mmccool719

LOL, "off kilter" is an understand. The pay is excellent and I love my case and co-workers - which makes it hard because I feel literally sick knowing what I know and not being able to do anything about it unless I want to get fired.

It’s not agency. I’m directly hired by the family. Some Nurses were suspicious and unplugging the “WiFi extender”. The doctor who installed and monitors actually came in and duct taped the plug to the wall and made a label saying “do not unplug” and another label on the box saying “WiFi extender”. That it is, but it also strongly enhanced the signal so it picks up EVERYTHING, even whispered convo. His excuse for recording is he is gathering evidence to record a certain nurse in order to fire her. But this has been said since last Summer so I’m guessing there’s more to this. The idea that this doctor watches/listens is rather creepy. And yes, he has the time to do so.

When you say ONE party consent......would that means one of the two parties whose conversation is being recorded would have to consent? That’s how I interpreted it. None of us consent to this.

Thanks for justifying what I was feeling. Part of me was like.....“just suck it up. If you’re doing your job, you shouldn’t worry”. Which is true but from what I understand in Ohio, the person being recorded needs to consent or signs must be posted telling us about audio. Thing is, if I speak up, they’ll show me the door.

Hi. If there is a better board to post this to, let me know. I do private duty in a private home for a man in a vegetative state. I’ve always known there are cameras throughout the home. They’ve recently added WiFi booster boxes which not only enhance the video, but also added/enhanced audio which can be heard throughout the home, even our break area. I only know because the head nurse is a friend. They have not officially told anyone they’re being audio recorded and all conversation in all parts of home are now recorded and monitored. Again, video I understands, cameras are in plain view. How would other nurses feel knowing everything they say is now being recorded with the employer telling you?

Good question. It’s a very unusual and sad situation in a private house. Stage 7 Alzheimer’s, which is pretty much vegetative. Pt splits time between hospital bed, recliner and sand bed per the family wishes. The wound nurse who visits says we should still be turning every 2 hours in sand bed. Good idea about Clinitron. Thanks.

Home health nurse caring for elderly man with stage 2 and 3 ulcers on buttock and sacrum. He is in a Clinitron sand bed for about 4-5 hours per day. Is it necessary to do every 2 hour turns? Getting mixed answers from co-workers. Any trusted website I could use as reference? Thank you!

Yes. Family member is POA.

I recently started a private duty job for an affluent 91 year old total care, advanced dementia, stage 3 bedsore from hospital stay, persistent pneumonia, non responsive, non ambulatory, vegetative, pitting edema all over. Now receiving NT suctioning 2-3 times per day, up and down in lift 4-5 times per day to recliner for various therapies-PT, massage, manicures. legal paperwork apparently calls for full code/all measures to preserve life. I cannot imagine this is a good quality of life. During the last hospital stay, ethics got involved as he was a full code on a vent and near death at the time. But we are expected to carry out all therapies to keep patient alive. The care supports many jobs as there is full house staff, 24 nursing care. The more I see how uncomfortable this all seems for the patient, the more morally conflicted I become as a nurse. It just 1-2 times per week side work for me. I’m curious what other nurses would feel if they worked in an environment like this. I knew what I signed up for but am now seeing how awful all of this aggressive treatment is for him.

I just passed using an iPhone app for $6.99. It is called CPHN Exam Prep. TONS of questions.

I got lucky enough to get hired as a palliative care RN in an ambulatory outpatient setting. I like it because we are treating patients who are still hoping for a cure from cancer. Sometimes, they "graduate" and sometimes we gently guide them towards hospice. I do a lot of telephone triage and clinic just 1 day per week. I do miss hands on patient care as most of my days are spent on the phone with either patients, pharmacies or insurance companies. I love the autonomy of the job and really having the time to spend just listening to a patient. Palliative care in the inpatient/outpatient setting is not widely accepted just yet. However, when a patient is referred over to us, we often see an increase in quality of life and less hospitalizations.

I am in the process of interviewing for a RN position in an ambulatory setting, two days a week. As I weigh out the pros and cons of the position, the biggest CON is the physician I would be working along side of. She is excellent at what she does but she is......mean. I know it because I've seen it first hand when she rounded on my patient on a nursing division. She didn't like something she saw so she really laid in to me about it in a nasty way. The nurses who currently work with her in this clinic confirmed my suspicions. So my question is.....would you work for a mean doctor?

I recently started working at an inner city hospital that happens to also be very gang ridden. They recently opened a trauma center and I happen to work there very regularly. This morning, someone stood outside and shot a bullet towards our windows. Thankfully, no one was hurt. But just to think if I or one of my co-workers had been standing in that room sent chills down my spine. On another note, I find security at many of these hospitals parking garages to be awful. I am always fearful of getting jumped when I go to my car and it's not always easy to find a "buddy" to leave with.

I am in Ohio. I just don't get it.....why nurses have to be like that. In the last 2 staff huddles I've listened in on.....it's all lectures about being kind/supportive to each other....like school children! Really? These are grown adults here! As for asking for help, I play the role that the person I am asking is so smart and I am so thankful for their help....gotta eat crow a little bit. I think it's all in how you ask for help. If they catch any whiff of attitude, you are in trouble. Well, hope you are surviving it ok. Another thing I learned, first person I go see is the charge nurse. I tell them very nicely I am "brand new" and I can use all the help I can get. That usually works well too.

This sounds a lot like where I work. What state are you in? I got 2 days of orientation to a HUGE hospital where I float among at least 15 nursing units from oncology to cardiac to trauma. Crazy! I was also totally new to the state so the culture and laws vary slightly. I am going in to my third month and if it weren't for the awesome co-workers, I'd be screwed. I learned to just sign up for 8 hours at a time. Some days I am just in survival mode.....i.e. med pass and patient safety. It does get better as time goes on. No questions are dumb, trust me. Nurses love teaching newbies (for the most part).

I worked there for 5 years. In my opinion, I was a new nurse and got an awesome foundation. They do a really great job of training new nurses. Communication is great, nurse educators are great. I cannot say enough great things about that place. The upper management tries to be innovative. I have since moved on to another hospital.....one of the top 5 in the country actually and I still think that even though my new place of work is bigger, they are not really better. The quality of nursing at Mission is FAR superior than what I see now. Downside is mostly geographical......Asheville can be expensive and the pay at Mission is tough. One other thing is that you do not start IVs, do EKGs, monitor your own telemetry or draw labs so those skills are pretty much lost at Mission. I think I was around $24 on days and $28 on nights. It may be a dollar or so more now. Good luck.

I work per diem for a staffing agency. They placed me in an assignment for 2 weeks in October at a large hospital. It happened to be a hospital I had applied to twice with no reply. I was able to connect with the right people and got hired on there. I have recently worked a few shifts doing the same job the agency sent me to back in October. Now the agency just called and wanted to know the hours I worked. I have no clue how they even knew I worked the same job and am I obligated to them at all( since they landed me the work here originally)? I have nothing in writing in the way of a contract with them.

Yep, neuro floors have the same theme everywhere it sounds like......we are a dumping ground. Someone once told me "if you can work neuro, you can work anywhere". Enjoy your experience, you will learn so much on a neuro floor that you will take with you wherever you land.

First day as an agency nurse and wanted to share some highlights.........literally got thrown in the mix of a haphazard facility which was grossly understaffed and undergoing some big management problems. The charting system was all paper for agency nurses. There have been some major medication errors recently at this facility - sending 3 patients to higher levels of care. They have a very poor system for charting orders and med passes - huge risk for errors. Agency cannot access computers therefore cannot see lab results, vital trends. They wanted to train me for just 4 hours and then put me in charge of a 12 bed floor which luckily I was able to fly under the radar and stay with another RN for the whole day. I was also told I am very underpaid by the agency I am with by another agency nurse. So, in these types of facilities with MAJOR safety issues, what do I need to do to keep myself and my license out of trouble? I'm afraid if I say I won't go back, my hours will be limited because this is a larger client for the agency.

Just signed on PRN with agency, they said they cover me if I am at fault in an error, etc. However, should I still cover myself and get a policy anyway?

Never hurts to interview!!!!

I am considering signing on with a nationally known staffing agency mostly because I want to control my own schedule, prn work and job diversity as I am new to the area and want to explore what is out there. But, the recruiter kept saying LTAC like over and over and over, really pushing LTAC. I have the experience for it but I am worried I will sign on and just get sent to LTAC. So, my question for other agency nurses, are you finding yourself going to LTAC a lot lately and if so, how is it?

Hi out there fellow nurses! I am an RN with 5 years experience Neurosciences on an adult med-surg step down floor in NC. I anticipate moving with my family to the Cleveland, Ohio area within the next 6 months, hopeful to live in the Broadview Heights/Brecksville area. I sure would appreciate some guidance as to what hospitals to apply for work. I am full time days, would consider hospice or gero-psych/geriatrics, perhaps even home health hospice or VA. Just not crazy about driving downtown to work!! Salary range? Thanks in advance.

Hi all. I am in the beginning stages of looking for work as an RN in the Cleveland, Ohio area. I have been a floor nurse (4 years) on a neuro step down unit, which I enjoy, and would like to continue in this specialty. Can someone please guide me which hospital system to apply to in Cleveland? I will have my BSN by the time I relocate. I am quite proud of the hospital I come from and I really cannot say one bad thing about them (except maybe kinda low pay for how hard my unit is). Your thoughts are most appreciated.

Hi. I have been an RN on a Neuro Step Down floor for 4 years now. I am exploring career options and got a call to interview for a 24 hour (part time) per week for a home health RN position. Could someone out there educate me what to ask and what should I expect in this line of work? Is the pay similar to floor nursing in a major hospital? I'd like to eventually get in to home health hospice so I am hoping this would be a step in the right direction.