groanup

1) Working in pajamas 2) Not getting a ticket when the police pulled me over wearing those same pajamas

20 years ago my hospital had "weekend only" RNs who were paid extra to work every weekend, allowing for full-timers to work every third weekend. It was supposed to be a retention perk. Once the economy tanked they did away with "weekend only" and put us back on every other weekend. That's the way it's been ever since.

I've seen mistakes everywhere I've ever worked. And there is always that fear of becoming a target. So I was looking for a way to delete my post, as the info about me at the end might be recognizable. I don't see a way to do that, so I basically gutted the body of the post.

My favorite is the family member who complains that the patient got sicker since being admitted, as in "He/she was just fine until he/she came to the hospital." I just heard it this morning! So what was his/her chief complaint in the ER? "I feel good"?

I've had a few times over the years that I got a bug for a day or two, usually when a vent hose was disconnected and aimed in my direction, or when someone coughed/ sprayed something nasty. Ever heard of covering your mouth, dear patient? Usually just load up on meds to control fever/ cough/ etc. and head on in - - accrued time off is for vacations or pre- scheduled days off. I figure that if I'm miserable I might as well be at work. ========= ~ : ^ /' ======================================= * * * * > . . .

Charting While Tired... While working nights I once charted that a pt's urine was "clear to auscultation". A co-worker documented someone's stool as "brown and beautiful". We caught these beauties and corrected them. A resident once charted that a dying patient was "CTD". As a student I struggled to describe drainage that was "pus- like" (think "haze- like" vs. "hazy", or "water- like" vs. "watery") and found "purulent" in my Taber's. Oh Happy Day! I found this adorable little link to some "charting bloopers" courtesy of our lovely doctors. It is NOT anything I put up: Medical Charting Bloopers ================ ~ : ^ /' ================================ * * ==============

It's a subacute rehab facility, not an actual hospital. Actually they have 3 facilities in Detroit. Couldn't say if the places are good or bad. Here is a link to their website: http://www.triumph-healthcare.com/locations/detroitMichiganLTACHospital.aspx ================ ~ : ^ /' ====================== * *

So why did you even bring it up? What-- do you think perineal care is "women's work"? =======================

It sounds to me like you'll fit right in. I think however that your enthusiasm may be somewhat tempered once you find yourself in the real world of nursing. Nursing in the next 10 years - Page 4- Nursing for Nurses * * * *

In almost 24 years of nursing I've seen all kinds of predictions for the future. Nurses would form their own companies and contract with hospitals for services. Nurses would bill patients separately for services. Nurses would direct care and the all grunt labor would be done by ancillary staff. The shortage would never end. Nurses would enjoy higher pay, increased autonomy, and more respect. Shortages have come and gone. Nurses' pay has not kept pace with the real cost of living. And who would have said ten years ago that we would be turned into waiters and waitresses, more focused on "customer satisfaction" than on safe care and good outcomes? This post has every opinion across the board. The truth is, no one can say for sure which way things will go, because we still don't have that much- ballyhooed autonomy. I can predict this, and I think I'm right- - patients will continue to get fatter, they and their families will become more demanding, and nurses will be expected to do more with less. Incidentally, all you people demanding the almighty BSN for entry level practice: I have a nursing diploma. I paid my own way, had a house payment and car note and couldn't have afforded another two years of school. Don't talk to me about student loans, Reagan was president and there were no student loans for anyone. Since graduating in 1987 I've worked in many different ICUs- - trauma, cardiac, neurotrauma, closed head injury, open heart, transplant. I currently work one job in an ICU and another on a rapid response team. I am ACLS, TNCC (trauma nursing) and ENPC (emergency pediatrics) certified. I have been in many critical situations and have done all the amazing things that nurses do. I consistently receive high marks from managers, co-workers, patients and their families. At the age of 56 I can generally run circles around many of my colleagues, regardless of their education level. They often ask for my help or advice. An advanced degree is no guarantee of critical thinking, a skill very much needed at the bedside.Can someone please explain to me why not having a BSN all these years is a bad thing? ** * *

Mr. Beattie's comments are so poorly written, I hope he's not giving credit to any of his teachers for his composition skills. If so, he argues against himself.

Then again, check out this article about what happened to a detention officer in Arkansas: http://www.helium.com/items/1869422-hot-jailer-jessie-lunderby-suspended-for-posing-nude-for-playboy Of course, it was Playboy, and I suppose they used her name.

Here is the link to the bill in the U.S. Senate. Unfortunately it's been pigeonholed in a committee and will probably never come out. I wrote an email to both of my state's Senators in support of the bill. One hasn't responded, the other one said, in part, Thank you . . . for contacting me about increased funding for nurse education. I share your view. Huh? Anywho, here's the link. Write to your Senators to get this thing out of committee and onto the Senate floor!!! Bill Text - 111th Congress (2009-2010) - THOMAS (Library of Congress) ========================= *

It doesn't help either when we make excuses for some of the patients, like "Oh, they're just stressed out"-- I worked a unit with patients on LVADs. One A + O x 3 guy kicked a 98-pound female RN to the opposite wall and that was her response. He bought 4-point restraints. A stressed-out jerk is still a jerk. Blaming abusive behavior on alcohol or drugs- - any drunk in a bar who assaults someone- - patron or staff- - will certainly find themselves in a jail cell.

A co-worker told me that she once left a code because while she was doing chest compressions a relative of the patient grabbed her by her hair and yelled "Faster, b**ch!"