Flying ICU RN

Let me illustrate to you something about the futility of worry in any given situation. * If you can in fact change the situation, there is no need to worry. * If there is nothing that you can do to change the situation, then there is still no need to worry. Concentrate on graduating, everything will turn out just fine in the not too distant future job market.

And I offer little in the way of solutions, my aim here, is to warn people of being overly exuberant as a result of idealism as opposed to realism. I see too much dissatisfaction and down right unhappiness at the bedside level due to just plain old unrealistic expectations. Theres an old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." I'm not so quick to bridge to the MSN for advanced licenses as a result of my airline experience, and CRNA would cost me a neat 500K in opportunity cost. Management? Been there done that, keep it. It's quite the eye opener to put your heart and soul into something only to find in the end that you were simply expendable. So I purposely put the brakes on at the minimum required for the license, and sat tight for the past 17 years. The payoff: I'm better off than I would have been remaining in my chosen industry. But most importantly, my position as a long term actively practicing ICU Nurse, makes me solidly employable in all 50 states (even in this economy) and beyond. To me, that's power, and a comfortable nights sleep.

This, along with "Doctor Envy", is what I personally see as the problem with nursing, not education. This is a service occupation. Listening and following instructions, are paramount in importance, not this pie in the sky dream of complete autonomy. Nursing will not fix this with Doctorate level degrees. I took a hard hit in the late 80's early 90's, I came here to be able to eat, no other reason. Prestige?, I could care less, it has no taste. I significantly out-earn every medical resident in my building by hundreds of thousands during the course of their residency. It will take decades after I retire in 6 years for them to catch up. Two homes and a child in private school, nursing as a vocation has been very good to me. Note to Administrators: Do you want long term experienced nurses at the bedside? I have three sources for you,. * The accelerated ADN nurse transitioning from another industry, (me). * The divorced mother of two transitioning from LPN to RN * The ever reliable Filipinos Stay away from the Magna cum laude valor student who will give you two years if you're lucky!

Consider yourself to be implementing the testing/experimentation phase of the scientific method, in proving/disproving your facilities orientation procedure. Now, take your "evidence based" results to management in the form of a formal memo, if you truly want to effect change. Leadership requires stretching your neck out on occasion.

Be careful what you wish for in advancing your cause. As another poster has noted, there is already an industry effort underway to "tech" many functions. More with less, those pesky RN's sure are expensive. I've lived through this myself once before. Where that airliner you last flew on used to be worked on by an all licensed mechanic crew, it was last serviced by a cadre of "techs" supervised by a smattering of licensed personnel. More with less, sound familiar? Who is it that we imagine that will jump through all of these proposed higher education hoops in an effort to "advance" nursing as a profession? Are we talking about people who are likely to remain at the bedside, or have aspirations elsewhere? That alphabet soup sure does look nice, but my advice to this industry? Don't overvalue yourselves out of job. Been there done that!

Ever see the film "Baby Boom" with Diane Keaton? (I am forced to watch chick-flicks while kicking and screaming ) Anyway, her character is treated by a local Vet in rural Connecticut for the reasons you stated,... pretty damn funny!

That was extremely well done. Out of curiosity regarding background, I could not identify the author

Precisely the leadership that is absent within the "toxic" work environments for every poster regarding this issue that you will ever see.

Because the patient and family are laymen, and you are the professional, a very basic premise. You have to push it (whatever the issue) right up to the line of refusal of treatment by the patient or proxy. A caveat, the proxy is not the proxy until the patient is clearly incompetent. Some proxies, seem to think otherwise.

My favorite hospital viewing device.

A great deal no, you can lay it all squarely at the top. We had a saying in the Navy, "The Captain of the Ship Sets the Tone."

Now that was a lot of flak. Terrible numbers for those crews, I hope your grandfather did come home.

Yes, but in the second part of post #5, I'm referring to criminal, or professional wrong doing, not a minor faux pas with your employer over time and attendance and such. I should have been a bit more clear, my apologies.

I hear you. Just another unfortunate example of how everybody, from the corner bank to the tax man, and everyone in between, have their hand in your pocket. I boycott what I can whenever I can. Professional sports teams? Those idiots wont get a dime of my money, (except for what they steal in taxes with political help to build stadiums).