megjrn

Oops...ELIGIBLE, not elligible.

Elkpark--Yes, I agree it is pretty snarky. It's a shame these students have to spend all that money and go through all the stress of a nursing program only to find out at some point that they may not be elligible to sit for the boards. Yes, it would be wise to check the elligibilty requirements for licensure prior to enrolling in a program, but as you implied, who would think of that? I don't think I ever thought about it until my senior year when the Dean of Nursing had us fill out our paperwork to sit for the boards after graduation--you know, back in the Stone Age when everyone in the state had to go to the same place and sit for the exams for two whole days!! And use a #2 pencil to mark your answers...

Actually, the Florida lawmakers ARE using evidenced based statistics upon which they passed this law. It's called the recidivism rate. Florida very well knows that most offenders re-offend within ten years post-conviction. The jails and prisons here in Florida are full of multiple-offenders. They figure if you can go 15 years without re-offending, you've probably learned your lesson and are not a true criminal. Drug-related convictions have an especially high recidivism rate because of relapse potential. What I find interesting is that the colleges aren't stopping nursing school applicants with criminal histories and explaining to them up front that upon graduating they must be 15 years post-conviction in order to sit for the boards. When I went to college 300 years ago, the college application AND the School of Nursing acceptance application asked if you had a criminal conviction. Maybe they don't ask that now?

Lying on the licensing application? That really shows integrity.

The title of this thread is, "Change to License Requirement".

I'm not self-righteous--I'm just not a convicted felon and therefore never had to worry about getting my nursing license or getting a nursing job. And my patients don't have to worry that I've had run-ins with the law. You can try to put it back on me as being self-righteous, or whatever, but I'm not the one with the questionable background who has something to hide. We all know right from wrong. If you broke the law, you did it knowing it was wrong. Breaking the law is not an accident. It is Intentional. You set out to do what you did, you did it, and hoped you wouldn't caught. I've worked as a prison nurse and jail nurse for years and I've heard all the ying-yang and pity-party stories about how having a record has ruined a person's chance to do so many things they wanted to do. Duh. Rarely do I hear any inmate say they caused all their own problems by commiting the crimes that made them criminals. It's always the fault of "the system", or "the way the law is written", or something else other than themselves. I do believe there are people who make mistakes they regret and would never make those same mistakes again. But, part of learning from a mistake is accepting the consequences of the mistake. Sometimes the consequence is that you will not be able to do something you want to do. Nursing is a profession of trust. You enter into a trusting relationship with your patient and your employer. The law in Florida is intended to make you show you are trustworthy enough to be a nurse. If you behave for 15 years post-conviction, you have earned the trust of the state of Florida to become a licensed nurse. At least that is the amount of time Florida feels it needs, and it is what it is. I still don't think convicted felons should be allowed to practice nursing. I just don't think the patients would like it if they knew. And I don't think things should be hidden from people whose lives are in your hands. So, if you're going to be mad about the situation, don't be mad at the legislature, be mad at yourself for commiting a crime that put you in the situation. Accept the limitations your actions caused you and let it be the motivation that keeps you from doing it again.

Sputum.

I do not think there is anything unfair about this law. Nurses carry a huge responsibilty legally, ethically, and morally. In my opinion, certain professions, nursing being one of them, should not allow convicted felons to hold licenses at all. I understand people can make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. However, being convicted of a felony is not the same as, say, getting a traffic ticket. A felony is a serious offense. It is an offense which is usually commited without thought to consequences. Not being able to practice as a licensed nurse is one of those consequences. I don't think the BoN or the legislature is the problem here. If people behaved themselves they wouldn't have to worry about this stuff, now would they? Two years ago, Josh posted about his situation. I'm curious as to how a broken healthcare system caused him to be caught with xanax for which he had no Rx? If he didn't have a script for it, he should not have had it. Plain and simple. Sounds like he's rationalizing there. There are other felonies besides drug-related ones, I know. Doesn't matter. It is a question of character and responsibility. Nursing is a profession which requires unquestionable character and absolute responsibilty. There are no excuses or rationalizations in this profession.

The nurse that OP speaks of may have an undiagnosed learning disability.

So...is 2ndwind not allowed to have an opinion?

Good point. I was assuming this nurse came wearing a dirty uniform, which would be an Ew. Getting it dirty at work is different. That happens a lot. If it's a bad looking stain I've gotten on my scrubs I get a paper isolation gown and wear that over my scrubs for the rest of the shift.

Her family is either taking or selling her meds.

Why would anyone go to work in a dirty uniform? Ew.

FlyingScot was, I believe, trying to make the point that no matter how many EMS personnel were present, regardless of their advanced qualifications or lack thereof, this woman refused care and was reported to have signed a refusal of care waiver. So...no matter what the EMS responders knew about head injuries (and I'm sure they were well-educated in head trauma), they could do nothing to help Natasha Richardson because she wouldn't let them. So the only one to blame for her poor outcome was herself, unfortunately. Could she have survived had she allowed them to transport her for eval? Yes. And, she pobably would have had a full recovery without deficits. It wasn't the "fault" of Canada's lack of proximity to a head trauma center or the amount of time for transport. Her time had already run out. She refused care at the critical point--before the bleed caused irreversable damage. From the media reports, assuming they are accurate, it sounds like she developed a slow bleed. I think this case should prompt PSA's on television and radio as to the necessity of having a head injury assessed. It should be emphasized that just because you "feel fine" doesn't mean you ARE fine.

In TBI, there is a phrase "talking and dying". I worked in a TBI unit for several years and this was something we saw frequently upon ER admission of a TBI--AAOX3, talking, ambulatory, many pts. even driving themselves to the ER. CT scan would show a bleed and IV steroids were started to prevent/reduce increased ICP, then evacuation of the hematoma was performed. A TBI doesn't require a hard hit, just the right kind of hit to cause damage. Even a light hit on the head can cause brain shearing (the impact causes the brain to bounce back hitting the skull, then bounce forward hitting the skull again) and this can bruise the tissue. This is particularly a risk in head impact which causes the neck to jerk. Helmets are designed to not only prevent the skull from being directly impacted, but also to absorb the shock of impact to prevent brain sheering.

So what?

Sounds like this hypothetical patient has been mountaing climbing in a very high altitude!! BTW, the questions the poster is asking are the same as she would ask the professor. Only here she gets lots of experienced feedback. I'm not seeing what is wrong with her asking experienced nurses. When this person graduates and begins working in a clinical arena and has questions, I certainly hope her experienced co-workers don't push her away instead of helping her. When I was in college 10,000 years ago, there was no Internet, hence no forums to explore. What a marvelous avenue something like this would've been for my classmates and me! I don't get the impression the poster is trying to get anyone here to do her homework at all. It seems like she is seeking information and understanding. Seems a shame she may be discouraged to look to more experienced nurses for guidance and knowledge in the future. Personally, I just love students and new nurses and enjoy precepting them. They really make me think, too! mashamontago, when I was a new nurse I came to realize that those who did not want to answer my questions didn't know the answers. I'm just saying.

State you left because you didn't like working there. Seriously! Actually write: "did not like the job." If the prospective employer asks you to explain that statement, reply that you feel it is very unprofessional to speak poorly of a former place of employment. Do not tell anyone in your interviews about your getting terminated. Do not tell them anything at all about the circumstances. It's none of their business. I'm so sorry this happened to you. You did nothing wrong at all. I'm sorry for the couple and their loss, but in their shock and grief it sounds like they may have dumped on you because you represented to them what they no longer were--pregnant. If that's the case, shame on them. You have every right to be a pregnant nurse working anywhere you please, even caring for a miscarrying patient. It's not your fault she miscarried. My suspcion is the hospital fears they may sue since people are so sue-happy these days. So the hospital did not stand by you at all, they fired you so they can tell the patient you've been let go, all in hopes there will be no lawsuit. There is nothing to substantiate a lawsuit whatsoever, but hospitals have been nickled and dimed to death with the costs of defending themselves in bogus lawsuits so they try to avoid "customer" disatisfaction by throwing their nurses to the wolves. Trust me, if that couple had complained about the nurse that cared for them prior to you, that nurse would've been fired instead of you. I understood PERFECTLY from your post that you absolutely did not know that the fetal contents were in the sink. You were very clear that you never said anything inappropriate to the couple. You did not know there were fetal contents in the sink until the manager told you about it on the day she fired you. AND...it is the word of the couple that the fetus was in the sink. The last you knew, they were in a container sitting on a cart for the doctor to see. I don't think there was anything in that sink other than what you saw--soiled undergarments. That hospital was wrong to treat you so badly. You sound like an exceptionally skilled nurse to be a relatively new grad. Your next employer will be lucky to get you.

I would never ask a physician to help in a situation like this--I would not want them to help because they usually have no experience in stuff we deal with all the time, and frankly, they would be in the way and probably make matters worse. I cannot imagine any physician I know being able to manage a combative patient! However, those surgeons surely could hear and see what was happening and could've called for security to come. BTW, I'm a correctional nurse and I, too, wonder where the C.O.'s were who were stationed with this inmate? I'd be having my supervisor complain to the correctional facilty about this. Our guys would've tased that inmate on the spot.

When the I/M's are acting up, I stop my med pass and pull out of the POD. I do not return to finish the med pass. I wait for the command supervisor to find out about it and ask me what happened and why I didn't give meds. I then explain that I AM NOT THE C.O, it is not my job to maintain order in a cell block. I explain that if things are unrulely I leave for security reasons. That always does it. Security is the magic word in corrections. The commander talks to the POD C.O and I do not have that problem with any POD where that particular C.O. may be assigned ever again. If it is a particular I/M who is causing a problem, I ignore him completely and have the C.O. remove him from the med line and tell him to go back to the end of the line. If the I/M is in the lockdown unit, I ignore him and completely bypass his cell altogether as if he wasn't there. When he starts yelling at me that I missed him and his meds, I simply tell him that when he stops being and a..hole I will deal with him--I only say it once and I continue on with my other I/M's and their meds. I usually get an apology from the I/M and he gets his meds...last.

When the instructor assaulted you, did you call the police right away and file charges?

Milly: Are you working with a preceptor? If not, your facility should be providing preceptors to all new nurses. If your facility has simply put you with other nurses to orient you to your particular unit, you are being cheated out of having a specially-trained nurse who has been through a preceptor class to work with you during your 3 month employment probation period. If your facility does not provide preceptors, then go to work at a facility which does provide them. Being a brand new nurse is stressful and scarey. In my 15 years as a nurse, I still have not forgotten that "tight stomache" feeling of being new, fearful of making mistakes, and feeling scrutinized by the experienced staff members. Unfortunately, some seasoned nurses are not always welcoming and nurturing to new grads. In the meantime, invent your own system to help you remember things--make a check-off sheet for your med passes, charting, paperwork requirement, v/s, I & O'S, etc., for example. Do not leave until you have actually checked everything off. Also, you you may want to consider the type of unit you're on: perhaps it is too fast-paced and demanding for a new grad. With the nursing shortage, a lot of facilities will just stick a nurse anywhere there is a vacancy without considering that nurse's experience and needs, and leave him/her to sink or swim. Do not accept being "thrown to the wolves," if that is the case. BTW, they often do that to experienced nurses, too...There is no shame in transfering to a unit of lower acuity, or even going to another facility where the acuity is lower. The main thing now is, you want to develop your skills and your confidence. You don't want to over challange yourself in the beginning. I'm telling you all of this because usually the feelings you're experiencing are a reult of the environment in which you work, not from being incompetent as a new nurse. You're new, you can't be expected to know anymore than you learned in school at this point. Good luck to you.