DeniseRNBSN

"ADN nurses may see nursing theory as not readily being useful in their daily practice as a bedside/floor nurse, but it is theoretical/conceptual/philosophical coursework like this that distinguishes a technician (someone who can perform routine clinical work...NG's, vitals, charting, etc.) from a professional. Talk to any physician and ask them if they have read Dante, Shakespeare, or are able to make a powerpoint presentation, conduct preliminary research, etc. They will answer yes and many ADN nurses will answer no. ( I know that sounds very elitist, but really folks...) And then the ADN nurses will ask what the heck does knowing all that have to do with nursing and the answer is everything. Everything you study in life will not always have a direct connection to the actual work of your chosen career. But the education you acquired does count and I promise you that you will find yourself drawing upon it without thinking at times, finding abstractions that help clarify gray areas in your practice. This is the purpose of a liberal arts and sciences education. It equips you to better understand the world in which you will work. This is essential to any person choosing to "PROFESS" (this is where the term "professional"originates) a particular line of work. It's time to raise the bar and require the minimal level of education needed to truly call oneself a "professional," which is namely the BSN." I totally agree with your post. Anyone can go to school for 1 to 2 years and be taught to perform tasks, but the BSN goes further and your thinking skills go beyond task oriented behavior. Many nurses feel that we are all equal when we, by definition, are not. There is a reason that the LPN program is 1 year long, the ADN program 2 years, and the BSN program 4 years. The LPN is a concrete thinker and it progresses with the BSN learning to think more abstractly. The Master's and Doctorate programs go even further with their philosopical stance. All of this is VERY useful when you're in the clinical setting dealing with patient's and their families and many life or death situations. I'm looking forward to the day when the BSN is the minimal requirement for nursing. Denise RN, BSN, CCRN

Social work is one of those fields where you have to have a Master's degree in order to make money. (sort of like a psychologist). My sister is a social worker with a masters degree and made $75000 her first year here in Florida. She is has respect from her peers because she has a masters degree. Too bad the same can't be said for nursing. That's why I think nursing should be paid according to degree, certification, specialty, and to some extent experience.

i agree. when i graduated from junior college, i placed rn on my badge. two years later i graduated from a university, i placed rn, bsn on my badge. just recently i passed the ccrn exam. guess what, i placed that behind my name as well. i am very proud of my accomplishments and want it known on my badge. i hate to hear nurses tell me "it's just alphabet soup" and "it doesn't mean anything". i've worked by butt off for my degrees and certification. it may be fine for some nurses to have just rn behind their name but don't badger those that have gone further in their education. by the way, it is recognized monetarily in my hospital to have a bsn and certifications. denise rn, bsn, ccrn

ISN'T THAT THE TRUTH!!!! :chuckle

I divorced by husband and went to nursing school in 1997 at the age of 26. I was a single mom with two children and did better in school than I could have ever done with a man in my life. Most of the women in nursing school with me had marital problems because school is very demanding. Don't worry about your friends, they most likely have to pick up the kids, cater to hubby, cook dinner, cater to hubby, do laundry, cater to hubby, clean the house, cater to hubby, and then study. Did I mention cater to hubby? :chuckle Be happy that you don't have someone that demands your attention all the time. Good luck to you Denise

i totally agree with your post. nursing is not taking seriously because there are so many ways to become a nurse. it only takes 1 year to say that you are a nurse. name one other job where you can go to a vocation/technical school for one year and become a professional and be treated with the utmost dignity and respect? i can't name a one. that's why nurses don't get the respect or the money that we deserve. that's why there is no difference in pay between a diploma grad and a bsn. yes, there is a nursing shortage and there will probably always be one but does that mean we cut the education level to achieve the goal of more nurses? there is no way that medical schools will cut their education requirement because of a physician shortage. does it take one year to become a lawyer, teacher, chemist, engineer? (i could go on). nurses should not sell ourselves short by only requiring one year to become a nurse. i think new york is doing the right thing by requiring their nurses to have a bsn. when all nurses are on the same playing field educationally we can then command more autonomy, respect, and monetary incentives. denise rn, bsn, ccrn

I work in a level one trauma center and we do not have LPN's in the units or emergency room. In our hospital LPN's are valuable in certain situations but when it comes to trauma medicine they are not utilized. I work in a cardio-vascular surgery ICU and we have a lot of hemodynamic interpretation and quick thinking life saving decisions that are made quickly. I'm not saying that LPN's don't have those skills but in Florida they need someone to hang blood and push IV push meds as well as other things. In the ICU setting things happen quick and you don't have time to hang someone elses drips, start CVVHD, handle Swan-Ganz catheters and other procedures. Before I start getting the hate email, I used to be an LPN and there was quite a few things that I could not do. I gained experience clinically as an LPN but gained more knowledge as an RN and studying for the CCRN exam while working in the ICU. Denise RN, BSN, CCRN

I agree. I also have a cardiology Littman. My $40 Littman grew legs and walked away when I put it down. I refuse to let this one leave my neck while I'm working. You will get used to it around your neck. :chuckle Denise RN, BSN, CCRN

when all three hurricanes hit here in florida 6 months ago we were expected to pack a bag and come in to work. not one person complained. we are a level 1 trauma center and we had patients flying from other hospitals to ours because the smaller hospitals were closing their doors. i believe that we an nurses owe it to our patients to be there for them whether it be rain/sleet/snow/hail/tornadoes/hurricanes/earthquakes. denise rn, bsn, ccrn

Ativan does indeed calm restlessness and anxiety but it in no way has an analgesic effect. That would be like giving Propofol for sedation but not having pain medication on board as well. The patient suffers. Another example, you would NEVER give a paralytic without pain medication and Ativan does not cut it. I would absolutely get an order for pain medicine and then add Ativan as an adjunct to restlessness. But if you have adequate pain medication you may not need Ativan. Denise RN, BSN, CCRN

I've been reading this post and I just have to put in my two cents. I respect everyone in the nursing profession. I've worked as a CNA (and never did I refer to myself as a nurse) as some have stated in their posts. I worked my way through RN school working as a CNA. Just before graduating with my RN I challenged the LPN boards so that I could work as a nurse and gain experience. I did not refer to myself as an RN student while I worked because I saw and heard the backlash from the other LPN's toward the RN's for no reason. None of the nurses new that I was an RN student and that I challenged the LPN boards. I was a good nurse even though I was new. I graduated from Jr. College and immediately went on for my BSN because I wanted go further. I graduated two years ago and I'm now going to graduate school for Adult NP. Not ALL RN's are out to get LPN's. I don't work with any in the ICU but there was a time when we were side by side working together. Most nurses are nervous and intimidated after graduating so to say that someone would rather have a seasoned LPN over a new RN grad is not a fair comparison. I worked my butt off to get through RN school, it was not a one year program like the LPN schools but it was intense. I chose to challenge the LPN test to get my feet wet; my fellow colleagues thought I was a seasoned LPN when I was a scared RN student who knew her stuff. There may be LPN that "run circles around RN's" but there are also RN's that "run circles around LPN's". One person commented on making 65K as an LPN w/agency. As an RN working in the ICU w/ agency, I made 92K two years ago, and that was on the low side. nothing else said, DeniseRNBSN not disgruntled, just keeping it real... :chuckle

Ventriculostomy is a surgical procecedure that is performed by the Neurosurgeon. We have a 12 bed-NeuroICU. Our overflow patients will go the the other ICU's (Medical, surgical, and Burn). Our neurosurgeons have to follow those patients because if the ventric clots off, no more CSF is allowed to drain. That can cause cerebral edema and subsequently herniation which means death. I find it hard to believe that the neurosurgeon would sign off on a patient that still has a ventric let alone send them to a step down floor. We are a level 1 trauma center but if one of our neuro patients still has a ventric, bolt, or any type of device that is draining CSF; they are definitely not allowed to be transferred out of the unit. Hope this helps!!!:)

Our neuro-ICU is the guinea pig for our entire trauma center. Open visitation 24 hours, with the exception of shift change. None of the nurses agree with it because we are a NEURO-ICU. Most of our patients can't be stimulated in any way. But tell that to management. Hopefully they change that policy soon...