Hukilau

I have an associates degree RN, a non-nursing BA and a non-nursing MA. In my experience as a hospital based psychiatric nurse, none of that ever mattered. Salary and raises were based strictly on merit and time with the company. The only thing that a...

My story is not so much about the test as it is about the wait for results, You see, children, in ancient times you had to wait FOUR WEEKS to get results after you took the test. I had been working as a psych tech while I was in school but as soon as...

I was out of travel nursing for 13 years. I used to check a couple of websites that had extensive listings, then I would contact the (usually) one agency that had a listing I liked. At one point I had six active licenses. Fast forward to 2019. INDEED...

The last travel assignment I worked I made it clear that I wanted to work only the inpatient units and not the psych ED. I even got a letter from Human Resources verifying that I would only be placed on the inpatient units. First day of orientation m...

Most of your reply makes good sense, but I am a little disturbed by your last sentence. It's possible that some pts might be strongly opposed to having their room tossed because they are trying to hold onto some sense of dignity during a difficult ti...

I have worked in at least a couple of dozen different psych units all over the country during the past 30 years. Every place has a different policy regarding safety checks and searches. i can assure you that you are on the extreme end of the spectrum...

:chuckle :chuckle :rotfl: Thanks! I needed the smile...

As I understand it, you will always be diabetic. That is, it is possible that with a proper balance of diet and exercise you may be able to maintain your blood suger at safe levels, you will never get back to the point where eating sugar won't spike...

When you hit "slideshow" do you get choices like "animation scheme" "custom animation" and "slide transition"?

Yikes! I have 2003... I thought that was about the same as 2000. Hmmm..... Do you see anything that says "slide design"?

When you open PP, click on "view" and make sure "task pane" is checked. The task pane will be to the right of your slide box. Click on the dropdown that says "getting started" at the top, then click "slide design" and "animation schemes". Play around...

I am now wondering if this was a bogus post to begin with. Maybe some kind of class project in a nursing management course. No one could be as hopelessly out of touch as the OP portrayed himself to be.

It is really great that you are thinking about these issues! I believe most of what you stated above was, indeed, the intended use of the Mental Health Advance Directive. But the patient should still have the right to refuse medications, even if he p...

I am about to take an assignment with Bestaff in MA. My recruiter, Matthew, kept working on the assignment even though he knew my first choice was somewhere else with another company. Guess what? The other recruiter was not keeping in touch to tell m...

Look at the post. He "heard it through the grapevine." That deserves no credibility at all. I lived in Hawaii for 25 years and worked in several of the hospitals. It's just like any other major city. There are good and bad experiences. Honolulu attra...

Do a search for "Protection and Advocacy" in your state. At one time every state was mandated to have such an agency. Things have changed somewhat now but you still might find something. Another thing you can do is search the statutes yourself, altho...

"Inpatient Group Psychotherapy" by Irvin Yalom. You probably won't actually get to do any group therapy, but Yalom's writing style is very enjoyable and informative and will give you a solid foundation in how to THINK about what you are doing with ps...

Let me put this as gently as I can: You don't know what you're talking about. (Sigh... I was afraid it would come out like that.) You have no psych experience and you immediately think you know what this unit needs. I am sure change is needed. I am s...

Asking how much you weigh is highly inappropriate and is probably an indication of the head nurse's feelings of fear and ineffectiveness (or sadistic leanings.). If you take that job expect to be in the middle of physical confrontations daily. I woul...

Withdrawal sx on the 5th day of not drinking would be unusual but not unheard of. There is also the possibility that he had some with him and it was not really the 5th day without drinking.

It can be tricky. Many places I have worked use the same room for time out and seclusion. If the door is unlocked, it is called "time out." If the patient comes out without permission, the door is locked and the status changes to "seclusion." Actua...

Congrats!! Your thoughts about our lives turning on crucial seemingly random events reminded me of this: My decision to go to nursing school was made somewhat impulsively and I wasn't really sure I wanted to do it. I decided to try to take the micr...

Roland, you are obviously a smart, skilled, conciencious nurse and you have the ability to do fine on the exam! My suggestion is to stop obsessing on the unfairness of it all and just get it done! Affirmations really work! When you find yourself dwel...

- Contraband (a list of items not allowed on unit or only allowed under direct supervision. Most adolescent units prohibit "gang associated" clothing, for example) - Personal contact. (Girls and boys together on unit? What kind of touching is OK?) - ...

I have worked in many different psych units and have often found JCAHO cited as the authority behind someone's personal preference! There is no JCAHO requirement regarding colsed nurses stations, period... You may get individual surveyors who express...