NICUdude

This thread is like that game "telephone." By the end of the circle, appropriate attire has become text-speak for the abbreviation-challenged. (I'm not only the President of Folks Without iPhones, I'm also a member! LOL.) In my quest to get it right (it being everything I do) I just learned that I was spelling iPhone incorrectly. I had previously spelled it Iphone, but it did not look right, so I googled it and found my error. Makes sense, I guess, since once you own one, it is no longer about you (I) but rather about "the Phone." So much to know in this text-while-you-drink-Starbucks-doing-85 mph-behind-the-wheel-of-your-Hummer world we live in. "Original Poster" makes as much, if not more sense, than "original point." I stand corrected. I think. LOL.:dancgrp:

Dear Sparrowhawk, Just figured out how to quote, jeez pretty soon I will be collecting revenue from this site! LOL! I am the "chicken hawk" that pestered Foghorn Leghorn, in black and white, before Elmer Fudd became a GEICO spokes-stutterer, and all cavemen were indignant. Don't even get me started on that billionare lizard! I also just figured out that OP is the "original point." I thought it was another poster's screen name. Remind me to continue to ignore the "OP." As far as not looking old enough to be a nurse, all I can say is: "Hold on to that." Three grandbabies later, I still get carded, even though the age on my driver's license just says "OTD." (Older Than Dirt) Bless the Beasts and the Children. Great book, ok movie. Yes, you are correct, in my case, they are just being kind.:vlin:

Nope. Still no icon. Alas, I have failed again. Orville, I will get there eventually. Sincerely, Wilbur:hdvwl:

Hey, I was wrong, the emoticons ARE at my disposal. Not sure why the post icons will not load. They show up on the post preview, but not the finished post. Hmm. How many S&H green stamps does it take to earn an icon? What? Some of my favorite childhood glassware came from a gas station, where once upon a time, they checked your oil, washed your windows (with soap, water, squeegee, and a blue paper towel) and you could trade in stamps for prizes. You could buy enough gasoline to get somewhere with the change in you pocket. All soda came in bottles, and a "45" was a hit song (or two, if the flip-side caught on) instead of the age of many of the fearful student nurses who post on this site. Just goes to show, you are NEVER too old to take the tangent express, or to be anything you want to be. I think I figured the other out, too. I have to select the icon again, before I submit the finished farce. Old dogs, yadda.:dncgbby:

Said the fly: "Waiter, there is a person eating my soup!" It is all about perspective. People who have weighed in on this rolling snowball have likely not read all gazillion of the previous posts. If you happen to have, I am impressed, or frightened, not sure which. I look at the ones that get emailed to me, as punishment for my continual replies. Kinda like chocolate, I can, but often choose not to resist eating it. I am encouraged that so many diverse opinions have been expressed. No lemmings in our ranks. We all prefer to march proudly, at our own pace, over the cliff. Be bold, but grab your "swimmies" before the plunge. They come in all colors, and whimsical prints too!

OMG, I love where this has been, where it is, and where it may go. I just read the funniest statement of all the posts I have perused, and since I am not savvy to the proper way to quote y'all, I cut and paste, but anywho, (and I meant "who", not dyslexic, old English teacher's sense of humor peeking through) here it is: "I like the plain uniforms they wear in the E.R. They're tranquilizing." Is that a medical, if not advantageous use of scrubs? I actually "laughed out loud!" (Wow, I am exhausted after typing the entire words, LOL.) I also realized after my previous post, and after singing the praises of the emoticons, etc., that I am evidently not entitled to use them, so you will have to content yourself with my QWERTY power to make you all smile, and/or groan. Lo siento, por favor.

*****, If I actually had one! For the record, I have no butt, and an ACL reconstruction using a slice from the center of my patellar tendon has made me seek any knee-friendly footwear I can find. After seeing many nurses in my hospital wearing the MBT's, and after my preceptor explained that they were the only shoes that helped her knee problems, I decided to try them myself. As I have said in the past, I am an active sort, run, bike, swim, fish (stop sneering, the wrists really get a workout, LOL) etc. I like the shoes for their comfort. My feet feel good, my knees feel good, and I do not walk around for 12-15 hours at a stretch making a "fist" with my glutes. So there, and to quote my new friend, "Nanner, Nanners." I have looked in the mirror, and for the life of me, cannot find an orifice to speak of, but that was the case well before the shoes, so I can neither confirm, nor deny those claims. I have always found that the quickest way for ME to lose weight when I wanted to, was to run, run, run. Just because they call them "Shape-ups" does not mean that we all believe such nonsense. Believing that shoes will make one thinner or more fit is like believing in colon cleansers, acai berry beverages, and "Smiling Bob." There is a reason Bob wears a Santa hat in those commercials, but it is NOT because a pill will make you dream of sugar plums and then suddenly wake up and find something you did not have before waiting for you under a Xmas tree. Sorry boys and girls. And no Virginia, there really isn't a "Bob." (Stop sneering again, I did NOT buy the pills, or the cleansers! The beverage made my wife constipated, and two bottles were the price of four good bottles of red wine, WITHOUT the known health benefits, or the buzz.) PS: Nice to see that censorship is alive and well on this (adult?) site. This post started with a variation of "LOL" that includes several other letters regarding a particular anatomical landmark, but when I previewed the post before sending, it was replaced with comic strip asterisks. How quaint. My bad. (For those of you who do not speak "text" or conventional slang, that means "I am sorry." LOL.) If I do not mind my "p's and q's" they will be banning my smarty-pants posts altogether! I will say that the emoticons and icons are first rate! "Four legs good, two legs bad." And if you get that one, you are either well read, or dating yourself. LOL. As always, I digress.

Friends we are! The Skechers made me walk like I had a stick you know where at first, but after a full shift, I was fine. I fancy myself fit enough to have disregarded the recommended "no more than two hours at first," and did a whole 12 with no probs. I love them, and am looking toward my second pair, though these show almost no wear after most of a year, since I only wear them for work. Plus, they are less than half the price of the MBT's. I tried on a pair of those, and they felt different, not better or worse. They have a solid shank in the sole which I assume counts for the difference. I want a pair of those too, to switch up now and then, but cannot afford a second mortgage just yet. LOL. Which is also why I am the only nurse I know without an Iphone. Me, my laptop, and my progressive bifocals do just fine.

"OK I give up. You're right. I'm sure Florence will agree that you should be able to wear whatever you want to work, especially in NICU. If there's anyplace to make a stand for freedom of fashion expression, it's the NICU. The nurse wearing the 2-inch acrylics and strap sandals is "caring for", too. Because what you are wearing has nothing to do with how good a nurse you are." "Just when I thought I was out ... they pull me back in." Michael Corleone, The Godfather 2-inch acrylics and strap sandals would be a stretch, even in Bizarro Land. One of the last lectures we had in nursing school was about perceptions. It is a sad fact that our instructor needed to address the subject at all, but I suppose some needed to hear that "whale tails" and accentuated cleavage are inappropriate in a health care setting. Male nurses do not have a great variety of color or prints to choose from, so I guess the point is moot. Families have looked at me, in my plain, solid-colored scrubs, (the only style I own) and not looked beyond my gender when they assumed that I was an MD, regardless of the red card with white initials "RN" that dangled in full view beneath my badge. Of course appearance matters. That is why every student nurse has a uniform, and psych nurses wear business casual, and every other dress code in every other health care setting is established, if not strictly enforced. Two mornings ago, the young parents of one of "my babies" greeted me brightly as I was leaving after my night shift. They asked when I would be their nurse again. I explained that assignments were "luck of the draw," although we are assigned the same patients as much as possible for continuity of care. Then Mom asked about my shoes, as I wear Skecher Shape-ups. I told her I found them to be the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. She said, with a smile and a laugh, "Well they sure are ugly!" I replied "Yes, ma'am, they are "butt-ugly" but I can stand in them for twelve hours every night and never get sore feet." I guess my point is that opinions are often formed without basis, and once an explanation is offered, some narrow minds are widened. Regardless, I will forgo the strap sandals, and acrylics are right out! I am as fashionable as any other grandfather of three who works in a NICU. No fashion statements here. Why yes, nursing IS my third career. Had it been my first, I would have different initials, like MSN, or NNP after my name. But I digress. LOL.

Tweety tops, and Smiley ties, and snarky tangents, oh MY! Where will it end? No where, and never are the answers. Critical thinkers unite! I wonder if Florence ever envisioned such nonsense when she was realizing the things that have become the core of our career. More care for, and less care about, is the way I roll. When I check out, I hope they say that I was a good nurse. I will NOT be remembered for my scrubs. THE END! (Really, this time, no matter how many more newly-posted emails litter my box.)

Exactly how big a stick are we going to beat this with? The research is clear. The public is age oriented. Those who remember caps and skirts relate to formal attire. Gen X, or whichever letter we are on now, is OK with contempory garb. Pediatric nursing is a no-brainer. One size does not fit all, and RN's have never been "square pegs." Look the way YOU feel. Dress per code, as per. Judge not, lest you be found silly, stuffy, or one of the other seven dwarfs. The end. LOL.

Whether it is LouisVRN, or Louis Vuitton, we fellows learn to speak the language of all. People are people, and a smile, or a kindness translates in every tongue, and even to the "pre-lingual." A baby does not care why it cries, but I do, and a duck noise, or a lullaby is often all it takes for them to forget the reason for their tears. And a nodding smile, or an ear for a moment, may improve the lot of a nurse who is momentarily stressing because her (or his) baby will not stop protesting the IV that it needs, in order to get well. It is our job to make those moments better for all, if we are able, AND, to know when we cannot. Some things cannot be learned in books.

I had not heard or seen the term "Murse" before today. The humor is great. The real deal, as I see things, is that not many care. Granted, my patients care that I feed, burp, and change their diapers, or just give them my undivided attention until their HR comes out of the ozone, or their O2 sat comes back from the basement, but our unit works in concert for every patient and family in our care. I am almost through my first year as a nurse, and eager to help, whenever I can, or to accept help when I am too busy with one of my babies. No eating of young here, and no burn-out in sight. And yes, I love my job. When people ask me, the only thing I put in front of "nurse" is NICU, but that is just so they know how proud I am to be doing what I do. Blessings are for counting, and mine are counted in kilograms, centimeters, and kilo calories.

I am 48, with 3 grandchildren. I am starting my last semester in three weeks. I worked seven years on my prerequisites, one class a semester, while working full time until I could apply to my nursing program. If you want to be a nurse, become a nurse. Every one of us knows how hard it can be, and yet we continue. That is what this website is about. We can relate, and wish you success in your endeavors. Unless you are floating above a crowd of people who have gathered to remember you, it is not too late, and you are not too old.

A few years ago I needed a lung biopsy to confirm that I had (have) sarcoidosis. As they were wheeling me into the OR, I was fading fast from the sedation, but I noticed braille markings on the double-door frame. I asked what they were for. The person pushing me said "Oh, those are for our sight-challenged surgeons." We both laughed, then I was "out."

I have one semester left, with finals for this semester on Tuesday. I am NOT one of the highest averages, but hanging in there. I AM one of the "lovers" of nursing, and this will be my third and final career. The best instructors I have had to date are the ones who became instructors to change and/or make up for the bad experiences they had in Nursing school. I am inspired by them to do the same, if and when I ever tire of bedside, though I cannot imagine that day. You possess obvious talents, and my advice is to find the best place to use them. Nursing research is all about making the profession better by identifying ways to improve and advance the science of nursing. Be true to yourself and the answer will be as clear as a cloudless sky. We know you will make the right choice. Good luck.

You are not stupid, just stressed. I am a grandfather of three who worked seven years to complete pre-reqs before applying, and being accepted on the first try, to an associate program. I foolishly disregarded their warnings about working full-time, and failed the second semester by less than half of a point. Since being readmitted, my sainted wife worked two jobs so that I could quit work to finish school. When I am an RN, she will retire. The bottom line is this: Your fate is in your hands. Do what is necessary, and all of your dreams can come true. Sincerely, One semester left to go.