Don Gloves

I have a BS in another subject, then earned an ADN (with honors) in 2007 while my children were young. The community college was much closer than the university that offered a second degree BSN. I check the box for a four-year degree- but alas, no BSN. Paying > $10,000 for an RN to BSN while saving for my kids' college didn't happen. Over the course of my career, I've worked with many a mediocre BSN nurse. IMHO, it's about the individual nurse, their experience and integrity, versus their credentials.

26 y/o female RN, BSN, CCRN. TX Christian University grad.

Several years ago, I visited a physician for additional tests and symptoms of low thyroid. This was one of the messages I received from the MA: ...The longer you are on the medication, it should improve. We will continue to monitor every 6 months, unless you begin to exeperience some symptoms of low thyroid, we can recheck sooner. I will make sure there is a full copy uploaded on the website. Please let me know if there is anyhthing else that I can help with :) 1. I wasn't on thyroid medication. 2. I was already experiencing ow thyroid symptoms. That was the reason for my visit. 3. Emoticons, such as the " :) " at the conclusion of the message are unprofessional on medical documentation. I forwarded this message to the physician, mentioning that I was NOT on thyroid meds. No reply. Needless to say, I never returned to that physician.

Two nurses pass meds to two shifts of 225 campers and counselors at breakfast, one lunch (not many meds passed at lunch) and dinner meds for 450+. (Not every camper gets meds.) One nurse does sick call at breakfast and dinner; the other stays behind at the infirmary with the "inpatients." Bedtime meds are given at infirmary by two nurses. Some of the campers rush to my cart requesting their meds NOW, when my med pass is organized by where the cabin sits in the dining hall. Lots of kiddos in the same cabins with the same first name, so it's a med error waiting to happen. The kids are in and out of their seats getting seconds and so forth; some leave or switch tables entirely...when they know darn well to be expecting their meds. My camp DOES NOT use Camp Meds. Instead, we have a team that bubbles meds in blister packs to be dosed at breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime. Liquid meds are dosed individually during each med pass, and are organized by cabin along with inhalers, patches, topical creams and eye/ear drops. We kindly request that parents bring the individual packets of Miralax to camp, but most do not, possibly because it's way cheaper to buy a big bottle of the generic stuff and let us deal with it. So, we have to measure every single Miralax dose into little pill baggies. According to the "rules," daily OTC meds must be accompanied by a physican's note. Parents know they won't be turned away, so they bring Flintstone vitamins, fiber gummies, energy bars and bottled milkshakes for picky eaters, along with supplements (which campers and parents refer to as "medicine") from those vitamin stores in the mall. Who knows WHAT'S in that stuff?!?! One parent brought several boxes of TWINKIES, requesting us to give her son two at bedtime, "because he needs to gain weight." We accept it all, because the camp philosophy is "make those parents happy." Whatcha think?

Within the last year or so, Dr. Oz hosted a show about the risk of stroke with antidepressants. The weird thing is, it was about MAO inhibitors. I've seen LOTS of charts and medical records, and have yet to discover a patient taking an MAOI for depression. This class of antidepressant preceded tricyclics such as Elavil...and that was a generation ago! Dr. Oz didn't mention anything about the newer classes of antidepressants. I'm not a psych nurse, but somewhere I heard that ECT would be ordered for severe depression before a trial on an MAOI because of the side effects, dietary restrictions, etc. Anyway, to demonstrate how an MAOI causes a stroke, Dr. Oz took a balloon-like tube and twisted it a couple of times, so the stressed area burst. What misinformation he disseminated to the public that day!

Try the ones recommended from the other posts, as it all depends what's comfortable for you. I have a somewhat flat foot and wear Danskos for the awesome arch support. Other than being exhausted, nothing hurts at end of shift--not my feet, back...nothing. Unlike tennis shoes and Crocs, Danskos are a sturdy, solid shoe that really protect your foot from accidental roll-overs, and make it easy manipulate a stubborn brake. Also, get some good socks (like running socks) or wear support knee highs. Yes, they can be $10 a pair, and the shoes are $100+, but when you're on you're feet all day, you need to make the investment in your comfort and well-being. Danksos are available in narrow widths if this is an issue for you. They have a patent leather animal print, and a ruby red patent that reminds me of Dorothy's magic shoes. I loved the Z-Coils but they weren't narrow enough for me. Be careful with Z-Coils if you are in the OR, or any area of the hospital where there may be lots electrical cords on the floor.

OR has 8-hour shifts. I've heard Psych does, too.

I've heard good things about Texas Tech's program in Lubbock, and mixed reviews for UTA. If you don't mind, please share the approximate cost of your program.

One thing you need to beware of is incorrect information. Ultimately, YOU need to understand the information, because YOU will take the test independently - without the study group. Learning the material independently will help you to reason out a question on your own...something you'll do in the real world.

Not sure what their goals were....quality improvement, I think. I was new to the hospital after they'd arrived. They also had a heavy hand in orientation. This is a pedi hospital, and from everything I gathered, they had not done their homework regarding the differences between an adult and pedi OR.

DJS consulted for about six months. They were not well-received by the OR nurses, especially the well-seasoned ones. Fiscal cutbacks were not implemented. I do not know what the hospital's motivating factor was to hire them - quality improvement, staff turnover reduction, etc. You are rightfully concerned about a Level 1 trauma OR functioning on a skeleton crew. Would you consider escalating above OR management? Hang in there!