sarsett

Right??

You did the right think IMO by sending a thank you message for the interview. Based on the response I would leave it at that, since any further communication will probably only hurt your chances. You were basically told in gentle terms to stop further communication until you are summoned for another interview. I'd leave it at that

I don't know if you are present when the oncoming nurse is there for her wound care, but if you are able to, maybe observe the patient when he is getting his dressing changed so that you can see first hand if there was one in place from the previous shift. If it is apparent there wasn't one done, or it was not done appropriately, at least you can address the staff in a constructive way based on your own observation rather than heresay. You can say you happened to notice that there was an issue, and ask if they need a clarification on the order or help with time management etc. That way the reporting nurse does not get in hot water with the other nurse for doing her due diligence, and you will be ensuring you are making the right call based on your own observation and judgement. I would say always try to approach the issue as a learning opportunity and a collaboration between management and staff, then punitive if the behavior continues. I'm not a manager, but have found that people respond better to this type of approach. Hope this helps! :)

As others have already confirmed the 1.6ml is correct. The 2nd part of the question is a little confusing and I'm not sure what they are specifically looking for...is it how many doses in 24 hours or how many ml total will be given within that 24 hours? If the order is TDS or TID it just means you give every 8 hours for a total of 3 doses of 1.6ml in 24 hours, or a total of 4.8ml/24 hours.

You can, but you run the risk of getting mandated on any of your 8 hour shifts, ie you can do 16 hours swap one day and be mandated to do another 16 hour shift the next. There are creative ways to swap that almost completely eliminate the possibility of getting mandated and that give you at least 4 days off a week. I usually only work Fri/Sat/Sun or just Sat/Sun and get the rest of the week off on swaps. It depends if you are on a rotating cycle (different scheduled days off a week) or a fixed schedule (set days off). The major flexibility from swapping is one of the main reasons I've stuck with corrections. You can choose whether you want to do a lot of overtime or if you want a lot of time off, it's pretty awesome.

Like everyone else has mentioned: stress, mandates, inmate manipulation, and it's a fairly thankless job. Correctional nursing is not for everyone and it takes a pretty thick skin to get through the day sometimes. But I love the autonomy and flexible work schedule at my institution so for now I'm pretty happy.

This is good advise for a community psych hospital, but in prison this response will have you looking "overfamiliar", which is a cardinal sin in prison. Any wind that you are aware of and ignoring a masturbating inmate or coaching an inmate to use vaseline to masturbate will land you in some serious hot water with custody and management.

Exactly. Don't act like you didn't see anything because this will definitely indicate that you like the behavior (as far as prison rules go...). I call them out loud enough so the whole tier can hear, and basically say "I don't want to see that, don't expose yourself to staff, no one is hear for that." I work in an inpatient psych program in a level IV prison in CA, most of the patient population have axis II behavioral issues, so they need to be called out to set firm boundaries and curb future similar behavior. I will also usually write them up especially if they have a history. However, a lot of the time if they are truly mentally ill (have some sort of psychotic features for example) the write-ups will usually not go anywhere so I don't bother. But I always verbally redirect and then get the hell out of their line of sight (this also lets other inmates on the tier know that I won't tolerate this behavior). I understand that nurses working in the private sector will see some of the responses posted here as abusive or at the very least insensitive, but our patient population is very different here and will walk all over a nurse who is the stereotypical Florence Nightingale nurse. You need a tough skin and the ability to set strong boundaries or watch yourself get taken advantage of, hurt (or worse), or fired. You need all the skills of a nurse with the awareness (and sometimes attitude) of an officer. Not easy for everyone.

I usually just say something along the lines of "You need to stop. I expect you to show the same respect to me that I show you." Then I ask what their medical concern is. If they continue the behavior I walk away and say "I'll come back later when you're ready to have a professional discussion." I work in a psych inpatient program in prison, but not everyone there is acutely mentally ill. This response is generally used for inmates who are higher functioning or malingering, or have axis II personality disorders. If they're lower functioning I keep it shorter and redirect to talk only about their medical concerns. Always keep a straight face, don't give them any kind of reaction (including laughing or looking upset). This really only eggs them on. But DO firmly tell them you're not here for them to talk to you like that. Generally this has been pretty effective for me, and if they don't stop just know there's probably nothing you can say professionally that would stop the behavior. Just move on and try again the next day!

Tell me about it! Irinachka, if you haven't started already, definitely get all your blood work/injections/physicals done ASAP as well as your BLS course like Laura pointed out (AHA only). Otherwise, you will not be allowed on clinical sites. I started getting everything together weeks ago and I'm STILL not completely finished. And Laura, not sure exactly what your financial situation is, but you could rent a room somewhere slightly outside of Oakland for pretty cheap. Check around Craigslist and see if you can find something. If I was living in Sac, I would just temporarily move closer to school. My stress level would be through the roof with all that commute time cutting into my studying. You could also look into taking the train, they may have student discounts or frequent user/commuter discounts. That way you could at least study on your way to and from class. (Hope you are more of a morning person than I am though, some classes start at 8am! ) Looking forward to meeting all of you!! -Sarah

You need to dedicate a few hours every day to studying. Take note of your weaknesses, and focus on those areas until you are more comfortable. There WILL be things (especially in science) on the test not covered in the study guide. Research earth science, cloud formations etc. Getting a cumulative 80% should not be difficult if you study! Good luck!!

Definitely notify your professor in advance! Let him or her know the situation and make sure you express your enthusiasm about starting the program. As for what you will miss, it probably depends on the teacher. Some like to just go over the syllabus but others tend to dive right in. Might be different for NS though, I'm starting Jan 10:yeah:

That's AWESOME!! Keeping my fingers crossed for you:D

Admissions is pretty disorganized, so maybe you should call or go over there to see if everything is finalized. I know that tuition deposits have already been due, and that they are now sending out student info to everyone who has confirmed attendance to the university. Based on this I doubt they are still sending out acceptance announcements (they were electronic and I'm pretty sure they all went out at the same time). Ask them if they have sent out all waitlist announcements. I've had to be VERY proactive dealing with admissions and you DO get answers if you keep in contact with them;)

I really don't think nursing programs are hurting where enrollment is concerned...