juliedhl

I had one case of Flu B back over the summer and it was an 18 yr old who presented with deep respiratory involvement without the wet cough. He did have a significant amount of wheezing, body aches, fever, and to the best of my recollection there was no GI symptoms. The symptoms seemed to come on quicker than I am seeing the flu A or H1N1. We see a lot of seasonal and h1n1 daily and we can tell from first sight that more than likely they have the virus. Symptoms have started out as back pain and tolerable nausea without any vomiting for a couple days and then boom!...vomiting, congestion, cough, fevers, body aches...full blown flu. I don't believe that we have by any means seen the end of this virus. Our schools are vaccinating and there are many clinics being set up around the area offering both vaccines via injection or intranasal. Having fun in Southwest Florida!.............juliedhl

Don't put up with it...some nurses are very threatened by new nurses coming into the field. I have been the new girl on the block before and I felt uncomfortable in that situation. I always did my job to the best of my ability watching the way things got done and inconspicuously asking the know-it-alls or "old timers" questions that I already knew the answer to, but wanted to give them the chance to teach me. I think it is a superiority thing. Don't let them know how ridiculously childish they are being. Now...to the real point. They are threatening the patients care by not giving an adequate report to the oncoming, and in your case, new nurse. Perhaps you could put it just like that to them.. Look, you may not like me but I am new, I'm taking over the care of your patients and I need a thorough report. Another idea might be to get your nurse manager to sit in report with you for a couple of times. Either way, it is not acceptable. The key to good nursing care is communication. I work in a pediatric office with another nurse and she and I compliment each other. We both know how the other operates and that gives our patients better care. I hope this works out for you.

In reply to your post on pre-employment drug testing, I agree with the posts made by the previous two nurses however I am curious as to why someone might jump to such a conclusion that you might have a problem when in fact none of us knows the underlying reason for you using whatever medication you were prescribed. I believe firmly that medicines were designed to be used in certain health situations and only as prescribed and under the care of a doctor. If that is not the case then only you know. If you are new to the field and are just worried about making an entry into the field, then I say consult your MD, taper down until you are off the meds, go for a UDS in a private testing lab as the other nurse suggested and talk to someone you trust about your concerns. Never try to hide or cover up something. Be up front and honest especially with yourself because if you carry around a secret then you won't be able to work to your potential. Nursing is a wonderful field and the most trusted profession in the world and we have to be present to live up to that reputation. I have worked as a nurse for the past 15 years and have seen alot of abuse and misuse by members of our profession. It is very common for nurses and doctors to be associated with substance abuse due to the stress of the job. Be excited about nursing, confident but not overly, never hesitate to ask questions, and always strive to know more and most important be yourself without any influencing factors.

The flu presents itself daily in our relatively small corner of the world pediatric office. It is blatant at times and other times somewhat inconspicuous. I see parents that come to the office absolutely scared out of their minds about the possibility of their child dying from the flu. How are you educating and redirecting parents and patients thoughts about the flu? You know, I wonder how much publicity the seasonal flu would have gotten if it weren't for a bunch of pigs in Mexico! juliedhl