MsPebbles

Ok, sounds like you're right. My enrollment counselor had previously said it would be up to my mentor and it's a "case by case" basis if one can transfer into the MSN program, but this was clarified for me today by another enrollment counselor (as mine was not available). As long as I'm doing well academically and showing consistent progress, I can request a switch. He said the reason for this change was because too many people were enrolling and then changing their minds.

Don't know if anyone else knows this already, but according to my enrollment counselor, I am ineligible to enroll in an RN to MSN program. Only those who are currently employed in Managerial/Leadership or Nurse Educator positions are eligible. Pretty disappointing if you ask me. Also, there's now a class you must take at the beginning called "Professional Leadership & Communication for Healthcare." I don't remember this being required last year when I was looking into enrolling, but it is a mandatory 4-week group class, twice a week via webcam with other students and weekly assignments. And they *may* allow you to take another class concurrently, but not guaranteed. Which means a whole month with no progress towards knocking these CUs out. And if you miss a class you fail. WGU had always been my top choice and I was really excited about their RN to MSN option, but now I'm at a loss. Guess I'll have to go back and research other schools again.

We had one too (actually 3...big unit). They lasted a month. They went off more from footsteps and rolling vitals machines/stretchers than from loud talking. They disappeared so management needed to come up with something else to wag their fingers at us for.

It's not that I don't like it, it's that I'm concerned for her. She is a very dear friend and I don't want all her years of schooling to be for naught. She is very aware of her short-comings when it pertains to certain things like time-management and quick thinking a nurse has to do when working bedside. However, she is incredibly intelligent. Sometimes I can learn more from her than I can from seasoned RNs I work with because her knowledge is so extensive. Unfortunately, it just doesn't translate into tangible, efficient tasks a nurse must perform in an acute care setting. While I do believe she needs a foundation before leaping into an APN role (and she knows my opinion on this as we've discussed this at great lengths), I truly hope it works out for her in the end.

This is about a friend I graduated with. She is currently enrolled in an RN-BSN program and will continue on to an FNP program. She quit her first (and only) nursing job on a med-surg unit after only a few weeks because she realized she hates bedside nursing and has difficulty managing more than 2-3 pts. By her own admission, she is extremely slow and I even remember in clinicals how she would perform tasks in a painstakingly slow fashion. Without relevant experience and only an ADN, she doesn't qualify for much else (or anything where efficiency plays a large role). Her goal is to become an FNP with her own private practice eventually. She has found schools that will accept students without nursing experience. But my question is: will she ever be taken seriously and actually be considered for such positions without having worked as a nurse in any capacity?

I'm confused too. I only waste blood if I'm drawing labs.

I never looked at the patient's chart, I don't know his name or his medical hx, and I couldn't even tell you what he looks like. We are a large, but close, surgical unit. I didn't seek out any additional information. Yes, the limited details I know were shared with me by colleagues. We will share our frustrations, successes, experiences with difficult and wonderful patients, and seek out advice and support from one another. Just as we all do here on AllNurses (as I'm sure you have with your 1000+ posts). My initial post was meant to show gratitude to the doctor who appreciates and respects what we, as nurses, do. Nothing more. But you are free to interpret my posts however you choose.

Susie, you make very valid points. It was never my intention with my original post to convey an arrogant or snarky approach to a family member or patient; however, based on the limited info I've gathered about this pt and his mother from staff who had participated in his care, their behavior and his lack of participation in his own care/healing process, the response by the physician seemed warranted. His mother refused to leave (spending all 3 nights there), and flat-out refused for him to be weaned off his Dilaudid PCA on post op day 2, as is customary with this type of procedure. Our staff is known to provide excellent post-op care and we provide excellent teaching (incentive spirometer use, ambulating within a few hours of surgery to minimize risk of pneumonia, etc). At one point, staff had gotten pt to dangle, with the intention of at least attempting to stand up, and pt's mother screamed at them that he appeared pale & that their actions were "bringing him to the brink of death" (per my coworker who was assigned to pt a couple days prior). As I understood it, pt had demanded his mother seek out "anyone with a white coat" numerous times to increase his Dilaudid dosage as he wasn't going to do anything until his pain was "completely gone." Attempts by staff to educate him on alternative pain therapy and the reasons why ambulation, while initially painful and difficult, can lend to a quicker recover were met with absolute refusals and threats of complaints to management. As a nurse whose parent has been battling a chronic, difficult illness with multiple recent hospitalizations, I can completely empathize with family members of my patients. Truly, I do. But sometimes there are just those people who expect us to be their miracle workers and cater to their every irrational whim. Some people will stop at nothing just to have their way, even when every attempt is made to educate and reinforce those reasons why they must remain compliant during recovery, which, knowing my colleagues, had been continuously addressed. So, in this particular instance, knowing what I know and having witnessed the mother's behavior on that day, I find that the doctor's response was appropriate and very much appreciated.

He was the surgeon (attending). I normally don't have much interaction with him because I work nights and normally deal with the on-call residents, but he happened to be on my unit around shift change. With him, this isn't out of character from what I understand. I'd heard good things about him before from other staff, and I can now say I certainly agree with them.

Overheard a conversation the other day between a pt's family member and a doctor. I was sitting at the nurse's station and he was sitting beside me. Family member walked up to him and began yelling that her loved one is not getting the proper nursing care and demanded to know why the pt was not any closer to discharge status. Dr says pt had been educated on post-op plans and had been refusing to take initiative to begin the recovery process (i.e. getting up, ambulating, incentive spirometer, etc.). Per documentation, RNs have been charting (in detail) that pt has been refusing. Family member screams, "It's THEIR job to help him heal!" Dr responds, "If he doesn't want to help himself, they can't help him. They provide excellent nursing care and it's evident where the problem lies." Family member continues to yell/scream (literally screaming) about an NA who "got urine all over him while helping him use urinal in bed." Dr says, "I don't understand, why can't he use the urinal without assistance?" She says (through gritted teeth), "if my son, who is sick and in pain and unable to sit up or get out of bed, needs to pee, you better be darn sure someone here is gonna hold his member in a bottle for him...and NOT spill his **** all over him!!" Dr replied, "well ma'am, then I suggest you re-familiarize yourself with your son's anatomy and provide that care yourself." At this point, I'm picking my jaw up off the floor. On behalf of all RNs and NAs, I wanted to give him a big, fat wet one!! FYI, pt is twenty-something 3 days s/p lap sleeve gastrectomy.

I wish my unit offered the 11-11 shift. That would be ideal for me!

I appreciate everyone's responses. I'll be reaching out to Mr. Smeath, as I still have yet to hear back from the other person.

Examination Requirements | North Carolina Board of Nursing

After 2 years on midnights (7p-7a), my body is telling me it's time to switch to days. I'm naturally a night owl, so in the beginning I thought nights would be ideal for me, but it's taking a toll on my life outside of work. All I want to do on my days off is sleep! I've stayed on my shift because I love the people I work with (so much so that I came back to this job after a couple months at another hospital where I was miserable) and like that I don't have to deal with families or management much. I'm interested in hearing others' experiences when they switched to days. Pros and cons? Does the day shift go by quicker? Did you find your quality of life improved?

I spoke with an enrollment counselor on 4/8 and submitted all requirements immediately, including my electronic transcript. I have some questions, and have attempted to reach him on quite a few occasions since, both by phone and email and have not heard back once. I finally spoke to someone else in enrollment, who advised me that I need to wait for him to return my call. That was 4 days ago, still no response. Is this common with the enrollment personnel at WGU? I have to say, as a potential student, so far I'm not impressed.