Brickman

I have a Palm PDA and I use it for games, MP3 player, and phone(it is a treo 650). But I have to say that I think they are pretty useless on the floor. Drugs and diagnoses can be looked up just as fast on the INTERNET, with more complete information. One thing to consider is that every unit or floor seems to have a core group of drugs that are given to most of the patients. Once you have worked a few months the whole looking up of drugs becomes an occasional thing instead of an every day every patient thing. I do think a PDA is most useful during nursing school, I know I used mine then. If you still want to get one then Palm has the most free medical software and any model will suit. I believe the TE is $199 and will be sufficient for just about anything.

When you graduate from nursing school you can take the nclex for North Carolina at that time. The Nclex is the same for all the states, just put North Carolina down on the paperwork instead of where you are.

I think it would be easier if your fiancé paid for his own grad school through loans. Student loans usually have very reasonable payments that wouldn't even need to start until he graduated and started earning a paycheck. With you paying most of your living expenses, loans could be kept to a minimum.

What I would like to see is the old paper test being made an option for those who failed the computer test.

If you think you can handle the debt then maybe more loans is the way to go. But after reading your wifes original post I don't think quitting her job is the answer. If I understand correctly she is only working 8 days a month. The original post went to great lengths to make this sound like a busy schedule "Sleep Monday", "Take Thursday off" and "Get ready to do it again on Friday". It sounds to me like maybe deppression might be a possibility.

I think it would make far more sense to have a "teaching certificate" that requires recertification every couple of years. Recertification could be an NCLEX style test and a minnimum number of hours actually working as a nurse. It was my experience in school that some of the Masters educated instructors had been out of the hospital so long that reality had become a theory for them. A few were just plane educated beyond their intelligence.

I don't see any reason why Hep C would keep you from being a nurse. I would imagine the hospital is full of nurses that are either Hep C pos or even HIV. It's hard to imaginge how you would be a risk to your patients if you follow universal precautions, which is something every nurse should do with every patient. good luck.

I have been told that UNC NICU has the highest turnover rate in the hospital. While I can't say for sure if this is true, I do know they go through alot of staff.

How did I miss that first thread. I would like to add that I have never heard anyone talk about a female patients attributes in a sexual way on our floor, but if one of the female nurses has a male patient that has been blessed, everyone knows it within the hour. Kinda makes me think that poster might want to rethink her veiws about who can't turn it off. As for the chest hair thread, I see both the humor and hypocrasy.

"unless there is some kind of personality conflict between patient and caregiver, or if a female patient prefers a female caregiver as opposed to a male," (puts on asbestos suit and climbs on soapbox) i'm sorry but this attitude should be done away with. if male patients insisted on only male nurses they would most often be out of luck. i don't see any reason that women should be catered to in this fashion. if i ever need a foley placed in me or to have my backside wiped, then i will be thrilled to have a careing competent nurse whether it is a male or female. i put up with this crap and yes it is crap when i did my ob rotation. every woman was asked if it was ok for a male student to come in the room. i have never heard of men being asked if it was ok for a female nurses to care for them. if people want to pick and choose their caregivers then they should arange and pay for it themselves. (climbs down from soapbox but leaves asbestos suit on)

For me if it is a foley that will be in for an indefinate period of time then it is sterile technique. For an in and out cath, clean technique is fine.

Considered by many to be the worst hospital in the country. Nothing would make me consider working there.

We do all that including Flolan (except for vents) right down the street at UNC Hospital 6 Bedtower. We also are the infectious disease unit. Where did you get the idea that Duke was the only place on the east coast to receive Flolan? While Flolan does have it's own unique protocols I can't beleive it is that rare on the east coast.

The problem that you will encounter is that I have never heard of anyone getting a straight answer from the BON. They wan't you to go through school and then they will decide whether or not to liscence you. While I would certainly try to get them to give a definitive answer, I would be suprised if you get one.

To me it seems cruel not to use the basal dose. In theory the basal dose should be set at the minimum for effective pain control and the on demand should be used for breakthrough pain only. Setting a patient up where they will be in agony every time they wake up is just wrong. I have never had a PCA without a basal rate on any of my patients and would be all over a doc who tried to order it that way. Perhaps your docs need to be patients sometime?

Number of lives saved by physicians each year=countless number of lives saved by guns each year=maybe a few

I have to dissagree. At my hospital the uninsured are given the best care that the hospital has to offer. There is no test from labs to MRI's that they don't get. We have social workers crawling all over the place telling patients not to worry about ability to pay. Home health, transportation, dialysis, most medications, meals for family members visiting them in the hospital, and just about anything else you can think of is made available to those who can't pay. Our hospital provided approximately 1.3 billion dollars in care last year, 633 million was paid for by patients and their insureres. Who paid the rest? thats right the goverment in the form of medicaid. I still have yet to see any difference in care except for maybe more services offered to those who can't pay.

I for one am sick of hearing about the uninsured. Who are these people that don't have access to healthcare? I spend my nights taking care of those without health insurance, and they get the same treatment as those who have it. It seems to me that the media would have a nonstop parade of people turned away from the hospital if they existed. Perhaps they don't? As to the theory that our system doesn't treat people until they are really sick, please note the ER full of minor ailments such as runny nose, diarreha x1 day, and the oh so common abd pain unspecified. Everyone in this country has adequate health care regardless of ability to pay.

I just heard a rumor that new grad pay starting in Jan. will be more than some of the nurses already working at my hospital are paid. Has anyone encountered this before? I don't understand why management would do this, we don't have a nursing shortage in this area but stuff like this may cause one. :angryfire

To me professionalism is doing your own class asignments.

The official name is "Those JAY-CO &^%tards"

I would like to add that one of the biggest things facilities are looking for during a probationary period is how many times you call out of work.

I guess I am lucky. Every CNA on my floor is EXCELENT!!!!

If someone posted that their husband had just spent years and thousands getting a degree and then decided that he didn't want to work, then I think the reactions might be a little different. To the OP, I think you should think about your reasons for becoming a nurse and see if they still apply. If they do then you should work at least a little while or you will regret it. There are a variety of schedules available so you won't miss your children growing up. Before you decide not to work please investigate how long you can wait before a refresher course is required so won't be suprised down the road.

If someone is in the hospice system than I can't imagine why anyone would care how much pain meds they want. If having 6 months or less to live isn't a good reason to be heavily medicated all the time even to the point of being a little high, than what is?