DH.nurse

The medical team working on you to save your life is not the team that would be there to work on organizing and procuring your organs and tissue donations.

Is this a serious post? Just curious.... are you really a nurse?

After my daughter, still in diapers at the time, had bladder surgery, we were sent home for a day or two with a foley in place.... open and with no bag. She was "double-diapered" during this approx. 36 - 48 hr period. That means that the first diaper was in place against her body to collect feces, and then a second diaper was in place over it. The end of the foley ran out the leg of the first diaper and into the second where it would hopefully be safe from contamination. We had to keep the tubing clean and be diligent with diaper changes. It was done this way to prevent our baby from pulling out the catheter and possibly causing damage post-operatively. She was likely on prophylactic antiobiotics at the time. I know it's not at all the same situation as the OP's, but without knowing details from the caregivers of this patient then we're all just guessing here.

I have been there when a baby was born, and I have been there when someone took their last breath. It's not like any other career! Even when I stopped working during 6 years of being a stay at home mom, I was still known as "the nurse". It's definitely more than just a job... There are so many specialties, and even then there are so many sub-specialties. And, many nurses will change specialties during their careers. You said you might like mother/baby... you may end up working as a labor/delivery nurse, maybe pediatric ICU (NICU) nurse, a lactation specialist, a pediatric homecare nurse, a nurse in a ob/gyn clinic, etc. etc. etc.... Or, you may end up in a totally other type of nursing! That's the beauty of it. You may hear about nursing jobs being hard to come by these days, but that's true in so many fields in this economy. But, the future of healthcare is strong. Nurses will be needed. This field is always changing and you will always be learning! Good luck as you make your decision...

I was a "stay-at-home" mom for over 6 years, and I decided I wanted to change directions in my nursing career when I was finally ready to return to nursing. I took a RN refresher course.... which allowed me to update my clinical skills, network and obtain professional references (from instructor and fellow nurse refresher student), and most of all got my confidence level up to where it had to be to go on interviews. You can do anything you set your mind to! Best wishes to you on your journey... it sounds so interesting. Good luck.

I've got two opposing feelings right now. Unprofessional appearance, and it may even end up in the next revision of the facility's dresscode. They got rid of the nurses' cap after too many got tangled in IV lines or fell off at the wrong moment... not to mention infection. Despite that... I still can't take it that seriously, especially if she's a good co-worker. I almost feel sorry for her now that this thread has gotten so long. I would love to be able to ask her why she wears them everyday!! So..... if you finally just come out and ask her then you must let us know what she says!! Please, please, please let us know what her reason is!

Congratulations on your opportunity!! As someone else stated, I don't think most of the posters here have worked in an Assisted Living facility. The position titles in Assisted living are different than other facilities. I was the "evening supervisor" just because I was the nurse on duty. Yes, there will be challenges, like many other new grad nurse positions you could have chosen, but I believe this is definitely possible. Where I worked, in addition to performing the well visit assessments and checking on ill residents, there was a lot of coordination of care... ie: calling in a home health agency for residents that needed hospice or other skilled nursing visits. Scheduling for the podiatry & md. Frequent communication with the families & resident's personal physicians, paperwork, etc. There is no "code cart" so essentially in the worse emergencies I encountered, 911 was called immediately. When in doubt after falls, etc, family was called & residents were sent to the er to be on the safe side. It will be scary as a new nurse to make those decisions. Learn your facility policies. Learn your strengths & weaknesses, and be honest with yourself. Document. I think you're being trained for more of an administration position. Most nurses will not be able to understand the acuity of the residents and your responsibilities so please don't be discouraged by the comments on here. Yes.... ask questions, be honest with where your nursing skills need work, and never be afraid to get on the phone & discuss concerns that arise with your resident's family or physicians. You'll be mentored for 4 months! You've got a good amount of time to learn your responsibilities and find your weaknesses. And, you've got time to get to know if you are over-your-head. No matter what you decide in 4 months, it will be a learning experience. That two years I spent in that assisted living position is still one of the best jobs I've had in my 18 yrs as a nurse. I think about so many of those residents still, and their families. Keep us posted on how it's going! I wish you the best of luck!

If this person is still working with students, then I would consider making a copy of that letter (if you have one) and sending them a note explaining how you didn't get the volunteer position and how that experience has made you feel even after all these years. I would make sure to let them know how successful you are now! And, not angry and confrontational, but honest. Well, that's what I would do anyway... if they were still working with children. Maybe doing this may help you move on? Best of wishes to you.

To help you keep things in perspective while you decide what to do in this troubling situation..... Is there really such a thing as a "dream job"? I'm not sure it exists. It's kinda like "the grass is always greener" or the "honeymoon phase" of a new relationship. In this economy, I wouldn't jump ship without a back-up plan... but, don't be disappointed about your ''dream job" not working out. I can tell by your passion for wanting to learn that you have a great career ahead of you! Good luck.

Ouch!

I think you should research what financial support / services you may be eligible for in your state because you have children and are unemployed. At the same time, keep looking for a job... not necessarily in nursing right now. I'm sure that no nurse could ever imagine herself/himself ever being in the position of needing assistance, foodstamps, whatever, but things happen. You've got kids and you have to pull yourself up and do what needs to be done! Things will work out and things will get better! Please keep us posted....

I'm not sure of the exact amount of responsibility of the RN supervisor in that facility. Some posters here may be imagining the chain of command in the hospital, but a SNF can be very different with more CNAs or LPNs. RN's in SNF are often called "charge nurses" or supervisors because of the fact that they are the RN. I'd like to know more info before I would out-right discourage you to take this job. The job description you posted speaks of administering meds & doing treatments. Are there other "nurse supervisors" in the facility to confer with when problems/questions arise? I'm not sure we have the full picture of what this facility and the chain-of-command is like....

But, the urgency with this call was that they were going to enter the apt - which they might have done if the call wasn't addressed. You made it clear that you're not comfortable with that, so hopefully something like that won't happen again. Hope situation improves after going to the manager and her including the VP. Good luck.

It was stated: 'I want to feel the whole experience, I hate the idea of not feeling my own body at such an important time. I feel the body knows what to do, and to embrace and conquer the "pains of childbirth" made me feel empowered and strong.' I totally respect that position and that we all should have the choice. Either way, though, when it's time to get your baby out, they have stopped the epidural medication so you can push. I had an epidural with my first, but couldn't get it with my second. I felt excrutiating pain at the end of both labors! I don't feel like I missed out on anything when I had the epidural. There's plenty of things about motherhood and my life that make me feel "empowered" and I felt no need to try natural birth. With that said, I wouldn't let my personal feelings influence the decision of a patient and I would be careful to not judge their decisions. I don't work in L&D so I don't know if other nurses try to sway decisions. I hope not.

:dncgbby: I started a new job shortly after becoming pregnant. I waited a few weeks and then I told the nurse manager who was surprisingly happy for me... or a good actress. But, the executive manager (director of the entire Assisted Living facility) was not thrilled. I sent her a notecard and stated something like, I just wanted to let her know that I was aware that the timing wasn't perfect and I wasn't trying to be deceptive in not having said something sooner. But, I told her, that in my family, where miscarriages seem to be common, we do not announce we're pregnant until 3 months along. I had no problems or awkward moments after that. And, as time passed I felt everyone, staff & residents, were excited for me. Prior to my maternity leave, they threw me a little baby shower - quite touching & unique as they held it in the dementia unit... It will all work out. Like you said, it's life and it happens! Best wishes