GhostWindRider

face book (i refuse to capitalize it, and it isn't one word). fd has the been the downfall of so many good things. I do some work with a mental health / post divorce counsellor. 6 of 10 divorces started as a result of online fb (primarily) contacts. Old boyfriends, girlfriends, gay friends, etc. fb has killed jobs, caused suicides, protects a couple of pedophile and felon rings by not disclosing their identity. THAT was because a number of the people selling pictures of little ones, WERE people on fb's staff. Do yourself a favor. Disconnect from the social keystroke bs, it's hurting everywhere. twitter, is the second most disturbing effect. Turns out that our US Ambassador in Libya and 3 (more than what they're admitting), were killed by others in Libya (read AQ). They were "tweeting" to buds inside the embassy actual, setting up the ambushes. Now, for those that will defend fb by saying, "i only use it to keep in touch with so and so". Get a real life, send a letter and put PICTURES in the letter. They'll last longer anyway.

Hi all, Decided to return to school. I've posted some other things here, mostly regarding incompetent supervisors, HRs with nothing between their ears but the latest "profiling" of candidate blank forms. My background is 18D, Special Forces Medical Sergeant, (18 years), currently and ACLS / PALS certified LPN. Decided to head to a new degree. No, not for the money, not for the prestige of how many letters are after my name in a signature block. Talked to an admissions rep yesterday. I need ******* chemistry and english as well as the normal RN pre-reqs. I am published author (morificecript accepted without changes). Already have done A&P, but chemistry makes no sense. The ADRN program I think is going to end as everyone wants more and more paper on the wall, and 2 year programs even where I'm at, aren't meaning much. A BSN program for LPN to BSN is only 1 year more than the ADRN. Funding is not an issue. I want ot only work two fields. Emergency, trauma, and remote long term life support. (Mostly what SF medics do, RT trauma). With the cost of schools these days, and the fact wages are going down. It takes about 12-15 years to re-coup school costs. Question... 1. What would YOU do? 2. I'm 54, is it worth 3 years of school? Or should i just look at it as a personal challenge and go to school? 3. ADRN or BSN. Not interested in MSN as that's mostly management and teaching. I'm hands on and operationally oriented. A desk will never be for me. Thanks for your suggestions.

ChicRN, Over the last couple of years, I had applied for around 40 positions within 200 miles. In every single case, I never had a call back from an HR type or the DON regarding the position. With the advent of caller ID and caller ID/Selective Block that are in these phones systems, you can be cut straight to "voicemail" and never reach a human. The current method of "administration", (sorry for sounding rather jaded, but the civlian world and me will never see eye to eye, different priorities), is to do what they have to do legally and nothing more, check facebook, (which i despise anyway), do a social scan, google your name, and check the gossip circles, all of which mean far more than clinical experience of your history with patients and families regarding satisfaction. So, for the time being, until Oyappa federalized health care (Jan-March after his re-election), the Zero response will be the HR way of doing things for a long time to come.

Not true, while the law may indicate it's not true, i have found that many of these HR and supervisor types have their connections and people they know they can find out things about. Then, there's the case of my former sup walking around the floor with a resume, and she's asking if anyone knows so and so. Sadly, a few nurses took the opportunity to "suck up" and demonstrate some tid bit about that person, never heard anyone say anything positive.

I'm with the night shift peope. Worked for a short while as a CNA in nursing school. It was great at night. Me and 21 folks in an AD lock in unit. Once a nurse, I worked the night shift and took days when asked to pick up extra shifts. Day shift definately more "henny, gossipy," and they had the gangup mentality. Night shift, everyone backed everyone up. We appreciated our CNAs a ton, and I still do. Definately try nights.

Welcome to the nauseating world of HR control. Ever since the mental genuises in management created the HR specialist and schools started HR programs, these analysis systems have been used to "predict" a successful candidate. Being a former army 18D, Special Forces Medical Sergeant, I can guarantee all those "HR" people that none of the pieces of paper, psychobabble, interview questions means anything when the first critical event occurs. In combat, it'd be when the first bullet flies at you as you crap your pants and return fire, or try to anyway. For an 18D, a critical moment is your first aggresive invasive procedure to run down a bleeder from a bullet or shrapnel fragment OR your first chest tube (or multiple), on a shot up soldier with so many life threatening injuries, you have a hard time deciding whether to get the chest tube in, or dig for the bleeding femoral artery, knowing the difference in life or death is measure in tenths of seconds. The big problem is that the managers and administrators that make bad hires (at the supervisor level), will never get rid of those questionable "leaders" because that would make them look bad. A real problem in civilian medicine. Some nurses are going to flinch at my next comment.... So what, Doctors should get more involved to protect nurses they think are worth keeping. My only termination from a civilian nursing job ended up my getting letters of recommendation from 8 different docs of four different specialties including trauma and ob-gyn. Does any of that mean anything? No, the managers all call each other and "yak". I had a supervisor one time walk around a floor asking other nurses if they had heard of nurse so and so (she had their resume in hand). That supervisors next level supervisor and HR all knew she did it. Sadly, many nurses participated in the hen pecking festival that occured. Some were happy to do it and seemed proud of their knowledge of a potential nurse. My advice is simple, having been active duty military special operations, worked in over 70 countries, lead and "managed" operations and people measured in the billions of dollars is this... Decide for yourself who you will, and who you won't work for. Be prepared in every interview to say "thank you, but no thanks, please purge all my information from your system, and NO, you may not keep my resume and data for six months". Withdraw your application and leave.

Without getting into heavy detail. I was given a form that said I had violated Section XXX and paragraph XX.xx of the employee manual, that states no employee may create a working environement that speaks bad of the hospital or other employees. There were no performance issues, because my performance was excellent. I put in so many hours that the compliance officer had to ask me to go home. Did 36 hours one time and was managing 4 patients in the overflow ICU area. I loved it, the harder I go, the better I love it. The month before, I was given an anonymously nominated award for patient services. Had a lady in the unit that had been there for about 2 weeks. She was a horse lover and I brought two of my appaloosas into the parking lot on a saturday so she could see them from her window. Her doc said that her spirit so improved she was able to go home three days later. I'm not bragging, i'm just saying this to reinforce that so many in charge, have no reason for being there except to feed their egos.

Hi, when all this started, the first thing I did was talk to several lawyers. Three of them in this area said they'd never go against that hospital. Too connected. While I was there, Mitt himself graced them with his presence, nearly 3 years ago. Two lawyers said I should contact the Human Rights Commission, it wasn't an EEOC issue. I did file a complaint with HRC, and after 1 1/2 years, they said my claims were accurate and substantiated, exactly as I said. They then said I wasn't in a protected class (I wrote this before), being a while male, i'm in a very unprotected class. In fact we're targets. I then talked with a well known lawyer in this area working against hospitals. They best he said he could do is approach the hospital and suggest changing my status from terminated to resigned. Yep, the guy goes to the same ward several of the docs there go to. Military medicine rocks. Right now i'm going through USAJOBS and several MTFs and medical centers around the country are recruiting nurses with prior military service. Nice to hear from you. We see things the same way.

I agree with you. The abuse and mismanagement of nurses by supervisors, managers, HR sections only make the situation dangerous for patients. Had someone else here tell me that Patient Advocacy is real, I agree, it is and it's needed for the very reasons discussed here. BUT, unless you want to fall into some incompetent managers sights, you have to temper your advocacy with some self protection. Can't have some manager appear weak or incompetent, or they can't continue to hire weak or incompetent people. No surprise to see your file manipulated. Where this happened at, the night shift charge nurses were all great, with the exception of the narc thief I worked for a few times. Seemed like she was on and off her psych meds a little to randomly. I've considered provided a nursing / patient advising service that makes suggestions to future patients on their hospital selection based on nursing staff and supervisors, NOT on the docs. I think it'd be very successful. Of course, you'd have to break the knees of their lawyers because they'll try to threaten you out of existance. Very common thing with lawyers.

Would seem like a safe thought, SLC. However, I live in a more insideously fundamental area of the church. From SLC, go north about 200+ plus miles. It's hen central here, with everyone talking about everyone. Got a call from an RN a couple weeks ago, she wanted to know if I knew the "deal" on a nurse that worked with us in this same unit. He was set up by two CNAs and a charge nurse that played along with it. He was fired. These two CNAs were overheard talking about "I don't like this guy, i'm going to get him fired." I was standing there charting. When the situation started to generated, I approached the sup and attempted to debunk their attack on the nurse. He was gone 3 days later. Anyway.... this other RN calls me and asks if I knew anything about why that male nurse was terminated, cause he was going to work where she was at now. I not only refused to answer her questinos, I reamed her out pretty good for perpetuating the back stabbing network so strong in this area. I despise unions, with a loathing passion. They are one of the root problems we have here, neck and neck with lawyers. SLC is a much friendlier working environment and due to it's size, more diverse in their operations and mentality.

Sorry about that, leap was the wrong word.

You made the same leap to conclusions that the manager did. I wasn't complaining about staffing issues. In fact, I made it clear their staffing matrix was excellent. My issue was that the day shift charge nurses were not looking at post-surg patients coming to the floor and staffing the night shift accordingly. No monitor tech for a pt. on telemetry, that sort of thing. Staffing numbers were not the issue, it was day charge nurses not doing their job. Example: "We have X number of patients in beds. We have X number of nurses schedule tonight with 2 aids. Put so and so on call and send so and so home at 2300. HOWEVER, there would still be 2-3 patients in PACU or the ORs.

Hi all, thanks for the comments and suggestions. I had an HR officer at a VA region be frank and say more than he should have, but he knew that. Combat vet, he passed on the deal. He said though there's 100,000 people here, all the sups talk to each other, facebook (puke) and all that. There seems to be this little behind the scenes clique that goes on. Regarding lawyers and suing. I approached an attorney initially, he too was blunt, he said "see that temple on the side of the hill over there? That's what you're up against." Couldn't find an attorney to take the case. That's when I went to the human rights people, on his suggestion. However, as a white male and worse a combat vet (no PTSD), I was in a thoroughly unprotected class and open to any form of retribution / attack etc. that a sup threw at me. It's a non-union state (thank the Lord), but the church influence here is disturbing. I have taken some advice and pulled all references to this hospital from my resumes and dropped references from the 1 remaining nurse that still works there. Have had dozens of interviews and did one or two to generate some lines of investigation to see who talks to who. 3 days later, someone called ME to ask about me. I asked how they got that information... it seems that at another location, the nurse manager walks to floor asking other nurses if they know so and so. To be honest, i'm deeply disturbed by the nature of these nurses thinking they're doing the right thing by destroying reputations.

Thank you sir, much appreciated. I have found a bit of professional jealousy in the hospital environment. Not with other nurses, they're always great. It's some supervisor along the way. Just one particular one in my case. Bad choice by the hospital. They've lost alot of nurses due to this supervisor. There are 6 schools graduating nurses within 250 miles however, so they simply rotate them through. I love medicine. It's sad what non operational nurses are doing to medicine for their own gain or promotion. Patients suffer for it, and sometimes more.

I'm with you on your decision. Medicine these days is questionable in it's execution of patient care and patient advocacy. I'm a former 18D, Special Forces Medical Sergeant. As such, we were trained to do procedures that you have to have 8 years of school and spend thousands of dollars on useless pre-requisite courses to get in the civilian world. In 2008, I obtained my civilian nursing license and went to work at two hospitals. Hyperbaric Technology at one and Med/Surg at the other. First two years in med surg was a great deal of fun and challenge. Heavy patient loads were not an issue when you're used to managed 2-3 or more life threatening trauma events, etc. I was entrusted with the patient care of some of the most difficult and challenging patients. Then a rather incompetent charge nurse was moved up to the first line supervisor's position of the med surg unit. She took great pride in making sure the hospitals financial interests were covered by never calling in the back up nurse "we can handle it". I watched a patient not survive her pushes of haloperidol Q2h while not having cardiac telemetry on the patient. "We couldn't keep it on him, he flopped around too much." I was asked to come in and sit with the patient one on one but was told that I had to leave by 0230 due to hours on the clock. I left, he didn't live to see breakfast. That nurse became the supervisor. Fast forward a year or so. The hospital is sold to a corporate ownership. CNA ratios went to 12:1 with no CNAs on duty until there were 12 patients on the floor. I arrive for my night shift and get a sketchy report on a patient that had issues. "X-ray is in there now doing a chest x-ray to rule out PE." huh?? So, I walk straight into the room and the pt. is disconnected from his IV, non-responsive, no cardiac telemetry is on him, nor in the room. Tele was ordered at 1600, 3 hours earlier. I had three other patients to see, only 1 of which I had a report on. One was a 12 year old bleeder (can't say more). Phone calls to the pt's doc and IM, orders for a contrast CT to rule out stroke. The charge THAT night was a flake that was later fired for heisting narcs. I had been raising concerns about the day shift charge nurses not correctly staffing the night shift for weeks. It was not a patient ratio issue. 5:1 at that hospital is just fine. I made a comment to the flake charge that we should have another nurse and aid/monitor tech as we now have a guy on telemetry. She chose to call the supervisor (yep, the same flake that was promoted to supervisor and became the torch bearer for poor staffing and egotistical management practices) and say I was complaining about staffing issues. All of which were lies. I was fired that night. It gets better. I ask the state's human rights commission to investigate practices of targetting and retribution and provide witness names and phone numbers. 1 1/2 years later I get a nice letter saying all of my claims were substantiated and found true. BUT, as I was not in a "protected" class, there is nothing the HRC would or could do. You see, i'm a white male with 22 years military service, 18 as an 18Delta. I've started thousands of IVs, many under horrible conditions, done 3 chest tubes and participated in many more, "minor exploratory surgery" to find a bleeder after chunks of metal went flying through abdomens, chests, legs and more. After 9/11, I went back and forth to the middle east doing more medicine. Spent weekends hauling wounded from helicopters at the CASH in Baghdad to overworked trauma wards. You did what you know how to do. Since leaving that hospital 2 years ago, I have been road blocked by this "supervisor" at every turn obtaining nursing work. Several VA positions were withdrawn after a phone discussion with this supervisor. All my references, including 7 doctors (ortho, IM, OB-GYN, family practice and cardiology), several charge nurses and independant nurses as well as patients. All meant nothing as soon as that "supervisor" got on the phone. Ultimately, i'm disgusted with the potential that poor supervisors have for destroying a career and HR sections that are so incompetent, that i'm leaving nursing (civilian) and pray for the future of patients where their lives are put on the line for budget decisions, egos, poor practices and **** poor HR staff. The nursing staff in the entire hospital has rolled over completely with the exception of 8 people who never or wouldn't dream of rocking the boat. Smile and nod, patient care be damned. It's illusionary. What i've learned... 1. Patient advocacy is a class in a school that has little place in real practice. It has to be balanced between your career and the ego freak you have to address the patient's issue to. 2. Experience means nothing. 3. _______ nurses always get hired, _______ nurses never get fire. Explanation: I live in an area that is dominated by one particular church. They protect and guard each other like it was their money. I have seen more discrimination regarding other medical staff in favor of this particular group of people on a scale that makes the 60s pale. "Do you know so and so in Ward ___ "? "No, i'm in Ward ____, do you know so and so"? "Oh yes, he's great, we have to watch out for him." and on and on and on. Sorry for the long story, I pray for our patients, with the future of health care (yes, doctors and nurses will be federalized and unions wiped out). If you're not healthy, get that way, your greatest danger isn't bad traffic, it may be a hospitalization. Ghostwindrider

I posted this article in another section and decided that it applies here as well. I'm with you on your decision. Medicine these days is questionable in it's execution of patient care and patient advocacy. I'm a former 18D, Special Forces Medical Sergeant. As such, we were trained to do procedures that you have to have 8 years of school and spend thousands of dollars on useless pre-requisite courses to get in the civilian world. In 2008, I obtained my civilian nursing license and went to work at two hospitals. Hyperbaric Technology at one and Med/Surg at the other. First two years in med surg was a great deal of fun and challenge. Heavy patient loads were not an issue when you're used to managed 2-3 or more life threatening trauma events, etc. I was entrusted with the patient care of some of the most difficult and challenging patients. Then a rather incompetent charge nurse was moved up to the first line supervisor's position of the med surg unit. She took great pride in making sure the hospitals financial interests were covered by never calling in the back up nurse "we can handle it". I watched a patient not survive her pushes of haloperidol Q2h while not having cardiac telemetry on the patient. "We couldn't keep it on him, he flopped around too much." I was asked to come in and sit with the patient one on one but was told that I had to leave by 0230 due to hours on the clock. I left, he didn't live to see breakfast. That nurse became the supervisor. Fast forward a year or so. The hospital is sold to a corporate ownership. CNA ratios went to 12:1 with no CNAs on duty until there were 12 patients on the floor. I arrive for my night shift and get a sketchy report on a patient that had issues. "X-ray is in there now doing a chest x-ray to rule out PE." huh?? So, I walk straight into the room and the pt. is disconnected from his IV, non-responsive, no cardiac telemetry is on him, nor in the room. Tele was ordered at 1600, 3 hours earlier. I had three other patients to see, only 1 of which I had a report on. One was a 12 year old bleeder (can't say more). Phone calls to the pt's doc and IM, orders for a contrast CT to rule out stroke. The charge THAT night was a flake that was later fired for heisting narcs. I had been raising concerns about the day shift charge nurses not correctly staffing the night shift for weeks. It was not a patient ratio issue. 5:1 at that hospital is just fine. I made a comment to the flake charge that we should have another nurse and aid/monitor tech as we now have a guy on telemetry. She chose to call the supervisor (yep, the same flake that was promoted to supervisor and became the torch bearer for poor staffing and egotistical management practices) and say I was complaining about staffing issues. All of which were lies. I was fired that night. It gets better. I ask the state's human rights commission to investigate practices of targetting and retribution and provide witness names and phone numbers. 1 1/2 years later I get a nice letter saying all of my claims were substantiated and found true. BUT, as I was not in a "protected" class, there is nothing the HRC would or could do. You see, i'm a white male with 22 years military service, 18 as an 18Delta. I've started thousands of IVs, many under horrible conditions, done 3 chest tubes and participated in many more, "minor exploratory surgery" to find a bleeder after chunks of metal went flying through abdomens, chests, legs and more. After 9/11, I went back and forth to the middle east doing more medicine. Spent weekends hauling wounded from helicopters at the CASH in Baghdad to overworked trauma wards. You did what you know how to do. Since leaving that hospital 2 years ago, I have been road blocked by this "supervisor" at every turn obtaining nursing work. Several VA positions were withdrawn after a phone discussion with this supervisor. All my references, including 7 doctors (ortho, IM, OB-GYN, family practice and cardiology), several charge nurses and independant nurses as well as patients. All meant nothing as soon as that "supervisor" got on the phone. Ultimately, i'm disgusted with the potential that poor supervisors have for destroying a career and HR sections that are so incompetent, that i'm leaving nursing (civilian) and pray for the future of patients where their lives are put on the line for budget decisions, egos, poor practices and **** poor HR staff. The nursing staff in the entire hospital has rolled over completely with the exception of 8 people who never or wouldn't dream of rocking the boat. Smile and nod, patient care be damned. It's illusionary. What i've learned... 1. Patient advocacy is a class in a school that has little place in real practice. It has to be balanced between your career and the ego freak you have to address the patient's issue to. 2. Experience means nothing. 3. _______ nurses always get hired, _______ nurses never get fire. Explanation: I live in an area that is dominated by one particular church. They protect and guard each other like it was their money. I have seen more discrimination regarding other medical staff in favor of this particular group of people on a scale that makes the 60s pale. "Do you know so and so in Ward ___ "? "No, i'm in Ward ____, do you know so and so"? "Oh yes, he's great, we have to watch out for him." and on and on and on. Sorry for the long story, I pray for our patients, with the future of health care (yes, doctors and nurses will be federalized and unions wiped out). If you're not healthy, get that way, your greatest danger isn't bad traffic, it may be a hospitalization. Ghostwindrider

I'm with you on your decision. Medicine these days is questionable in it's execution of patient care and patient advocacy. I'm a former 18D, Special Forces Medical Sergeant. As such, we were trained to do procedures that you have to have 8 years of school and spend thousands of dollars on useless pre-requisite courses to get in the civilian world. In 2008, I obtained my civilian nursing license and went to work at two hospitals. Hyperbaric Technology at one and Med/Surg at the other. First two years in med surg was a great deal of fun and challenge. Heavy patient loads were not an issue when you're used to managed 2-3 or more life threatening trauma events, etc. I was entrusted with the patient care of some of the most difficult and challenging patients. Then a rather incompetent charge nurse was moved up to the first line supervisor's position of the med surg unit. She took great pride in making sure the hospitals financial interests were covered by never calling in the back up nurse "we can handle it". I watched a patient not survive her pushes of haloperidol Q2h while not having cardiac telemetry on the patient. "We couldn't keep it on him, he flopped around too much." I was asked to come in and sit with the patient one on one but was told that I had to leave by 0230 due to hours on the clock. I left, he didn't live to see breakfast. That nurse became the supervisor. Fast forward a year or so. The hospital is sold to a corporate ownership. CNA ratios went to 12:1 with no CNAs on duty until there were 12 patients on the floor. I arrive for my night shift and get a sketchy report on a patient that had issues. "X-ray is in there now doing a chest x-ray to rule out PE." huh?? So, I walk straight into the room and the pt. is disconnected from his IV, non-responsive, no cardiac telemetry is on him, nor in the room. Tele was ordered at 1600, 3 hours earlier. I had three other patients to see, only 1 of which I had a report on. One was a 12 year old bleeder (can't say more). Phone calls to the pt's doc and IM, orders for a contrast CT to rule out stroke. The charge THAT night was a flake that was later fired for heisting narcs. I had been raising concerns about the day shift charge nurses not correctly staffing the night shift for weeks. It was not a patient ratio issue. 5:1 at that hospital is just fine. I made a comment to the flake charge that we should have another nurse and aid/monitor tech as we now have a guy on telemetry. She chose to call the supervisor (yep, the same flake that was promoted to supervisor and became the torch bearer for poor staffing and egotistical management practices) and say I was complaining about staffing issues. All of which were lies. I was fired that night. It gets better. I ask the state's human rights commission to investigate practices of targetting and retribution and provide witness names and phone numbers. 1 1/2 years later I get a nice letter saying all of my claims were substantiated and found true. BUT, as I was not in a "protected" class, there is nothing the HRC would or could do. You see, i'm a white male with 22 years military service, 18 as an 18Delta. I've started thousands of IVs, many under horrible conditions, done 3 chest tubes and participated in many more, "minor exploratory surgery" to find a bleeder after chunks of metal went flying through abdomens, chests, legs and more. After 9/11, I went back and forth to the middle east doing more medicine. Spent weekends hauling wounded from helicopters at the CASH in Baghdad to overworked trauma wards. You did what you know how to do. Since leaving that hospital 2 years ago, I have been road blocked by this "supervisor" at every turn obtaining nursing work. Several VA positions were withdrawn after a phone discussion with this supervisor. All my references, including 7 doctors (ortho, IM, OB-GYN, family practice and cardiology), several charge nurses and independant nurses as well as patients. All meant nothing as soon as that "supervisor" got on the phone. Ultimately, i'm disgusted with the potential that poor supervisors have for destroying a career and HR sections that are so incompetent, that i'm leaving nursing (civilian) and pray for the future of patients where their lives are put on the line for budget decisions, egos, poor practices and **** poor HR staff. The nursing staff in the entire hospital has rolled over completely with the exception of 8 people who never or wouldn't dream of rocking the boat. Smile and nod, patient care be damned. It's illusionary. What i've learned... 1. Patient advocacy is a class in a school that has little place in real practice. It has to be balanced between your career and the ego freak you have to address the patient's issue to. 2. Experience means nothing. 3. _______ nurses always get hired, _______ nurses never get fire. Explanation: I live in an area that is dominated by one particular church. They protect and guard each other like it was their money. I have seen more discrimination regarding other medical staff in favor of this particular group of people on a scale that makes the 60s pale. "Do you know so and so in Ward ___ "? "No, i'm in Ward ____, do you know so and so"? "Oh yes, he's great, we have to watch out for him." and on and on and on. Sorry for the long story, I pray for our patients, with the future of health care (yes, doctors and nurses will be federalized and unions wiped out). If you're not healthy, get that way, your greatest danger isn't bad traffic, it may be a hospitalization. Ghostwindrider