sjt9721

Our subscription to Medline Complete and CINAHL Plus with Full Text is through EBSCOhost and provided at the corporate level. (I work for the large, for-profit company with a 3-letter acronym.) We have good luck with these databases - we can access the account from non-network computers and EBSCO has an app so we can access it from our smartphones as well. If EBSCO doesn't have the full text.....We have several nurses in school so many opt to access their university's online library. As a facility, we are a part of the DOCLINE system - so I can enter citation information and purchase a copy of the needed article for $9-$12. Let me know if you have any questions about our resources.

Our CT techs start the IVs for outpatients having contrast CTs. Does anyone else's facility do this? If so, what type of training/competency/validation is completed and kept on file? Thanks to any who can respond.

Depending on the facility, you may be able to negotiate for a higher rate, especially if it's a service line they've had difficulty filling. I realize it's not your specialty, but as an example, I know a CVOR nurse who pretty much wrote her own ticket (>$40/hr).

Did I miss something, or has the OP not posted since this direct question?

The Bioterrorism requirement expired in 2007. http://www.bon.state.tx.us/nursinglaw/npa1.html#305 Scroll to Section 301.305. Here is info related to what qualifies as continuing nursing education: http://www.bon.state.tx.us/nursingeducation/ceu.html Unless you're working in an Emergency setting, you do not need the Forensics hours. Hope this helps, sjt9721

Thank you for the opportunity. Good luck with the rest of your program.

As far as AHA is concerned, your Instructor card 'trumps' your Provider card, meaning you do not have to maintain or carry both. Provider skills should be validated sometime during your 2 years or as a part of your Instructor renewal. I'm the AHA person at my facility and my instructors are only issued Instructor cards. Some employers however, may require you to have a physical card for each.

Yes, I donate a modest amount to both my undergraduate and graduate alma maters. (The amounts have varied slightly depending on my financial status, student loan payoff, attending graduate school, etc.). I'm able to designate my gifts to a specific nursing scholarship at each school. The way I see it...someone before helped me by donating, and now it's my turn to help someone else.

I agree with you Scott. ATCN is a course, just as ACLS, PALS, TNCC, etc. While those courses/classes can be included in the definition of "credentials", it does seem a little silly to have the alphabet of course completion cards on your ID. Because space is limited, our facility allows for licensure, highest degree and one certification on our badge. Ima Nurse, RN MSN, CEN Note that a professional certification (CEN, CCRN, etc) is completely different than courses such as those mentioned above.

AsystoleRN is correct. At most places you're not allowed to access your own records, much less those of a co-worker. HIPAA is alive & well at my facility. I just returned from maternity leave after delivering my daughter in April. I'm running into colleagues that didn't know I'd had the baby, much less that we nearly died (r/t amniotic embolus) during the delivery & stayed 10 days in the facility.

If you're counting votes, I like Team Propofol and the IV Leaguers. (Saw the suggestion of The Drips...as an ED nurse, I'd avoid using that one!)

CE is continuing education, with CME being specific to medicine and CNE being specific to nursing. CE time can be measured in CEUs or in contact hours. Depending on the accrediting organization, CEs can be measured as 60-minute or 50-minute contact hours. My state uses the 60-minute clock hour, so 60 minutes of a CE activity equals 1.0 contact hour. A CEU is a continuing education unit, which is not the same as a contact hour. One CEU is equal to 10 contact hours. Before you start spending money on CE, read your state's nurse practice act to figure out what type of programs will count toward your license renewal. (If you're completing CE for a professional certification, know what is accepted by the certification association.) For example...my state only accepts CNE hours for license renewal...we can't use CME hours. Hope this helps..

Denton Regional and North Hills are HCA facilities as well. I've worked for HCA in 2 states for 14 years, with a 3-year hiatus into the not-for-profit world. There are pros & cons for each, as I'm sure you already know. Relating to outcomes...my current HCA facility (in DFW) recently saved the lives of my newborn daughter and myself. Natural labor, progressing well...then the bottom fell out. We were blessed to have quick-thinking labor nurses, critical-thinnking CCU/NICU nurses, and extremely professional post-partum & newborn nursery nurses. (And let's not forget the docs, other clinical, and support staff as well!) We're in the books as surviving (neurologically intact) an amniotic embolism. I'm so proud to work with the folks at my facility! As far as lower pay goes...I'll give up that 50 cents less per hour for not owing a dime on our hospital bills. There's a lot more to benefits than just an hourly salary. Send me a private message if you'd like more information. I'm happy to share with you what I know of those facilities. BTW...so you're a NASCAR fan? North Hills has the contract to provide nurses for the events at Texas Motor Speedway :-)

Thanks for providing this information; I'm going to check it out. Another option is this: http://consolevault.com/ On several vehicle models, it fits into the existing console & bolts to the floor.