CASTLEGATES

Their first impression will be when you walk into their office, and it's nursing not HR you need to impress to get hired (unless you're new to the field and can't read people terribly well). Rather than doing all the things suggested by a brand new nurse, change your name on your social media accounts to a nickname. Case closed. No HR at any hospitals Ive worked at have made any hiring decisions based on a FB account. (it was a new nurse that wrote the article, most likely reading articles online versus interviewing the hiring deciders themselves--none of it mentions anything about actual hiring decisions, so I don't see any real valid points).

ok so i have to write a report about the career field i want to go into and im supposed to intervew a professional, experienced nurse. well since i don't personally know any, and i figured i can't just walk into a hospital, grab a nurse and start an interview with him/her, i figured why not turn to allnurses.com! anyways i need you to answer as many of the following questions as possible. i really would appreciate it :heartbeat thank you in advance (1) how important is writing in this profession? it's paramount if you plan on being respected and successful. (2) how often do you write a day, a week? about 100+ paragraphs per shift. (3) for what occasions do you write? notes, care plans, notes to physicians, surveys, reports, reviews, evaluations, classes, etc. (4) who do you write to? patients, physicians, supervisors (reports, etc), other staff, patient notes. (5) do you write and/or give presentations? both; classes are given in written format backed by the presentation so the content is understood by administration and stakeholders. (6) how important is it that the writing be clear and correct for this profession? grade school should take care of spelling and grammar (save the occasional error). continued communication errors are unacceptable in this profession. typically when staff encounter poor communication skills “go back to grade school” (and similar) comments are common (often out of earshot). remember, this is not a high school issue; it’s a grade school issue. holding a degree and license in charge of the lives of others when one can’t be bothered to master their native tongue is inexcusable. (7) does clear organization in writing matter in this profession? it is important to make your point and be succinct. errors are common with individuals who have difficulty communicating precisely what is intended. miscommunication costs lives; many (literally). (8) are high school and college english courses essential for this career? grade school english should suffice (if the student is paying attention). basic grammar and spelling are covered in grade school and are perfected thereafter. why do you or don’t you think so? in career ads, you will see "excellent communication skills are a must." this is typically code for " can you read and write the native language of the land? if english is your native language, it is inexcusable not to be able to master your own tongue (especially since most americans are uni-lingual). (9) do you do research? rarely, yes. (10) do you have to write performance reviews? yes. (11) if so, is it important these are written well? it's expected why? if this is not the case, the supervisory position held is undeserved. how would you like your career to be judged by someone who couldn't spell? errors are common, especially in haste (which is understandable). you never want errors on employee reviews, patient records or hospital records. errors are ridiculed in court and continued errors often discredit the author even going as far as accusing them of incompetency. poor communication it is not a disability, it is a choice. effective communication says volumes about who we are. i never hire people who cannot bother to master their own language, especially if that’s the only language they use for a couple decades. i do make exceptions if they are foreign born, still motivated to learn the language and intelligent. i take it the person who wrote the questions has a pet peeve about communication issues. i have noticed in my new geographic location that communication is lacking which immediately gave me a low opinion of the area. also in addition to that any kind of advice about preparing for nursing in general would also help round out the report. thanks a million! :)

You can offer a hair sample for drug testing if they ask. Offer it at your expense. Makes a good defense if they claim you were eating them. I know one nurse barred from giving meds then canned in the past but no licensing issues. I never mess with narc documentation. That's the kiss of death; just suspicion could get odd write ups in order to get you removed if you accumulate enough and they can't pin anything else on you. I'd go with voluntary hair sample and give that to the DEA when they come.

Utilize

We've got tons who can't spell, either. I don't understand how they get through a university if they can't spell basic words!

There's also the phenomenon where the same consistent dose begins to illicit withdrawals unless the dose is increased. My brain is lacking the term at the moment but it's seen with many opiates. Here's an article on dispositional tolerance-maybe that's it. One does not take into effect the liver exercising and metabolizing it more rapidly as it gets used to being hit with opiates over time (which is why some can pop 20 percocets and not die while a non chronic user, the acetaminophen would kill them-their liver gets accustomed to breaking down acetaminophen). http://www.toxicologyassociates.com/UNDERSTANDING%20OPIATE%20TOLERANCE.htm

Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text Alcoholics Anonymous "Big Book" Gorsky-anything he's written regarding relapse prevention Staying Sober Living Sober Codependent no more

My opinion doesn't matter since it's a federal program (too big for me to change so acceptance is easier for me). It's a harm-reduction treatment for chronic relapsers. 1. it wakes up the "monster" and may promote drug seeking 2. on the other hand it may prevent drug seeking. individual experiences very so much that all opinions are spot on )

One thing I've seen with an upswing is the resentment for "therapeutic communication" ...You know that mirroring that came out in the 80's that angers intelligent people "I hear you saying...." Validating, so to speak. I've had a couple dozen say "If they do that crap on me again, I'll snap"! If you've ever gone to a marriage counselor, shrink or therapist, it does irk you and feels demeaning like you're a psych case and they're not REALLY listening. Hey, I did it, too-it's how I was taught! What PNCC2001 said above; these are people! You don't pull that crud on your family when they've got challenges. I listen to them, say "That makes sense" or wrap it up in a gist statement using whatever relaxed communication skills I have (I use humor and slang-whatever it takes to get them to smile) as long as they know I "get it" they'll open up more. I also say "I can relate to that a lot." I also ALWAYS tell them they're a good person with lots of potential and this is just a gas station for a refill or an initial fill up but the road test is once they get home. We give them the tools they need but they need to bring them in their belt and learn how to use them. As long as they get the point you heard them and are genuinely interested. I never parrot what they just said saying it again. I never forget they're my neighbors and related to me given enough genealogy. It's never them and me, it's we as a community trying to help others move up and make our community stronger. We've all got to live, drive and work together at some point! just my two rusty cents )

One point; I've gotten many jobs because I asked for the interview; ask to get in there and interview and acknowledge they may have already had a decision or a preference. Many have better offers or no shows and they just might like you better in person than on paper. Tell them you're recovery friendly and how you get along with others. Most are full of dysfunction so accenting your stabilizing factors is good. I can count several staff on board who also asked just for a quickie interview and are working there. You never know what's meant to be till you do the footwork and see. I'd ask to talk to the manager (your would be boss) cause they have clout over HR. It can't hurt; costs nothing to see if this is the one for you )

Then you're familiar with addictions! Kudos! The challenge you'd likely face (I'd say) are of codependence, then. Many families are challenged with that. Don't let it skew your judgement and you'll be just fine. We've got lots of staff who love addicts because of being family and they've come around to making healthy decisions. Same goes for those in recovery; setting limitations, etc are key. It takes time. If you've gone to meetings and you "get" the winning by losing concept and letting things go, you've got most of it. I find I can apply any part of the 12 steps to any part of my life including work. I stress about staff who got fired, staff writing each other up but as a whole it's not MY problem and I'm just doing the next right thing and I need to be reminded "when in doubt, do nothing." I guess that doesn't count for prescribing, though (hahaha)! When in doubt, call your doc ) Communication and preventing staff splitting seem to be the major challenges (and those in recovery who are insane and not working their program for healthy decisions). Imagine your family members affected when you're treating. They're human and they've been robbed of their coping skills. One point; you can't disgnose in the middle of PAWS since some will present with schiz and bipolar when it's judt acute decompensation with someone who's got no skin and no coping substances. Crutches like trazodone, etc help depending on how long your program lasts...that's my 2 cents! I love the field and the chaos...staff are sick in every place I've been to but acceptance is key...stick on their side and they won't forget it. Betrayal or thoughts of betrayal to staff working in addictions can cause lots of dysfunction. blah blah blah )

nursing rotations would kill you if you've got issues since all rotations including code brown need to be done in school

I wouldn't know; I'm highly unethical and immoral. )

I have decades and I agree that's years of experience is BS with this power trip catty game common in this field. Patients name, SS# address, picture and anything else that will anger JCAHO is OK in my book (kidding). Some places put a rolling shade over the board so other patients aren't privy to it and place it in a secured room. I suggest water boarding for those posting years of experience. Newbies after about 2 years are sharper cause they've got the latest stuff out there than what I did during the civil war.

Disregard for the law is a trigger for mental health and society issues (safety). Having said that, there's no assault or murder attempts most are OK but in any case when these questions come up, call the board. The board will be able to tell you now better than what we can recollect when we were being licensed.