LaughingRN

Taping a coin to baby to make an "innie" is an old wives tale. An "outie" belly button is either 1. The way the body decided to leave the scar. (All belly buttons are classified as scars). Taping an object over a scar will not influence what it looks like 2. An umbilical hernia which again, taping an object over top will not cause the underlying musculature to close. Many people swear that their parents taped a coin on them and their siblings and they all have innies so it must work....but think about statistics here. 80% of the population has an innie while only 20% are blessed with an outie. Why do I know so much? Because I'm part of the 20% group. It took me to be an adult to appreciate the my button because of all the ideals and parameters of beauty. Just let the baby be themselves, you wouldn't take a newborn to have a nose job dye their hair? Why would you cover up a perfectly good part of the body for no reason?

Fiona, I knew there was a reason for my denial! Thanks for clarifying the post. It makes a lot of sense now and my head stopped spinning:)

When I first read your post and replied I honestly thought that your account had been hacked. I've been browsing this forum for years and have always thought that your posts have been insightful. I'm still going to believe that you didn't write it, until I'm proven wrong. I think that what was posted was offensive. As a Canadian, I'm sad. I'm sad that someone wrote it, I'm sad that AllNurses allows anti-Canadianism on this site. For the record, I was born in Canada and life took me to the US so I'm no stranger to this game. My world view is that my family is now that much bigger, being American and Canadian. Peace

What just happened here?

Just a thought. If you lay all your cards down on the table and confront her about this issue/and or talk to your supervisor.... You are returning the favor by potentially telling her (and your boss) who YOU are on AllNurses. I mean, you did start this thread.... If I were you, I would keep the information to myself just because of that fact.

I feel bad for everyone overall. I agree with the poster that said that abuse isn't always intentional. I can clearly see both sides of this issue. 1. Family----loving, but failing to keep up with the standards. I can't even imagine the amount of time dedicated to the care of one family member with medical needs. Then I multiply it by X amount of years and my head is spinning. I have one son (no medical needs for the record), one husband, one full time job, one house to clean, one yard to take care, one fridge to keep stocked with food....and sometimes I fail to be perfect in all those obligations. Between driving to multiple sporting events, planning our days, fitting in everything, I fall short of perfect. Sometimes my son doesn't shower for 3 days (which he gets excited about the fact that I forgot to tell him to shower, but he's at that age I guess) and I feel exasperated when I remember. Sometimes we run out of milk because I just worked 4 12 hour shifts in a row....midnights at that! Sometimes I even forget to change to laundry over! (And then have to re-wash it all, and don't get me started on when I have to re-wash after I re-washed) Sometimes I put off appointments to optometrists and dentists because the timing isn't right and the money isn't right and because I have a deep rooted tendency to procrastinate. I could go on with examples to show I'm not perfect, but I find my life challenging to keep up with and I don't have a medically impaired individual that I'm responsible for. With all that said, as nurses we are hyper-vigilant to noticing that q 30 minute turns weren't done and that it is a failure. However, skin breakdown happens everyday in nursing homes, hospitals and even with the best private healthcare money can afford (didn't superman die from complications of a pressure ulcer?) Would the solution be to remove the child from a home with genuine love and place her in an institution (see above) that has no glowing track record of preventing the same deficits in care but would be loveless??? I digress. 2. The child- dependent and vulnerable, can't speak up and demand proper care, but deserves the utmost care and highest quality of life that is achievable, like all of us. Nothing more to say. If we can all admit that healthcare (especially long term care) is understaffed, struggling to meet standards of care...why are we not as understanding on a family consisting of multiple people with extraneous circumstances. I am aware that the family has been reported already, but maybe it is a lack of resources and time and money that is making the family fall short. Maybe it is simply caregiver burnout. Caregiver burnout is not synonymous with not caring. Conclusion: life is not black and white. What is the solution, I don't really know. Is there always a solution....probably not. Should we go out with guns blazing, guilty until proven innocent on this family? I just know that the pressure of being under such a microscope of having nurses In your home day in and day out, ready to chart your flaws must be tremendous. I'm a nurse, and I wouldn't want to be under anyone's microscope. Ethical dilemma for sure.

A few years back, Minnesota was the only state that allowed you to apply for a license and write NCLEX as a Canadian educated person (without writing CRNE first). Once you become licensed in Minnesota, just endorse to the state you want. Worked for me and was quite painless. The fact that you are a US citizen has no bearing in this issue. Good luck!

I'm not going to comment on the appropriateness of the interview, but the concept of clean technique. When you draw up a medication into a syringe, it is not a sterile procedure. Therefore if you do not touch the sterile needle and you do not touch the sterile top of the vial after removing the cap (or a cleaned multi- use vial with alcohol) - you don't need gloves. Think about the concept of "clean" gloves. They are in a box that require your hands (and who knows how many other dirty or clean hands) to touch the exterior of the gloves before putting them on. They are more to protect the health care worker from body fluids then to protect the patient from exposure to contaminates. With that said, I'd be more concerned about pre-filled med syringes in a ziplock bag, presumably to be used by someone else (who didn't draw it up themselves) than by the hygienic issue. Just saying.

Just my thoughts, Getting a nursing job out of school has been extremely challenging across the country lately. It is a combination of luck and location for the most part. Many a new/potential new nurse has come to this site stating that they are going to work in Peds, NICU, ER or as a Flight Nurse. New grads also post to this site (sometimes the same ones) that after 12 months of searching for a job they are willing to cut off an arm and work for free just to get experience anywhere. Public Health nurse can be a very hard position to get. Trust me, I have a friend that has been trying for years and is still stuck in acute care on a floor she hates (and she is willing to locate). Don't assume your background will help... -Just like the military medics, paramedics and ER technicians of many years experience sometimes find they aren't rushed through the door to work in the ER. -Just like the LPN's with years of experience aren't always given consideration for this when trying to find a job as an RN. -You may find yourself in the same place. I hope I do not come across in this post as cynical, but I only want to offer a balanced response. Only you know how bad you want this. Only you have to make the sacrifices. If you make the plunge, consider that it make take you the national average of 6-12 months post graduation to find employment, and that your first job may have nothing to do with your ultimate goal. It may take years to get what you want. Peace and luck

We use alaris pumps, after having the pump beep multiple times for "air in the line" with no visible air...I decided to try a new approach. Open the pump where you feed the line and you will see two circle glass windows that are actually sensors...take an alcohol wipe and clean the windows... 98% of the time the problem is solved...dirty sensors equal not working sensors! Trust me and try it:)

How often? Honestly almost never For pediatrics in crisis...yes For adults in crisis...IV, then EJ, then femoral line I also have my ACLS and I think the IO is underrated and under utilized.... (Level 1 trauma center)

Curious.....just how are they doing these FAST exams? With telepathy? For the record, our level 1 always uses Ultrasound, didn't know you could without one

According to your facility Guardrail drugs simply mean any drug that is preprogrammed into your pump. In my facility, that includes hundreds. Guardrail fluids are any fluids, again, that are preprogrammed....... Guardrail doesn't really mean much beyond that. Very rarely do I have to use basic infusion, because our facility is great at keeping everything up to date.

Personally, I would take the job at Red Cross ONLY... If they are willing to change the start day. I would just explain that I am excited to work for them, however, I am committed to finish my last flu clinic on such and such a date, and would be able to start after that. Be firm, it is unlikely that most people would be able to start in 6 days -even if they decided to pass you up for the next person in line. It simply isn't realistic. Then take the next 3 weeks to see if the prison job sounds like a go!

Nobody can play judge jury and executioner here based off the limited pieces of information we have. I think it is naive to think that there is not an unfair burden of penalty placed on someone who reports against an institution for wrongdoing. In fact, it is such a well known phenomenon that we have a term for it. Whistleblowing. Then there are laws that protect Whistleblowers.....we all know how we'll those can work. In this case, the student is trying to report a large issue against the organization with no laws protecting her, although potentially facing the same consequences or ruined career, ostracization, ruined reputation. This is not black and white, and surely the people who have offered suggestions and support are not the unethical and substandard nurses that some are trying to imply

I don't think anybody was making jokes about the actual situation, it was simply the OP's style of writing. The humor was geared more towards how the OP felt when stuck in her situation....not the situation itself. Her question was serious. My reply was also serious.... So who is giggling at who? Somehow, somewhere, my favorite site in the world is becoming a place I try to avoid.

I also found your sense of humor refreshing:) A lot of times on this site, I think humor is a component that is missing and should be used more often. As far as you issue, from a realist standpoint, I would only report this anonymously. Why? Because retaliation is a huge and real outcome. If you happen to go up the chain of command in person, your clinical instructor WILL know it was you, and if you then remain under her instruction (especially if she is disciplined and keeps her position which is likely) you will not be her favorite person. Clinical instructors pass you on a somewhat subjective basis. So, personally, I would go to a public place, make a new email address with gmail, and email the dean and cc relevant people outlining the situation without giving away any personal identifying information and then sit back and wait. It may take a week or so, if they are going to investigate and verify, but hopefully you will notice a change. Just in case though, you might want to buy some stock in amps of D50 :)

Reminds me if a time long ago in my externship where a family member with "medical training" adjusted the pump to run in quicker because "mom's dehydrated and it's not going quick enough" Except it was k+ Caught within 5 minutes, No harm, but she had a lesson on lethal injections A little knowledge can be dangerous...

If you are still on orientation, chances are they will ask you to leave immediately. Why would they continue to pay you (and your preceptor) when they gain nothing. You are not actually an asset at this point, but you are costing them money. The decision is up to you on what floor you think is more valuable, but Med-surg isn't the golden key into the specialty of choice anymore.... I would think very carefully before you make a move.

Before this thread gets used up, I want a last chance to defend my stance. As a poster that states my child is more important than my job, I feel that the few people who have spoken up and agreed to this sentiment are also being taken out of context. I invite people to read my original post on page 10. I clearly said that I would pack my bags gladly in event of a catastrophic snowstorm and the same applies for tornadoes, ice-storms, staying over shift if my replacement doesn't come etc. (no hurricanes here) My example was related to true "end of civilization" examples. I was trying to point out this topic wasn't a one size fits all. I actually feel sorry that I brought it up. Discourse without veiled insults seems to becoming very rare around here. I would no more fault anyone who left work mid shift because they discovered that their spouse got hit by a car and was airlifted to another hospital. Heck, I know that me and my co-workers would take their patients and ask for a 3 word report on absolute emergent info, the rest can be looked up. I would also do the same for a million people in a million scenarios, and it has nothing to do with kids vs no kids. It has to do with human compassion. I would never pull a "well you shouldn't have become a nurse if you couldn't anticipate being here no matter what attitude". Nursing is not the military..that was a weak example at best, a complete apples and oranges example. This thread is very reminiscent of those where people debate whether nursing is a calling or if it is respectable to take the job for money, security and improvment of living. (for what it's worth, I don't have any qualms about either group) A more common scenario that I see of people not living up to their duties- are people calling off so they can go up north and camp with their friends, so they can go out to the casino, because they are hungover, because they have their neice's graduation party, because they have no childcare (despite the schedule being posted for 2 months). Leaving the rest of us 4 people short in the ER with census triple of what it normally is, and we each end up with 15 patients. Can we address this problem? It affects patients more on a day to day basis than any "emergency disaster". People with and without kids call in equally. With that said, we all live in glass houses........ The only person on this thread that states that they have no interest in fulling their duties they signed up for is the OP, and she doesn't have kids. The rest has been purely hypothetical musings.

To me, I find this statement annoying. My child's life is worth more than 25 dollars an hour. Period.

I'm going to echo the sentiment that your original post was odd. I work in an inner city ER and I have to add that most good old GSW's aren't that impressive. Either they hit "something", or they didn't. (and in my experience, most dont') The entry wound and exit wounds are mostly tiny tiny little holes... scant bleeding and generally not gory at all, and the patients are discharged after lengthy observation from the ER with no admit if there was no internal damage...especially for non trunk and non head GSW's. Basically, the patient goes to OR if something was hit, or they go home.... (or if it was a close range shotgun to the head, you aren't even going to see them since they bypass the hospital all together). If the patient goes to the OR, it's within 15-20 minutes of arrival to the hospital and trust me, NP's do not run the resus room, nor even get to enter them. As for explosions, the only one I've seen in this particular inner city was a furnace that was being worked on. Pt has no "obvious" injuries except the ever dangerous sign of singed eyebrows and nose hairs along with some first degree burns. Our hospital see's a large handful of GSW's weekly, if not daily and trust me....not very impressive after the first one.

Yeah, I went back and found the quote...it completely wasn't you. My apologies.

Here I go I choose not to nitpick the exact points of the OP, but I am going to give my opinion on the generalized point raised. In my area there are no hurricanes, no earthquake fear, no crazy devestating tornadoes. As an ER worker, we have to take enough minimal training through FEMA and Hazmat though, and the areas we most focus on for disaster training is biological, nuclear accidents/disaters, natural epidemics, terrorism. To me this topic is not black and white, as a lot of people are making it. It is a dangerous shade of gray. If we had a "snowmaggedon" coming...I would pack my bags and stay, very happily...I love a good adventure, and I love to help, I would do it without thinking, it's why I'm a nurse... However. If we had a nuclear disaster, and we were doing emergency triage out in the parking lot, leading people through Hazmat tents, and placing "black tags" around their necks.... I would leave work and hold my son in my arms, and pray he didn't vomit and I would not see the last 24 hours of his life. I would sacrifice my job for that without thinking. That is the true gray area of this moral question. I am human. As flying Scot said, no patient is worth dying for. No patient is worth more than my son's life

I will follow this thread through to the final resolution. 1 Year check-in 2 days ago, I had a co-worker draw my final 3 "serum separator tubes" O' blood. Test results: Negative, Negative, Negative. It's very hard for me to look back to the beginning of this thread and read my own words and emotions when this happened. I know a lot of people get stuck with needles, but (despite searching this forum a gazillion times) I have found no one that has stuck themselves with a large bore needle with confirmed contaminated HIV and Hep C blood. I have always known from the start, what the viral load was for the patient's HIV at the time of the "stick"...for those curious, it was in the hundreds of thousands. Basically, very high. I have been looking forward to writing this post for at least 6 months now. I imagined some poetic style post, that detailed my travesty with the dirty needle stick, yet... I have nothing, Except for my story already posted over the last year. I hope all future needle sticks read this. The statistics from CDC from a hollow bore stick are: 0.3% risk for HIV 1.87% for hep C I remind myself everyday Thanks Everyone at Allnurses that offered support. LaughingRN