Hithere

Are you willing to move to a different state for a year or two? El Paso, TX is hiring like crazy and the fact that you speak Spanish is a huge plus.

So I've been kicking around the idea of buying/starting some assisted living homes (serving under 10 residents) and possibly franchising the concept down the road. Seems like assisted living homes might be the latest health care wave, and one that is much more beneficial to the resident than a large facility. I worked in group homes (similar concept but with developmentally disabled adults) for years when I was a teenager, and I loved it. I would really love to be able to create policies and procedures and offer great care to residents and a workable patient to resident ratio for CNAs. I also get jazzed when I think about creating a training program, as I would love to work toward providing the best care and training out there. Any thoughts on pros and cons to attempting to franchise an assisted living home business? Thanks for your input.

I would love to blog about health/wellness and living a simple off the grid type life and I absolutely love the idea of having an animal sanctuary for hospice patient's animals...maybe it could also offer animal therapy to others(?)...Maybe perhaps start my own home care business. We'll see. :) I am so excited to be an RN and make this part of my dream come true!

I love the way you think Mudwoman! We should for sure form a mastermind group and see where we can take the concept of holistic nursing/education. I would love to brainstorm and chat with you more--perhaps we can email? Feel free to drop me a line: [email protected] :) I am really looking forward to getting to know you--I just love meeting my kinda people! :)

I've been thinking about opening an assisted living facility (with under 12 beds), but am concerned about the ways Medicare could be changing. Anyone have any thoughts or concerns about opening up a health care related business and getting paid from the government?

Thanks for the info! ...I absolutely love skin care and would love to possibly do it on the side for myself and friends and family. :)

Get the word "diet" out of your vocabulary! If you want better nutritional habits, start slowly. Perhaps make it a goal to eat a nourishing meal once a day, and eat nutritional deprived the other 2 meals. :) I used to love high calorie and sugary foods, but anymore I can't stand the taste--I crave fruits and veggies and can almost feel my cells plump up after eating them--such a good feeling--but it does take a bit for your body to adjust. Just make a few simple swaps, 2% milk for whole milk, wheat flour instead of white, a piece of fruit instead of chips, etc. You don't have to go all or nothing here--heck, I still eat a piece of cake every now and again and I really enjoy it--but it's a once in awhile thing. Good luck to you--and I promise you relly will start feeling better if you focus on nourishing your body with foods that love you, instead of depleting your body with foods you (for right now) love. :)

Please don't ever lose this mentality or philosophy--your consideration and thoughtfulness is really touching.

I'm really interested in learning more about chemical peels for the face and body. I would love to go to esthetician school after I finish my RN, as I would love to learn all about skin care--although my interest may stay at more of the hobby level--but this is something I'd love to be able to do for myself and maybe friends and family. ...Are there classes I can take as an RN to become certified to do chemical peels or would I need to go thru esthetician school? Thoughts? :)

Set yourself up to win. Meaning, figure out how much time you are willing to commit to being good to yourself. Can you dedicate 5 minutes a day to start? If not, how about 2 minutes? (If you just snorted and thought to yourself, "Give me a break, I can totally do 2 minutes, who can't?!...If you were still on the fence about 2 minutes, then think about 1 minute or even 30 seconds." Then that's the magic amount of time.) During that 2 minutes (lets say in the morning before you leave for work) you do something healthy, be it 20 jumping jacks and then eat a boiled egg on your way out the door. Something. The purpose of spending a laughably small amount of time up front is to get over the hump of getting started. Anyone can dedicate 2 minutes to something. Over the coming months, perhaps add multiple 2 minute health sessions to your day or add a minute or more to your time--the goal here is to create a sustainable habit--not to do what we all tend to do which is start out by waking up 2 hours early, working out hard at the gym and then quitting after 1 week! :) Slowly change your habits. This process should be painless, and even fun. When you are driving to work think about some healthy, nourishing snacks you can make ahead of time that you can grab and go in your fridge. Perhaps, chopped up celery, apples, grapes, eggs, cheese sticks, mixed nuts, bottles water, baby carrots, V8, other veggie/juice smoothies, etc. Think about time chunking your food prep and exercise routine. Perhaps the day you do laundry is the time when you do the most food prep, or you do jumping jacks during the first commercial on your favorite show--get creative and have fun with it! You are important, and are worth investing 2 minutes a day into your wellness--if anything this 2 minutes is the biggest investment you can make into your career as you will last longer! ...Keep us posted on how things go! :)

There is a one word greeting that is used in many Buddhist cultures, that I find so appropriate for anyone at anytime, regardless of their beliefs. That word is "Namaste". Namaste is often used as a greeting when people meet, generally the hand are placed together and a little bow follows (think Dali Lama)--it is also a mindset and approach to other human beings that helps us to connect to each other. In a nutshell, Namaste means "the light in me honors the light in you". I think it is a beautiful way to greet another human being, as well as to approach patient/resident care. I am not for administering my beliefs to others--only medicine. :) If patients want to share their beliefs or talk, I try and take the time to listen--I suppose I try and have the view that their stay here (care facility) is all about them--it isn't about me and what I think or don't think.

What was the appeal of nursing that inspired you to get into nursing school to begin with?

There is a huge difference between guilt and tough love. Guilting and shaming don't generally motivate people. But telling someone the hard truth of, "you are going to lose your legs if you stay on this path" isn't guilt--it's telling them the truth. With that being said, I think the hard truth can be delivered compassionately. You could say, "you are going to lose your legs if you stay on this path--I am concerned about you and your health. Are you open to discussing some ideas about how to get you and your health on track?" And then go from there. I like the baby steps idea mentioned earlier--set the patients up to succeed. More often than not people need some momentum to get them going, some small wins. Switching to using salad plates instead of dinner plates, parking the car farther, using the stairs, joining a support group, starting a food journal, eating consciously (not while busy or watching TV), making a list of active hobbies they think they might enjoy (who says exercise has to be at the gym or doing something you hate! --perhaps volunteering at the humane society to walk the dogs, or taking up swimming). I think most importantly, just listening to patients and being supportive goes a long way. It really saddens me that the previous self described obese poster avoided going to the doctor because of her weight. ...I would like to know what could nurses or doctors do to help? How could we effectively reach and encourage/inform you? ...There are many of us who do really care and who want you to live the life of your dreams in however you define it. Let us know how to help, and we will.

I just bought the Bose Quiet Comfort 15 noise canceling headphones so I can actually think when I try and study at the library! (When did people start talking so much in libraries--geeze!) They don't cancel all the noise, but there is a HUGE reduction. They are about $250 and I just chalked it up to an educational expense. Totally worth the cost if you have to study around other people!

Would you consider moving out of state? Here in New Mexico there seem to be a lot of jobs for health professionals at any level. Some cities are still offering hiring bonuses. ...Or perhaps look into being a traveling nurse if your life allows. ...Don't get discouraged, a good nurse is always in demand! :)