CNA_MISSY

FIRST, thank you for all of the support I got during this stressful time. I am glad I found this website. It has been great to come here to post and get different opinions and thoughts. SECOND, I got cleared by employee health and I start on the 28th. Hallelujah, thank you LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!! What seemed so important yesterday did not matter today....Yes!!!!!!

I think Jennifer may not have articulated well what she was trying to express. She has not begun nursing school yet and is probably not be aware of all of the certifications that are available to nurses. In her inexperienced nursing mind, she was just thinking "all the way" meant medical school. I don't think she meant to offend anyone, especially nurses and I hope that others will take this into consideration and be kind to her. In fact, I think what she said (which may have been totally missed) is that if all nurses (who she complimented) became doctors, there would be happier hospitals (obviously meaning that nurses know how to run things correctly and create happier environments, i.e. hospitals). At least, that is what I got out of it. Jennifer, you can do whatever you want to do and best wishes to you whether you go to nursing school or medical school. The field can use you! I wish I had returned to school at the age of 30. I am 45 and just returning. I say go as far as YOU want to go!!!

I think the poster may not have articulated what she was trying to express. She has not begun nursing school yet and is probably not be aware of all of the certifications that are available to nurses. In her young nursing mind, she was just thinking "all the way" meant medical school. I don't think she meant to offend anyone and I hope that others will take this into consideration and be kind to her. Poster, you are very young and can do whatever you want to do. I wish I had returned to school at the age of 30. I am 45 and just returning. I say go for it and best wishes!!

Congratulation on your change. You sound excited and I wish the best for you. Your post made me warm and tingly and I can feel your excitement over the computer lines. I can see that you have a valid point. Just goes to show that the "nursing shortage" is VERY real, huh!! Congrats again!!

Hello, Congrats on your decision to change fields. I have been a paralegal for 20 years and I am doing the exact opposite of what you are doing. I have returned to school to get my nursing degree. The first thing you want to think about is if the school is ABA approved. That means approved by the American Bar Association. While that is not necessary, it is more credible and will look awesome on your resume. I know someone who took the Vickie Milazzo (sp?) Legal Nurse Consultant program and she said it was very expensive. She was not impressed with it and said it did not make a huge difference in her career. However, on the other hands, some nurses say it is great. So, it is a personal decision. I am from the midwest and one of the best paralegal schools in the country is Roosevelt University in Chicago. They may have an online program. Though I am not sure. If they do, I would check it out as their program is excellent. Caution: They may want to charge out of state tuition fees and that may end up being too pricey! Second, I would compare the program for a Paralegal Certificate with the program for an Associates Degree. More than likely, I would choose the Associates because it is more education and more education is generally always more valuable. I would NOT get a 4 year degree in paralegal studies if you already have a 4 year degree in nursing. In all honesty, the paralegal studies are for yourself, not the employer. You can secure a paralegal job without returning to school if you have a good nursing background. Best of wishes to you in your choice .... please feel free to ask more questions if you have them.

I know right. Like there is no such thing as universal precautions. Wish somebody would tell this emp health dept that. Anywho, I tested positive for the HCV antibody and confirmatory RIBA. I'm not a quitter and while I may vent, I will hang on long as I can. I want to do ER tech and eventually ER nursing when I get done with school in late 2010 but I need to have a job. That med/surg job I got offered at another facility is looking pretty tempting. Thanks.

Yes, I did authorize the testing for Hep A, B, C, and two others that escape me now. I did not have anything to hide so it was no big deal. It was not like I had a choice or anything as it was a requirement for the pre-employment physical. No testing was done for HIV which surprised me...as it is just as easily transmittable, if not easier, than HCV. Upon being notified there was a problem, I have NEVER felt that the additional testing was being done to protect my best interests. While, I was confident the employer would keep me apprised of the end result, I felt they were cagey with the information being disclosed to me, and have pushed the issue forward to my PCP. If this was done because they did not know the answers to my questions or they simply did not want to be accused of being misquoted later, I do not know. At any rate, I previously stated, I have grown weary of this process and while I want to tell them to shove off, I am in too deep to the process and plus, I want the job. I understand they need to protect themselves and I respect that, but it just seems that it is taking so long to finish the process. On a separate note, I agree that the ANP did not seem to be all that informative about the test results and continuously referred me to the flow sheet she provided pulled from the CDC website. She did say it was probable that I may have cleared the virus from my body based on my medical history, but she wanted me to see my PCP to get information regarding f/u testing and treatment, if necessary. We are now waiting on HR to advise Emp Health on my job responsibilities. They are trying to determine if I have EPIP limitations. Thus, I have to consult with my PCP to see if there are limitations in relation to EPIP. Anyone familiar with that. If there are issues there, they say I have to go to board committee approval which is where I will seriously consider dropping out of this process and starting at another facility that made me an offer...they did not do testing....so they were not concerned above and beyond universal precautions. Therefore, why should I disclose it...if they wanted to know definitively, they would have tested. Last, I do appreciate all of the information provided on this site. It has been very comforting knowing that I can get direct and unbiased information from outstanding health care workers who have no vested interest in this matter and will tell it like it is!! (((Thanks)))

coreO, Thank you so much, your posts are so informative. I have the results here at home and I went back and reviewed them after reading your post response. anti-HCV=reactive HCV ab Riva was positive Hep C Riba Band Pattern was reference range=netative, reactive C33c reference range=nonreactive, reactive Hep C Antibody was reactive Hep C Riba C22P was reference range=nonreactive, reactive HCV PCR Qualitative=not detected (test performed using the COBAS AMPLICOR, version 2.0). All other results were normal, nonreactive, or within normal range. What is your take on these results, opinion not diagnosis of course!

I am not a nurse (YET) but it just seems common sense that the nurse should be allowed back into practice provided he/she is closely monitored and not able to easily gain access to drugs. The nurse should also be required to actively participate in a treatment or recovery program to ensure that relapse is at a minimum. Hope this makes sense.

((((all The Good Luck, Prayers, And Best Wishes!!!!!!))))

UPDATE: I went to Employee Health and they gave me a paper to take to my PCP which has to be signed off on. The form says: "Employee has applied for a CNA position in the ER. On pre-placement exam, labs for Hep C antibody and RIBA were positive. The HCV PCR Qualitative was negative and not detected. Please do any follow up evaluation as necessary for Hep C. Also, comment on restrictions of no exposure prone invasive procedures (EPIP). This will facilitate placement. I have to see my doctor on 7-21 so I only have one more week to worry myself sick over this and I am ready to tell them to keep the *******' job!! (((Thanks))))

One more question, if this is an "old disease that cleared itself from my body", how can I be positive???? Thanks.

Good morning. Very weary today. I received a call from Employee Health and was advised that that two confirmatory tests were done. The first was a RIBA which confirmed that the first test done was correct. It was positive! The second test done was a PCR to test if the virus was active. The ANP in Employee Health said that the results determined the virus was "not detected". She acted like she did not know what that meant. These people are so cagey and it is very frustrating to me. Can someone please tell me WTH does "not detected" mean? Confused, confused, confused.:bugeyes: I have to go in this PM to get some papers to take to my doctor so that the doctor can "conduct some preliminary test results to check my liver function". The ANP says the PCR will need to be retested on a follow up test with my PCP. At this point, my PCP needs to determine if "this is an old diseases that cleared itself from my body". At this point, Employee Health is waiting for another "piece of information to clear me to start work in the ER". That information is general information regarding the job I will be doing. I was supposed to start today so IF I am cleared, the earliest I can start is sometime in September. Ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!! THe ANP said my health information is not shared with HR or my manager but it seems to me that once this is done and over, everyone in ER will be looking at me like I have a third eyeball and I am not even sure that I want to even work there. I am, however, grateful for the test results so that I can follow up on my health. ((((Thanks)))))

My husband is in the military and his job requires a yearly physical inc Hep tests. He checked the results from his last physical in May of 2008 and it is negative. It is VERY unlikely I got it from sex. I have never stuck myself in any of my former CNA positions so the only exposure I can think of is the blood transfusion (provided this is not a false positive). I will definitely keep you all posted..it's gonna be a long weekend. Right now, I am on the deck, grilling me a steak and drinking a beer. If the stress kills me before the confirmatory results come back, just know I went happy:). (((Thanks)))

DLTRAHAN26 ---- Thanks, but I don't think I will be fighting them to get it in...that would be career suicide. If I fight to get in, I would probably have to fight to stay in and I don't want that. What do you mean when you say "do you have active hep c that will require interferon and all kinds of exhaustin drugs. or are you just making antibodies without active symptoms". I am not sure what that means. Can you give me more details. Thanks.