helpnhands

I worked at a hospital that might call you off, but you had to hang around the phone for a couple of hours (never stated how many) just in case they needed you to come in after all. Sometimes I did get called back in. But if your hospital didn't tell you about a policy like that, then you should not have to be held responsible for believing them when they called you off.

In med-surg around here, it's common to have 7 patients on day shift with a tech, and 8 on evenings, and up to 10 on nights. You might have a tech for some or all, you might not. Changing jobs won't help because all the hospitals are the same. You do what you can, hope it's adequate, and carry malpractice insurance. Or you go to ICU, home health, or private duty. As for the ER nurse who is basically calling you a wuss because you want to give the care you were trained to give, don't listen to him. Hospitals have been staffing this way for years, and just because they do it, and we are forced to put up with it, doesn't make it right. He's working in an understaffed area and so are you. Right now the only difference between the two of you is that he thinks he can handle it and you realize that you cannot. Which is the answer to the wrong question. The right question is, is this staffing grid helping patients get good, effective, timely care or hindering it?

Only time I recall having that problem was when the pulse was so weak that the pressure of holding the Doppler actually occluded it. Try a loud setting and a really light touch.

with all due respect, jo, i have to wonder who's really "all about appearances" here. i mean, either you care what they think or you don't, kwim? and if you don't really care what they think, why would you even wonder if they knew (or cared) what religion you were. if practicing atheism is such a huge part of your life that it interferes with your ability to do your job in that town, you might move. many of us moved to the us due to religious conviction, after all.

Speaking of work, it's Press-Ganey. Not Press-Gainey. And HIPAA , not HIPPA. Thank goodness JCAHO changed to TJC.

No real nurse would do that. (No kidding!)

My pick would be Dunedin, Florida. It's a nice little town. You're within 20 minutes of 4 community hospitals, and within 30 minutes of Tampa General and Bayfront hospitals. You're within 10 minutes of the beach. The Pinellas Trail runs through it, if you like to bike or roller blade. Housing prices are down so you can get deals. As far as working goes, I really think nursing staff ratios and pay is about the same or better, all things considered. http://www.delightfuldunedin.com/ http://florida.hometownlocator.com/features/cultural,class,hospital,scfips,12103.cfm http://www.pinellascounty.org/trailgd/default.htm

Situations like these are exactly why I carry malpractice insurance. I don't think you did anything wrong, but there's no way I'm going to court alone, if it should come to that!

Psssst.....It's Press Ganey. http://www.pressganey.com/

In our hospital, remote tele means that the monitors are on one floor and the patients are on another. It is only used for patients who do not have a primary cardiac diagnosis, but who have a cardiac history.

The real lesson here is don't work when you're tired.

Could someone please tell me what this job entails in plain English please? What kind of skills are good for this job? Someone told me I'd be good at this because I'm pretty good with computer skills and figuring out things from the patient charts. Is that true? What is Interqual? Do I need it? How do I learn that?

Our hospital is always hiring CNA's because they are always moving on to nursing. You have to be persistent. Some folks have told me that it takes a few weeks to get in to Morton Plant or Helen Ellis. One unit I worked on was crying for a secretary, and the entire hiring process took over 6 weeks. I don't know why it takes so long, because there's always a desperate need for good CNA's on every unit I've ever worked on. It's vital to get your foot in the door. My advice: Apply for everything -- housekeeper, transporter, unit secretary, even food service worker. Don't worry, they'll train you. Plus, the hospitals love multitalented workers who can do more than one job. Another way to get your foot in the door is to become a volunteer for a few hours a month. It's much easier to work your way up from the inside, plus in some of these jobs you'll get the best idea of which unit is the nicest to work on. And don't forget to mention that you applied for a CNA job originally. Apply online and also keep an eye on the Sunday paper because that's where the Open House hiring is advertised. Dress in your best and bring your resume, as I've heard of a few people who were hired on the spot.

As far as I know, Morton Plant ICU usually has 2 patients to one nurse. Pay scale depends on your experience. Salary's around $24/hr. and ICU folks usually work 12 hour shifts. Since you're also interested in the TGH area, you also might want to consider St. Joseph's or St. Anthony's. All are part of the Baycare Health System. I don't believe any of these hospitals are Level One Trauma Centers as TGH is, however. You can find out more by contacting Baycare's HR department. http://www.baycare.org/body.cfm?id=588

did you try ptech? they're having a job fair next month. good, inexpensive lpn program. as far as an online bridge program, you might want to get your lpn before deciding, because in a year or two there might be more options for online studies. http://www.myptec.org/?page=pninfo