StokoRN

Here in mid Florida it is $3.00/hr. Time & a half with 2 hr minimum for call back. It was pretty much the same when I worked in So Fl. "You're never fully dressed without a smile" Annie

Hositals in Fl all have Disaster plans in place that automatically initiate at the start of Hurricane Season. How they arrainge for coverage is different at different facilities. A one hospital where I worked until recenetly the coverage plan was different for different floors. I worked in the ED and they had each emplyee choose to be "pre-storm", "during storm", or "post storm". The "during storm" employees had to arrive at the hosp at the activation of "hurricane warning". These employees brought bedding, food, clothing changes, etc and were confined to the building until local civil defense announced"all clear". My wife worked at the same hospital in SICU. Her manager's approach was that the staff unfortunate enough to be at work when the hospital was "locked down" was stuck thee until "all clear" was announced. The facility where I currently work has staff divided into Team A, and Team B. Each team alternates storms. A comes to the hosp for one storm, B for the next, etc.

I currently work 4 10 hour days in a PACU. I have worked lots of 12 hr shifts in the past & prefer them to any other. The extra time off during the week opens up opportunities to do leisure activities or take classes, etc. I have worked 12s in EDs, PACUs & ICUs. The varying shifts I have worked include 6a-6p, 7a-7p, 11a-11p, noon-mn. My wife has worked in a unit that had 5-5 12 hr shifts. The 12s can be long & tiring, but are well worth it for the extra time off. The miracle is not that I finished, but that I had the courage to start. " Your'e never fully dressed without a smile" Annie

I lived & worked in Ogden. Moved to Florida, my wife is in Nurse Anesthesia School. I still like to read the posts from Utah, but I don't see that many new ones. "You're never fully dressed withot a smile." Annie

I did a travel assignment at Duke University a few years ago. They had 24/7 coverage in PACU. Few cases were scheduled during th over night hours. I also worked in a 385 bed community hospital that had elective schedule on Saturdays. A couple of the surgeons liked to act as if the "off" hours were their own personel time blocks and would do a lot of "elective" surgeries at any time, any day. "Your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore, it'salready overcrowded from your dirty little war. Jesus don't like killin', no matter what's the reason for..." John Prine The miracle is not that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

General surgeons do the inguinal hernias every place I have worked. Unless there is an odd complication, there is no involvement with the urinary track. "Your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore, it's already overcrowded from your dirty little war. Jesus don't like killin', no matter what's the reason for..." John Prine The miracle is not that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

I currently work in a PACU in a central Florida hospital. We are provided light blue scrubs, as are the ACC & OR. However, the rest of the hospital nurses are required to wear all white. I mean ALL WHITE. That includes shoes, socks, warm up jackets etc. Aparently Press Gainey discovered that patients felt nurses belonged in white. The administration unilaterally mandated that nurses, therefore , would change to white so they would convey the proper "professional" image. Just one of the fallouts when a hosp sets policy by p r scores. Other places I have worked have had unit specific colors. Other places have had loose dress codes that allowed any color scrubs, as long as nothing "distastefull" was displayed. I have a hard time figuring out why some hospitals feel that the uniform makes the nurse and therefore affects patient care. I think it really all boils down to a matter of CONTROL. "Your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore, it's already overcrowded from your dirty little war. Jesus don't like killin', no matter what's the reason fore..." John Prine. The miracle is not that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

Milenko 1st, let me say WELCOME to the profession. I'm always glad to see new enthused students & nurses around. Antibiotics given imeadiatly pre op help to prevent infections. The skin is the 1st line of defense against infections and that barrier is compromised during any/all operations. Bone infections are paticularly difficult to treat and, as they say " an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure" Five Rs. Right med Right dose Right route Right patient Right time Also check patients medication allergies. "Your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore, it's already overcrowded from your dirty little war. Jesus don't like killin, no matter what's the reason for..." John Prine The miracle is not that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

Hi; I lived in Ogden, Ut for 2 years while my wife finished her BSN at Weber. Her daughter had good grades and had to try for 3 years to get into Weber's progrom at Utah State in Logan. While we were there, I worked with several medics, phlebotamists, etc who had been trying to get into one of the RN programs for a couple of years. No waiting lists, but many more applicants each year than available slots. One other consideration. A few years ago the Utah legislature changed residency requirements for in state tuition. Now you must live in Utah for 2 full years to get the in state rate. Otherwise, expect to pay 2-3 times the amount residents pay. Good luck

Hi, My wife & I are both nurses. I am currently working in a PACU in Melbourne. I grew up, worked & raised my kids in Lake Worth. My wife is currently in a nurse anesthesia school in MIami. She comes from Utah. I have worked mostly in Fl, but went to school & worked in Rhode Island. Also we have worked in Utah & North Carolina. The miracle is not that I finished, but that I had the courage to start "Your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore, it's already overcrowded from your dirty little war. Jesus don't like killin', no matter what's the reason for....." John Prine

I live in Florida.. I too thought it would be a nice change from staff nursing in PACU & ED. I had 20 years experience at that time. I went to school & became an LMT. I don't regret that move, but I should have researched it better. Jobs in medical & chiropractic offices or not that plentifull and I understand that the pay in those settings is low. Like any venture. opening a day spa or massage therapy office is expensive and establishing a client base is challenging. Home visit massage therapy seems to be the way to go, but you have to be a real go getter, highly motivated and not concerned with marketing yourself. That is actually the way I went, but not very agressive, and I developed a very small client base. Subsequently, I stayed at hospital staffing and "moon-lighted" in my massage practice. I moved to N C and then to Utah and let my lisence lapse. I am now studying so I can get it reinstated. I hope this helps. If you are planning on being, or are already in Florida, please be aware that minimum requirements to graduate from massage school are getting tougher. "Your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore , their already overcrowded from your dirty little war. Jeasus don't like killin, no matter what's the reason for..." John Prine The miracle is not that I finished, but that I had the courage to start.

Back on topic... I was raised and lived most of my life in Lake Worth, Fl, about 60miles north of Miami. I currently live & work in Melbourne on the coast east of Orlando. There is much to enjoy about living in Florida. I really like the warm winters. Beaches & ocean are great. Rivers and the Fl Keys are way cool. Some very good, world class hospitals. And now , for the rest of the story: Low wages Obscenely high housing costs. Non-stop sprawl in many areas that have covered everything beautiful with concrete or asphalt. Major United States cities where Spanish is the preferred language Greed & anger abound. Think carefully before you make such a major move. Maybe get some experience and then come down as a traveller. That wayyour agency pays for transportation & housing while you check out the different areas around the state. The grass is not always greener, you know. "Your flag decal won't get you into heaven any more. It's already overcrowded from your dirty little war. Jesus don't like killin, no matter whats the reason for..." John Prine The miracle is not that I finished, but that I had the courage to begin" JohnBingham

I don't see anything wrong the type pf BP variation that you are describing. 1st: +/- 20 % is a 2(out of possible 2) on the Aldrete Score used to screen pts for discharge from PACU. 2nd: If the patient is stable with those blood presures and is asymptomatic, then what's the problem. 3rd: (goes along with 2 above) If there are no others warning signs, such as tachycardia, restlessness, etc. than the pt sounds stable enough to transport. If there is any doubt in a pts readiness for transfer to floor care, I like to get the anesthesiologist to clear the pt. That gives me an extra support in any discussions with the recieving nurse about the patients stabiliy Many of our patients routinely run "low" blood pressures or heart rates. In an orthopedic setting I would ecpect to see older patients who may be on Beta Blockers, Ca channel blockers that can lower BP or Hr. I might also expect to find well conditioned athletes that would have "abnormal" vital signs. The patients overall condition shouldbe considered. "your flag decal won't get you into heaven ,anymore. They're already over crowded from your dirty little war. Jeasus don't like killin, no matter whatthe reason for..." John Prine

I think your next move will be dictated by how much you like & want that house. Most of Florida is a "seller's market" right now. Prices of houses across the state are constantly & rapidly going up. It is possible that the owner feels that a better price can be gotten if he/she can irritate you enough that you will cancel the contract. If cleaning up the house was a term of the purchase contract, you may need to retain a real estate attorney to help straighten this out. However, if you really like the house and feel your getting a good price on it, you might better off biting the bullet and cleaning it up yourself. The longer you delay in purchasing a house, the more the median home prices will go up. Time is on the side of the seller.

How the times do change ! Many years ago, when I worked in ICUs, Demerol was a very commonly used drug. I do not recall there being so many problems with it. Most of our patients were relatively short stay. Maybe the were not on it long enough to develop toxicity. A few years ago I worked in a PACU in a large university hospital. There, Demerol was reserved for the treatment of severe post anesthesia shivering. Fentanyl was the drug of choice for post op pain management . The pharmacist there said that Demerol was off formulary due to it's neuro-toxicity, high addiction rate, and the fact that there were several more effective & safer narcotic analgesics. Recently, I have worked in EDs & PACUs in a community hospital setting. It appears to me that Demerol is fairly popular in the ED and less so in the PACU. One of the rationalizations for it's use in the ED is that patients won't be on it long enough to develop toxicity or addiction. I also see patients in the Ed that insist that Demerol is the ONLY drug that works for them. I assume it is due to the "buzz" they get. Incidently, I see a growing trend in ED, & post op hospital pain management to avoid IM injections. The trend is to use IV medications. The feeling is that repeted IM injections is barbaric and causes much more pain than is necessary and that small amounts of IV injections, more often, allows better pain control with smaller doses of narcotics. "The miracle is not that I finished, but that I had the courage to start"

I grew up in Lake Worth, Palm Beach County, and raised my children there. Several years ago, my wife and I traveled, and when we deceided to settle back in Fl, we made a deliberate decision to avoid south east Fl. The reasons? To crowded, to expensive, to angry. I have been employed by or worked agency at many area hospitals. The ones I liked best: Good Samaritan in West Palm, Bethesda Memorial in Boynton. Also had good feelings at St Mary's in West Palm. One thing you might consider , is to take a travel contract to one of the local hospitals. This will provide you with a job, subsidize your housing, and pay you some of your travel expenses. Once there, you can scout out the different hospitals, neighborhoods, etc. Good luck, and welcome.

I don't think that is a valid policy. Our ED went to 12s about 2 years ago and tried to limit shifts in a row to 2. That didn't even come close to working. My currrent schedule is to work night (1800-0600) weekends (Fr-Su) and take 4 days off. A few years ago, when I worked PACU, I also took lots of call and moonlighted in an ED and many times worked many days in a row. While in that ED I worked with a RN whose sched was 1100-2300 7 on and 7 off. He was a good nurse and at times was a little testy but I never saw him as even remotly dangerous. I guess I have a real problem with management trying to solve problems, staffing or other, by making blanket policies. I prefer to see these situations handeled on a case by case basis. Besides, there will be times when the only person willing to cover a sick call will be violating the policy, then what do you do? Work short(er than usual)?

I can't give you any recent news a I have not seen any of these pts in our ED. We see lots of meth,ETOH, and assorted other drugs. However, I know that this has been taking place in one form or another for 30+years. In the "old days" it was common to add Peyote dust, THC, hash or even distill OTC Paragoric to get the opium to add to joints. It seems like the more things change, the more they stay the saom. Good luck on your quest, I will be interested to read what others have to say about this

We hand out cruthches to any pt that needs them, as long as our Docs write the order. We also do crutch training and require return demo from the pt prior to d.c. The feeling is that people ned to show a rock botton, bare necessity, level of skill and knowledge in using the crutches or we are at liability risk for mishaps caused by the improper use of the crutches. I do not know who picks up the tab on our crutches, but we hand out a lot of them.

True enough, the courts and just about everybody else requires a pain assessment and result of treatment noted on the charts. I usually chart "pt states" and use the 0-10 pain scale. Then I chart the pt appearance,i.e. laughing, smiling ,chatting, grimacing, etc. The ones that really get me are those that insist that their 0-10 pain scale is 15, 20 or some other absurd number. I tell them that that doesen't work for me and turn to leave. They usually come up with something more realistic. Live Long and Prosper Stoko The miracle isn't that I finished...The miracle is that I had the courage to start" John "the penguin" Bingham

We get those occasional loonies in our ED too, but we have 24 hr security presence. The 1st person a pt or visitor meets as they walk in is a uniformed security guard. We also have continuous security for pt that are "pink sheet" (there by police or court direction) or "blue sheet" (there by family request). Security also makes frequent rounds in the parking lot and several of them bring their own K-9. We still get a few whacky ones that slip through all this,but help is always only a quick call away. That said, all that anxiety does not offset the internal rewards when people come up to me on the street or in a shop and thank me for the care and caring that their family member recieved when they were in our ER. Keep the faith and Pray for Peace, and always trust your Cape. StokoRN "The miracle is not so much that I finished, rather the miracle is that I had the courage to begin" John "the Penguin" Bingham

We use ketamine in our ED often as a pediatric sedation for lac repairs and ortho procedures. Our kids are on O2, Sat/pulse monitors, and sometimes on EKG or NIBP depending on age/size. We keep the room quiet and discuss with the parents, prior to administration, the need for quiet administration AND emergence from this sedation. An informed consent is obtained for the sedation and a sedation flow sheet is used for pre, intra, and post sedation parameters such as LOC, pain, activity, sedation level, etc. So far, in 2 years, I have not seen a bad outcome. Our doses are weight based and calculated to the ER doc. Stoko The miracle isn't that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start. John "The Penguin" Bingham

Krebs, man 1st let me say that if Drew Carey and Will & Grace are where you are looking for validation than you are in more trouble than you realise. I also possess the XY chromosone and have been a Nurse for 27+ years. I have never found it to be a problem. I have worked in ICU,ED, PACU, ENDO, Home Health and as a trainer for HP/Agilent Technologies, and as an Agency Nurse and Traveller. As far as I can tell, I have never been hampered by my gender. I have also worked with men who have worked in OR, Peds, Offices, Hospice, MedSurg, etc. If you are a willing to work, able to get along with others, and show a lot of caring for your patients, opportunities will open up for you. The trash on commercial TV seldom shows anybody in a positive light. Sensationalism, steriotyping, ignorance and plot lines aimed at 4th graders make wonder why intelligent and educated people even watch that stuff. If you think that more should be done to spotlight men in the nursing profession you might try being a little more proactive when you graduate. How ???? Try getting involved in local speakers bureaus to talk to a variety of groups about health care issues. Another possibility would be to get certified in and teach CPR or first aid to non-nursing groups such as scouts, troubled youth, condo associations, etc. Actively participate in high school career fairs or in health fairs. I think that the most important thing that you can do for Nurses, men and women, is to portray the profession in a positive light. Present yourself as knowledgable while avoiding being a know-it-all. Strive to help the profession to grow while avoiding being a whiner, complainer or *****er. Realise that it is intelligent, caring, people that are needed in nursing and gender has nothing to do with that. Stoko The miracle isn't that I finished, The miracle is that I had the courage to start. John "The Penguin" Bingham

We do not use medics in our ED. We do use EMTs. They can triage, do ekgs, transport pt, apply most of our splints, d c lines, insert foleys and give general assistance. I have mixed feelings about this. It is unfortunate that they cannot work up to there training, and their professional scopes of practice. However, I prefer to do my own assessments, start my own lines and give my own meds. I feel it helps me establish a closer, more familiar relationship with my patients. Stoko The miracle isn't that I finished, The miracle is that I had the courage to start The Penguin