izeofblu1973

I am an RN, and I have heard this before from non-health care professionals. I always tell them that I have learned many things from LPNs. I tell them there is no difference except a few things the law says they can't do like start abx, run blood, push meds. But I have found that you do most of your learning on the job and many experienced LPNs know a lot more than some RNs. I am sorry that some people are ignorant on the subject and don't have the respect you deserve, but remember that other healthcare professionals do know how much you are worth. Plus, RNs are asked why they didn't become doctors instead. lol. I think most people are ignorant to what any nurse does. They think we work under doctors, still, instead of beside them. They are not our bosses but co-workers.

I am VERY shocked by a couple of the responses. Depression is an illness, it is a chemical imbalance in the brain. It is no different than thyroid disease or kidney disease. It really shows ignorance and lack of compassion to tell a clinically depressed person to just get over it. I can only hope that that person isnt in the medical field. I hope that the original poster seeks help and gets back to her beloved field of nursing. We all have times where we question our skills and abilities and feel inadequate. Those that don't need to find another career. I hope you do well and thrive and I hope those that don't have any compassion to someone that is in pain and asking for advice get out of the medical field. They are the ones that dont belong and should be questioning their abilities.

I am just curious to see if the nay sayers of FM also agree that PMS and migraines are also fake? They cannot be proven and are based on the sufferer's account for a diagnosis.

I agree with what everyone posted here, 4 hours on a backboard is ridiculous! I do realize this is not the case here, but I would like to add that many people see nurses sitting at their stations (maybe even talking or joking around) and dont realize that there is nothing left for them to do or that they are looking up lab work or waiting for test results. There is a flow the the ER, you come in, see the triage nurse, see your nurse, get some tests done, wait for the doctor, while you are waiting for the tests to come back and the doctor to see you, there is nothing more for the nurse to do. She will check your vitals regularly and answer your question and such but dont think that she is neglecting patients, there may be an unusual break in her day. :) and I also agree that the other nurses that you see that are not yours, do not know what is going on with you , generally. Every nurse cannot know what is going on with every patient. Of course if you are asked to help and are able to , you do, but those nurses yu saw probably did not know you were on a backboard for 4 hours. Please dont generalize and blame us all. P.S. I am sorry that yu were treated badly, however, I am glad that were alright :)

In my experience there are 3 kinds of difficult families: 1.) the kind that feel they are not being heard (Mostly these people just want to be listened to and their concerns adressed, I listen quietly and answer what i can and get answers for those i cant. It is unfortunate , but sometimes families are not being listened to and thier concerns are treated as not important) 2.) the kind that have guilt about placing them in a long term care home or guilty about not being able to care for them due to caregivers fatigue, busy schedule,etc. (whether justifiable or not) they feel that if they yell and complain it shows they care and makes them feel like they are doing something. 3.) the kind that just dont know what they are talking about and think that they do. they like to complain and there is nothing you can ever do to satisfy them. it is best to just muttle through and be professional , give the best care you can (as usual) , and let it go when your prayers are answered and they are discharged lol. each one of these are still family members and deserve to have their concerns addressed, but not at the expense of your other patients. I would also inform the family that the pt requested pain medicine and although you understand their concerns, HE is the pt and if he requests pain medicine and it is not harmful to him and he is competent then it will be given to him. if they would like for him not receive it, then they should speak to him about not requesting it. sometimes you have to be an advocate for your pt even with family members. if they want him in pain , then too bad! (dont tell them that , though lol). i hope you are able to let it go and know that you did exactly what you should have. :)

I think that their are some parallels, such as in both careers you are an advocate for the patient or client. (just dont tell the doctors you were an attorney, JK lol). You are there to protect the rights of the patient and to see they are getting the care they deserve. You will have to give up time with family in the meantime, while going to school. Nursing school is different than regular school ( I have a degree in psych as well), and I think that it was good advice to get a job as a tech first to see if you will enjoy it. There are a lot of fallacies about nursing that are widely accepted, like you come home everyday feeling as though you made a difference and its always rewarding. sometimes its not and its frustrating and you are abused by patients and family and its hard. Im not trying to talk you out of it, but just trying to make you aware of some of the down sides. I hope you come join us in an overall rewarding career and I hope it gives you what you are looking for. Good Luck and if there is anything I can do to help, let me know. I have heard that a patent attorney is a highly sought after lawyer (and you if you already have a bachelors in science , you just need 3 more years) and they are paid well. I have been thinking about that myself. So those of you thinking about getting JP, its something to look in to. What do the attorneys reading this think?

hmaried, I hope youre kidding. Im sure you are, but if you arent that is disgusting and abusive. If someone really did do that , they should have their license pulled and possibly jailed for assault. I know we all need to vent and I too have a warped sense of humor, but you make it sound like you are serious and that you punctured that mans skin for punishment over and over.

patient care tech for the experience, but i was a security guard while i went to school. I had to support myself and had to work full time, so i picked a job that i could do my homework and study at, worked out great!

I was there when 4 new nurses came in and introduced themselves and was there for 2 oftheir full shifts. one looked at his wound, (only assessment done). I think the one answer is the closest, when I ask a question or make a suggestion , they think Im critisizing. I try to say it in a nice way, like "do you think he needs an IS?" "Im just worried that atelectesis may be creeping up, could we take him for a walk?" after I was told that a pulse of 114 was normal. i think one nurse tells the next nurse in report that a pain in the ass nurse is in there and I start with a predjudiced opinion before they even walk in and they try to avoid. I always made sure I explained everything to family members that were health care providers and if they had a suggestion , I would say sure we could try that or give a reason why I dont think its helpful. They found out I ws a nurse when I went in yesterday morning and asked if I could have the stuff to clean him up at 0930 (hes shy anyway and didnt want somone else doing it) then when he went xray I asked if I could have nedding (at around 1100 -noon) because it might be easier to change it while he was gone (it was really dirty) and I know how busy they are. The tech was nice and loved me! (she isnt intimidated by another nurse asking questions). I cant sleep and Im worried, I think Im gonna head back up ther now even though it 0615 now. Thanks for the kind words, I know that I will bring this back with me to my practice and always remember how it feels so I can make sure I dont treat another family memebr/ health care worker like this.

I have worked as an Rn im the Ed and knwo that family members can be pains in the asses and I also know that most nurses try and avoid that room like the plague, so that is why I am trying to be polite and inviting. I do not enjoy confrontations and try to avoid them, I believe he is gonna be D/C's tomorrow (if he doesnt end up with PNA, DVT, MRSA, etc.) and I am gonna be sure to go up as early as possible to make sure he is alright. I am going back and forth on telling the charge nurse ro just letting it go. If he is let go tomorrow and I make sure that everything is done for him, I wont worry about him, but what about the rest of the pts? I dont think they will change their policies just because of me, but maybe I can find a way to inform the hospital without naming names (including my own), so that I dont have to deal with the headache. Thank you , I was wondering if I was going insane and over-reacting because it was my family member and that is the way I was taught. Please say a prayer that he is alright and gets those lungs open tonight! :)

I have a 41 year old male family member that had a laminoplasty on C3, 4, 5 6 ON 2/14 for spinal stenosis that presented aas gate disturbance BLE weakness and L thumb numbness. He was under anesthesia for over 3 hours, and needed 2 hours in the PACU to recover until going to his room at a big heart hospital, he went to a "heart and lung floor". The frist thing I asked the nurse is if he should have an incentive spiramoeter, she said nah, we dont give them to our lami pts, just heat and lung pts. Uhm , correct me if Im wrong , but its to prevernt atelectesis, from anesthia, it doesnt matter what kind of surgery. The fact that he was under for a while is what is relevent, correct? Ok so I taught him some deep breath and cough after the nurse wouldnt give me one. Then (he is overweight and dont forget hasnt been walking that much pre-op due to gate disturbance) he has the sleeves for the SCD'd on his calfs , but no machine! The nurse said she would get it, I go home an dwhen i come back in the morning, guess what? He has been sitting in the sleeves all night, with no machine! the day nurse gets one for him. I have been polite, freindly, even bought the staff choclates. Now he has only walked once today with PT. , he has a lot of pain and gets IV Morphine and PO Norco, he sleeps most of the day. They havent given him fluids since right after post -op, so I have been pushing fluids on him, as much as he can. Im getting ready to leave and they come to do his VS, BP was good, P-114, T-37.2 (it has been 36.4 all day). I tell the nurse (since the tech did not inform her) and she says , oh thats normal! I told her I was worried about atelectesis creeping up and I would like for him to get up and walk. she does take him for a walk (Iwas polite, but I did not want to be). I left shortly after that and told him to make sure to do deep breath and cough and to keep drinking as much as he can. Am I crazy to be worried about leaving him there??? Am i over-reacting? I realize its not time to go grab the defibulator, but to do nothing? and say its normal? Am i wrong to expect them to try and avoid illness, and I was there 10 hours yesterday and 12 today and not ONCE have I seen anyone listen to his lungs or heart or BS. only one nurse looked at his bandage. He did not urinate for 12 hours and they didnt even know! they dont do I' and O's, they dont even ask him if hes gone. Please be nice and gentle if you think Im acting crazy, but please tell me. thanks

i had surgery last year and used my FMLA for the year(12 weeks a year). I would have been eligible about a week after they fired me and the 12 weeks FMLA protection would have started again, but they were smart and fired me right before I was eligible again.

I have jusy hurt my neck at work and I am in constant pain. It was very hard for my to accept that there are certain nursing positions I may never be able to do again ( I love the ED) . I still cry every time I think about it, Im starting right now. But I know that I will be able to do some part of nursing, like psych, nursing manager at a LT facility, maybe dialysis, in a doctors office and the list goes on and on. You may not be able to do bedside nursing , but if you really want to be a nurse , dont count it out. There are so many different positions in nursing and you can do it, if you want to. If you have all ready made up your mind and that is what you know is right for you, then I hope you find something you love just as much. Every nursing student that I went to school with was a great student and Im sure you would be one too. Good luck and I hope to find out that you decided to do something that makes you happy.

Thanks for the info and good luck on your recovery. great job!

well thank you for clarifying. So would you think that someone who is early in the recovery process might want to wait until later to become a nurse or a bartender or a pharmacist? Like I said im sure it can be done and has been done all the time, just wondering what the limitations would be. Thanks for the info.