ddunnrn

Latest Activity

1. Taking a lunch break

   ddunnrn replied to thelittlenurs's topic in School

   Are you salaried or paid hourly? If you are not exempt from overtime, then you have to be paid for all hours you work, which includes having to stay in the office for "emergencies" during your break....

2. Lvn overtime?

   ddunnrn replied to Lpngal2015's topic in LPN, LVN Corner

   Federal labor law states that, unless you are exempt from overtime, which is very unlikely, any hours more than 40 in any given 7 day period must be paid overtime. The pay period dates do not matter,...

3. Day RN going into ER Night shift -- advice please?

   ddunnrn replied to x28y31's topic in Emergency

   I worked night shift, in psych, for about 25 years. The pattern I eventually developed, especially if I did any OT, was to get as many errands done (grocery shopping, post office, etc.) on the way...

4. Things you'll never forget from your nursing instructors?

   ddunnrn replied to NurseCalamity's topic in General Nursing

   Best thing my Psych instructor ever taught us was "never let the patient get between you and the door", which meant to always have an escape route in mind when dealing with Psych patients. This came...

5. What is the proper way to address an RN?

   ddunnrn replied to planetoi's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

   Very interesting topic--Personally, I prefer to be called by my first name, because being called "Mr. D---" makes me feel like an older coot than I already am. Having been in psych nursing, I usually...

6. Psych Nursing

   ddunnrn replied to KANDIGIRL's topic in Psychiatric

   I agree with Davey Do (who is obviously also a genius since his initials are DD like mine) that psych nurses get stereotyped as " not real nurses", etc. I have almost 30 years psych nursing...

7. Just got job at a union hospital

   ddunnrn replied to Graduatenurse14's topic in Collective Bargaining, Union

   I can only tell you from personal experience that being in a union can protect you and your coworkers from the whims of management. Without a union, you can be fired or disciplined without much...

8. Nursing mission statement

   ddunnrn replied to Cjhays's topic in Nursing Student Assistance

   I'm just curious--what is the purpose of a mission statement? Back in the '90's they were popular at a hospital I worked at. They even laminated ours and made us carry it with us as part of our...

9. help please!!

   ddunnrn replied to Mdrew's topic in Pre-Nursing Students

   I agree with the poster who suggested Ebola, but it would refine it to deal with how nurses can educate the public regarding hysteria over unrealistic fears of epidemics (whipped up by media, in...

10. Violation of labor laws- looking up pts prior to clocking in

    ddunnrn replied to telee73's topic in General Nursing

    According to federal labor law you cannot "donate" that time to your employer. All time worked must be paid for. They are in violation of the law for allowing you to do it. They would also be...

11. Violation of labor laws- looking up pts prior to clocking in

    ddunnrn replied to telee73's topic in General Nursing

    Thanks for the citation. I actually printed the whole shebang out from the web and posted it on my employer's bulletin board. When I later referred to it, they thought that they had posted it. The...

12. Mispronunciations That Drive You Nuts

    ddunnrn replied to ixchel's topic in General Nursing

    Don't know I'd it's benn mentioned here by others, but my all-time favorite, as a psych nurse is "hound dog" instead of Haldol or haloperidol. Although it's not a mispronunciation, I also got a kick...

13. Violation of labor laws- looking up pts prior to clocking in

    ddunnrn replied to telee73's topic in General Nursing

    Labor law is very clear--any work you do for employer must be paid for. That includes answering the phone during your "lunch break", coming in during off hours for disciplinary actions or in services,...

14. Written up for refusing to work on days off

    ddunnrn replied to Blackcat99's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    1. Confer with your union, if you have one. Management pranks like this are a prime reason to be unionized. 2. Some states outlaw mandatory OT for healthcare workers except in dire emergencies. Call...

15. Not all nurses wear scrubs

    ddunnrn replied to rosen60's topic in Nursing Professionalism

    I had a slightly different experience when I was a psych nurse in the Philly jail system. I wore casual clothes so I had no obvious signs of being a nurse. Newer patients or other inmates would almost...