MomBSN

This situation reminds me of a conversation I had with a patient's wife just yesterday. The patient and his wife refused the Physician's recommendation for Hospice and opted to have home health involved. Medically, this patient is very appropriate for hospice. I did not mention hospice to the wife but she shared with me that she and the patient refused hospice as it was against their moral beliefs. She stated that while she understood hospice's purpose, the choice of giving up of "the good fight" was like choosing to end your life. Now although as a Nursing Professional, I may not share this belief I am also a patient advocate and so I chose to support the patient and his family in the best manner I know how. I see that they are willing to have a hospice and hopefully things will work out for the best. It sounds like you have done the right thing by clearing the visits with the director as well. In review of the situation, I wonder if you have a MSW to consult regarding end of life/hospice info? Or since you are uncomfortable with end of life, perhaps there are some Nursing continuing ed in your area?

It is great that you have recognized so quickly in your career that which you do not enjoy. Often I see nurses in the same job that they dislike for far too long and they just end up bitter/negative. Thank goodness that nursing offers so many opportunities that you do not have to do something you do not love. The biggest difference I have noticed between nursing administrators and nursing management is that nursing managers have more opportunities to still have patient contact, working with rns in the "trenches" and still have a great deal of paperwork. Administrators tend to deal more with operations, budgets, following standards, etc. Both managers and administrators can work outside of hospital settings. Best of luck in finding the position that makes you happy.

Not appropriate even for corrections nursing. This really is not safe nor is it fair to you. Remind them of your new grad status and ask for an extended orientation period. I understand they need warm bodies but they will benefit much more if you actually are trained appropriately. Good luck

While I cannot answer to the specific facility to which you have applied, I would say it is high stress/burnout. The population that you will be serving is a challenging one. Not only must you do the usual nursing duties but you must be aware of your surroundings, determine if someone is trying to get away with something,expect to be fairly autonomous, be mindful of security issues, etc. It is a delicate balance of providing appropriate care to your patient in a correctional facility. Some nurses, correctional officers, doctors, etc are just not cut out to work in corrections...just as some nurses are not cut out to work in other areas of nursing. I found corrections quite interesting, challenging and often interesting. I frequently had new opportunities for learning as well as teaching. Best of luck

in Or, MA's are not governed by the BON...they are not required to even be certified. They do fall under the Provider's license. As for supervision, the licensed nurse supervisory position over the MA. I would suggest reviewing the job description and orientation for MA's at your work site. Obviously, there are restrictions on the MA role. For example,some of the things a MA in OR may not perform include administration of Rhogam injections, ua cath samples, no triage of pts and no IVs. However, they may place ppds, IZs, perform throat swabs, phlebotomy and take vitals IF they have been trained (via a school program) and signed off by the RN/Nursing supervisor. This is just a brief summary...hopefully it will give you an idea of what to expect and some possible resources. Best of luck!

have to say i agree here! i have worked in a male dominated field and oh-my-word...the cattiness ! lol Matter of fact...i use to think women were bad....not so! An even mix of genders seems to keep both in check in my experience

Engage yourself...i think the behaviors that make a person appear uninterested are most annoying to me (eg. sitting there the entire time, frequently denying new opportunities of learning something new, a look of disinterest or sitting with your feet up on the other nurses' station chairs ) If your really not interested then your not learning anything...talk to your clinical instructor for a different site....you are paying to LEARN.

you received some great advice here... 1. look for a skills checklist, ask for an expected schedule (routine)...if you have an orientation packet this type of info should be included. 2. keep the mindset that you are "learning". when we are learning, we expect to make mistakes....hang in there...you are not alone :) 3. talk to the nurse educator and preceptor...review the expectations with both and review policy if answers are unclear 4. as for the unprofessional nurse...sorry she was acting like a jerk...and i could say..see it from her perspective but i wont...as i fail to find that reply helpful. I will say how i would respond...i'd reply with an apology (not because she is right in the way she treated you). Starting with apology will take the fight out of her little tirade. I would then tell her that I am doing my best to learn everything as quickly as possible but that I am going to have to ask for guidance. I would also ask her if she has any tips or suggestions. I would even add that i know that she is busy and would appreciate any recommendations. Asking for help, acknowledging her experience...etc are ways to enlist allies. Please keep in mind that this isn't exclusive to nursing....all jobs, professions have bad eggs, bad days, etc. Listen now...your a single mom...that is quite a challenging position..if you can do that...you can do nursing :) Your dreams is to be a nurse...don't you dare let that go!

you like animals...how about volunteering? guess what...females like animals too :) As for the conversation...it goes a lot smoother if you are actually interested in what she has to say (when interested, people tend to ask questions). As for the mixer, consider it practice in meeting women...it won't kill you to practice with some of the older women... :)

there are plenty more females out there your age... i'd recommend taking up a hobby....joining a sport league (bowling, softball, etc) do something you enjoy...you never know who you might meet just by putting yourself out there

After precepting several times...i think this is the most solid advice. document your concerns and back it up with the incidents, address it with the coordinator/supervisor, develop a plan (hopefully this includes assessing the NG learning needs) and f/u with the NG. Think the above poster really hit the issues on the head :)

You know, I don't think knowing what you want is a bad thing. If spending time with your family is important then you make it a priority. You are wondering if this is possible in nursing...it is possible. You can get holidays and weekends off, it is possible to get decent pay and you will still get to use "skills" to care for your patients. All jobs (in and outside of nursing have trade offs...you just have to know what is going to make you most happy and be willing to fight for them). Nursing is a very large field and with networking, research, etc you can find your niche. It won't be perfect but it could be perfect for you. That being said the first few years might not be "heaven on earth" as there is a very big leap the first few years from novice to expert. I'd like to encourage you to check around with local nurses, read the forums about different areas of nursing and even check out some nursing journals. Good luck!

I find that i tend to do best with positions that keep me busy (mentally/physically) and with a fair amount of autonomy. Psych was not my favorite...i found the borderline's exhausting..but who doesnt? :)

a couple things come to mind... first, if you are in a position that requires you to supervise aides, the dating could be construed as abuse of power or sexual harassment (or even hostile work environment) Second, any married couples in the company? and finally, you could go out in a group setting, take things slow but can you manage that? If so, if you feel that there could be more than just a friendship developing, start looking for another position.

the "best" area is dependent on you....your likes, strengths, goals, attitude, etc. Consider which area you enjoyed the most in school and try starting there. Best of luck.

I definitely did not work a year of med surg (closer to 1-2 months). Also the corrections facilities I was in had higher acuity and was very similar to a med surg floor with dr rounds every am. During my time, I performed phlebotomy, IVs, drsg changes, 3 day post op open heart patients, dressing changes, assessments, etc in a ward (the infirmary in patient area). This was only one aspect of working in corrections...there were so many other nursing skills that i used. At one point, i remember thinking that I was losing some of the skills that I left nursing school with but I came to realize that we all hit the ground running with the same foundation and whatever area you enter you will "lose" some skills and specialize in other areas (see novice to expert Benner's Stages of Clinical Competence). For example, for me in the corrections setting there was far more autonomy than in med-surg. You relied heavily on your assessment skills sans the equipment. naturally, my assessment skills moved from novice to expert and my managing an IV pump remained at novice (iv pumps were not allowed, we had to use good ole' gravity ). As for the question, do you need the standard year of med surg for a job in the hospital setting? I would not limit myself to applying only to med surg if you feel you would be competent/qualified in other hospital positions. Most likely you will find yourself starting out in med-surg (as those positions tend to open up more quickly) but d/t the prior experience you most likely will not have to stay in that area a year.

In terms of yourself this is what i do for "decluttering my life/work/achieving goals/etc" 1. Start with what is absolutely due right now and finish it 2. Next work on the ONE thing you loathe the most and finish it 3. Do things that can be completed quickly 4. Now, figure out if your "to do list" has other time sensitive issues, life and death, "the world will end if i don't get this done", etc. 5. should you have anything that is due now, life and death or world ending things on your list...get those done now. 6. the remaining items organized according to due dates and priority. 7. stop now and go home knowing that you are on track :)

41. No this is not a "Free" clinic 42. I am sorry, I am not able to give your husband/wife/gf/bf/lover STD results due to patient confidentiality. Should your husband/wife/gf/bf/lover wish you to have that information, they may come into the clinic to sign a release of information. 43. No sir/madam, the test for chlamydia does not tell me when, for how long nor from who you received it. 44. Please do not call the Nurse at 4 pm, 4:15 pm, 4:18 pm and then show up to clinic insisting on being seen on a Friday for a "fever of 118F" since this morning. I can probably think of a few more

Shouldn't be a problem, I did it myself ...left corrections went to the hospital med-surg for a short amount of time and was offered a case management job at the same hospital. Moved on to do triage.... By the way, I was offered a job at every place i had applied and counter offers were made when i declined the position. You may however wish to wait until the nursing job market opens up again. In the meantime, I recommend taking some classes (CEs) to brush up on the areas you feel you are lacking. Good luck

I worked as an RN/trainer/manager for the oregon state prison system for a few years and I did enjoy it. There was quite a bit of variety as the RN you provide a full spectrum of care (first responder, medication, triage, assisting specialist MDs that come into the facility, education, etc). There is quite a bit of autonomy involved in the RN position. I personally prefer to work with the men rather than the women. It seems to be quite a bit more mental health issues with the females vs the males. Don't get me wrong, mental health issues permeate both populations. I recommend starting out at the higher security prisons as they have the higher acuity patients (infirmaries are located at the maximum security sites). Lower security settings nurses have more autonomy and need to be confident in their assessment, use of protocols and their ability to triage. I found the pay and benefits to be comparable to a med surg floor (this was a few years ago). By the way, there may still be a loan cancellation in place should this be applicable to your situation. Good luck

uncooperative is such a broad definition and I can think of so many different examples of how this could apply. In my experience, I find many just want someone to "really" listen. I usually give them time to discuss their concerns, worries, questions or even just vent. From that information, i attempt to determine what it is the patient needs....is it education? are they concerned about finances? do they need to be empowered? do they need to be re-directed? I almost always offer a choice and usually introduce it as "you have (enter # here) possible options..." and i let them know that the choice is ultimately up to them. I'm leaving out some of the things I do but people and situations are so individual that I often try to "feel out" the situation. Hope this helps...

I can honestly say that i hate med-surg with a passion (a big thanks to all those nurses who can!) and the hate started with my first clinical rotation in med-surg. At that time, I began to question my decision to go into the nursing field but for some reason i stuck with it and found some other areas that i really did enjoy. As graduation approached, I was terrified of the med-surg year that everyone insisted was a "must-do" for a new RN. I graduated in the 90s and was blessed by a nursing job shortage....blessed because no one was hiring new grads for med surg! I did a short stint at a step-down unit where i learned peritoneal dialysis, refined my skills with ua caths, ng tubes, pca's, dressing changes, etc. Then I was blessed to get a job with the state where I learned from a wonderful NP how to do an assessment and triage. Long story short....hospital jobs are not the only jobs out there for RNs and Med-surg is NOT a requirement for being a Good RN. They great thing about nursing is that it is so vast that almost anyone can find their niche. It is your duty to yourself to explore those options and don't give up. Explore new areas and don't be afraid to try new things.

First off, I'm going to recommend that you contact your local board of nursing. They are experts on the scope of practice of RNs in your area :) Second, I am assuming you are in an outpatient setting and if the job expectation is that you will do some "light triage" there should be protocols, telephone triage reference and policy available to you. I'm hoping the recommendation of maalox for chest pain is just a quick example of part of the recommendations and not the complete telephone triage (as this recommendation is incomplete as well as dangerous). I have done triage for a number of years in person as well as via telephone and I have recommended the use of OTC meds (which were per the recommendations protocol/algorithm, policy and therefore well within my scope of practice). I want to encourage you to seek out these resources so that you may grow confident in your role as an RN. Good luck!

Personally, I would skip Salem Hospital (they have a rep that is not very favorable and I understand that they are trying to address it). Smaller hospitals (like those in Corvallis/Albany/etc) tend to float their L&D staff when they have open beds. Eugene/Springfield is a big enough City, I would recommend looking into their facilities (like Sacred Heart). As for getting right into L&D, you might be pleasantly surprised...just make your interest known. The local community hospital where I am at just had to build a bigger and better family birth center due to all the babies being born in this area (and they are often looking for L&D nurses)

Last I heard Providence Hospital was offering one such program...here is one...http://nursing.up.edu/default.aspx?cid=3501&pid=208 Good luck