noregrets

You are a professional, your educator should not have to remind you. In my hospital you are off the schedule if you do not renew your BLS/ACLS on time. You have to retake the entire course if your BLS is expired. I think this is a requirement from the AHA.

See if you can shadow a nurse for a shift. In my hospital we often have high school students or others for a shadowing experience, nothing replaces experiencing it for yourself.

My unit has only 12 hr shifts and everybody loves it. Easier for scheduling also.

We have an hourly rounding check in the computer. However, if anything pertinent is charted every hour: vs, pain, ambulation etc. that counts as hourly rounding. When we had a pt fall out of bed, DOH insisted in seeing documentation of hourly rounding!!! I could show them (I am a NM) that the patient had been seen every hour for one reason or another, they accepted this. It is not always "Management decies that..)

We are a 30 bed high acuity Intermediate Care Unit with the monitors at the nurses station. Our HUC (Health Unit Coordinator) watches at the most 32 beds (30 of our unit, 2 remote if needed), answers the phone and the call light. The other HUC puts in the orders, this is on day shift. On night shift we have one HUC who does it all. This works very well.

In which category do you see yourself?

Our charge nurse comes in 15 minutes before the shift starts so he/she can take report from the preceding charge nurse. They stay in the nurses station during this hand off.

One of my nurses went to MedSchool 4 yrs ago, now graduated and going into a 3 year residency. She tells me that she will have $ 250,000 study debt. The first year of Med School she still worked part time as an RN, after that impossible because of the work load. Keep the finances in mind and the hours!

As a nurse manager in a Magnet hospital we had a very enthusiastic nursing staff because it is a recognition of the great work the nurse do every day. I think it depends on how management 'brings' the message. All staff felt honored when we received Magnet, not just the nurses but housekeeping, care coordination etc were very proud.

Most hospitals have 'compassion' one way or another in their core values. I am a manager and I would NEVER hire you, even if you were technically and excellent nurse. People are not machines.

I am a nurse managers and all my night nurses work 3 in a row, they prefer it. Some work 6 in a row (3 one week th, fr, sat and 3 the next sun, mond, tues) and have 8 nights off. Some work every week the same nights (sun, mon, tues). A fan in your bedroom for the white noise is a good idea.

In WA state you do not receive more for your BSN. However, if you want 'more' than bedside nursing you need a BSN. Also several nurses on my floor got injured or are getting older and without a BSN there are not many alternatives.

I am a nurse manager and am contacted regularly about shadowing. I interview the person in question to see what he/she is interested in and to see what kind of person they are. Afterwards they go to the volunteer services to fill out paperwork (confidentiality statement etc). This is usually just a one day shadowing. If you would like more exposure, the volunteer way is the best.

I am a nurse manager and my nurses love their 3 x 12 hr shifts. I have several military spouses and always try to work with them regarding their schedule but I know not everybody is willing to do that. School or doctor's office jobs are not easy to get. Nurses usually have no problem getting a job when their military spouse is transfered.

I did hire 2 graduates from a zero to MSN program. Disaster! Not enough clinical time. Not a realistic attitude.