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If you decide to make a copy-do not tell anyone-copying an official incident report is against the rules! in most institutions-it is subpoenable by law

It is wonderful you can and want to saty at home-I did it. However, beware of what happens to your knowledge and skills after not using them for even a short period of time. I spent 6 years at home after graduating and becoming an RN. When I went to get a job, I felt nervous. I didn't think I could adequately take care of patients. I had forgotten a lot! I placed myself in an area where I felt the most comfortable and tried to refresh myself!! Many states now have laws in place that address nurses who do not have so many hours of work per year or per # years. Be sure you check into all that-before making any long-term decisions. You may find yourself in a refresher course-not necessarily a bad thing-but time consuming and more money and sometimes a time committment to a certain place afterwards. It might be a good idea to work per diem or part-time to keep skills up to date. Think of all options before just letting go of the time and money you have invested! Good luck-and hug those kids!!

Replies to this intrigue me. It seems so many start out strong, but when it gets right down to it--what are you doing about it? What actions can one take to help all nurses in this regard? What guarantees do you or anyone have over this? This is exactly why I think nurses are a bunch of pansies. Quit turning your cheek-time and time again! Stand up for our rights and privileges for our hard work, long hours, and never-ending "caring." We have cared for others for so long-we've forgotten about ourselves. We deserve better wages, better hours, better education, better benefits, and most certainly better respect from everyone!!!!!!!!!!!! Too frequently I have heard "Oh, I can't afford to lose my job." Or this one, "It just comes with the territory." Get with it NURSES!! The majority of our problems are our own "undoing." You must speak up and the time is now!! This forum is an absolute Godsend for sharing ideas and venting-utilize your resources and get involved. You deserve it-and your fellow nurses deserve your support. Enough said.

It is illegal for anyone to refer to themselves as a nurse without the proper credentials. It constitutes fraud. Now whether or not any actual harm results from it is another matter. However, you as a patient have every right to know what skill level is attending to your needs. Also, as a Registered Nurse, I think it would be quite appropriate to correct persons who are incorrectly presenting themselves as members of my LICENSED profession. Doctors may find it easier to refer to "all" of their medical personnel as nurses, but I think it sure sets them up liability wise-a lawsuit waiting to happen! Just because "everybody does it"-doesn't make it right!

Currently taking elective course about Workplace Violence. I encourage all to very careful as to what you say and do these days. There are many things that can be interpreted as WPV, legally. If your workplace has a policy/procedure in effect that states they have a zero-tolerance-you can expect to receive some sort of discipline for violating that policy. I am not saying it is right-just that is how it is. Check your state laws and check your employee handbook, if you have one, and they are supposed to have one! This is an issue that nurses need to take a stand on. They have willingly stood by and taken abuse for as long as I have been a nurse--don't ask! Nurses have typically taken care of everyone else and not themselves. Very sad situation and i do not think it will change until nurses stand up for themselves against such treatment.

30 years in nursing-27 in OR-always have had call and always had to be within 30 minutes of hospital. Dependant upon type of call (trauma and open heart may want faster response time)-size of hospital (larger hospitals tend to have at least 2 shifts, sometimes 3) also on the number of personnel taking call-obviously the less number of people, the more call YOU will need to cover. Also have always had the option of asking for additional call-in personel, if needed; this is especially helpful in Triple A's.

30 years in nursing-27 in OR-always have had call and always had to be within 30 minutes of hospital. Dependant upon type of call (trauma and open heart may want faster response time)-size of hospital (larger hospitals tend to have at least 2 shifts, sometimes 3) also on the number of personnel taking call-obviously the less number of people, the more call YOU will need to cover. Also have always had the option of asking for additional call-in personel, if needed; this is especially helpful in Triple A's.

policy and procedure and of course AORN guidelines should prevail over a physician-I would get your manager, director and patient care committee involved. This could quite possibly account for arm numbness and tingling that many heart patients experience--including my husband. I work in surgery btw.

I think everyone should have the chance to observe a different unit of care in their hospital-then you would understand what the "other" nurses do! I work in surgery, but have worked on the floor also. The first thing floor nurses need to realize is that patients are charged for time in the operating room and PACU on a 15 or 30 minute increment Most patients are kept in the PACU for an hour- that has changed relatively little since I started nursing! Nurses in PACU work the same hours, if not longer than floor nurses. They also cover call on a regular basis. I don't think any of them try to push their patients through to get home early.Patient in times and out times are logged daily and checked daily by management. Patients must also meet certain criteria to be discharged from PACU. Any discrepancies must be accounted for to management. This is much the same as when floor nurses run overtime because they are not done with their charting. Also remember, suurgeons often dictate what cases and how many cases are scheduled at what time. Nurses have no control over length of actual surgery time-and often we do not know a patient is going to be admitted until we see how the surgery progresses, what we find, what has to be done, and how that patient responds to anesthesia and surgery itself. It really is about the patient and what is best for them--not the nurse-in PACU or on the floor. Does that help??

IT'S BEEN AWHILE SINCE I WORKED THE FLOOR, BUT WE HAD RULES ABOUT PATIENTS WITH HOURLY VITAL SIGNS. Hourly anything actually--they were to be on the care unit with one on one care-ie.-ICU or tele. Did those rules change? Variance reports, incident reports, unusual occurence reports, whatever your hospital uses, should certainly utilized in this case!! That's unsafe practice and you are placing your license on the line!!