MichaelSSSS

Naw, ya don't tell them nothin' - you say "Back off with the religion stuff or I'll beat your brains in!!!!" Just kidding. But that's how I feel about the whole deal sometimes.

I'm a total non-believer in anything havnig to with religion and would never under any circumstances engage in any thing even remotely resembling prayer - nor would I, as a dying or dead patient, want anyone to pray over me in anyway - even if I have no idea it's going on. Keep that crap to yourslef.

I hope I never have to do a PE - it kind of ruins one's sex life - don't you agree?:imbar

Can you have more-than-one policy for extra protection?

Best assignment I'm a first-year nursing student and am getting very excited about actually getting to apply my emerging craft some day. And I was wondering; from what I can tell so far there are dozens of excellent areas to specialize in and many seem to be very rewarding - but - if you are already working as a nurse, what has been your favorite assignment so far? What really turned you on? In what setting do you get lots of variety and new learning? Thank for any responses. Mike

i have a bachelor's degree in business administration; an associate's degree in general studies; and an associate's degree in electronics. before nursing school i taught business at a cc (10 years) and was a business reporter for a newspaper (10 years): both at the same time. before that i managed a dairy production facility.

Why are so many Democrats so hateful? I have nothing against the Democrat party, but why all the hate and name calling? Why can't you be respectful of everyone regardless of their party? Why is it that people like Julia Roberts come out and say she looked up the word Republican and found it between reptile and repulsive? What gives? I thought Democrats were the party of love, peace and tollerance.

I've read all of these posts and still don't know what the hell any of you are saying. Stop speaking in riddles and get to the point. What does this new law mean - does it mean nurses can be worked over time and not paid for it or what?

kansas city kansas community college!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm just curious - I'm a male nursing student 6ft and quite muscular - if someone comes at me like that do I have the option of beating the *hit out of him? A patient probably won't come after me for fear of getting the *hit beat out of him, but to what extent can a nurse defend themself? I have no patience for people who abuse others - especially a nurse. :angryfire

Well, I can see I did the wrong thing trying to explain a little about male anatomy. Sorry to waste your time - I thought this was a professional-type site. My mistake. Sorry if I offended anyone.

Excellent point!!!

as a male i think i can tell you a few of the reasons you see a negative member - or whatever you called it - it's because sometimes if that area gets very cold the member will retract back into itself - as it were - to stay warm - just like the testicles which can actually go up into the lower pelvic region when cold to try and maintain a proper temperature. with the member it's actually kind of annoying and sometimes pushing the skin back to pop the it out hurts just a wee bit. also, if a guy isn't wearing underwear and the head of the member is rubbing against his pants the member might retract to avoid injury. also, if a guy is very overweight with lots of fat around the member shaft sometimes the member frequently retracts. i don't know why unless the fat pushes the skin up and over the member and then the member naturally retracts. i've never noticed a very large member retracting but then i haven't done any surveys either. also, sudden stress or anxiety will cause the testicles and member to retreat into the body.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone naked as I find human anatomy very fascinating and not the least bit embarrassing. It's not a sexual thing but an interest thing. My worry is that I might not be as sensitive as I need to be with people's feelings and fears. How doyou tell - other than the very obvious - how uncomfortable a person is getting naked for any healthcare professional?

I really don't see what is so bad about letting go of some color metaphors as long as it's not in front of patients. I mean, sure, the "F" word is a bit rough but it has become such common place that it's hardly a shocker anymore. Besides - like many have said here - it's a great stress reliever. Let people be who they are and forget trying to force people to conform to your own standards - it ain't going to happen.

Excellent Idea

no arguement here.

One of the hardest things in life is to finally realize that some people just can't be reached. Not that we don't try, but some will not change harmful behavior no matter how badly they need to or how much it might help their situation. All we can do is encourge them to try and help themselves. Sad but true.

I must admit when I first read about your "assignment refusal" I wasn't sympathetic to you as I generally believe people are hired to work; not to refuse assignments. However, having read these posts I realize these wonderful nurses are absolutely right - your license is far more important than a job and you did the right thing. A little perspective here that might illustrate how someone can change their mind: I come from a management background (15 years - non-medical) and have a tendency (out of habit) to take the side of the businesses. But, after considering the license and legal side I quickly changed my mind. After all, we dont' expect an attorney to do thigns that could get them disbared or worse - so why ask a nurse to do basically the same thing? It's unethical and unprofessional. So - I tend to think if you can get an audience with the right person they will understand the legal and license angle more so than others. After all, if you're out of your area of expertise in a lot of businesses you can redo to work until you get it right. You might upset some customers a long the way but it's of minimal consequence. In the medical profession we don't have that luxury. One bad move and someone could lose their life - a whole different ball game - as it were. Good luck. And thanks for starting this thread - it made me think and actually made me more sensitive to the whole issue. Michael

many students are concerned about prerec's. i guess it's the titles like anatomy and physiology or chemistry - they just sound complicated. but, you can do it if you'll commit to studying. most of anatomy is memorization and chemistry is both that and basic math - no big deal just time consuming. the key is staying on top of things and not getting behind. the students i see failing are those who still think their social life - like hanging out in bars and water skiing every day - are more important than studying. they come to class unprepared and then sit there complaining about how if they were to put in the study time needed their life would suffer and somehow it's the professor's fault that they aren't making positive academic progress. i say, put in the study time now and play once you have your degree. anyway, it's normal to worry but just do it - you'll be glad you did.

Be not discouraged, EVERY job has its good and no so good points. Every job I've worked (and there have been many) I've disliked at some point - it's nothing new or unique to nursing. On the contrary - take it from someone who's been around - I have found from managing people for many years that there is always someone who is going to HATE something that hordes of other people love. It's human nature. When we read negative hateful stories we have to consider the age; level of maturity; and a host of other factors of the writer that would lead them to write such venomous stuff. Some people are just negative by their very nature and can't think of anything good about anything. They're known as complainers and they are everywhere. My guess is until that person finds a job where all they have to do is sit on their butt while making big bucks they won't be happy: and possibly not even then. But, having said all of that, nursing is not for everyone just like being a lawyer, heavy equipment operator, cowboy, fast food worker, or any other profession is not for everyone. There is no "one job fits all" out there. As a matter of reference, I worked as a college teacher (business) and newspaper reporter (business, entertainment, politics) at the same time for about 11 years and loved both jobs. However, there were times when I wondered what the *ell I was doing as some of it was pure torture. I hated writing and researching breaking news under oppressive deadlines: I hated trying to explain to a student why they were failing when they show up the last day of class for the first time and wonder why they can't make up a semester-worth of work. But, there were plenty of other aspects of the jobs that were quite wonderful like hanging with Van Halen or interviewing presidential candidates or seeing students come from difficult backgrounds to graduate from college and make a successful life for themselves. In other words, it doesn't matter how great a profession is there will ALWAYS be complainers and people who will no doubt complain about their own funeral. Am I saying that nursing is flawless? Not at all - it only means that if you're in it for the wrong reasons you will be bitter and probably fail - such is the case in every field. It's what you make it. btw - I think nurses are the greatest - it's a good and noble profession. Like the man said; "It sure beats raising cattle!"

You guys (editorially speaking of course) are the greatest. I feel much better about the project now that I've gotten some imput from the experts.

That's a great idea... thanks

This might seem a bit odd but do you female nurses think it would be a problem if a male nurse were to focus on women's health issues as his primary care area? L&D, comes to mind. The thing is, I find women's health issues to be a bit more interesting than men's. I'm not sure why but probably has to do with my brother-in-law being an OBGYN. But, if I decided to focus in that area would I be opening myself up to problems. I know many women don't give a fig if their nurse is male or female, but many (and understandably so) do. Do you think I'd be limiting myself and just creating problems? Just to clarify - I find all areas of medicine and healthcare interesting and appealing, but... Thanks for any insight. Michael

Thanks for all of the imput - you guys are great! Good advice - you all sound like you know what's what! Michael