Paramedicated

I am going to change my signiture so folks will understand were I come from a little better. I am a grumpy old hardass who sees everything in black and white. Sometimes i forget what it was to be young and still curious about the world. I appologize if I am a bit to ...Harsh.

If you have to ask yourself if you should be nurse or a letter carrier, especialy if it is a money thing, GO please and Bring the mail. Medicine is not something we do because it pays good. We do this Job because sick an injured people need us. We may question "why" we put up with the trials and tribulations of our field. But we never lose site of the ultimate reason why we are here...it has nothing to do with cash.

Most of you may think I am unkind or harsh, but I satnd by what i said. If he isn't responsable enough for you to leave him home alone for a few hours without a phone call, than he should still have a sitter. If you do not feel you can trust him to handle the real world then why do you leave him alone? I am not saying you shouldn't lay down rules and set check in times, but good lord, you paniced after an hour and a half than to release your fustration you punished him for a simple mistake. If you put to little control on him he may run wild and become do illegal things however if you control him to much he may grow to resent you. Balance... Communication and compromise make any good relationship work.

We discriminate against each other over our Educational background WHY not race...

I love the intoxicating effect of making a "good save". Someone who otherwise would not see tommarrow if we had not been there to help them. I hate death, flat out no questions asked, I despise entrophy.

Yes you did, overeact. Sounds like you are compensating for not being home for him all the time. you punished him for doing what he was told to do. he was in the house playing video games. Further, you son most likely is responsable enough for you to leave him home alone, if he has a problem I am certain he will know to call you. I suggest you ease up, by sitting on him for every little thing you may end up with a young man who can't make a decision for himself.

Thank you, Leslie ( I hope I may call you by your first name). I guess in the ideal world we would not have a shortage to begin with. I believe you have the right idea, teach more leadership. Setting everyone on the even ground. Perhaps a nationaly standardized couse should be adopted. We (the wife and I) have found even here In Boston diffrent schools teach Nursing in thier own way. Sure they all follow the basic guidlines but variances in the level of knowledge still seem to restrict the confidence we can place in the Green Nurses. Pathophysiology? i thought that it was covered in depth already, mistaken I am? DW had to have A&p 1and 2 plus Micro-bio. Or is there more to it than that? Sorry this is were my level of knowledge blurs a bit.

2rnitsh I think you may have hinted at an answer to my question. Does a BSN prepare an RN for mamagement roles? Is that the justification for a 4 year degree?

If your intent is to design an Ideal entry level nurse why can you not even back up your point. I want to know what a BSN has over a ASN. In a nursing shortage I would think we would want nurses who are capable to be out there doing the JOB. Also I don't "glorify" any of our positions more than they need to be. It seems alot of folks on this board have forgot why we are here. By the way, please call me Chris if you wish, it is shorter than writing my screename

All I am asking for is a Justification, from anyone, as to why a BSN is "ideal" over an ASN. And yes, Practicing Medicine is exactly what I ment. We exist for the Patient, first and always before ourselves be it a nurse, Doctor, Medic, or even the greenest first responder on his/her first MVA scene. I was raised to believe in theses Ideals from the first time I rode a whirling fire truck at 0200 on a bitter snow tossed night to the scene of a minor house fire. A women droped her 16 month old baby from the second story window to the arms of a waiting police officier, the baby was not breathing. The medics took the child jumped into the rig and, for all intents, brought that baby back to life. They did the same thing you as a nurse would, they did the same things any doctor would do. Hence why I have come to believe that despite our liceanse level and responablitys we all Practice Medicine.

Leslie (earle58) or anyone in general that has issue with an ASN being allowed to practice medicine.

What makes you think a BSN can do a better job than ASN?!?!?!? You may say they are unprepared but I say they are hard chargers who put forth monumental effort to learn in two years what takes other 4. BSN started IVs in year 3 when My wife was starting them in her second semester. She has a better understanding of medicine than some DOCs I know. What possable difference could her degree make if she can do the job. :angryfire Damn this ignorant intolerence, next you will want only paramedics who have GOd forsaken degrees in Paramedicine to practice. Further more, nit everybody has the resources need to go to some high on the hoorifice nursing university. SO I guess if you have made mistakes in your life or have kids, or just don't have the patience to sit for 4 long years studing what should only take two. Your screwed,...not good enough to practice medicine....go be a janitor the rest of your life. ----sigh...breath---1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 OK I am over it.

I see your points about higher education becoming difficult. And as for my experience with working and going to school. I have done my share... It can and has been done. As for geting higher education just for money well I guess I still am a hopeless romantic that believes we do this Job for the PTs not the pay. Too also its not fair for me to judge because I am an outsider looking in. IN EMS we have a ladder systemm and it works. We also have a strong chain of command that ensures that the bleed car accident victim gets the right stuff and gets transported first if you get what i mean. I live in a world were thier is always someone to call the shots even as I am issuing orders to my subordinates all for the sake of keeping PT-A alive long enough to get to the ER. sorry, I will put my soapbox away. :)

I am sorry I didn't clarify. A student will enter the RN program. The entire program has time built in for gaining experience as a CNA, LPN. All to often I have seen young and fresh nurses full of spirit become burnt out and overwhelmed because they were dropped into the demanding roll of RN before they had enough experience. As an RN you are looked upon to by the CNAs and LPNs and even the Docs to be subject matter experts in your field. Does a nurse need to work on Med surge before going to L and D. NO L and D is a specialty. I also encourge the use of a Practical Factor system of education weras the student nurse, cna or lpn is required to do certain task in front of a qualified RN and when she completes the task properly then the RN can sign off in the students book stating that the student knows how to do said task. this creates a checks and balance for the system. If a student has a certain prac. signed off, lets say Vitals, and she doesn't do them correctly in class, they can seek out the RN who signed it off to ensure she knows what she is doing. Once all PRACS are signed and all course requirments are met they can test for the next liceanse level.

3 teared system. You must become a CNA first, serve your time learn the basics and when you are ready move on to LPN to learn more and practice more and get paid more. Than you can be recommended for the remainder of the RN program. Once complete, a "new" RN will have his/her knowledge tempered by experience and be an all around better nurse. They will emerge ready to handle and entire floor on third shift by themsekves thus relieving the stress placed on the other nurses. Further a simple chain of command can be established, every floor must be staffed by no less than 4 CNAs, 2 LPNs one of which must be IV certified, a duty nurse and a Shift nurse. The duty nurse handles the care of the patients and deligates dutys to the LPNs and CNAs. the shift nurse is ultimatly responable for the floor, they handle the paperwork and oversee all activities. Bigger floors can have larger staff but there must always be one RN in charge of the whole thing overall. At slow points during a shift the senior folks should be helping the junior folks work on qualifications to move to the next liceanse level. Also rotating people in and out of shifts is bad. Each shift should be made into crews that rotate from 1st to second to third say month by month. this creates a positive team atmosphere and generates unit cohesiveness. HOwever for the whole plan to work, we must be able to depend on anyone with and RN after thier name to be able to handle any situation. I do not belive a wet behind the ears RN fresh out of a 4 year program will be ready to take command of a floor. This is all about experience.

Yes, it means you would have to start at and entry level title and responsability. All nurses who come out of school have the same thing in common, lack of experience. With a teared system of advancement we can ensure that a new full fledge RN is ready to do her job. You learn the Basics at CNA when you are ready you can advance to LPN to have more resposabilty and better pay. After you pay the Dues you can become a full fledge RN, ready to run her own floor or ward, in charge and armed with both knowledge and experience. As far as it being a deterent, well those who truely love Nursing will pay thier proper due and be advanced to this level of trust and resposability. Any Half wit can study a text book and do clinicals. School does not reflect how a nurse will be once they are on thier own. You have to admit some junior RNs are scary, at the same time you have some that come out ready to go stop all the worlds problems. These are the people you will relieve of the 3rd shift, I think it would be nice to have RNs fully capable the day they get thier diplomas.

I don't think you can practice medicine with out a Health Care Provider level CPR card. Chris

ZENMAN, Please accept my appoligies. My with is a very capable ARN I get very protective of her. All to many times in this field we have folks who play the "My degree is bigger than your degree", As far as entry level nursing is concerned I feel you should not be allowed to take a the Bachelor in RN until you have "paid your dues" For example no individual can become a Paramedic without first being a Basic EMT. No chief nurse or head nurse should be placed in that position until they have gained experience. I am of the opinion that to be an RN you must serve a year as a CNA followed By 6 Months as an LPN then be permited to finish your School, take your boards and get the "shinny badge". AM I way off on this? Chris

Hey arent you the same one who was bashing Associate degree RNs?

HUm............ I would hope an RN or even a first year student would know what and AED is.... Heprin, anyone..

BLS: Basic Life Support ALS: Advanced Life Support ACLS: Advanced cardiac Life Support

In EMS we have the PARAGOD whom none shall triffle with. Our best medics are uasualy the ones who are quiet but willing to teach the "new guy" how to do an emergency chest decom. or the right way to push Morphine and so on. The ED nurses seem to be the same way. The best ones are the ones who listen to US when we come in not just blow us off as "Ambulance attendents"

Foley cath? or perhaps leaving his food tray in the fridge for a few minutes. Unplug the tv and tell him it broke. same with the phone. The worst one i have seen is a dude who took a swing at a spunky young nurse I worked with. the sup pacified the client. The mortified nurse took her vengence by writing a very sexual letter to the client full of promises when he got out of the hospital. She than left it were this clients wife would find it. I know childesh, cruel and unprofessional..... I have had my share of angry folks in the back of the RIG, especialy blue paper transports at 0200 and most are drunk or crazy. Patience, tolerance, and the occasional Police officier with some OC help to make the trips...safe anyway. Good luck, and remember a little visine goes a long way:devil:

Most high stress and HIGH KNOWLEDGE jobs seem to have a reacurence of folks who get the "I got my SH*T together" attitude and then gaze down apon the masses of the "young" almost daring them not to be at thier level. 9 times out of ten these types of people are usualy some of your poorer performers. They may be good at med surge but put them in the ED and they freeze. In the EMS field we have this same problem with folks who get first arrogant about thier knowledge then, complacent. It is a bad thing for a supervisor to allow this to attitude to prevail. It promotes poor morale, lack of profesionalism and early burn out of our younger folks. All of us need to remember that we to were once the PROBE. I make a personal responsability to set my JR folks up for success Keep your people happy and you may acctualy get a day off, something that seems unheard of lately:rolleyes:

Thanks for allowing me to vent. I general get fustrated when something is stressing her out and i can't "make it go away" or fix it for her. I would still like to know why if we pay 200 Dollars to take the exam, it cost her 7.95 to get her results..... Thanks again to ALL PM