IrisheyesTag

regarding the wells fargo loans i have to warn you. though some of the terms seem appealing. i received a wells fargo private loan and had to pay $50 in interest every month while i was still in nursing school. then when i completed nursing school, the interest rate was variable and shot up to 19.5%!!!!! i was paying $100 a month on a $5000 loan and about $10 went to the principle. :uhoh21: while my $14000 federal loan payment was about $20 cheaper than that. i realize that people say that education debt is good debt. but, i am not a fan of wells fargo (in more situations than one) and they are very much a for profit company that try to squeeze every last dime out of people with interest rate and fees. i have found american eduational services company very fair and found their loan terms similar to that of the federal loan terms. good luck and hope this helps :)

Well, so often I read stories of funny things that patients have done. I mean, we do deal with them at their most vulnerable moments. But, I do think that that, in turn, gives us, as healthcare providers, our own sense of vulnerability. Having said that, I will admit I am a clutz. I define the word. I am not graceful in any sense of the word and I have accepted this. So, there I was, working a typical 12 hour shift in a small hospital ER when a call came in about an attempted suicide. Another nurse came from the floor to help me. I was about 8 months out of school and was working with a rather intimidating doctor, so I needed all the help I could get. We prepared the room with what we would need and shortly thereafter the patient was wheeled in on a stretcher with his eyes closed, still breathing (and I think a little upset to find himself in this situation). :zzzzz We moved him to the cart and I began asking him questions. The ambulance crew reported that he had taken his full bottle of atenolol--which the label read "25" pills on the side and it was filled about 3 days prior. The patient's BP and pulse were, of course, on the low side, but holding steady. I was then informed that the patient's wife was in the waiting room and I proceeded to let her in and explain what was going on. At this point, the second nurse was on the phone with poison control and I was preparing to initiate another IV to administer medications while the first IV was bolusing the patient. The second nurse hung up and came over to start the paperwork (charting, consents, etc). :typing She located herself on the patient's left side, while I, on the patient's right, was searching for another site for an IV. The patient's wife was to my left (at the head of the bed) talking with patient and crying. On a side note, I'm a big believer in wearing comfortable shoes and had been talked into buying these "swiss" orthopedic clogs that added about 2 inches of height to me, but had no strap on the back. I had found out, the hard way, that if I got to walking too fast that I would just kick them off. So, I learned to watch my step and kept wearing them nevertheless. Anyway, I decided to put the siderail down on the cart so that I could get a better vantage point to start an IV on this patient (who was still stable at this point). I leaned to my right towards the end of the bed to release the locking mechanism on the side rail. But, for some unknown reason, my left foot began to twist inwards, thereby leaving me no support with which to hold myself up--having been leaning to my right anyway, I proceeded to fall in that direction. I found myself desperately trying to cling to gravity, as well as the anything within my reach. What came into my grasp was the exam room curtain. This slowed down the descent, until I realized that the curtain was movable. I fell. The curtain opened. The wife of the patient reaches for me "Oh my god are you ok" (and for just a minute, had stopped crying long enough to let out a little giggle). :chuckle As I was getting up, I looked across the bed to the other nurse, who was looking at me over the brim of her glasses. She would have looked genuinely concerned, had I not seen her shoulders bouncing from laughter as she continued to chart. The doctor, who had been standing in the doorway, witnessed the entire event. He never said anything, but wore a smirk on his face the rest of the day. The patient never responded to this and in the end--was sent home. At the end of the day, all that was hurt was my pride.

Is this not amazing??--what healthcare is coming to? Not only is our care directed and managed by insurance companies, but are our motives are now further insulted by "customer service." Customer service is for department stores with 9-5 hours and holidays and weekends off, where the only brain activity required is to know what button to push and how to count small change (unfortunately--this is what most of these workers get paid--I know I've been there). I find it utterly insulting when someone--particularly someone in management with a bachelor's degree in "management" with a blazer and a fake smile--has to take time away from my patients to tell me that I need to improve the "customer satisfaction scores" by giving the patient the "disney experience" during their hospital stay. :argue: HELLO? Last time I checked goofy and cinderella weren't on their feet for 8-14 hours straight with nothing to eat and a full bladder (now I'm gonna get an e-mail from someone who works for disney). Bottom line, I wouldn't have gone into this profession if I was an emotional moron. I know what it's like being in the hospital. I know that, in general, most of the patients who act with a sense of entitlement are usually the frequent flyers or the ones who don't want to be in the hospital anyway. But, they can't control that, they can control who goes and gets them a sprite and when. I accept that. I understand that. But, I will not condone it. Patient satisfaction and customer service will come a lot quicker if management practices this ethic towards their staff FIRST!! Until then, we nurses will take the load--just like we have with everything else. We will smile at the next patient we see, or perform CPR without hesitation, or clean someone after they've soiled themselves or put our arm around the wife who's just lost her husband and she has no one else to cry to. We will do it in 12 hours and go home, knowing that our day was more meaningfull than listening to the noise of the scanner at the checkout counter at walmart. That's my comfort.

that reminds me of a guy that came at least 6 times with a similar complaint--via ambulance of course. a little dementia on board. the other problem was that he popped his nitro pills like they were candy and the cure all pill. so, naturally when he came in the 6th time (after being told on his last hospital stay that the foot was gangrenous and needed to be amputated and the patient refusing) he had 3-4 nitro patches to his affected leg. he really was a sweet man, if you caught him on a good day :) the irony was that after he died (weeks later) the family established a fund for the ambulance.

Gosh, you know parents mean well and are (hopefully) only thinking in the best interest of their children. But, I want to know why you have to get a license to get married--even to fish, but anyone can have a child.

Ok I've only worked in the ER for about two years in a small town hospital that is located between two larger hospitals--which I have found doesn't spare us any experiences. "I need to be seen in the ER--I got a really bad sunburn today and put an alcohol based lotion on and it really burns"---'Did you try washing it off?' "no--was I supposed to?" "I need a physical done (at 2 in the afternoon on a weekday with ALL the clinics open) so I can tell my boss I can work at his bar" (2 am) "My baby threw up" (baby is 3 weeks old) 'How much have you been feeding him?' "Well he ate 12 times today, but he just won't eat anymore" (shows me a 4 oz bottle saying the baby ate "about 1/2 each feeding") Had a patient call once "I'm 38 weeks pregnant and when I check myself--is it possible that I can feel the baby's hand" PARDON?:trout:

Hey amy just saw your message and thought I'd give you my two cents. I have been a CNA now for four years and have worked in hospitals, nursing homes and specialty hospitals and have worked 12 -13 hour shifts regularly. If you're a "MIND OVER MATTER" person you can do it. You will become exhausted. But, once you've done enough of those shifts, you'll stop counting the hours until quitting time. It also depends on where you work. If you really hate your job--don't do it. It will reflect in your care of patients, your school work, or home life (from personal experience) I have started yet another new job. I thought I'd get an inside edge by staying a CNA, which in many ways I have, but I regret it a lot of times, because I no longer look forward to clinicals. It's just like working to me now, except I'm paying them for free labor!!! but, MIND OVER MATTER, it's not their fault, I'll be done with school soon, etc etc. If working doubles will give you more days off, then it may work for you. I can't stand work 8 hour shifts, because I can't do an hour or two of reading everyday. I'd rather work my 2-3 days and then have 4-5 days of studying and school. But, you will make the right decision, no matter what you do. Good luck Morgan :roll