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Thanks for the reply. That's odd that you haven't set off any metal detectors but the few experiences I've had they went off despite my removal of all metal items. I then have the assume the position so they can wave the little wand over me. I just tell them that I have a metal plate in my neck but sometimes they just give me that "sure lady, whatever" look. Doh! Just noticed I put C-6, C-7 level when it was actually C-5, C-6. Oh well, my finger didn't want to type this morning. :chuckle

Last January I had an ACDF done at the C-6, C-7 level. I also had a titanium plate and screws attached to said vertebrae. I asked if I would receive a card stating that I have metal hardware to use at security checkpoints where metal detectors are used. My surgeon said one was not needed because the metal used was titanium and therefore should not set off any metal detectors. However, according to a friend of mine in the millitary, titanium is a metal and will set off a metal detector. Although I don't ususally go through security checkpoints on a regular basis, I have had to go through a couple since my surgery and have found it to be a major pain. My question for the OR nurses is, is it common practice to issue some kind of a card for patients who receive metal hardware implants or is it just not done? Thanks

Back when I was in school we were taught the five basic rights, which everyone has posted already, but were also taught five additional rights. These being: 1. Right assessment 2. Right education 3. Right to refuse 4. Right evaluation of how the med effects the pt 5. Right documentation which includes date and time, name of the drug given, the dosage given, the route administered, the site (for injections), the effects of the medication (i.e. ativan - pt calmer with decreased agitation), any education provided, and if the medication wasn't given why

First of all I would like to thank everyone for their feedback and support. It is comforting to know that I am not the only one to have ever experienced this. I just wanted to update you all on the fact that this past Monday I put in an application with a local nursing home and today they called me and offered me the job!!! WOOHOO!! I start this coming Monday. Plus, I get a $1000 sign on bonus! :balloons: I feel so much better now and at least I know that this will get my foot in the door and may open up other oppurtunities for me in the future. Thanks again everyone.

I am so fed up with small town politics right now, I'm ready to scream. Several years ago, my family and I moved to a small community (population is apprx. 50,000). Unfortunately, the majority of the people in this community where either born here, or have lived here long enough to be a part of it all. I just recently graduated from our local college's nursing program and am now trying to get a job. So far, I've applied at the hospital and the local medical center and have been turned down by both (they claim it's a lack of experience, but several of my classmates have gotten positions there with no experience either). From what I've seen and been told, it's more a matter of WHO you know rather than WHAT you know. For example, at the medical center I recently applied at, the human resource director asked me during my interview who I knew that worked there. Well, I knew several of my classmates who had gotten hired there and mentioned them. Come to find out, one of the woman I went to school with and works there is good friends with the director of human resources (from his own words!). Then, at the end of the interview, he said he would talk with these people and see what they have to say about me. Now, I was unfortunate to have one of those classes that had a lot of cliques, none of which I really fit in with. Everyone in my class either grew up around here or knew everyone else before we started the program (with the exception of a few others like me who were also treated as outcasts). The job interview went very well and was told that the supervisor hiring for the dept I wanted to go into was out of town at the moment and wouldn't be back till today. I was told to basically wait until she got back, yet received a rejection letter last Friday :angryfire . So now I'm left wondering what the heck was said about me. Worst of all is that there is bad blood between me and the director of the nursing program at the college because of an incident that happened over a grade (trust me, it's a loooooong story, pm me if you want to hear it). My husband and I can't help but wonder if this doesn't have something to do with all of this. I'm angry because I went through three years of school, put myself in debt with student loans, and am now having a hard time getting a job. I have my RN license but it doesn't seem to be doing me any good. I don't want to have to move but if that's what it's going to take to get a job I guess we'll have to. Anybody else ever experience this? Any suggestions on what to do? Thanks for letting me rant.

omg, that is toooooo funny! I sat here laughing so hard over that :rotfl:

For my last quarter in school, I was at one clinical site where we had a few days in the GI lab. As I was prepping a patient for a colonoscopy I introduced myself and told her I was a student nurse working there that day. She said, "ahh, so they give you the sh*tty job huh?" :rotfl:

I often have the tendency to speak first and think last. I try to warn people that my mouth has a mind of it's own. Once, during orientation for our community nursing clinical rotation, our instructor was discussing the different places we would go to and what was expected of us (attire, equipment to take, name tags, etc.). He finally came to Behavioral Health and told us that we needed to wear street clothes that were professional quality, not to wear our name tags (since they have both our first and last name on them), and that we probably wouldn't need our stethescopes. To this last part I quickly replied with, "not unless you want to hear the voices in their heads." Everyone busted up laughing and a friend of mine told me later that she couldn't believe I said that. I once had a friend who was a bit on the obese side. One day, we went to visit her at her place of work which happened to be a video rental place. The movies where kept on tall shelves that were only a foot away from the ceiling. She squatted down to get a movie from under the counter and had a difficult time getting back up. My mother joked about using a cattle prod to help her get up and my friend said that she would probably end up doing flips over the shelves if she did. Without thinking I said, "now THAT I'd like to see." I'm sure there are plenty of other times where my mouth has gotten me into trouble, just can't remember them. My mother is just as bad as I am. We were standing in line at McDonald's one day and there just so happened to be a police officer standing in the line next to us. Upon noticing this, my mother stated loud enough for the whole place to hear, "gee, I thought they just ate donuts." Should have seen the look he shot her.

I personally don't care who dates who or who asks who out. What you do on your own time is your business. The one thing I cannot stand is seeing people on the job displaying affection (kissing, hugging, using pet names). During my clinical rotations I've witnessed several occasions where two healthcare providers hugged, kissed, called each other by their pet names, and other behaviors. They didn't seem to notice or care that there were other people present. Almost makes you want to lean over, tap them on the shoulder, and say, "get a room."

It is exhilerating. I've been riding horses for 28 years now (started at the age of 3). I also used to jump, ride dressage, and compete in barrel racing. It is a dangerous sport, you are dealing with large, very unpredictable animals (oh, do I have some stories!). Last year, I got a wild hair (definitely a situation where one should know better) and decided to practice barrel racing in a grass pasture. Well, I cut around a sprinkler that I was pretending was a barrel and my horses hooves slipped out from under him. We both went crashing to the ground. Fortunately, neither of us were hurt, just a little shaken. But, I've definitely been injured before. Life itself is dangerous. You can be walking down the road minding your own business and a car can come along, jump the curb, and run you over. Life is too short to worry about danger, just live it while you've got it.

ROFLMAO!!!!!!! :roll :rotfl:

"11. I am unsure as to the identity of the father of my baby, after all when you eat a can of beans you can't be sure which one made you fart." :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I can sympathize with you, my mother is going through this right now. It started with severe left flank pain that later turned into blood in her urine. My first thought was a kidney stone but took her to the ER anyhow. They did a CT scan and sure enough, kidney stone (God, I love it when I'm right :chuckle ). Went to see a urologist today and now she's scheduled to have surgery on Friday as well as lithotripsy. Try not to get yourself too worked up over this. I know it's easy to always think the worst but don't cause yourself any stress. Do get in to see a urologist asap. Hope everything comes out ok for you. Keep us posted.

I have one that happened to me personally. I still get embarassed over this one :chuckle . This happened in my first year of nursing school. I was taping report on one of my patient's at the end of my shift. This was a patient who was notorious for pulling his IV out and that day we had tried several things to keep this from happening. One of the things the primary nurse did was wrap his IV site with Coban. Well, as I'm telling this on the tape I couldn't remember the name of the wrap she used and the only thing that came to my mind was Keflex :rotfl:. I'm sure the oncoming RN had a good laugh at that one.

Can't think of anything, other than just adding your own touches to plain white scrubs. My class has ordered white graduation robes and the traditional nurses hat for our ceremony this June. Glood luck in your search.