TonieRN

Dont be intimidated by the docs. If you are, hide it. There are some that if they know they can intimidate you, they will eat you alive and wont respect you. Feign it if you have to. When you call the docs, make sure you know what you are calling them about, why you are calling them, and what it is you are wanting....if you know. For example, if you are calling about a pts bp being elevated because a nursing assistant reported the elevated reading to you...know what it HAS been running....maybe retake it if it is radically different from previous bps earlier in the day before calling.....know what meds the pt is on...any other change in pt status.... You are the docs eyes and ears... he/ she depends you and your assessment to make decisions re medical care if he/ she is not there....and often times what you tell him/ her will impact whether or not they need to come into the hospital to assess the pt / make changes. Dont tolerate docs treating you disrespectfully... treat them with the same respect that you want them to treat you with. Docs are human... like all of us... they are husbands and wives... mothers and fathers... sons and daughters ... like ALL of us. hth...best of luck

Graduated in May of 1992. I was hired into an OB position...post partum 11pm-7pm M-F...in Feb of 1992. Started working immediately as a GN...by end of first week of orientation, i was offered days, M-F. Boards were early July..pencil and paper, over 2 days. Took them at the state fairgrounds with over 2000 other new grads. You left feeling soooooo drained...exhausted. Results from boards came on Sept 15th...will NEVER forget that day. :)

I would address the preg pt first....if she is in preterm labor, that must be dealt with quickly.....for the babys sake. If she is an ectopic, also impt to be dealt with promptly. A reg labor needs to be moved OB. Remember...with a preg pt, you actually have TWO patients you are caring for. Then I would move on to the femur....the fever can likely wait a short while.

From working in the past at a teaching hospital, I can tell you that nurses sometimes get burnt out on having students ALL the time. Sometimes you want to NOT have to teach, to be able to just take care of your patients. Also, I tended to spend more time with and enjoy students who were prepared. If I sensed or saw that the student was clueless, I wasnt going to put my time into him/ her. And yes, your instructor can build bridges or burn bridges for you. There was a particular instructor from a particular school that we all loved. And her students were ALWAYS prepared. There was another school where it was the opposite.....instuctor never around and students seldom prepared. best of luck

I would not post anything here that you dont want them to see. Even IF they arent watching, you dont know WHO may come accross your posts even accidently. And things can travel back........

Univ Southern IN is cheap cost wise. I believe Indiana State has done away w/ the Masters and is only a doctorate now.

I have just been accepted into a FNP program. My background is OB and ambulatory care. I wish you the best of luck. feel free to pm me with more questions if you want.

Ive been accepted to Frontier. WHOOOO HOOOOO!!!!! Still in shock....happy, excited, scared. Will be going to Frontier Bound in Nov. Since I began looking at schools, I felt this was where I was suppose to go. Will be starting classes in Jan. I DID take phy assess thru Frontier this past summer and loved it. It was NOT easy...but the experience was a positive one....and I like the style of learning / teaching. Any advice / pointers are greatly appreciated as I start this new adventure. blessings tonie

ummm...how about be thankful they give you a free place to stay and likely feed you too. No, its not the hilton, but you arent paying to stay there either. And the ones that allow your families to stay at the hospital...that is AWWESOME. Hospitals are 24/7...we know that when we go into nursing. part of it.....And no I dont think you should be paid for sleeping and showering at the hospital. You should be thankful they provide a safe place for you to be between shifts you actually work.

Whats her gravida and parity? Whats her bladder doing? How is she feeling?

He posted here for support.....not to be attacked. I really think it there would be MANY suprises if a full nursing staff had to have a "random" drug screen...all at the same time. I bet there would be some interesting results.....esp if alcohol were also being screened for. I am NOT saying I condone the use of an illegal substance. I am real tho.

In regards to living w/ your parents...grad school is stressful...under the BEST of circumstances, it is stressful. Living w/ parents is often stressful. Maybe this is the best for your family. Each family is unique. Only you can answer that one. Grad school IS doable tho...with a family. Find other couples in the program to connect with...support for you and your hubby. Take each semester one at a time...they WILL fly by. When he gets into rotations, approach each one ..one at a time...will prevent getting overwhelmed by all of it. As far as working and grad school.....some can handle it, some cant. Maybe stay PRN and work on breaks between semesters?? Or maybe do a shift or so a month.....Until he actually gets into the program, it will be hard to calibrate what he can handle and what he cant. As far as your marriage...yes, there will be some marriages that wont make it. When you see one end, it will break your heart. That does NOT mean YOUR marriage will end tho. We were told the same....many times..again, had our 22nd anniv this summer. Dont listen to comments about your marriage failing, ect. You and your hubby know YOUR marriage....just be conscious about not letting it get put on the back burner too often.... As far as you and school...going while he does...yes, single parents go to school all the time...BUT they dont have the added work of a marriage...and yes, marriages take work..and time. Hubby and I did it for a year...was crazy for us not to....I only had one year to go to finish my BSN...but yes, it was hard.....looking back tho...prob not much harder than working 40-50 hrs/ wk while he was in school his last 3 yrs....and deciding to have a second baby during that time..... It will go by fast....can assure you of that....there will be times of frustration for both of you, but will be worth it in the end.

I see several red flags....one of which is living w/ your parents. Also, like someone else mentioned, I am not sure you are completely on board with him going to school. It is doable...been there / done that....kept a marriage together in the process (celebrated our 22nd anniv. this summer). Was it hard?? You bet...at times it felt almost unbearable. I put my hubby thru med school many years ago. Actually, his first year of med school, i was in my last year of nursing school....and we had a toddler. I graduated from nursing school at the end of his first year of med school. Our daugther was 2 1/2. I then worked full time and had another baby early in his 3rd yr. HOW did we do it?? We scheduled family time...he actually WROTE it on his schedule...and that time was sacred. We scheduled time as a couple...the same....was sacred. We also talked to couples who had went thru med school married...we both had realistic expectations of what it would be.....and it was OUR dream...we did it together. He often studied holding one of our daughters....even took her to class with him a few times...lol...I helped him study...quizzed him...drilled him, at times even during dinner to help him prepare for an exam. Were there times it was hard...yepp..you bet. On Mothers Day, 1995 he graduated. Our oldest was 5 1/2 and went to her daddys graduation...she still remembers it. What I will tell you is we took one semester at a time. We planned "rewards" for us at the end of each semester....a special date...or a family day hiking...SOMETHING we were both able to look foreward to. I can honestly say there was only 2 months that I felt like a single mom...his surgery rotations....BUT we understood TOGETHER that our kids needed BOTH parents...not just a mommy who worked full time. I am now preparing to go back for my Masters...again, just like it was when he went to med school...the goal is OURS...not just mine. The dream is OURS....and he will help me study and support me as I did him. One of the things I remember most about his first year of med school is him coming home from class in Sept. I was working on a nursing process paper..sitting at the typewriter, crying. I could not get the electric typewriter to do whatever I REALLY needed it to do. We did not have a PC...early 1990s. He calmly asked me for my paper. He took it that evening to the computer lab at the med center (was for the med students) and proofed and typed it for me. After that, he typed ALL of my papers for me for the rest of the year. That spoke VOLUMES of how much he loved me. He was crazy busy with his own classses, yet he made sure i was taken care of. I can tell you more HOW we did it...how we made it work....but your marriage has to be priority...above school...then the kids...then school. Get a routine. We would both get home about 5pm (during his first 2 yrs of med school)..we would have dinner...play with the kids...baths ect. The kids and I would go to bed at 8-8:30...and he would study until midnight every night. One day on the weekend was his to study....library if he needed it...the other day, we scheduled at least a half day as family time. Hope this helps....happy to talk to you more. years later, his memories of those years are blurred...I carry those memories...for US. Yes I remember him telling me that he felt like he could never study enough....yes, I remember his excitment during anatomy....but also how he was unable to eat chicken that entire year...and how he REAKED of formaldahyde every time he had anatomy lab. I remember his struggles during pharm...his passion and excitment during cardiology...his frustration during biochem. Even years later, those memories are clear. Remember his taking our daughter to Histology lecture....I was in clinicals that day..she was sick enough not to be able to go to the sitter, but could go to class w/ him (ears)...he sat up in the balcony w/ other med students who were parents and who would also on occass bring their kids to class....the prof put slides of cells up on the over head....our daughter loudly called out "balloons, Daddy"...and a few min later "More balloons Daddy"...the prof was not too impressed but that was okay...:). That particular daughter will be a senior in nursing school this fall and joking talks about how she was raised in medicine and nursing since she was an infant and learned it by osmosis....lol I know this is long..hope it helps.....happy to talk with you more.....

What is he going to school for? That will help let you know HOW much time to expect him to have and whether or not he will be able to work part time. How many classes/ credit hours will he be taking? It IS doable...DID it..with a toddler and an infant. When hubby went back, i was in my last yr of nursing school...had a 2 yr old...and both of us worked 20-24 hrs a week.

Best Advice...TALK to the billers and or manager. They will work with you if you will work with them. They would rather have people on a payment plan than having to turn accts over to collections. If you are having a rough month and cant make a payment...call and let them know. Just follow thru on your part.

btw...we dont use tablets....have PC in all rooms...most desks not in rooms have 2 screens to work on..and yes I use both.....

Yes, we use an EHR and are paperless. Love it. I am "old school"...had electric typwriter in college...remember those??? lol. But love the EHR. Was hard at first...learning curve was straight up...no curve to it. After first few months, a breeze.

This is NOT "easy money"...prescription drug abuse has sky rocketed. If a patient has nothing to worry about then they will not have problem signing a pain med contract and giving a UDS if requested. They will recognize that this is in the best interest for ALL involved. We are having drug overdoses coming in on a regular basis....and deaths....prescriptions drugs as the culprit. No, it will not eliminate the problem, but may help identify elder abuse if a UDS on an older pt comes up negative when they should be positive.....also makes sure they...meaning patients in general...know pain treatment is taken seriously. Also lets patients know that their doctors recognize the potential abuse for meds and want what is best for the patients.

I would not take offense...i would be thankful that the doc is being diligent in pain management. Best for ALL.

We do pain contracts here along with random drug screens. Anyone on schedule 2s. Office policy. Prescription drug abuse is too high. We are not only screening for "extras" but also for that they test positive for what they should. Patients roll a dice when they come in monthly to get refills. They roll a "1"...they get a UDS. Protects us and them. With elderly patients, you have the risk that others may be taking their scripts or having them go to multiple docs to obtain....meds then being diverted by family members or other caregivers...or even them. Actually not fair to say just "elderly"....see it in all age groups....just the reality of today.

Call and ask....be honest. Talk to either the manager or the biller. Most offices will work with you. Just make sure if a payment plan is set up, you follow thru. blessings tonie

PP?? I started in Labor and Delivery as a nursing student...hired into PP as a new grad and cross trained to Labor. Some people seem to think that PP is a breeze....soooo wrong. I agree, you must have thick skin. I sooo remember my last week of orientation on PP...gosh...one of those days when if something COULD go wrong, it did. This was at an inner city hospital...we had everything. This particular day..had 7 couplets with a nursing assistant suppose to be helping me. My 24 hr c-section dehicsed....while her babys circ started bleeding...while Labor room was calling for my BTL to come over and while another Labor nurse was calling wanting to give report...while my NA was MIA.....I also remember the 15 yr old who i could not even get to hold her baby, much less to learn to care for the infant...gma took care of the baby. Also remember walking into a room..again on orientation..had two twelve yr old moms in this room...they were playing house with their babies. Remember the 17 yr old G3P3..going into the room at 9am..baby pushed against the wall crying...I gently made the comment "your baby is crying"...she responded with "ya, the snot nosed brat wont shut up"...i checked the babys chart...baby hadnt eaten in 4 hrs....was hungry....talked to social services..told they could not do anything since no actual abuse occurred but could see if she would be open to home followup. This was while i had young ones at home, myself. I learned...spent many days crying the entire 30 min drive home, i did toughen up...learned to separate. Realized i could not solve everyones problems all of the time...did the best i could. prayed alot...hoped i made a difference. Yes, i too remember the drug addictied babies...gosh, soo many babies i wanted nothing more than to take home with me...to protect...to love..couldnt tho. My typical attitude was to do the best I could every day...to try to make a diffence..realizing I may never know whether i did or not. Showing these mothers compassion...often times mothering the mothers.....And I wouldnt trade my nursing experience AT ALL..i was where i was suppose to be when i was suppose to be there, if that makes sense. blessings

No threat intended...just being blunt and real. There is NO longer a nursing shortage. Just read the posts from all those on here LOOKING for a job. Reality is you can easily be replaced. Does that make those who only do their assigned shifts BAD nurses...heck no. I never said it did. Does it mean they should HAVE to pick up extra shifts...again..I never said that. Is a "Thank YOU" warrented for picking up extra shifts? I think it is NICE...but a manager should not have to go around and THANK every person who does something extra to help keep the unit running smoothly. It IS noticed.....and appreciated by ALL. If you are NOT getting the pat on the back you soo want and need....your paycheck SHOULD suffice. Some managers are more generouse with praise then others....not bad or wrong. Some show it in different ways. Am I a nurse manager?? I work as a manager of a physician office FULL time and work as a staff nurse at the hospital PRN...if that answers your questions. I also am typically generous with appreciation / praise (my style)...tho it may come as recognizing the morning has been extremely crazy...lunch time will be cut into...and ME laying out a menu..telling the girls to write down what they want to eat...and ME ordering and paying for it......Do I EXPECT to be thanked when i pick up extra shifts at the hospital....nope...I am thankful I have a job there. I enjoy hospital nursing, but this point in my life can not do the type of schedule required to work full time there....dont want to give it up tho....so appreciate my PRN spot VERY much. My point is that while it is NICE to be appreicated...everyone by nature wants that....we need to appreciate the fact we have jobs. The more WE do to help our units run smoothly, the bigger impact WE are having overall....better attitudes...happier work environment....possibly a bit less stress.

I think sooo much depends on the dynamics of those you work with. I remember working in a facility that on a good day was a zoo...a bad day...MUCH worse. Had EXCELLENT management tho. Remember assistant managers bringing in fresh made muffins and juice so during report we would all eat at least breakfast because she knew that none of us would likely get lunch....The manager KNOWING the stress of the environment we were under, had an OPEN DOOR policy..meaning that if we needed to vent..to scream...cry..we could go to her, close her door...and do / say what we had to...then go back out and resume our jobs....nothing was ever mentioned about those times...was private. She understood tho.... I remember working nights and knowing HOW the night was going to go sooo much depended on those i was on with. If the right crew (4 were staffed) were on, we could handle ANY thing....worked soooo well together...and if a different group was on...was gonna be a LONG night...possibly a rough one too....lol I really dont think it is all just about nursing....I think to some degree it is women. I am NOT being sexist...i just do not see the same dynamics with men that i do with women. From a management perspective also, i see the same....have the right group of employees....positive attitudes..generally happy, satisfied people...even if the day is stressful, still will not leave hating your job.

I work both in a hospital as a staff nurse and in an office as a manager. YES, the employer NEEDS a way to reach you. It is up to you whether or not to work extra; however, remember...there is NO longer a nursing shortage. Just something to keep in mind. If you are NOT willing to go the extra mile, there are MANY others who will. And, IMO, when you pick up an extra shift, your thanks is your time and half on your paycheck. As far as being on the management side...ya know what?? If the weather is bad, I NEED a way to contact the employees to give them direction...ie stay home for 2 hrs..will reassess the weather ect. I can ALWAYS get in...have an employee 30 min out (that is when the weather is perfect) who I refuse to ask her to risk her safety to come in, BUT we need to touch base....communicate. best of luck