Quailfeather

I think that, in some cases, the perpetrators have become so clever that it might prove difficult for even the most trained professional to recognize sexual abuse. We have a recent case in our county involving a paramedic supervisor who is being charged with 57 counts of child Mediaography and 21 counts of felony child sexual assault. No one, including his wife who is a critical care nurse, had any idea that this was going on. Four videotapes were confiscated which showed this paramedic having sex with small children, some of whom appeared to be unconscious. The saddest part is that this perpetrator and his wife did foster care and police suspect that at least 2 of the children in the videos were foster children in that home. http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_3488934

Frank, I am so sorry to read about your troubles and I agree with the other posters that you need legal counsel. As a matter of fact, you have two separate legal issues; W/C injury and the board of nursing issue. I just don't see how you can handle these without legal representation. I didn't think that a nurse could waive their right to a hearing before the board. You might want to research that. Here is a link to the rules that govern the Oklahoma Board of Nursing: https://www.ok.gov/nursing/rules03.pdf Page 27 specifically addresses hearings. That whole business with the "investigator" just doesn't sound right. An attorney who specializes in administrative law might be able to clear this up for you. When they made you surrender your license, was it because they found you had violated the Nurse Practice Act, or was it because of your disability. If it was the latter, wouldn't you be protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act? As far as disability payment goes, I don't know how it works in Oklahoma, but in California if you cannot work because of a disability, you file a claim and you get paid. It doesn't matter if the disability was pre-existing or not. Hang in there. You mentioned that your Dad's nickname is Bulldog. Hopefully he has passed some of his tenacity on to you. It seems that you will need it.

Hi Bipley ~ I can certainly empathize with you since I had the same thing last week. High fever, lungs that feel as though they are filled with fiberglass, gunky wheezing cough, aching all over (even my hair hurt). I was down for a week. Luckily I don't have any dogs to take care of....my cat and parrot were neglected as it was. Oh, and I did have some cherry Nyquil, but it didn't do anything to relieve the symptoms. What worked for me was hot showers, Throat Coat tea, Vicks vaporub, and lots of Tylenol. I hope you are feeling better soon.

One reason that women stay in abusive relationships is fear. Many abusers threaten to kill their victims if they leave. Statistics have shown that during the first few weeks out of an abusive situation, the woman is at a high risk for violent retaliation by her abuser. Restraining orders offer little protection when an abuser is intent on harming his victim. We had a tragic case just last month in our community. A woman left her husband of many years and was granted a restraining order because he had threatened her. A few weeks later, he shot her twice in the head and once in the chest with a concrete-nail gun. Then he turned the gun on himself. He survived...she didn't.

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words. Yes, it is every nurse's worst nightmare to have someone they love come in under tragic circumstances while they are at work. In retrospect, though, I have to say that I was fortunate that I was on duty that day. I was surrounded by people who love me and their support made it so much easier for me to get through the whole ordeal. We have all heard sayings like, "nurses shoot their wounded", or "nurses circle the wagons and shoot inward", but on that day, my coworkers formed an incredible safety net of love and compassion. On a lighter note, my daughter-in-law was 5 months pregnant on that day. We were so worried that the shock and grief would cause her to lose the baby. Well, 2 weeks ago, we celebrated the arrival of little Christopher Stephen. He is so sweet and has the large, wide-set eyes that Cheyenne had. Although he will never meet his big sister, he will know her, for she lives on in the hearts of those who loved her.

I work at a small ER in a rural community. One Saturday afternoon, last June, we heard the medics get toned out to a possible child drowning in a local lake. A Life Flight helicopter was also summoned from a metropolitan area since we don't have a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. We all listened to the radio chatter as the ground medics communicated with the Life Flight crew.....8-yr-old female...CPR in progress....asystole. Then the ground crew called us on the radio and said that they were transporting the patient to us. In the middle of all that, the unit secretary came up to me and told me that I had an urgent phone call. It was my daughter-in-law and she was hysterical. The child that they were bringing in was my granddaughter, Cheyenne. I wish that I could say everything turned out OK, but it didn't. We lost someone very precious to us that day.

Great picture! For those who only see a box with the dreaded red X in it, this may help: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=283807

RTT w/a BBB Ratta tat tat with a baseball bat

This thread brings up an important issue. We really need a place on this site where nurses can go to share their grief and/or offer support to others who are grieving. Sometimes it is hard to just jump in and say, "I am so sad", when most of the threads are about other work-related issues. I can empathize with the original poster's grief. Over my career, I have lost several colleagues to illness or accident. There is no easy way around it. It helps if there are others who understand and can share in the grief. Sometimes just writing about it helps. Two months ago, paramedics brought my 8-year-old granddaughter into the ER where I was on duty. She had drowned in the lake. In my 17 years as an ER nurse, nothing could prepare me for the shock and devastation of that day. I guess I am still having difficulty since it is very hard for me to even talk about it. Thank you for starting this thread. Maybe it will be the first step in healing for all of us who have unresolved grief issues.

Our local pain clinic has had so many patients claim that their narcotics were "stolen" that they have instituted a new policy. Any patient presenting for a refill because of stolen meds must also provide a police report of the theft (much to the dismay of our local law enforcement who have better things to do than listen to trumped-up stories).

I began working in the ER shortly after graduation from nursing school over 17 years ago and have never regretted that decision. I would at least go for the interview and see what you think. Find out how long your orientation will be and who your preceptor will be (hopefully you would be paired with someone who has experience in precepting). I wish you the best in whatever choices you make.

I suppose that if a patient asked me, "Are you saved?", I would have to reply with, "No, I'm spent." It would be a truthful answer on most days. Actually, I do have a button that says, "Unsaved...and loving it!" However, I don't think it would be a good idea to wear it to work, especially working in a Catholic hospital. I already received a brow-beating several years ago for wearing a button that said, "I'm not your type....I have a pulse."

Yep, VV-sufferer here. I underwent that newer procedure, radiofrequency ablation, in 2003. At the time, my surgeon said it had a 80% success rate. Well, I was one of the 20%. Bummer. Not only did the veins persist, but I have some nerve damage from the procedure. So, I have decided to live with the darn veins until something more certain is available. In the meantime, I have found J.C. Penney brand support hose to be pretty good. They are expensive, but very durable.

We use pretty much the same protocol that I have seen mentioned here. I remember back in the days when we had no such protocols. As a matter of fact, it seemed that MD's rarely screened for potential alcohol dependency back in the 80's and early 90's. I recall one time we admitted a TV celebrity for some fractured ribs and the doctor never addressed this guy's drinking history. The next day the "whips and jingles" set in and the guy broke a nurse's arm before they figured out what was wrong with him. Alcohol withdrawal is dangerous for the caregivers, as well as the patient.

Have you checked out NurseProtect? I believe they are based in Austin and they help nurses who are having board issues. I have read good things about them. http://www.nurseprotect.com/