jeanrnurse

My heart goes out to you, but all of the others who commented are correct. You did everything right, and you could not have saved him. You MUST get counseling from your employer's EAP, or your minister/private counseling, in order to be at peace w/ this. God bless you, & do not allow this to prevent you from using your knowledge & skill again, if you should be in that situation again.

I'm sorry your experiences in LTC are so negative, but not all are like that. There are good facilities in every field. I worked as a Staff Development Educator in acute care settings for over 37 years of my 44 year career. I had misconceptions that LTC facilities were as you describe. However, 2 years ago, I taught in 3 different nursing programs & learned that there are good facilities, where the Chief Nursing officer (DON) DOES Care, and that very good care is given. Those experiences led me to choose to work as a Staff Dev. Educator at a nursing home, & I plan to stay here until I retire (a long way off). Yes, there are a lot of meds, but our N/P ratios are better than the state standards, our staff CARES and DO give very good care. It is like a family atmosphere; everyone helps each other (nurses help lift, toilet, etc), staff behave in a professional manner, not "it's not my job/resident". We provide FREE CE on all the State mandated topics. P.S.: I work on the Gulf Coast of Florida, & I'm very happy.

You can use your love of teaching as a hospital-based Staff Development Educator and make very good money. All the comments about academic teaching positions are correct. Salaries will be different depending on the part of the country you are in, of course. I recently saw an ad for an Adjunct Clinical Instructor here; it was $1750 for the entire term. FT Instructors who teach theory get 64K in private schools, 48-55K in commuity colleges in this area. Pitiful, yes?

I agree with all of llg's comments. I got started many years ago, when I worked as a resource for nursing students in my hospital, beginning when I had only been a nurse for 2 yrs. I found I liked teaching them, and when one of the existing "Inservice educators--" (that's what they were called then) retired, about 2yrs. later, I applied for that position. I don't remember much of an application process--it was much easier to get into a job like that in the 70's. I did have my BSN, and that may have helped. The first project I was given was to revise the entire nursing orientation. I put in what I thought orientees needed, based on my own perceptions & recollections as a new nurse in that hospital, & as a more seasoned staff nurse. There was only 1 other Inservice Educator. After 4 yrs. in that role, I became the Staff Development Coordinator (title change). After 3 yrs. in that role, I went back & got my Master's degree. After graduation in 1982, I became actively involved in the Ill. Nurse Assn., where I learned to Chair Committees & other leadership skills. I joined the NNSDO (now ANPD), & as llg said, they are the best resource out there for Staff Development Educators. They are the ONLY organization in this specialty. They have LOTS of resources and experienced educators to assist you. Their annual Convention is in mid-July in Las Vegas. Hopefully you can still get in, if you want. Good luck!

"Premium Member" has given a great answer. I got started by becoming a Preceptor many years ago, as a staff nurse. I had my BSN. I was lucky enough to get hired as an Instructor in Staff Dev., in a community hospital with my BSN and 5 years experience as a staff nurse in Critical Care. After 4 years in that position, I became the Coordinator in that small Staff Dev. Dept. I also went back to school and got my M.S. in Med-surg. Nursing, with a focus in Education. My responsibilities in various Staff Dev. positions include coordinating Orientation for RNs and other nursing and non-nursing employees, annual & ongoing mandatory education for JCAHO and other issues, continuing education, hiring and managing employees, budget, educational record keeping, and other managerial responsibilities. I also became certified in Professional Development, through ANCC. The great thing about this kind of job is that I am never bored. There is always something new to teach-new challenges--computer education has come along in the last 10 years. In my current department, mytitle is "Education Consultant", and we are responsible for education of employees throughout the hospital.

Revenge may be sweet, as in this case, but the only way these shows MIGHT look at nurses in a proessional light is if we write the networks and tell the how these comments are demeaning. I also watched Grey's Anatomy enough to know that the overall view of nurses is not too bright; certainly not colleagues. Another alternaitve to writing the network is to join the ANA, whose officers regularly monitor medical programs and write the networks, or offer consultants to present nursing in a realistic light. Remember, they took "Dr. Phil" to taks about his comments, and he promised to do a show on nurses.

I agree with "elkpark". If you live in Canada, and you are still new to driving under these conditions, I would suggest 1) make sure your tires are in good condition, and they are the right type of tire for the location. Should you have chains? Talk to the locals , get your car checked out for winter. 2) Maybe a different car is appropriate, but this is cheaper. 3) Have someone teach you how to drive in the conditions in this area. If you plan to stay there, you need to be more comfortable with it. 4) I live in the Chicago area, and although I am not in a rural area, we all manage to get to work, unless it is a sudden, heavy snow. some of my employers have sent Security to pick up staff. One of my V-Ps of Nursing actually went out herself to pick up staff. I also know that in some locations, they use snowmobiles. Good luck, you need to be safe.:)

I can't say I agree with Hellllo Nurse, that this is the way nursing is everywhere. I agree with some of the other posters, Steph, that you should hang in there, find a hospital with at least 12 weeks of Orientation, because, considering your 2 terrible experiences, you were not given a fair chance. I coordinate Orientation at my Level I, community hospital. I agree that, if you can get into a Residency program, even though you are technically not a new grad, that would be the best. But, 12 weeks minimum, in med-surg, low pt. ratio. 1-2 Preceptors--no more- while you are on days; same thing on off-shift. Don't think it can't happen. It is not that common, but you should feel comfortable asking lots of questions; make sure they stick to what they tell you. Be honest about your experiences. Ask yourself what you don't like about hospital nursing, and then decide if it was just the bad experiences, or the shift work, or what. Perhaps you have found something already, but please do not give up on hospital nursing, or especially yourself!

Let's use a little common sense here.

You might not want to forget that skill of calculating the IV drip rate. What do you think we would have to do if the power goes out? I bet our friends in Florida would speak to that! :chuckle Jean

Reply to Rapheal: As a Staff Development Educator, I am discouraged that nurses and MDs continue to be misinformed about Demerol, which is VERY over- and misused, as in the example you gave. Many hospitals have eliminated it from their Formulary or have severely limited it's use, because toxic byproducts build up in the body. And there are many other meds more appropriate. Demerol 50 mg is not more effective than 2 Tylenol, and research has shown Phenergan to be basically ineffective an a potentiator in a 25 mg dose. And the action of Demerol only lasts 2-3 hrs., so ordering it q4 does the pt. a disservice. Pts. who complain that this regimen is ineffective are CORRECT. They are not drug seekers. Instead of letting the MD get away with ordering this outmoded regimen, nurses should take the opportunity to educate them that other narcotics, with or without NSAIDS, given ATC rather than prn, are much more effective. You can consult McCaffery & Pasero's book on Pain Mgmt. for specifics.

Hi, I am a Nurse Eduator, & the appropriate response to this is: You should have done the following at the time, (even if you were on clinical): thoroughly washed any exposed skin with soap and hot water. Made sure no mucus membranes (i.e., eyes) exposed, or that no skin was broken. Removed your soiled clothing and put in Biohazard bag. Put on clean scrubs. Not necessary to throw them out, if treated in something like OxyClean (have gloves on), & washed ASAP in hot water. HIV does not live long outside the body. Gone to Employee Health/the ER immediately to see an MD and write out an Incident Report. MD would decide if you needed follow drugs. They would give you lab tests anyway. good luck.

QUOTE=Tim-GNP]Jean--- are you an NNSDO member? I was considering it.... but I am just not sure. I wonder if they are very 'acute care' only oriented, or if they balance between various staff development settings. Yes, I have been since 1995. They are a wonderful resource, and have Interest groups for LTC and Home Nursing, as well as trying to draw i those concerned with pt. eduation and schools of nursing. The Annual convention brochure is posted on the website. It is in San Diego July 29-Aug. 1, at the Marriott waterside. At the convention, they have all the books/products for sale, great networking, poster sessions, vendors, as well as terrific Keynotes & general sessions, aimed at various levels of educator. You can join on the website; it's $75, which includes the Journal of Nurses in Staff Development. Please mention me, asI am on the Membership Committee and would credit for bringing in a new person. Hope to see you in San Diego!

Yes, the website that time referred to is your best source for ALL Staff Dev. resources. The organization NNSDO is a national group that is for US! NNSDO has over 2K members and has many publications available, as well as an annual convention. Dues are reasonable & include the Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, from which I end up making nearly all the articles available to someone in our hospital! {U}Journal for Nurses in Staff Development{/U}. Good luck.

Interesting disucssion. Although I, like many people, have tended to think that the flu is not a huge deal for most healthy people, (and since I have never gotten the flu OR had a shot, until this year)--this year does seem to be hitting children very hard. To put things into perspective, 17-30,000 people die from it worldwide, while only 800 people died from SARS last year. Look at the media hype from THAT! Maybe flu doen't get ENOUGH hype, and a lot of us should respect it more. Snce I'm a former ICU nurse, I guess I didn't think anything was a big deal unless someone had their brains oozing out their ears!