VORB

' HOW IS NORMA? A sweet grandmother telephoned the hospital. She timidly asked, "Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?" The operator said, "I'll be glad to help, dear. What's the name and room number?" The grandmother in her weak, tremulous voice said, "Norma Findlay room 302." The operator replied, "Let me place you on hold while I check with her nurse." After a few minutes, the operator returned to the phone and said, "Oh, I have good news. Her nurse just told me that Norma is doing very well. Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work just came back as normal, and her physician has scheduled her to be discharged on Tuesday." The grandmother said, "Thank you. That's wonderful! I was so worried! God bless you for the good news." The operator replied, "You're more than welcome. Is Norma your daughter?" The grandmother said, "No, I'm Norma Findlay in 302. No one tells me squat."

' Seems they like to take away the unit secretary right at evening shift change where I work, when call lights and phones are ringing off the hook. Administration makes their choices I guess, but it's the pts & family that suffer. It'll get worse, believe me.

' "Most people will need one shot for the regular seasonal flu and probably two others to protect against the new swine flu. For the regular flu vaccine, elderly people, health care workers and pregnant women are among the priority groups. For the swine flu vaccine, health care workers and pregnant women are on the list but not older people, who seem to have some immunity to swine flu." http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090806/D99TL7401.html

' Since an M.D. has to order them, I would check the orders and follow them. Pretty straightforward.

' That's dizzying. All I can say is that a government big enough to give you everything is big enough to take it all away.

Unfortunately, the top 50 percent of wage earners pay 97 percent of the federal taxes in the U.S., while the bottom 50 percent pay just 3 percent. Ironically, it's usually those in the bottom 50 percent -- who essentially pay for little or none of the services they receive -- that whine the loudest when it comes to scaling back or eliminating services. They also see little or nothing wrong with raising taxes to pay for ever-expanding programs and services, because they won't have to pay for it. That's rather greedy and immoral in my book.

' You might get a better response with a more-descriptive thread subject title than "Changed".

I just did. And it is. That's the term for publicly-funded healthcare.

' One thing's for sure: The plan is to raise taxes to pre-Regan levels, which will unfairly impact doctors and advanced-practice nurses. Congress and the president have already admitted that those levels will have to be adjusted in the future to make up for shortfalls. That translates to a pay cut for them.

Why work, indeed. Welcome to the United Socialist States of America.

' http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/07/21/obama_not_familiar_with_key_provision_in_health_care_bill.html

' The point is that the market within which we now work will change with reform. And most would say not for the better. Three out of three who've answered the question are in agreement. We would not stay.

No. I got into nursing not because I wanted to be a nurse. I went into nursing to find a career -- which I have done. I made way more than that my first year -- something that surprised even me. I have never felt underpaid since starting. I would make a change if this mid-life career choice stopped fulfilling my needs.

' First, don't worry about something that hasn't happened yet. Second, it may be in your best interest to hire a lawyer for the hearing. If your nursing career depends on it, it may be worth it. A judge will listen to a lawyer more than he/she will listen to you. If it doesn't turn out in your favor, go to the school and plead your case to the director of the nursing program. Exceptions are often made. But keep in mind that the school has to abide by whatever standards are put forth by the hospitals where clinical rotations take place. The school may be willing to let you slide; a hospital may not.

Like I said, licenses are good until they expire. You do not lose your original license when you obtain another by endorsement.