laurakoko

App 7000$ Not including airfare, gas, hotels, food. And I did my CPNE in 1998.........

I say, for the staff that is complaining...make the complaint, and suggest a solution. Develop a PI team, with the complainer the president, and try to implement the suggestion (especially if it is workable/manageable). The complainers will then be a part of a team, trying to make a change, take "ownership" of their unit. If they don't want to do it, stop complaining. WHY NOT TRY TO CHANGE? Some nurses have some great ideas for making their jobs better, and for most nurses, it means effectively giving better, efficiant care to their patients. Isn't that what we WANT???????

I got hit by an elderly, demented patient. Then he proceeded to enter the elevator, tell me he was leaving, and walked around the hospital, and to the end of the street. I called security, they were with me, and proceeded to call the local police dept. The elderly man became very SOB, (with the dx of CHF and COPD), and physically had to stop walking. We got a wheelchair, wheeled him back to the room. The police asked me if I wanted to press charges! The family then came, and the police said legally I could press charges for battery, and the power of attorney would also be held liable. Info I didn't know.....The family took action quickly to talk to the physician for behavorial management issues. Of course, I didn't press charges, and wouldn't. It only took one time for me to get hit, now I am more aware, better assessing dementia associated with hostility, and calling hospital security, if needed, to be with me all day, entering the patients room. I am not willing to be beat up, and it is the hospital's responsibility, as an employer, to protect the employees.

WOW!!! I am so happy to have found this post.......... I have a teenage boy, and I can't figure it out either! I am with the post with the Lysol. I enter the room with the can......spray the shoes, the computer keyboard, door knobs, soccer shin guards, backpacks, gym bags, EVERYTHING! Can't get rid of it. I say it's his head. He has long hair, sweats, and it just stinks. And the cologne.... uggggg...I finally told him yesterday he had to bring it in his bag, and spray it outside, as it gags me. I even went to the extent to buy him expensive cologne, that smells good, he'd rather the cheap ****. I am surprised I even liked teenage boys when I was a teenager. I do make sure to tell him how proud I am of him, and how much I love him, and we talk ALOT, but I also don't forget to tell him HOW to shower.......... YEAH THE COLOGNE IS THE AXE STUFF, I JUST CHECKED>>>>>>>>>> EWWWWWWWW

Cya.............cover your....

My nursing school class were doing clinical rotations at a local hospital....I was paired with my best friend. We were taking care of this lady, and she told me to empty her foley. I did, and didn't clamp it correctly. I ended up with urine all over my white stockings. (yes, we wore dresses and pantyhose back in those days...not so long ago either) I proceeded to take off my shoes and hose frantically, as I was disgusted with someone elses urine on me. I cleaned my legs, and while I was, my friend decided to "dry" my hose, not with a towel, but in the microwave. They caught on fire, and luckily she put it out quickly. You could smell the scent of smolder throughout the nurses station, and rooms. When our instructor asked what happened, she told her the entire story.....the instructor, instead of being angry, was laughing hysterically!!!!!!!!!!!! At graduation, my friend got the award of "class clown", bringing laughter to everyone. It was FUNNY...... The best part was when after she told everyone, I walked out with my dress, and shoes on, without hose, everyone laughed hysterically all over again...............

Thanks from me, too. I appreciate what everyone has done to help us here. I just returned home from Disney World yesterday... having to take a well needed break from this disaster aftermath.... I was feeling overwhelmed, and had to "escape" from reality for a while. I picked Disney because I just needed to hear "have a magical day". It was magical. After all I, and family has been through, it was nice to get away. Resting at Disney, was awesome, and it gave me some time to think about all the persons who went above and beyond to help in the recovery. I appreciate it all !!!!! My most heart-giving thank you goes to everyone. The people in Florida, who had also just been hit with Hurricane Wilma, were thoughtful as well. When I responded with "I am from New Orleans", people still asked and had sympathy for our well-being. Thanks again for thinking of us, and helping. You will never know how it makes me feel that there is goodness, kindness, and caring in this world, that is just from peoples hearts, and has no price tag attached. You are all trully wonderful humans. It made me open my eyes, wide. Laura:)

My thoughts.. on LPN/LVN s Coming from starting as a LPN, many years ago. My theory in a nutshell...... The LPN/LVN is the "corporate" cheap way of hiring nursing staff. Nursing societies and organizations all over the country have tried to "grandfather" the licensed nurse, to the registered nurse, without success. (So they came up with "bridge programs". WHY??? It is the larger corporations way of "fighting" for lower labor costs for nurses who do basically the same job. The larger corporate healthcare industries, with lots of dollars, speak lots of words. Yes, the education of the LPN vs. RN is different, and so come different responsibilities. But as a CNA, to LPN, to RN, to administration, to case manager...... Nursing is nursing. Caring, and compassion IS nursing. Experience and competence, morality, ethics all are components of nursing. ALL nurses, the licensed, the registered, the higher levels of education, are all nurses .... (hence the web site name), and should equally be respected by our fellow nurses. If we don't respect one another, as different, but equal a profession, who will ??????????????????

The person that stated that these nurses, and staff are dysfunctional..... needs to take a look at herself. I know she isn't perfect. WHAT THE H*** IS NORMAL, ANYWAYS.................. Define NORMAL in the dictionary... regarding people..hmmmmmmmm Every single person on the face of this earth, has some story, some backround, something they could not control, happen to them----- at SOME point of their life. We all just didn't go pack picnic baskets with our families on Sunday, and gallop thru fields of flowers all day...talking, laughing, and loving. Yeah, sometimes. But not all. Define someone, anyone, who is the lucky person who galloped thru flowers, has not encountered illness, death, the most polite personal relationships , without stress, disaster, or conflict, entering their lives............... You can't ........ It doesn't exsist. We all cope in different ways. Yeah, some better, than others, and the way we cope is the REAL factor.... but to say, "70% of all nurses are dysfuntional..." You'd better mean, 100% of all people are dysfunctional, NO ONE is perfect. DYSFUNCTIONING meaning= not functioning thru all situations in the "NORMAL/IDEAL" that someone ??? defined for all. I.E. I have to cry if my mom dies. Putting it on another defintion.... cardiac arrhythmia means LACK of a rhythm. So everyone with Afib, PVCs, SVT, has ABSENCE of a rhythm? She needs to define dysfunctional in a different term...........

wooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooo MARIE, LPN You SAID IT ALL. "Customer satisfaction comes from employee satisfaction............." And if you don't believe, test this theory. Come home, be cheerful, happy, and compliment your family, they will react in the same manner. Be rude, condesending, angry.... they will react the same as well. If the employees are happy, it reflects on the customer.... take a look at Disneyworld's theories.... AND "have a magical day"...............

Yeah, kinda offending...... HOWEVER he did refer to us as the most overworked profession.... that at least gives a little credit. Then knocks us down with the "adult" movie thing... just humor. Laugh at the last part, but I am just happy that we nurses are now reffered to as overworked. FINALLY.

This is directed to "FIRE WOLF". You sound like you work in the same facility as I do................... I am really wondering if you do........

I have heard about the non- reopening of Charity and University Hospitals... what NOW ??????? You are so correct. On top of the Charity system helping the people without insurance, on welfare, or low income..... it helped LOTS of people WITH insurance and money. It is (was) the major trauma center of New Orleans. Not to also mention the educational central for almost all MDs and nurses.... Not opening Charity, is utterly unbelieveable. And what the state is doing to the staff with the pay... I can't understand, and NEED to just hold my tongue, in lieu of saying very bad things about the government of this state. Another entire forum............. I work for HCA, on the Northshore... we are supposed to be "expanding", to be another trauma and transplant center!!! Not only do we not have ROOM, (the hospital is SOOOO small), we don't have staff, and are stuffed with patients now. We have NEVER done transplants of any kind, and major trauma, and critical babies, were shipped to Tulane, Charity, Ochsner, and Children's. We are now, seeing the self-pay, and medicaid pending... and being a case manager, it is not fun. I don't know what to say to the self pay patients who are medically stable, need rehab, from falling off their roof, helping friends... "well, I know you can't function now, and go to the bathroom alone, but there's not a place around that can help you for P.T., or other services. " The population in Mandeville/Covington, feels like it has quadrupled. The traffic..... and our city roads couldn't handle the residents BEFORE the storm. ( I know this is true of many areas as well.) As far as Mississippi, the rest of the Gulf Coast, Slidell..... it is really not mentioned. And it is sad, as Slidell, St Bernard, Waveland, Biloxi, and all the towns around and between, are almost gone. ( I saw a special on the discovery channel- not local news- called "How the levees failed".....) Very interesting, but it made like the hurricane only affected New Orleans. Well, we who live here, all know different. AND another vent.......... how can FEMA pick some eligible for money, and turn away others...................... WTF???????????????????? Every household in every evacuated area, and areas with damage, should receive FEMA. Oh, back on the government again... I'll go.

Well, as of yesterday, the death number has risen to 1021...............

Let me start by saying, I live in Mandeville, LA. (and am from Lakeview in New Orleans.) Not far from the rest of you. It is beyond reality that when a government official reports the New Orleans area is in danger from a disaster, and mandates evacuation of the city, and all outlying parishes.......... WHY WERE THE HOSPITALS EXEMPT ?????????????????? Buses, Trains, Planes, Helicopters, Cruise ships should have come and tranferred every patient, family member, with the nursing, staff, and MDs to other hospitals............ people would not have suffered like they did. I have had this fear of evacuation and losing my job for YEARS. My husband is a Captain on the fire dept in Kenner, and HAS to report during disasters. (Thank- him). So it is ME who needs to care for my 3 children, and the rest of my family. Doesn't exempt me from getting fired........ However, all of my family is accounted for, and although we live all over the country now, we are LIVING. I wasn't bringing my 12, 3, and 2 yr old to a mandatory evacuated area........... My hands up to those who took care of others during the storm. And all of you who suffered. It was your hospital's decision to make the suffering happen. I know BLAMING is wrong, but wrong decisions should be blamed. I know firsthand as well. My hospital, in 1998 or so, Hurricane Georges.... the CEO of my facility, did the RIGHT thing, and evacuated all of the patients, staff, nurses..NORTH, to higher lying areas. I went. Stayed for a week. Yeah, wasn't great... but we had shelter, water, food, and power. Even in this storm, I evacuated, went to Houston. And did my part as an RN, volunteering at the Astrodome... and when I got home, worked many extra hours for relief for others. I am also venting, with my own post trauma.........