joanna73 BSN, RN

geriatrics

Member

  • Content

    4,767

  • Visitors

    47,046

  • Followers

    0

  • Likes

    97

All Content by joanna73

  1. joanna73

    Is Emerge nursing harder than medicine, med-surg and rehab?

    joanna73 replied to Guest878640's topic in General Nursing

    I certainly do not consider myself a "low achieving nurse" because I've worked rehab and LTC. I enjoy these areas and I have two certifications in geriatric nursing. There are so many misconceptions...
  2. joanna73

    I Love Night Shift

    joanna73 replied to NurseOnAMotorcycle's topic in General Nursing

    I worked nights for 4.5 years. I love night shift and miss it. Now I work straight days and I'm more tired than I ever was on nights. Although nights can create many physiological and psychological...
  3. joanna73

    Nurses and Financial Freedom

    joanna73 replied to Soliloquy's topic in General Nursing

    Consider this: one Starbucks Coffee at 6 x 5 days per week is 30/ week or 120 per month. Add that to the other take out foods.....it all adds up. A book I found very interesting is called Early...
  4. joanna73

    Nurses and Financial Freedom

    joanna73 replied to Soliloquy's topic in General Nursing

    You can be social but when your goal is debt repayment, there needs to be a limit for entertainment. Invite friends over for dinner. Go for a walk and grab a coffee. Join a gym. The company you keep...
  5. joanna73

    Nurses and Financial Freedom

    joanna73 replied to Soliloquy's topic in General Nursing

    Similar to the previous posters, I worked out a plan for paying off my debt early. More importantly, I've continued to keep to my budget and review monthly. I use gadgets until they no longer work. I...
  6. joanna73

    Nurses and Financial Freedom

    joanna73 replied to Soliloquy's topic in General Nursing

    I owed 48,000 in student loans which were paid in 2.5 years and I had 18,000 in the bank at that point as well. I moved to a rural area and worked permanent nights. I did nothing but work and sleep...
  7. joanna73

    Shift Work vs Monday to Friday - Which would you prefer?

    joanna73 replied to MaleNurseYH's topic in General Nursing

    I've worked 12s and currently I'm working Mon-Fri 8 hour days. I definitely prefer shift work. Mon-Fri is not all it seems. I have to take time off for appointments because I work bankers hours. More...
  8. joanna73

    Older nurses-what's your advice on working towards retirement?

    joanna73 replied to RatherBHiking's topic in General Nursing

    Definitely it depends on the lifestyle you want, as well as where you plan to live. I am selling everything and moving to Asia within the next 15-17 years, so 60 at the very latest. I'll teach English...
  9. joanna73

    Credentials

    joanna73 replied to bellini's topic in Nursing Professionalism

    Many employers require a Masters for certain positions. Usually, if you've completed a Masters program, you have achieved a certain level of clinical competence. Where I live, the majority of Masters...
  10. joanna73

    Older nurses-what's your advice on working towards retirement?

    joanna73 replied to RatherBHiking's topic in General Nursing

    Definitely speak with a financial planner. There are various retirement planning calculators online that you might also find
  11. joanna73

    Loan forgiveness options? Help!

    joanna73 replied to kaimkaim's topic in General Nursing

    People can argue that degrees and cost of living was cheaper. However, when you borrow money the expectation is that the funds will be paid
  12. joanna73

    About paying off student loans

    joanna73 replied to Libby1987's topic in General Nursing

    It's not about the cell phone......that was an example I used when we were discussing a similar topic. It's the mentality that many individuals have. We need more stuff, more gadgets that ultimately...
  13. joanna73

    Nurses with ear piercings

    joanna73 replied to hshuang's topic in Nursing Professionalism

    Usually piercings are accepted, especially if you're working in an urban area. Nobody cares. However, this also depends on the setting. I removed my earrings for the OR. I had three piercings on each...
  14. joanna73

    Loan forgiveness options? Help!

    joanna73 replied to kaimkaim's topic in General Nursing

    Re: signing bonuses, those unfortunately disappeared with the crash of 2008, unlikely to return. It's not realistic to expect that any employer will pay a portion of the loans in this climate. They...
  15. joanna73

    About paying off student loans

    joanna73 replied to Libby1987's topic in General Nursing

    On another thread, a poster commented in response to me, essentially stating, "Well you need a cell phone!" Actually, no you don't. We've grown accustomed to cell phones in addition to many other...
  16. joanna73

    About paying off student loans

    joanna73 replied to Libby1987's topic in General Nursing

    Long before I accepted the loans, I wrote out a budget. I figured out where I could cut costs, how much savings I had, and how often I would need to work. Many people do not know how much they spend,...
  17. joanna73

    Interview skill questions

    joanna73 replied to kenash's topic in Canada

    We also use case studies. You need to understand common illnesses and how you would intervene, in addition to behavioural
  18. joanna73

    Loan forgiveness options? Help!

    joanna73 replied to kaimkaim's topic in General Nursing

    Facilities who are offering sign on bonuses, beware! There's a reason why staff cannot be retained. The only places you might find are rural facilities and places most people do not want to
  19. joanna73

    I want a social life

    joanna73 replied to Rexie's topic in General Nursing

    The grass is not always greener. I have "regular" hours: Mon-Fri days. I'm also working in an administrative role. Although I do enjoy certain aspects, I dearly miss the long stretches of time off....
  20. joanna73

    RNs!!!! Did you fail Any classes???

    joanna73 replied to dinah77's topic in General Nursing

    No failures. I had student loans and living on my own at 31, so I couldn't afford to fail. Passed my licensing exam on the first attempt also, since my employment depended on
  21. joanna73

    Not a Nursing Question, but Has to Do with Work, So...

    joanna73 replied to flashpoint's topic in General Nursing

    If they were appreciative, different story. They are not. Keep in mind that someone else's problems are not your problem. It's actually that
  22. joanna73

    I want a social life

    joanna73 replied to Rexie's topic in General Nursing

    I work 8s and I find I don't want to do much of anything with the few hours I have off. Sometimes I hit the gym and run a few errands, but more often I just want to be home. My mindset was much...
  23. joanna73

    How to NOT Aid a Cheater?

    joanna73 replied to Angeljho's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Many institutions have been using plagiarism detection software for years. My school used turnitin.com for example. Eventually people get busted. Does your facility have an ethics department? That...
  24. joanna73

    How did the 12 hour shift begin?

    joanna73 replied to anon456's topic in General Nursing

    Agreed. I now work 5x 8 hour shifts, which are actually 9. I'm more exhausted than I ever was working 12s because there's no recovery time in between. I used to have one week off in my rotation every...
  25. joanna73

    Want to be a nurse, just no butt wiping or other yucky stuff please

    joanna73 replied to Emergent's topic in General Nursing

    Many of these nursing students and new grads have been mislead by the institutions who schooled them. Endless posts re: "I don't want bedside nursing....." That's ok, but without 2+ years of bedside...