purplesdk

Was diagnosed in Oct 2014 with MS. Was wondering how many of you fellow nurses have been diagnosed with MS?

hi turtletyme, i am a newly diagnosed diabetic. i work the 10-6 shift at our state school as a rn charge/shift supervisor 4 nights a week. i have 3-4 nurses working with me at any given time. we have 12 dorms (18-22 clients each dorm) to monitor. at night, there is usually not a lot happening, but we stay busy. we are usually not overwhelmed like we were when we all used to work in the hospitals or nursing homes. when i have 4 nurses, i may take 1 dorm or none, depending on how i am feeling. when i do not take very many dorms i go to each dorm and check charts and make sure the nurses have what they need or need any help with their dorms. when i have 3 nurses i usually take 3 dorms and supervise the campus also. most nights it is calm, but occassionally it is caos. we have a handful of clients who require tube feedings through the night or neuro checks, and occassional fall assessments to do or injury reports to do. we do not do treatments or give medications at night, so it is pretty laid back. we either bring our food to work or if someone needs to go pick up food, we cover their dorms while they go get their food and bring it back to work. it can be easier to manage the diabetes, but it took me a while to get the timing of my medication adjusted with my sleep/wake cycles. when i worked at the nursing home, it made my blood pressure go up and arthritis act up, making each night quite painful and then difficult to sleep once i got home. i no longer have as much pain and my blood pressure has gone down. i am happier and a little healthier now that i am working at our state school. the state schools also have great benefits too. this might be an area of nursing to look into. good luck.

I do not know if this is the correct forum, but I need advise. I received a job offer working as a nurse answering general health questions on-line or by email for an on-line newspaper. Would this be a valid job? Would it in any way violate the NPA? I can not find any answers in my states NPA or from the TXBNE site. I see this type job as more or less a teaching aspect of nursing. What do you think? Are there any legal aspects or ramifications I should know about before considering this job? Any and all advise, thoughts and information will be helpful. Thanks.

HI, Am looking to change nursing field from LTC to Hospice. Was wondering if anyone could tell me about some of the Hospice Companies in the West Texas area? Pro's and Con's, how the work schedules are set ...etc. I have had interaction with one particular major company in this area for several years, while working in LTC, but still do not know much about this company. Have looked them up on the internet, and they sound pretty good. Do not know if I am allowed to mention the company's name on this site or not, so I will play it safe and not use their name. If anyone has any information, please email me.

Hi, Many many years ago, after having C-section (x2), I was told to drink warm tea, or warm clear broth. This helped quite a bit. It not only helped get rid of the gas, but is was soothing and helped with the post-op discomfort as well. Hope this helps.

Hi, Need input! I have worked as an RN in a hospital for 10 months, then as an agency nurse for 3 months, then in a Nursing Home for 4 years (on the floor and in the office helping the DON and ADON). During that 4 year stent, I saw 4 DON's come and go. The work load on the floor (10-6) became so bad (not to mention the bad DON) I had to quit that job. I then found a job closer to home as a MDS Coordinator in a facility closer to home. After I got started in my new position, I found that the MDS's were 3-4 months behind and the TILE's were 2 months behind :trout: . I could never get them caught up, and they let me go 2 weeks before Christmas :icon_evil: (great Christmas present). The work load from my previous employment began to affect my health. I am an older nurse (43), and am beginning to feel the aches and pains of being on my feet for long hours and the lack of sleep due to the long hours and over time. I am looking to change jobs, but wish to stay in nursing and or health field. I enjoyed doing the office work doing the TILE's, hated the MDS's though. I would like to be able to work from home if possible, but not happening any time soon. I am considering going back to school or on line training for Medical Transcription, but not sure yet. My husband has frequent Dr. appointments, which I have to take him to, due to him having CHF. Does any one have any suggestions as to what areas of nursing I could check into (and pays just as well) that would not be too taxing on my health? I live in a rural area so I have to drive at least 30 miles one way to any job and there are a limited number of hospitals in this area. I do not want to be a DON or ADON, I've seen what they have to do and go through on a daily basis. NO THANK YOU! I am tired of the uncertainty of not being able to keep a job in this rural area for any length of time. Every one hiring has only 12 hour shifts and that is too hard on the "old" aging body. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. :monkeydance:

Hi bblair, I took my pre-reqs at SPC and the classes are not sluff off classes. Expect to study at least 3-4 hours per day for each class you are enrolled in. If you keep up with the studying and reading and not get behind, you should not have too much trouble. But the hardest class for me was the food and nutrition class. I studied probably a good 6+ hours per day after class. I would record the lectures when possible and take notes in class, then when I got home, I would listen to the lectures over again while going over my notes, in case I missed something. I expect I put in a good 30+ hours per week studying. Of course, some classes were much harder and had to put in more time on those classes than I did on the easier ones (not many of those). Hope this helps.

Hi NO1 2NV, I live close to Lubbock, and have live in Lubbock for a very long time. I do not work at UMC, but everyone I have spoken to enjoys working there. It is a teaching hospital. When I had to do some of my rotations there while in nursing school, I found it very nice and the people were helpful and friendly. As far as the benefits, my mother used to work for Texas Tech several years ago, before she retired. The benefits are good. You not only get the standard health insurance offered to you, but you also have the choice for a 401K, and since it is a teaching hospital affiliated with a University, you also get teachers retirement. Not only that, but the cost of living is a lot cheaper than it will be in Los Angeles. Not to mention, the crime rate being a lot lower than in Los Angeles, and no earth quakes either. I would at least talk to UMC. It can't hurt. Good luck.

Hi guys, Have a question for anyone out there who can answer it. There is a new clinic opening up in my area with a job oening for "Chart Prep RN". Can anyone give me an example of what the job description might be? Does this position get charts ready for admissions, dicharges, auditing....? Was curious since I had not seen that type of job position in my area. Thanks in advance. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hi, Just started this week as MDS Coordinator (newbie). Make $25.00/hr. Live in West Texas. Found a nice facility willing to train me at a salary I was earning at a previous facility as a Floor Charge Nurse. Looking forward to the change of pace.

Hi guys, Just to let you know, I was chosen to be the new MDS coordinator. They do have a book in which I can study the particulars. My facility will be bringing someone in to show me more about the MDS and how to enter information into their computer, but I have also requested that they enroll me into a class for the MDS coordinator. I feel that would benefit me more than learning as I go. Please keep the advise comming. I have a feeling I can use all of the advise and tips I can get. Thanks.

Thank you for all the well wishes. To clarify, I will either be the adon or the mds co. The nurse who was the mds co. is away on vacation and she had been offered the adon position, but has not made up her mind yet. So, I was hired to take the position she chooses not to take. I know the DON and have worked with her before. I should know something this week as to which position I will end up with. I have done TILEs before and some mds's in the past, but, when we (at facility I left) got a new DON, she had the current adon do the mds's also, and I no longer was required to do them. It has been at least a year and a half since I have done any of them and am a little nervous, not knowing their (at new facility) computer system as well as not knowing yet which position I will be taking over. Will keep everyone posted. Keep the advise comming, please.

Hi, Will be starting a new job in a new nursing home/LTC facility this week as their new ADON/MDS coordinator, and would like some helpful tips/hints to making the transition from a RN Charge Nurse to ADON/MDS coordinator. Also, any sites for addtional information and education for these new positions would be helpful. Any and all advise welcome. :penguin: Thanks.

Hi, Glad to have you in the States. Let me ask you, what kind of climate are you used to? Bexar County is San Antonio, TX. It is hot and humid almost all year around. There is a high crime rate, depending on the area you choose to live. My brother lives there, I do not know why. The cost of living is high, as far as I am concerned. I live in West Texas. The crime rate is fairly low where I live, and the cost of living is low compared to most anywhere else in the state. Yes, it is hot most of the time, but it is a dry hot. Where I live there is not a lot of attractions, but the people are freindly. San Antonio (Bexar County) has a lot of attractions and some kind of festival or event going on all of the time, and fairly close (1-4 hours drive) to reach other nearby towns/cities, but, it is like living in a swamp to me. It is a nice place to visit. I do not know about the schools. But Texas is ranked one of the lowest when it comes to education (pre K through 12). Texas has some pretty great colleges though. It depends on what you like and what you are used to. The state of Texas has climate ranges from Very Swampy to Desert conditions, depending upon where you live. Texas is such a big state that you could carve it up into at least 5 different states without problem. It would take at least 24 hours driving without stopping to travel from one end of Texas to the other end. That lets you know how BIG this state is. If you like season changes, some rain every day, close to mountains... Colorodao is a nice place. My husband lived there for several years and loved it. It is very scenic. In the winter, there is lots of snow. There too, the climate is varying. But it is very nice, depending on where you live. My husband lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Don't know if this helps, but, there you go. Good luck in hunting to where you will move to.

I work in a rural area nursing home 10p-6a. The only nurse on duty with the help of anywhere from 2-4 CNA's. I have between 58 and 61 residents/patients to care for. Most nights it is quiet. Other nights the call lights are busy. Of these 58-61 residents, 8 are in a locked unit where there is 1 CNA at night. The other remaining CNA's work the front of the nursing home. Real fun! In Texas we do not have a nursing ration per say. There is a required number of "nursing hours" for the number of residents in house. Our day and evening shifts have 2 nurses (not counting DON, or ADON) and from 5-9 CNA's, and 1-2 CMA's, for each of those shifts.:stone Is it just me? or Is there something wrong with this picture?! Nursing homes need mandatory patient:nurse ratios. BADLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEED SLEEP TOO... LearningRN, How has your sleeping problem going? I too have had that problem. I use a sound machine (white noise) to help me to sleep. Also you should talk to your Family Doctor about putting you on a low dose sleeping pill. I have tried Remeron. It helps, but I have to take a very very low dose or I have hang over effects for days. Might talk to your doctor about some of the new medications they have come out with too. As far as a hospital offering a 11am to 11pm shift I do not know of any. All of the hospitals or nursing homes I have ever applied for a job with have only 12 hour shifts and they are set shifts. I currently work in a rural nursing home which has gone to 8 hour shifts. I work graveyard shift. I can't decide which is better, working 12 hour shifts and having more days off (taking 2 of those days to recover from the 12 hour shifts) or working 8 hour shifts with having only 2 days off. Both are exhausting and taxing to me. I have also worked Agency. I like this type of work because you can set what days and how many days per week/month you wish to work and you are paid well. If you do not mind traveling, you might consider doing some type of Agency work. Hope this helps. Sheri

:chair: I agree, that's too much for one nurse to handle! I work in a LTC facility, that is 38 miles from where I live. I am an RN and work the 10-6 shift. We have 61 residents (9 of which are in the locked Alzheimer's unit) and at night (my shift) there is only one nurse and anywhere from 3 to 4 aides. Our new DON (4 months employed) keeps changing wheather we are to work 8 hour shifts or 12 hour shifts. We have a total of 7 nurses working the floor (the DON and ADON do not count, they only work the floor if they have no other choice). There are 3 nurses who work days, 2 who work evenings, and 2 who work nights (one nurse only). Two of the nurses who work days and evenings bounce back and forth between those 2 different shifts. The night shift nurse (me) works 4 on and 2 off most of the time, and the other nurse works 2 on and 4 off. On her 4 off she doubles as a med aide on occation. We have 4 med aides (who are invaluable) and 2 of them may be leaving soon (one retiring and the other going back to school). When I worked the day shift, I never seemed to get every thing done, the paperwork, labs, treatments....tending to every whim of the DON...! I finaly told them that I could only work the night shift, and I have been able to get most everything done. Oh, did I mention I am one of two RN's at this facility (not counting the DON). The other DON drives 150 miles to come to work and he works the Day shift and he is about to quit. I may be jumping ship soon too. All we hear are the gripes and get no thank you's for the work we do. We are all tired of being told after the fact that something has changed, and get chewed out for not doing something:nono: . That we were never informed about what had changed does not matter. Sorry for the rant. :Melody: Just got off work and am well... tired and frustrated. But, yes, some of you out there DO have it worse than I. Good LUCK!!!!! Hope it gets better for you.

I am an RN, and have worked in a Nursing Home for almost 2 years now, and I am considering changing avenues to become a Hospice Nurse. Would like to know if any one can tell me what the starting pay is for a RN working at Vista Care would be, and also what the duties of the RN case manager would be doing? What kind of training would a new RN case manager have? We have Vista Care where I live and I would like to know as much as possible about being a Vista Care RN case manager. Any and all help is appreciated.

I too suffer with sciatica on occasion. What helps with my pain is using a T.E.N.S. unit. I have tried all kinds of shoes, Dansko was the best shoes, but what really took the pain away was using a TENS unit. I purchased one at a local medical supply store, and wear it when I get that first tingle of pain. If I put it on right away, the pain goes away after a day or two. I usually wear it all day and night on the setting that is most comfortable to me. I let it run continuously for whatever length of time that I have it on, and then remove it to see if I can function without it. If I need it for a longer period of time, I put it back on (intermitently) until the pain is gone. This is the only thing that I have found that helps me. The TENS units come in a wide range of prices, so if you decide to try one, shop around. Many medical supply stores require an RX., but I walked into a store (when I got off from work)with my uniform (scrubs) on, and did not have to have an RX. My unit cost about $75.00-$80.00 and it comes with everything you need. Check out the TENS units, they help, and you can wear them under your clothes without problems. Good luck with your back! purplesdk

:redlight: Can anyone tell me about the Safe Harbor Act? Does this apply only to Hospitals, or does it also apply to Nursing Homes/ LTC facilities? How do you file a Safe Harbor? Please email me information! Thanks in advance. purplesdk

My husband and I plan on moving from Texas to Las Vegas in the future . I currently work in a Nursing Home with an Alzheimer's unit and wish to continue in this field of Nursing. Does any one know of any good facilities for me to check out? Your help would be appreciated. Thanks. purplesdk

Congradulations on passing your exams!! I am an RN working in LTC and I love it! I started out working in a rural hospital and then switched to LTC (rural area) and I don't think I would ever go back to a hospital setting. There is a lot of work that goes on in LTC, but it is rewarding. Where I work, we have about 65-70 residents (including those in the locked unit). We have 2 nurses working the day shift, 2 or 3 med aids during the day, and 5 or 6 cna's during the day. At night we only have 1 nurse for the whole facility, a med aid until around 9 or 10 pm, and anywhere between 4 to 6 cna's (if we are lucky). I prefer night shift, because it is a little slower after 9 pm. (I am currently working part time day shift, and it is very busy). I drag on. My advise is 1. be fair, but firm in your decisions (especially toward the cna's), it is not easy being in charge of cna's when you were once one and now you are "there boss". If you have disputes, talk to that particular cna about the problem, then go to the DON if a problem is not resolved. Make sure to be on good terms with the DON, you may need her help in the future, for whatever reason. 2. Do not be afraid to ASK QUESTIONS! I have worked at my facility for almost a year, and I still ask questions when I am not sure about something. (The only stupid question is the question that is not asked!) Where I work the orientation period is usually 3 days, but I insisted on a week on the day shift before I started working on the night shift. I also was able to orient on the night shift with another RN, and was able to work with her for several months before they changed it to only 1 nurse at night (hope they go back to 2 at night). 3. NEVER be afraid to call the ADON or DON at night if there is a problem with anything, or if you have a question that you need answered that can't wait till the following day. That is part of there job (to trouble-shoot). Good luck, congradulations on the baby. purplesdk

P RN Thanks for your post. I like to think that I will NOT be like some of the nurses I've worked with in the past (you know, the ones who 'Eat their young'). I will remember the generosity of the place where I work now. I do not care how much I make in salary. That is not important to me. The people I work with and the patients/recidents are the important points (especially the patients/recidents). The facility helped me out in my time of need on more than one occation. They have earned my loyalty thus far. Even if I eventually get another job someplace else, I will still work for them at least on an on call basis. For now, I am happy being able to work there part time, and eventually return to a full time position. (Family's health permitting).

I agree. We need a support group. The BNE should be staffed by nurses who actually WORK as nurses, and have worked for the last 5-10 years as a nurse, before being allowed to be on the BNE. They should be elected, NOT appointed. After all look who the GOV is doing the appointing.

Great! I left a reply before noticing you had found work. Oh well. Congradulations.