got a big laugh at your "bleah"--yep!! Best wishes to all.
4. 

   Differences: Nursing then and now...

   neonatal3 replied to astig_matic's topic in Retired

   Hello all, I graduated nursing school in 1970. One difference back then was about writing doctor's orders. When I made rounds with a surgeon I was expected to listen to him and quickly write most of the new,long post-op orders for each patient--and doctors considered nurses less competent if they asked the doctor to repeat or clarify these verbal orders. Another difference back then was fewer guidelines to do some medical procedures. One registered nurse on my floor was placed on probation for about two weeks from work because the doctor was running late and she removed a few sutures from a patient's incision so that he could be discharged home. At that time, the hospital guidelines included that only doctors were allowed to remove sutures. One other example of differences back then was less availabiltiy of patient monitoring equipment. For example, there were no electric IV pumps on some of my first jobs. We were required to make IV rounds each hour to check the site, count the drip rate to make sure it matched the order, and mark how much IV fluid was remaining in the IV bag(and notice if difference in volume in bag from previous hour was consistent with rate ordered by doctor). The risks for IV problems were higher because the only "sensor" you had between IV rounds was the patient who might have been too sick to notice any change. Yes! Many things in nursing were very different "back then" !
5. 

   Re-entering nursing, ADHD

   neonatal3 replied to crazy horse's topic in Retired

   Hello To All, Crazy Horse, I can relate to part of your interest to "re-enter nursing after five years of absense" with age of 50's and a personal health concern. I am in my late 50's and have been out of nursing work for a few years due to some serious health changes. On your question of steps " to re-start nursing" here's what I have learned this month. First, start with a call to your state board of nursing to ask what are your state requirements to renew your nursing license. In my state, Tennessee, I have learned that if one has been out of nursing for less than 5 years, one can renew the professional nurse license by having application forms mailed from the state board of nursing to your home, fill out application, and send fee ($180 here) for renewal. (if the time period is greater than five years the requirement is that one takes a nursing refresher course.) Then, one can comply with Tennessee requirements for continuing education hours for "active" RN license by reading approved nursing articles/taking post-tests "on-line". Cool! Good luck to you! Your fellow retired RN, neonatal 3
6. 

   Patients who are too lazy to open their own splenda packets

   neonatal3 replied to FireStarterRN's topic in Nursing

   Yep, in these times many patients seem to talk to professional nurses as though we were maids or waitresses! I am a retired nurse, and I do not miss this apparently growing trend of lack of appreciation for professional nurses from patients and families! One of my worst experiences was when I was working in a neonatal intensive care unit and a visiting Dad wanted information about his baby and looked at me from across the unit where I was monitoring a couple of other unstable premies , raised his arm, and snapped his fingers as though I was a waitress and he wanted a coffee refill!!!!! I agree with your comments that one of the contributing factors to this current lack of respect for professional nurses from patients and families seems to be "...management backing them up...customer service expected of nurses these days..."! Bummer! As a senior cititizen retired nurse, I can tell you that when I was first drawn to the idea of being a nurse in the 60's patients and families seemed to truly respect nurses. At that time, nurses seemed to be viewed by the public as special altruistic people maybe similar to nuns or "angels". Best wishes to all of you still "in the trenches"!
7. 

   newbie with short term memory loss

   neonatal3 replied to sharona97's topic in Disabilities

   Hello all, I am a retired nurse who has had intermittent short-term memory loss for over five years. The development of memory loss and some associated mild cognitive impairment are the reasons why I was forced to retire a few years early. My goal is to use coping strategies and to be thankful for the many things I am still able to do. One of my coping strategies for memory loss is to always keep pen and paper handy and to write down key words as instant reference. For example, when first starting to use this all nurses internet site, I carefully wrote down key words listed in the intro section for the steps to use this site. Then, I refer to my notes each time I use this site. In addition, if I want to post a reply, first I write down key words in the posting of interest. Best wishes to you!
8. 

   How are you spending your retirement?

   neonatal3 replied to Grace Oz's topic in Retired

   Hello all, It is oh so helpful read that some of you have also experienced medical problems and have been forced to retire from nursing earlier than you had planned! Good deal that many of us are able to get past feelings of bitterness about forced retirement and are able to move on to focus on positive ways to spend our retirement time! I have been retired from nursing for five years.For now, I am semi-retired because I work two days per week as a child care provider in the nursery at a day care center. My favorite way of spending free time is to babysit my dear four grandchildren as needed! Attending informal community or church classes is another one of my favorite passtimes. For example,currently I am considering checking out the local toastmaster meetings. Recently my sister-like girl pal and I have started having weekly coffee chats and this is becoming a lively routine for us. My renewed goal for free time is to continue to learn, grow,and have a little fun. Best wishes to all of you.
9. 

   Is Retirement an Ending or New Beginning?

   neonatal3 replied to NRSKarenRN's topic in Retired

   Hello To All, I agree with the frustration of Princenina who wrote about the painful events of retirement at the ending of her nursing career involving "...workers' comp...departure crudely handled by state department of health...legal settlement...". Some of my retired nurse contacts and I have also all experienced less than respectful events of retirement at the close of our nurse work. There seems to be a growing trend by employers to "weed out" many older nurses who have earned a level of the highest pay in order to cut budget costs! I also agree with Princenina about the value of rising above a painful ending of nurse work by seeking a new beginning in other work.Due to health changes, the new beginning for me currently involves becoming a part-time, child care provider. After working as a nurse for decades in pediatrics and neonatal intensive care, I got a "light bulb idea" to try post retirement working in the nursery at a day care center. This year I attended my first workshops for employees of child care centers, and I am continuing to learn from my co-workers about my new job path beginning. Sometimes, briefly I still have blue moments when I miss the nursing field which I worked so very hard to prepare myself to do. As some people say, it seems wise in some situations to "let it go" and "press on".
10. 

    retirement

    neonatal3 replied to tiffdeandre's topic in Retired

    Hello to all ! Totally agree with siggie13 that it "....seems if one spent work life in medical service that there should be some sort of health insurance coverage provided (by the employer)..." ! One of the main reasons I selected my last nursing job was because at the time this hospital had plans for pension and continuation of coverage in group health insurance for retired nurses. Then,about five years before I was planning to retire, the hospital announced that, due to need for reduction of hospital costs, administration was dropping the post-retirement health insurance for retirees plan for any future retirees!! Shock!! Bummer!! Also I agree with siggie13 about the current unreasonably high cost of health insurance such as Cobra or private health insurance for retirees! In addition, many of us retired nurses have at least one pre-existing medical condition, and for this reason often the private health insurance companies decline our applications for individual coverage! Currently I do not have health insurance, and am looking forward to turning 65 when I will be eligible for Medicare. This whole health insurance situation for many retired nurses seems to be so disrespectful to us medical employees who have worked in the trenches for decades to help other people!!
11. 

    Disabled or Retired Nurses

    neonatal3 replied to mobilmedic's topic in Retired

    Glad to read that you are coping with the change of no longer able to work as a nurse by "finding (your) nich as volunteer in Hospice care". Five years ago I developed health changes and was no longer able to work as a nurse.Even though I had already worked as a registered nurse for 35 years, I was planning on working a few more years before I retired--huge blow! As you seem to have done, I worked my way through the blues of loss of nursing career by trying different kinds of other meaningful jobs. My adventures so far include working at a shelter for battered women, working as phone solicitor for blood donors at Red Cross, and currently working as child care provider in the nursery at a day care center. Best wishes to you!