lorelei1973

I work in a state psychiatric hospital and would not want to work anywhere else. I don't do butt-wiping or brief changing, showering, dressing, feeding, etc. The therapeutic difference I make is interacting with the chronically mentally ill, and I ...

It sounds like they're really not used to efficiency or having an employee who does what they would most prefer not to happen, which is to drive them. Good grief, time to have a conversation with the principles. You can do your work and circles aro...

My comment is very basic: Don't leave your current job until you've secured a new one. Don't fall prey to the "Grass is Greener" syndrome. I would suggest that you decide what makes you unhappy about your current hospital. If it's ICU work, then ...

That's a scam bordering on extortion. Better to be collecting unemployment pounding the pavement and sending out resumes than submitting to such an insult. In the end, you're essentially paying them. I'm floored that anyone (other than maybe someo...

Incident reports are not optional where I work, and they're done electronically. Because so many of our nurses and staff are semi-literate (at best) when it comes to computers, we lobbied to get a desktop icon that leads the user straight to the for...

I wouldn't take it. I'd call them back and say that you feel like you were mislead into thinking you would be receiving $17/hr. and that you cannot afford to work at that wage (because, really can you? Doesn't seem so when factoring in childcare and...

Good for you for finding this out. Now what? I would call or write your local state agency responsible for enforcement, but frame this as a question first (are they in violation and how so? May I have your name and title?) so you get the ground ru...

There are no federal laws regarding breaks and meal periods, so you will have to find out what your state law says and/or what your company's employee handbook says. Even if you are entitled to breaks under state law, they do not have to be paid. A...

Without getting into too much detail, she had an arrest for DUI which was pretty bad, and had been in the nurse monitoring program on and off for years, so she was on the chopping block until the union intervened and got her back with a Last Chance A...

As horrifying as this crime was, this patient is a human, albeit of the Hannibal Lecter variety (psychiatrist? VERY creepy). If you work with the criminal psych population you have to be very detached from the circumstances that brought them to you....

I work in a psych hospital with the criminally insane and all the patients know our first and last names. Some have internet privileges and can easily look us up, no matter how private we try to keep our identity. People with Axis II diagnoses in ...

So true, so true.

First of all, get a copy of the old policy and the new policy. Analyze the differences for possible reasons for the change. Not blowing my horn here, but I just got someone out of predismissal for attendance issues. In the past she had big probl...

I don't know where you live or what the laws are in your state, nor whether you belong to a union. If you're in a "right to work" state, you can be dismissed just like that. If you are represented by a union, you have a collective bargaining agreem...

I know several RN's at my hospital who do 2 16s and an 8 and LOVE IT and wouldn't trade it for anything. The idea of having 4 days off in their opinion is well worth the long hours on workdays. But ultimately it comes down to what you can handle. ...

If you are out 3 days, your employer is obligated to inform you of your rights under the Family Medical Leave Act, as well as any similar state provisions. They may (will, most likely) require that your doctor fill out paperwork certifying that your...

The basics are the same no matter how the client is positioned. So you do the knock, wash, intro/explain, gather supplies, curtain, lock wheels if they're in bed. If your skill is foot care, chances are they'll be in a chair (that's how we were ins...

I would absolutely mention your experiences with hospice and family members. Anything to demonstrate your passion for helping those who can't help themselves. There is a reason why you became a CNA. What I would recommend doing is writing the reas...

Without knowing more about this class, I don't think it's a bad idea if what you want to do is be a unit clerk, but if you have basic clerical and computer skills and medical terminology, you may not need it. I was a unit clerk for 5 years and had n...

I suspect all states vary in what they look at as a possible bar to certification as a nursing assistant. In my state (OR) there are certain offenses which, no matter how long ago they happened, will prevent someone from licensure. Anything related...

The poster who advised you to ask the evaluators to clarify is correct. Probably he/she will tell you exactly what they expect you to do. If they don't, it is absolutely a good idea to ask any questions in advance of a skill before beginning. This...

If you have to do any sort of electronic charting, 40 wpm should be fine. I work in a hospital that is just beginning to transition to electronic charting, and more than half of the nurses (RNs & LPNs) cannot type at all. This is not part of a ...

Maybe that's a gender thing, dunno. It's logical to expect that if you expend the same or less energy at your worksite as you might at home, you should be equally as tired. Not true, at least not for me. I worked a double yesterday, and my second ...

Yeah, short and sweet. Say, thanks XYZ but I think I have found a better fit. No explanation necessary. It's your life, it's their drama. Leave it behind and move on. Absolutely no reason to feel guilty. They wouldn't have to beg if they knew h...

So you were on your own without a regular CNA from the facility helping and overseeing? That makes no sense from both a practical and a liability stance. The facility is negligent for putting two students in a situation with a patient like this wit...