hock1

A nurse has the right to refuse, but the employer has the right to terminate. Most nurses have families to support, but tyvm :)

Please forword to anyone you think will listen. Like a chain letter sort of. Somebody has to help the nurses before you all come to an American hospital to die. Cant make it any clearer. I am writing this because I watched my co-worker cry yesterday, and it broke not just my heart but my soul! If there are not enough RN's to work in hospitals, why are hospitals not hiring more nurse assistants? They could be trained and certified to take blood sugars, blood pressures, and dressing changes. At one time only doctors could take blood pressures and start IV's. Ask a RN how many doctors do that now! Go on ask. There must be a change. Nurses can't be expected to care for ICU patients for 16 hours straight for multiple days in a row. We should have federal ratios based on patient acuity. In an ICU setting 1RN to 2PT MAX! If the hospital doesn't have the staff, then they must send the patient elsewhere or close there ER. In my area there are three major hospitals within 30 - 40 minutes. less if LifeFlight is activated. The bottom line is that hospitals are using the excuse of a nursing shortage as a reason not to hire any staff at all. In my ICU unit we work without a secretary and without a nurse assistant with a ratio of 1RN:3PT on a regular basis. Even the 'charge nurse' has an assignment. How many people must be hurt...nurses and patients combined before anyone notices or even cares? Is it 2million, 3million, maybe it's just 1? Is that 1 person going to be your loved 1? Instead of demanding a pretty room with fluffy pilllows and big screen TV to have a baby in, why not demand better staffing ratios. I can pretty much say that the TV won't notice a dropping blood pressure.

OMG, Dearborn? We work for the same system my friend. Same happens in the Taylor facility also. We usually find out we're mandated 30minutes prior to shift change. The awful truth....it's usually because they want to admit to our ICU. The patients are not even ICU patients half the time either. It's a sad state of affairs, but true. Hospitals make money. Nurses go into the profession to not just make a living, but also to help people. Hospitals open and remain functioning for profit. How would any of you nurses out there like to work and ICU/IMC unit with a ratio of 1RN to 3pt ICU and 1RN to 6 pts IMC? Oh yes, no desk secretary or nurse assistant either? Any takers? We were told, "refuse to stay 16hour and take the 3 more admits, or you are all FIRED!" Don't even want to know what will happen for Christmas. Everyone was mandated last year too. We are considering class action lawsuit. Quite honestly I don't know what the laws are regarding RN's. However, I am going to research it. If I find anything more, I'll pass it along. Good luck. Oh yes....Service First baby lol

Agreed!

That was the part I found channel surfing. My case exactly though. She had to expose herself, while tearful. Why couldn't they have showed her saying, "yeah, so, what's the problem" . I mean for crying out loud. It's not like she was a model on an animal sex site! She then could have explained how she's debt free and maybe they should have posed too. Better yet how about she worked really hard at a non-SEX portrayed job? Whatever though. TV without sex? They'd loose market value.

I refused to watch the show because of the commercials and briefly caught a scene while channel surfing...first the line "you're walking around me half naked". What, is his Dick so powerful he can't concentrate on medicine around breasts? Second the female dr ripping her clothes off tearfully exclaiming "What, how can anybody think with these (I guess her boobs)". Thirdly the same female dr tearfully exclaiming how she doesn't have any debt while the male dr owes hundreds of thousands of $. I guess because she is soooo sexy she has to fight to show her mental intelligence BY RIPPING OFF HER CLOTHES. Yeah that will show them. I hate shows that always show the woman welling up with tears or becoming sexually aggressive when her ability is in question. This show reminds me of what teen boys think medical school is all about...hot sexed up female doctors who are not shy about doing it. I think this show hurts doctors more than nurses actually. I can just imagine the next episode. Two sexy doctors getting it on just before and emergency surgery where they valiantly save a life. The show will end with them in bed again at the end.

I sincerely believe people know when they're being talked down to or insulted. This woman knew the term co-wife was not deragatory esp when she couldn't come up with a term herself. I see no difference between a man who puts a bun in several girlfriends vs multiple wives. Why is one okay and the other not? I may not agree with other family-style units, but I always choose to treat them with respect and dignity. As far as religious reasons for child marriage...I really believe this goes along with the obiedience factor and preventing illegitamate births. If the man is in his late twenties or early thirties; and the wife is young, then he becomes her new authority/father figure. She is more apt to look to him for advice throughout the marriage like a child to a parent. This would make sense in cultures/religions that lean toward female submission. If the girl believes this is good and right behavior, she will never question or understand it's "perceived" immorality by others. Most parents with this beliefs go through great strides to find the best man for their daughter. They absolutely will not marry off a beloved daughter to a pedophile. Every good parent wants what is best for their child. The key is consent.

My calls are picked up by the answering machine first now.

No. I called them back and said I was not on the schedule. I also stated in an email if there was any way our floor could inform staffing who was on and who was off just to let us know. I was P**SSED but kept the email professional.

You are correct

I just finished dealing with staffing. I received a very angry call. "Where are you. You are scheduled to work today. You have to come in". I explained that my copy of my work hours says I'm off, that my hubby is in all night budget meetings and that I had two hours of sleep...could I come in from 11p-730a. "NO! Come in now. It's your responsibility to cover your shift." Decided to call my nurses station and found out that there were no changes on the schedule and I was not on for today. Also staffing tried the same thing with two day shift nurses today! Ya'll know what was really going on? This is my short week. The hospital doesn't have to pay me overtime. My theory is they decided to scare and bully me in to save a buck!:angryfire

I call it, "rainbows, butterflies, and unicorns'. Some people chuckled at work, but it helps me. I hum and think about a unicorn in a field with butterflies flying around and a huge, vibrant rainbow in the sky. Only takes a second to refocus and continue on. Silly.

There are a lot of good posts on this subject. I recommend a search. My advice, for what it's worth, if you are young why rush it. If not, then it might be something to think about more urgently. My friends and I did nursing school with small children. One of us was pg, delivered, came right back and finished successfully. The key to our success was awesome family and friend support. Our husbands were there for us too. Just a note...currently on my floor, there are two nurses and one doctor who are expecting their first child! The facility is understanding and working with them. Best wishes with your decision.

I too felt this way when I was new. Through standing ones ground and making sound nursing decisions, peers will gradually trust and respect you. It's taken me a year to get to this point. Don't give up, your time will come too. If it doesn't get any better at the facility, find another place where you are apprieciated. Good luck, hang in there, and hugs to you.

Youngest LD pt was 13. She was very excited about being a mother. Her mother had her when she was 15...also excited about being a grandmother. As far as my 13, 10, and 9 year old. They know all about mutal masterbation, oral, lady partsl, and anal sex; how to use a condom correctly; STD's, pubic lice etc. It drives them nuts, but I quiz 'em every once in a while to see if they remembered. They know these things because I had to suck it up and tell them. I was very proud when my 13 year old son corrected his friend, "you can too put a condom on wrong. You have to leave some space at the tip to catch the stuff". (yes I was eves dropping).

I was an exec secretary for five years, then a stay at home mom for 12 years. I considered teaching, dental hygiene, and interior design. I took the prereqs for hygiene which are very close to nursing program prereqs. In the meantime I was the designated caregiver for anybody in need. That's when I decided to go into nursing. Just couldn't stay away from the caregiver role.

i did a brief google search on nuchal translucency thickness. it's a screening test used to spot downs or heart defects. a case study had 280 pt with abnormal results, ater amnio was performed only 40 actually had a birth defect. hopefully this gives you some hope. good luck to you and your baby.

I work on a cardiac unit. This pt was in ICU then transferred to my floor then to med surg. I'm feeling much better today. I've had four days off and they came at a perfect time. However, this type of pt will come back. I will request a ETOH/Psy pt break this week if possible. It seems like they come in droves and all of us nurses have our hands full. I've only been a nurse since March of this year, but I'm beginning to see why we leave our profession. Psch pts have the right to attack us and there is nothing protecting me except me. If I let my guard down, I'm doomed.

mermaid, thanks for the laugh. really needed it.

Don't think your judgmental just stressed out. I totally can relate especially as of late. Good luck and best wishes to you!:)

Had pt nasty actively hallucinating, on ETOH protocal who was restrained x4 grab my stethoscope (stupidly around my neck). He yelled he wanted to go home while he choke me with it. I had enough breath to yell out, "let go of my scope or I'll punch you in the face so hard you will go home...to your maker" It startled him enough to let me go. (not my finest nursing communication moment, didn't really care if its not proper. I enjoy living too much, just came out of my mouth without thought). Pt immediately started to pull on his central line! Now I'm trying to secure the line and call for help. Can't reach the call button. Thank God an unknown employee was in the hallway and heard my call for help and called a code. This guys hands were turning BLUE as he was pulling against the restraints so hard. On one hand I really wanted to punch his lights out, but on the other hand I didn't want him to hurt himself either. What kind of bizard thought process is that? The team got everything under control. When I came into work the next day I noticed a new pt in his room. I went "Thank you Jesus" out loud for all to hear. Then I asked, "Did they warn them upstairs?" Later that night, still restrained, he assaulted another nurse! Through talking with staff, I found out this pt is a frequent abusive flyer. As the days go by I have become ANGRY about this situation. My job as nurse is not to support psychotic drug abusing alcoholics. I give them respect and dignitiy they deserve, but in this pts case he can rot in peace for all I care. This is the first time in my life I've actually said, "he is life unworthy of life". As soon as it came out of my mouth, I was ashamed, but there it was. I'm one ticked off nurse. I've already refused to wear anything around my neck or wear my hair down. I've prayer for God to take my anger, but it just seems to be getting worse. As we were leaving...a nurse on my floor got kicked in the face by a different pt when she was emptying a foley....you guessed it another hallucinating drunk wigged out.

myth, myth, myth. So is the odd/even ending. Also the amount of questions don't matter either. Good luck when you take yours and study, study, study.

Wow! You work in a facility that has shift changes every hour on the hour? That's pretty intense. Shift change at my facility is at 7a, 3p, 7p, 11p. Those are the hours that are bad to send a patient to the floor. Don't know how your facility would handle it. Maybe send pt on the half hour? Anyway, I don't think anybody could argue that sometimes no time is a good time to get an admit. However leaving a pt with no nurse is even worse. Just a thought.:)

update to the update: admin just passed out 2 white labs jackets to each RN with hospital logo and RN embroidery. We are not required to wear the jacket (yet). We can still wear any style scrub. Have a feeling the jacket will be part of our new uniform. Like maybe they're going to ease in the idea of uniforms or something like that.

At my facility a written report is sent from ER in orange tubes: admit dx, vs, labs, orders, meds given in ER, any specific need to know info. The ER nurse and a transport person brings pt to the floor and notifies nurse station of delivery. Our ER sends people out in droves. We've had four new admits at one time. Then again our ER is very busy. As soon as they empty out, they're full again. As far as nurses refusing take a report, I've never understood why people try to call report or transfer a pt during shift change any way. RN's don't even have their assignments yet so who is going to take report, Jenny the friendly Time Life operator? If a pt does come in, they'll wait until the RN finds out who pt belongs to. Not to safe a practice. I've mentioned this to others, but the others say, "that's just the way it is".