Murse406

When a nurse realizes a med error, he/she notifies the physician immediately and later follows up with a report to management prior to being prompted because they have to by another.

How many lives have I saved? Well...I was carving notches into the wood of my desk for each one. Unfortunately, there were a couple of times when I forgot to.... so let's see.....On second thought, maybe the question should be..."how many lives haven't you saved?"

It's the quiet ones that scare me......

Here's the deal....The sky is always falling when your party is not in power, such as when this bill was crafted. Is it the best bill? NO but the reason for that is all of the opposition and haggling incurred by the right. You have to remember this was their idea not too long ago...think Bob Dole, Kansas Republican. The bottom line is that you are paying for it anyway. You pay with your monthly premiums and your taxes. Where do you think medicare/medicaid comes from? Think about it. Hospitals charge so much because a lot of folks aren't paying customers and a lot that are, via insurance private and public, are getting discounted/negotiated rates. The cost of healthcare is greatly exaggerated and inflated due to the current systems (already imposed by our government's regulations) lack of reasonable execution. Those of you who say it's not the gov'ts business are already to late and living in a fantasy world if you think today's system isn't governed by that model. Before you right wingers start trying to flame me....I'm an independent and try to think for myself. I don't let the Glen Becks/Al Frankens of the world direct my opinions. I think Lewis Black said it best when he said, "Democrats stand up and say, ' I've got a sh@#ty idea.' Then republicans stand up and say, 'I can make it even Sh@#tier." Just my .02. Current healthcare economics cannot sustain us. A lot of you may be healthy now and not care about insurance. However, medicare is running out and many of our generation at this rate will be SOL when we reach retirement age

You need ICU experience to be a CRNA. All of the ICU's I have worked in/done clinicals in require total care. A lot of ICU patients are on stool softeners. My point is to get where you want to be will require a lot of "butt wiping." With that said, I hated 90% of my nursing (most in school) experiences but found a home that I enjoy in the ER. There is something for everyone in this field. Keep an open mind. BTW.....Who is a fan of "playing in poop?" You just get over it. Certain areas don't do it as much as others. Good luck, you'll find something. School is the worst part. I remember thinking in school, that I did not want to be an RN and was considering many different changes mainly because school is geared towards the female and I felt like a fish out of water. Hang in there.It gets better

Because the drug in question is for gram negative bacilli . Cold sore's are typically herpes simplex virus

First of all you have asked two different questions. How do male nurses "feel" and then you asked IF we actually do it. The answer to the second is yes we do clean the perineum...as far as how we "feel"..... we usually "feel" with our hands, wow what a creepy question ....if you were referring to actual emotional feelings...everyone knows male nurses have none.

Wait a second.....are some of you implying that Glen Beck may not have his "facts" straight? How can you turn a deaf ear to a man willing to show his sincerity by crying on his show that is on the most "fair and balanced" channel in the world? The sky IS falling. Stock your basements with water, spam, and vienna sausages. I know this because a patient in my ER is friends with a woman who went to high school with one of Pat Robertson children and he said the Bible clearly predicts that Obama will lead an Army of brown homosexuals to overthrow the United States in an effort to gain control of Area 51, where we hide the aliens. Why you ask?......The answer, as we all know, is that....liberals appreciate parades and abortions just a little bit more than freedom and low taxes. For this reason my wife and I have decided to not to give our daughters the Gardisil vaccine or let them watch any movie that does not star Mel Gibson. Oh great, I just realized the CIA is now monitoring me because of this post. If I disappear from allnurses.com ....you know why.

As a former civilian LEO (and soldier medic) to RN (ER) I can tell you what people have already posted is spot on. For starters you have a track record of being a "professional." A real big point is that communicating with a diverse population thing. In the ER, alot of the population you have already dealt with will be similar. I think your prior-experience will be valued by co-workers when those less than savory patients come in the door. The point I tried to get across through my resume and interviews was that unlike what you see cops do on TV shows, the reality is that we have to know how to talk to people and show them respect in order to gain our objective, regardless of the personality of individuals. It can take along time to develop that skill as a new RN...but you probably already have that down. Good luck

By AKANurse4 "The comments here really BLOW ME....." I am pretty sure there is a joke here somewhere...oh nevermind

@ badphish I couldn't have said it better myself. I think that is what I had been trying to say all along.

If you are focused on getting a tech job right now, do the phlebotomy class. As a tech, you won't be allowed to interpret EKG's anyway as assessment is a nursing function. You more than likely will be able to draw blood however and in the ER or anywhere else, a valuable skill. Even if you can't get on in an ER as a tech, you may be able to go elsewhere in the hospital. As others have said, you can get the EKG class in nursing school in the future. Schools simply don't teach/give students enough experience with venipuncture. Good luck

I received 18 Cr hours at a well respected community college for my medic training to include 5 of those for the A&P combined course, the rest EMS credits. I was irritated because most nursing programs required A&P separately for 8 hours of Cr. So I jumped through their hoops, took them separately, and am now very glad I did. Had I not, I would not have been prepared for future course work no matter how much I thought I knew at the time. As a lot have previously said, you don't know what you don't know until you get there. Others and I will also tell you, school is just the tip of the ice berg. If you want to be an RN, go to school for it. Your previous experience will serve you well, but it is just that, previous experience.

Having it before I graduated definitely helped me get interviews/offers in a tough market. just an extra note: The above is true but although it has been more difficult lately due to the economy, my region hasn't been as hard hit to get jobs as a lot of other areas in the country

That picture that people have of the traditional nursed is objectifying. If Administrations want traditional looking nurses I guess they better get rid of us dudes. I'd like to see what their patient satisfaction survey looks like when all the nurses have quit due to ridiculous uniform requirements. Obviously they didn't survey my old man because he would have picked the naughty nurse outfit.