Scubadiver

:nurse:I'd like to find out from those of you who went back to school either to obtain your BSN or an advanced degree: How long had you been a nurse when you went back and why did you decide to go back? I am writing an article on higher education and...

Folks, I turned 60 in January and am finishing my MSN in July ready to start my doctorate in October. You tell me, how old is too old given that I will be working for at least 10 more years????

I can't say enough thank you's for your response. I am a certified palliaitve care and hospice nurse. I work in an acute care hospital where I am the one responsible for giving the order to stop meds etc. The nurses thank me. Living involves having t...

Tramadol binds to mu receptors just like opiates do. It inhibits norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake so it is far from being a placebo. However, we all react differently to drugs. If it doesn't work for you then it just means you need something els...

You say you know this is unethical yet can find times when it's okay to give a placebo. It is never okay to be unethical. If a doctor doesn't want to give someone an opiate for pain he/she always has the option to offer the patient something else and...

As stated earlier, the AMA has come out vehemently against the use of placebos as being an unethical practice requiring the patient's consent. It's experimental, not treatment.

I have been a nurse for 33 years and never once seen an order for a placebo. It is highly unethical. I am also trained as a pain resource nurse and am a certified palliative care nurse. As such I am well trained in pain management and the barriers to...

I think your instructor has it backwards. I am an MSN student doing a public health course. A public health nurse is a recognised specialty - either general (BSN) or specialized (MSN). A public HEALTH NURSE looks at the total effects of a specific di...

I'm really glad you re-read your post. And I'm also glad you are re-looking at how you do things and that you want to change. Good for you!

Absolutely not. There are a lot of good nurses out there- hang in there.

For whatever reason, we don't have a problem with staff at this facility using their cell phones. In fact no-one even carries one - maybe it's because I have the good fortune to work with a group of professionals who don't see the necessity for holdi...

Oh my gosh! I wonder how any of us ever survived before we had cell phones. It does make one wonder.

Why in the world would you "LIKE" to bash fellow nurses? What does that say about your work ethic? I'm sorry if this offends you but I have never in my 33 years of nursing understood people like you. I'm a critical care nurse / ED nurse - both areas ...

FYI - Nurses topped the Gallup poll again for 2007. Nurses have been included in the Gallup poll since 1999 and the only time they didn't make #1 was when firefighters topped the list right after 9/11. Topping the Gallup poll every year for integrity...

If the policy states no phones I'm sure if you got caught with one, taking it from you until the end of your shift would be perfectly legal. If you come to work in purple scrubs and they're banned you can expect either to be sent home to change or to...

Before you start working as a nurse find out how the facility handles horizontal violence - what's the policy and how well is it enforced. As long as people sit back and say they just have to put up with it, nothing will change BUT if people decided ...

I'm sorry folks, I totally disagree with carrying a personal cell phone at work. All the 'what if I have an emergency' comments are really stretching things. A hospital is no place to have personal conversations. How did people handle emergencies in ...

If it was truly just about justice - then why go for the big pay-off? Is that going to fix whatever went wrong?

I'm sorry you're feeling so down right now and from reading some of the other posts - take heed of the encouraging advice. One thing disturbs me though; when we've had a new nurse who couldn't 'cut it', we always offerred them another position in th...

I have to agree wholeheartedly. Yes, the rich have needs and wants too but living and working in an area where there are many rich people, I know from experience how they and their families treat the nursing staff. To many of them we are glorified ha...

Where do you work that 12-14 patients between two nurses at night is too many? That's a 6-7 to one ratio. Most night nurses in a med-surg unit would give their eye teeth for that kind of assignment. The real question is... why was the patient unat...

We have a very strict sexual harrassment policy at my hospital and I would imagine yours does too. Find a copy of the policy and take it with you the next time you report an incident to your manager. Also make sure you document every time an incide...

Hi Melinda, I just found your post. I'm currently living in South Carolina and would love to hear from you. I actually trained in Toronto many years ago!

I have lived on Hilton Head Island and worked at Hilton Head Regional Medical Center for fifteen years. It has grown tremendously in that time and we now have a very active open heart program. The hospital is extremely progressive and open to new i...