lunglover

I've been in a similar position as you. I'm not close to my family at all, I've been single much of my adult life, and have spent most of the holidays in my twenties (all of them!) by myself. It can be lonely and depressing. Something that I found to be helpful was to tell myself that the holiday was just another day in the grand scheme of things. I would "skip" the holiday and just not celebrate it. After awhile it didn't bother me as much, and now that I"m in a relationship (with a guy who also spent a lot of time skipping holidays) we don't even really celebrate holidays so it worked out for me. This may or may not help you depending on your personality type...

Before you run off to this woman's superior, why don't you take a step back and try to give her the benefit of the doubt first instead of jumping to conclusions (and I don't care if someone else told you that she does this sort of thing "all the time" - people have their own definition of what that means). Have you tried talking with her about it face to face? Maybe she doesn't realize that she is offensive and acting unprofessionally. It's possible that she's just doing this to blow off steam and doesn't truly mean what she's saying. If no one has ever brought it to her attention that they find what she's saying wrong, then their collective silence has validated her words, and she might think that she's speaking for EVERYONE'S thoughts when she says mean things. I know that we all get stressed out, we all get impatient and frustrated. I'm quite sure that at some point in time, we ALL have thoughts along these same lines, maybe not towards an innocent child, but perhaps towards a combative drunk, a lazy coworker, or even just a plain old disgusting patient (you know the kind). The difference with the resident is that she is taking her thoughts one step further and saying them out loud. Maybe what she really means is that the treatments are f-ing stupid, the parents are frustrating, the diagnosis is heartbreaking, she is tired and hungry, she doesn't want to be saddled with this patient, she feels overwhelmed and stressed out. It could be anything, and it probably has nothing to do with the kid. Before you go starting a bunch of needless drama, act like a grownup and politely confront the resident yourself. Talk WITH her. Ask her why she says things so harshly. Let her know that you don't approve of it. You might be surprised by what you find out. If not, or if the situation doesn't improve, THEN you can think about going over her head. But first, give her a chance to correct her own mistakes without getting a million other people involved in something that could be nipped in the bud right away.

If anyone is interested in working out seriously, making a lifestyle change, look into P90x. I'm a graduate several times over, and this program is amazing. Beachbody.com has a lot of other DVD's as well. I've also heard good things about iwantsixpackabs.com - the routine consists of just using your own bodyweight, and the exercises are only about 20mins a day, which is great if you are pressed for time. The best part is that all the info is free - including the videos. I also second the Ripptoe book. Being physically fit does wonders for your life. Not only with the obvious things, like stamina and strength, but also with concentration, memory, and dealing with stress (which are all things you're going to need a boost on in the near future). Good luck to you!

I don't understand what your getting a divorce and failing to mention it has to do with your being fired. Unless your husband also works for the same company? Please explain.

I'm going to second SamRN2's idea of doing the white out thing. And secondly, I'm going to go out on a limb here and caution you about developing better time management skills. I understand that you have a lot on your plate, but there are ways to handle the stress and even (gasp!) manage to get "ahead" in your studies. I suggest that you really buckle down and work on your studying skills. I'm NOT trying to be mean, I am merely pointing out that perhaps you should start taking a little initiative in learning instead of waiting for your professor to stress you out about the practical. I highly doubt you have only known what was to be on the practical for just 3.5 days.... Good luck to you.

Don't healthcare workers expose patients to disease EVERY SINGLE day? Any doctor, nurse, etc. can be carrying around some bacteria or virus and infect anyone they come in contact with, before they even know they are sick. The last time I checked (please some correct me if I am wrong here, I don't work at the CDC) the H1N1 flu wasn't even that huge of a deal. I heard something like only 100 or so people in the entire state of New York were even confirmed with having had it. I think this H1N1 pandemonium is due to the stupid news media, just like SARS a few years ago. Until people start dropping like flies by the household, I'm not buying into this feeding frenzy. I think that hospitals should highly ENCOURAGE its workers to get the flu shots, maybe even offering some kind of special incentive, but I think it is wrong to make it mandatory, and to threaten peoples' jobs. I applaud those who take a stand against this.

I think you are letting your emotions get the best of you. It sounds like everything was fine with your sister wanting to go to nursing school UNTIL she insulted what you do for a living, and gave you the impression that she is above doing the dirty work. No one likes to be made to feel inferior, and if you throw in some healthy sibling rivalry and jealousy, you end up in a similar situation. I think you need to be a little more mature about this entire thing (and probably your sister, too). Just take a deep breath, encourage your sister to do well in nursing school if that is what she wants, and continue to do what you want to do with your life. I believe you are attempting to change your sister's perspective, which is not going to happen. By posting on this forum, you are looking for validation that you are in the right, and your sister is not - but in reality, this is not a right/wrong issue. It is a personal preferance, and each answer is right for every individual person. Your sister will eventually learn that being in the nursing profession means that sometimes you have to do the yucky jobs (if not always, haha), and hopefully you will come to see that this entire issue is just a drop in the bucket, and to not waste your energies worrying about it.

I'm glad to see that the baby is still hanging in there. He seems to have quite a healthy spirit and will to live. I wish your family all the best...

Does the community college offer any online courses? I'm taking a lot of online classes to be able to work full time, and I go to a community college. Parts of our nursing program are even offered online! But if this is not an option for you, I would suggest staying at your current job which you love and just taking classes here and there whenever you can. A job that you adore is absolutely priceless in my mind. And getting another job in today's economy is kind of taking a gamble, in my opinion. Good luck with whatever you choose!

I just wanted to throw my own 2 cents into the discussion. I was born at exactly 24 weeks, back in 1981. I had an identical twin sister that didn't survive, but I did. I had to have open heart surgery at 3 days old because of a mitral valve problem. I survived, and I am not developmentally slow, blind, or deaf. The doctors that cared for me told my parents that I had less than a 3% chance of survival, and I made it. At birth, I weighed 1lb 13oz. I have been in perfect health ever since (never even needed routine cardio care). I pray that your family has the same outcome.

I'm leaning towards not getting one at this point. If the DOH schedules a hearing, I will go, but there is a possibility that they will just make a ruling based on my written statement. I have been extremely depressed this week. My college classes start this Monday and I don't even have the drive to go anymore. I'm thinking about getting a shrink. Between this stress and the economy, I just feel really, really sad. Thanks to anyone who replies to this thread.

I initially posted this in the nursing massage therapist forum, but do not seem to be getting a lot of hits. I thought I would take a broader approach: I am currently a licensed massage therapist in the state of Florida. Recently, I was contacted about an ongoing investigation concerning the advertising of my business. It appears that I may have broken the law regarding some advertising issues (concerning a massage establishment license number), which is technically a felony. The investigator from the department of health told me that he truly believes I made an honest mistake and is not going to pursue criminal charges (thank god!!), but that I will have to deal with reprimand from the board of massage directors. This can range from a simple fine to revocation of my massage therapy license. And, it could take months to completely resolve this issue. This pertains to nursing because I am about to begin applying to nursing school. I am wondering if I should even bother now. I am wondering how this matter could potentially affect my future nursing application. I realize that every single situation is different and that no one on this board can give me a clear cut answer, but I am wanting advice nonetheless. Assuming I walk away with just a reprimand on my license and a few thousand dollars' worth of fines, should I still plan on attending nursing school? And what about if -god forbid- my massage therapy license is revoked? Would that make it impossible to be granted an RN license? This matter is causing me great stress - I have never even received a speeding ticket! I am generally the kind of person that pays bills before they're due, stops completely at stop signs...you get the idea. Any input anyone reading this can give me, or an idea of someone to talk to will be HUGELY appreciated!

This is where I attended school. You will get a very good basic education here. I had to finance my schooling with private loans - Sallie Mae, Suntrust Bank, etc. Also, I wanted to mention that the school should help you take care of your financial aid responsibilities. They held my hand and walked me right through everything. I didn't have to "search" for my own loan or anything. They did it all. Have you spoken with the financial aid office yet? Also, be prepared to possibly have to pay a monthly fee is you have bad credit and can't get a co-signer for any loans (like me). I ended up having to pay $500 a month towards my tuition and had to move back in with my parents. But it was worth it in the end.

Speaking only for myself, massage therapy has been very rough for me. As a massage therapist, I have worked for chiropractors, neurologists, Massage Envy, day spas at Disney, and countless other places. I have also worked for myself. I don't know if it's just the area that I live in or what, but I have constantly -I mean CONSTANTLY- had to deal with creeps and perverts. They didn't really go over any of this kind of stuff in massage school, so when I got my license and started working, this was all a complete shock to me. I've had people ask for happy endings (subtly and not so subtly) in every single place I have worked, even Walt Disney World. Working for myself has been the worst. Like I said, it might just be the area I'm in or the people I'm attracting or the economy - I don't know. I will say that I have found it extremely difficult to support myself on massaging alone. I'm always just barely breaking even with my bills. It has been very stressful, especially since the economy has soured. The calls have really dried up recently. Personally, as soon as I'm able, I'm out of the massage business. It's just not for me.

Just last week, I received a letter in the mail explaining to me that I was being investigated for working without a massage establishment license. This completely shocked me because I thought I was following the law and doing everything correct, but it turns out I'm not. To make a very complicated story very short, suffice it to say that in the state of FL, even if there are two seperate businesses being run out of the same space, each business has to have their own seperate establishment license. I know that I (unknowingly) messed up. I am prepared to take full responsibility for whatever my punishment will be - and it will be months before I find out what that is. In perusing the minutes from past board meetings, it seems that most people in a situation similar to mine are given a reprimand (does anyone know what this means?) and a hefty fine. Of course, there is ALWAYS the risk that the state board could revoke my license, but I don't see that happening for my situation. At least I pray to god not. My question is this: in a few months, I'll be applying to nursing school. I know that each state and each situation are different, but does anyone here see a reason that I would be denied a nursing license? I would hate to enter nursing school and spend thousands of dollars on a career that might never be. It breaks my heart that I am in this situation. I have never so much as gotten a speeding ticket! Any thoughts or opinions would be GREATLY appreciated. Should I plan on applying to nursing school and cross my fingers or is a nursing career lost to me forever?