hellerd2003

hellerd2003 RN

Critical Care

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All Content by hellerd2003

  1. Professions before nursing

    Gosh, this could turn into a novel. High school-- worked at an Arby's. Yuck. During college (undergrad was in psych), I worked at a camp for kids/ adults with developmental disabilities. That was...
  2. Getting married and want to go to nursing school

    Does your husband really support your career? If so, then nothing else should worry you. I was married before nursing school. Ironically enough, I was accepted to a PA program, and hubby supported...
  3. Greetings! I am hoping that someone will be willing to help me out with an assignment I have for a graduate-level NP course. We are to ask some questions of a nurse practitioner, as we begin to...
  4. With this economy...Are LPN jobs easier to obtain

    My hospital system has the goal of phasing out LPN's/ LVN's in the near future. . . They are not finding a financial benefit to LPN's. . . If you could hire an LPN who needed to be supervised by a RN,...
  5. Unemployed New Grad

  6. Bariatric Surgery-Need Advice

    I had the RNY back in 2001 and would never recommend it. Anything that reroutes intestines/ messes up absorption of nutrients, etc. . . . I just cannot get behind that. Plus I've had numerous...
  7. When you think about it, your situation is actually pretty desirable if you can move for a job. If they pay for your school and THEN let you out of a contract, you're free to work wherever you want....
  8. I'd like to point out that they have created a new management career ladder-- thus increasing the number of managers in our hospital-- but when I ask for a CNA to ensure that we can give adequate...
  9. Last name on badges?

    I once worked in a psych unit that required first and last names on badges. All staff covered up their last names with tape . . . easy to remove if mgmt does rounds . . . And we did this because pts...
  10. What is your first hint that it is gonna be a rough shift

    You walk into work and have a critical patient crashing/ desaturating, and at the time you are about to start report on that patient, you receive a new ICU admit that is vented, thrashing, blood...
  11. How was Nurses Week celebrated at your Facility

    We got cookies from outside organizations. We could purchase a 32 oz. soda in a "souvenier cup" (picture cheezy baseball stadium cup) from the cafeteria. I also work at a non-profit who is in the...
  12. Would you do it all over again?

    Nope. Never have I worked in a profession which is so disrespected, not only by patients and MD's, but also your peers (eating one's young). Nursing was a second career for me, and in hindsight I'd...
  13. Experineced nurses...you're best organizing tips

    I created my own report sheet. I work in ICU, so have only two pts, so each side is for one pt. I divide the paper into four sections, and fold the paper in those sections, so I can fit it in my...
  14. Nurses who work the day shift

    Nursing isn't for you unless you can get over this. Today, I carried away a bag (yes, a bag) of feces, helped clean another patient who soiled the bed x2, emptied 2 foley catheters of urine (multiple...
  15. Nurses who work the day shift

    Yes, you can get a job outside of a hospital with just a 2 yr. degree. If you're in a hospital, generally you'll have to work night shift to get a chance to day shift in my area (SW). Other areas of...
  16. Do Nurses have to do the following??

    I have a MSN, CCRN, and nursing is my SECOND master's degree. I still clean up patients. No questions
  17. Interested in ER nursing but have a concern...

    So true re. the ED and illness. When I worked in an ED, the first 6 months I was sick all the time. After that, I was invincible. LOL. Also true re. the isolation. Someone is colonized with MRSA...
  18. Interested in ER nursing but have a concern...

    You'll still get exposed to any and everything once they're on the floors . . . And you may not know what they have even when they come from the ED. Cultures take a while to come back, and you could...
  19. soon to Be RN and no job YET? Commute?

    I don't know about the area in which you are, but I was hired in another state, and no one questioned the state driver's license when I filled out my paperwork. By "another state", I mean 1000+ miles...
  20. Reality Bites

    I hate to say it, but I think this mess will pass in years, not months. Hunker down, know it will improve, but do what you can to save yourself. This is a depression, no matter what the media...
  21. Benefits of joining a nursing organization????

    If you join AACN, you get access to online courses that give you free CEU's. It also looks good on a resume to be part of a professional organization. AND . . . as a member of a professional...
  22. Is there a nursing representative/lobbyist in washngton??

    I'm not lobbying in Washington, but in a week I'll be lobbying at my state capitol. For free-- lobbyists in my state for nursing rights don't get paid; we get listened to and shot down. But still we...
  23. New Grads in ICU & Overtime Availability

    It all depends on the area, and when you are applying. For example, when I was hired 3 years ago as a new grad, I moved to the SW and had job opportunities in ICU in 3 different hospitals. Now, the...
  24. Discussing religion in the workplace

    I am not offended by questions re. religion. If you follow your belief to the letter, then you shouldn't have fear. Now, if 30 days later as a worker, you're persecuted re. your beliefs, then this...
  25. Did you catch a disease while working as a nurse?

    My first year in a hospital (not as a nurse) was when I came down with EVERYTHING. Now? I get the standard cold every 6 months (I think exacerbated by my allergies). Most of these are employee-...