Kojak

Here's a list of Health Information Management/Nursing Informatics programs that would take him completely away from the bedside: http://www.himss.org/content/files/EducatorsSIGdirectory.pdf

Thank you for proving my point. Why do you feel it necessary to take a personal stab at someone simply because they feel differently than you about unions?

I sympathize with you. I've been at my workplace for over 20 years, and the answer I get from union proponents is, "If you don't like it go work somewhere else." This from a "nursing" union that has been in place for only a year. Many people complain about management, but what they don't realize is that the union is just more of the same. They don't care about individual nurses. They take away the choice of the individual nurse. They have their own agenda. And it's either their way or the highway.

Never mind. . .

Just be careful. I took the RN Coder course 4 years ago. During the course, there was much hype about online coding jobs for RN's, so I went on to get my certification through AACCA. I spent a lot of time and money on it only to find out the instructor/owner was still trying to get her online coding business going. No coding job for me. If you check out the certification site, AACCA.net, you'll see that much of it is outdated. Very disappointing.

I don't know what NPR stands for but PALS is Pediatric Advanced Life Support. You can most likely find courses through americanheart.org.

Of course the time is the issue. I'm not saying I agree with the practice, but if the norm is that some nurses just leave a taped report when they get off at 11:00PM, it would behoove the nurse that is staying to check her assignment. Again, I am saying I don't agree with this practice. But the O.P.'s choices are to try to change the practice (which I would strongly suggest) or cover her XXX (not to mention the patient's) and check her assignment again at 11:00PM. Once again, I don't agree with the current practice at her facility. Someone leaving sick or for an emergency at any other time is not the norm and doesn't apply to what I wrote about the situation. BTW, did I mention that I don't at all agree with the practice at that facility?

You had a patient for 2 1/2 hours that you didn't know about? You've just described one of my recurring nightmares! You have every right to be angry. However wrong the practice, it sounds like this is the norm for your place of work. You can either try to change how things are done or change the way you do things and just make it a point to recheck your assignment at 11PM.

Hi Wheaties, I don't have a lot of advice--just a few questions... Your facility sounds like a great place. A hospital with supportive management is hard to find. Are you sure you want to leave? Would you consider asking for a leave of absence? How far away do you want/need to get from your parents? Would moving out but staying fairly close to work be acceptable? For some people, smaller steps are easier to take. But if you have the means and are looking for a major change, then go for it. You certainly have plenty of time to do some planning if this isn't happening until the end of next year. Good luck!

That and the fact that ours is a closed shop. RN's have NO CHOICE at our hospital but to be represented by the union and pay its dues. I can't tell you how steamed I was to see part of my hard earned money go to support the #$%#@ Michael Moore produced.

I currently work in a unionized facility and I FULLY understand the significance of the union in my workplace. I could write a book about "my" union, but I'll just make two points. One - I did not join a union. "My" union did not give me a choice in the matter. Two - The political agenda of "my" union is very much opposite of my own political views. I don't ever remember a questionnaire being sent to members asking their views on the issues. Why not? Because the agenda is pretty much set in stone; it's not going to change. "YOU are the union" is not the reality for a lot of people. If you don't see that, perhaps you don't understand what unions are all about.

I pay $44 per paycheck/$1144 per year for CNA "representation". With approx. 700 nurses at our hospital, CNA is raking in around $700,000 per year. Ain't no way they're spending that much money on lil ol' us.

Well said! I have been a nurse for over 20 years and have been a "squeaky wheel" for much of that time. I belong to a professional organization for my specialty and have used the strength of that organization to effect positive change for the nurses in my department and the patients we care for. All nurses in my department. . . Whether or not they belong to my specialty organization. . . If it benefits patients and nurses, why would I not want it for everyone?

If you are living in a right to work state it should be as easy as writing a letter. You can find out about specific laws in your state here: http://www.nrtw.org/rtws.htm Info on resigning from union membership: http://www.nrtw.org/a/a_3_p.htm (Disclaimer: The nrtw.org is obviously biased against unions, however the articles I linked give pretty much straight-forward, objective information.)

It's a tough situation that you are in especially with jobs so hard to find. Unfortunately you are already in it neck deep and it's not going to go away no matter how much you try to ignore it. This CNA has no qualms about approaching you for drugs even after you have refused to provide them. She has no qualms about threatening you. How far will she go to get what she wants? Will she intentionally jeopardize your job if she doesn't get what she wants from you? Will she steal from patients or do harm to them? You've already sacrificed your peace of mind. How much more are you willing to sacrifice? Your patients' safety? Your license? I would suggest you document in detail every instance she came to you and give this documentation to your supervisor. You never know, someone else may have tried reporting her in the past. If management takes the CNA's side, send a copy of the documentation along with management's response to the Department of Health Services (or whatever your equivalent is). I feel for you because you are in such a difficult position. . . Let us know what happens.

once i removed the restraints, i would have either stayed with the patient until he was in bed or given the tech instructions to wait until i got back to help move the patient. of course it's always easier to be an armchair quarterback. the reality of nursing is that you are frequently going to feel pulled in many different directions at once. it won't be easy, because sometimes everything seems urgent, but you will learn to prioritize and delegate as you gain experience. if you are a conscientious nurse, and it sounds like you are, your coworkers will recognize that. so just do the best you can, help others when you can, don't worry too much about what your coworkers will think, and you'll do fine.

I always use a 20 or 22 gauge catheter for infusions and transfusions. A smaller catheter will cause less damage to the vein wall and will also allow more blood to flow around the catheter. It will decrease the risk of phlebitis and increase the "life" of the IV. If you are concerned about delivering high flow rates, the newer catheters have thinner walls which will accomodate higher rates. Here are three sources to use to get a definitive answer: 1. Your facility's standard procedure manual. 2. Infusion Nurse Society guidelines (already mentioned above). 3. Technical Manual from the American Association of Blood Banks. (Your blood bank should have the latest version.)

I think your comment speaks to both ANA and CNA. At one time or another in my career I have been a member of all three different organizations-ANA, CNA and a specialty organization. I found the only one that truly supports my education and growth as a professional is my speciality organization. (And I get this for $90 per year, as opposed to $1000+ for CNA and $250 for ANA.)

Someone needs to have a "chat" with the chaplain. He doesn't do the patient any good by validating unrealistic expectations and is also putting himself in an adversarial role with the nurses. That does no one any good! We have excellent customer service personnel at our hospital. They work closely with the nurses and understand our workload. They are also excellent with the patients and family and can sympathetically smooth over any minor issues. We couldn't get along without them!

I am very sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, in this profession, there will be many people, at all levels, who will try to control you through intimidation. As a new nurse, you have a long career ahead of you. It will be a very tough and unsatisfying road for you if you allow others to mistreat you, and this very unprofessional physician has made it necessary for you to make a decision now. Do you want to spend your career being in doubt, feeling nervous, dreading going into work, worrying what others will think about you? How will you be an effective advocate for your patients if you are afraid to call a doctor for a very valid reason? It's sometimes difficult to take a stand and say, "This kind of behavior will not be tolerated"; but it's necessary and will get easier as you gain more experience. And it's vitally important to start today. Others have already given you some very good advice on how to proceed: 1. Document thoroughly and objectively what happened. 2. Ask the co-worker who witnessed the event to write a statement ASAP. 3. Write up an incident report or quality review report. 4. Give copies of all documents to your manager, human resources and keep copies for yourself. You should also let them know that you would like a written response to your complaint within a reasonable period of time. 5. File a report against the physician at the police station. Good luck to you. And please let us know what happens.

the afl-cio cites research (done by a firm, btw, which lists the afl-cio as one of their clients) claiming 60,000,000 workers state they would join a union if they could, then seems to blame employer coercion for keeping these workers from joining unions. let's look at the issue a little differently. a 2005 study by zogby states, "with union memberships in decline nationally, our poll shows that just one-in-three (35%) non-union workers would consider voting to unionize their workplace, while a 56% majority would not." my understanding is that it takes a majority vote of employees in a workplace to allow a union to represent them. in view of zogby's study, it seems to me that the main reason more workers don't belong to a union is due the fact that the majority of workers don't want to unionize and not because they are being coerced by employers. i also feel strongly about employees having the freedom of choice about whether or not to have a union represent them. again from zogby, "one of the more interesting findings is support for 'right-to-work' rules among all categories of worker--both unionized and non-unionized. workers in virtually all circumstances favor the freedom to join or not join a union--the position that 'right to work' laws enforce." here's a link to zogby's entire study: http://www.psrf.org/info/nationwide_attitudes_toward_unions_2005.pdf

. . . but merely assuming something is bad because an organization you dislike supports it is stupid. endorsement from an organization i dislike may not cause me to automatically think it's bad, however it may cause me to research further regarding the issue in question. and that is exactly what has happened as a result of reading this thread. i'm definitely going to look more into both sides of the issue of employee free choice act vs. secret ballot protection act. educating oneself to clarify one's position is not such a bad thing in my opinion.

whether or not these acts are good for the the american people and nurses in specific has nothing to do with who does and does not support it. ideally, every voter would have sufficient knowledge about every item on the ballot in order to make an informed decision. however you and i both know that's not the reality. endorsements are an important part of the system because most people don't have the time and/or knowledge base to research the specifics of every single item on the ballot. just check out your mailbox at election time to see how much importance is given to endorsements. the afl-cio obviously also thinks endorsements are important. they have links to who supports and who opposes the employee free choice act. (although find it humorous that they don't list cpusa as one of the organizations supporting the act.) for example, this is like arguing pants are bad as hitler wore pants. no, it would be more like arguing to vote for an item because hitler says it will ensure all people are treated as equals. quite frankly, i would like to see who is opposed to the secret ballot protection act. i'd like to know who doesn't think i should have the right, as an employee, to vote in a secret ballot election regarding unionization at my place of work.

I, for one, have enjoyed reading his posts in this thread. He very clearly makes his points without resorting to incivility. I think that's one of the reasons this thread has not deteriorated in the way some political threads do. To be fair to him, I also don't think it's really necessary for him to present both sides of the argument since there are already plenty of posters doing a great job arguing the other side. That's the beauty of discussion boards. Everyone is free to present their own point of view. :)

I see two issues here. The first is the verbal abuse and threats from the family. This should never be tolerated! Security should be called to escort the offending visitors out as soon as something like that happens. The second issue is not so clear cut. It's never a good situation when a nurse gets in a power struggle with patient and/or family. It's compounded when a supervisor does not support the staff. I agree with others that suggest discussing the situation with your supervisor because it is bound to come up again. If she is not going to support your decision to uphold hospital policy, I would not waste any time trying to reason with unreasonable visitors. I would simply tell them, "I'm sorry, I don't have the authority to bypass policy. Let me call my supervisor." And call her EVERY time. Just wash your hands of the situation and let her handle it. Your time is better spent caring for other patients. It will also save you from a lot of unnecessary frustration because, as you said, the customer is always right.