Jami RN

I relocated to AZ a few years ago. It is actually very easy to get your license once you relocate. Set aside a day to go to the AZ BON office (central downtown Phx), stand in line to get your information and finger print card, take the finger print card to an office a few blocks away (they'll give you instructions), pay a few dollars for the prints, take it back, stand in line again, and you'll get your temp license. Other than the frustration of running back and forth and standing in line, it's an easy process. Like I said, don't plan anything else that day and take a good book or something else to do, be patient and you'll be fine. The offices are easy to find and the place that does fingerprints is friendly and efficient. Jami

As a charge nurse who participates in interviewing and hiring, and also as a former nurse recruiter, I would strongly advise you not to do this. You will be in permanent limbo and no one will hire you, especially in this current economic climate. You will lose all of your skills and practical knowledge in a year or two and will be seen as worse than a new grad. I know that my unit won't even hire a new grad part-time and we require all new grads to be full time for the first year so they can build their skills and solidify their knowledge. I would strongly advise you to work full time for a year after taking your NCLEX and then drop your hours to part time to work on your issues. Once you have 3 to 5 years of experience, you will be able to take a break from nursing and re-enter without difficulty. Good luck.

I also used to wonder why some other nurses seemed to go on all these vacations and have these huge diamond rings, then I talked to a few and found that they have huge credit card debt. This is a great thread! I think the above sentence says it all. For years, I always wondered what the heck was wrong with us. How could everyone I worked with be able to afford huge new houses, yearly vacations, exorbitant Christmas gifts, etc. when we could just afford to get by. The last few years have been very telling -- many of these people have lost their big new houses that they bought on interest-only loans. Many are struggling to pay off credit card debt -- some to the tune of more than $50,000. We waited until home prices came down and bought a wonderful new house that is well within our budget. I think the best thing is to not compare yourself to others. Just because people seem to have more money than you, doesn't mean it is so. Changing your mindset is a good place to start -- being grateful for what you have is the first step to being wealthy, in my opinion. And who cares what other people think of you -- it's none of their business how much you make or don't make. I stopped discussing money (at all, period) with my nosy, judgmental family. After keeping track of where our money goes, and making a budget, we also cut back on many of the "extras" that seem to creep up on you. I cut my cell bill back to the very basic plan, because I don't text much and it's cheaper for me to pay by the text if I do send -- that saved $50 a month. My husband insists that his life would end if we did not have extended cable and NFL network during football season, but I made him cut off the premium movie channels, which saved $50 a month. The NFL network cost comes out of his personal spending money (which uses all of it :icon_roll ), but that's his choice. It is important to make sure everyone has some spending money each month, whether it is $10 or $100 dollars, just so they have something they can spend without accounting for it to others. We are going to do a modified Dave Ramsey debt-reduction plan after the holidays to get rid of the few debts we have, because although I think Dave Ramsey is a pompous wind-bag, much of what he says about debt is very true. My cost-cutting goal right now is to take dinner left-overs for lunch and pack my own breakfast to cut down on buying the over-priced low-quality food in our hospital cafeteria. This should save over $100 per month. I also need to try to use coupons more often, as well. And to the OP -- I do think nurses should make more money, but I don't think that's why most of us are broke all the time.

If it was a cardiac surgery, they probably loaded him up with Heparin, therefore any minor wound/irritation/ulceration that was caused by a normal foley catheter insertion would start to bleed. I don't think you necessarily did anything wrong, it sounds like a complication from foley insertion and anticoagulation.

I agree with the previous posters. It is a very enlightening experience to track every penny your family spends in a month. When we have done this, we have been astounded at the many places we waste our money. It is easy to forget all the small places we spend money. Dining out can really use up all of your expendable income -- I know that is one of our big money drains. Speaking personally, my "needs" tend to expand to match my current income. It doesn't really matter whether I make $10 an hour or $50 an hour, within 6 months I tend to adjust my expectations and spending habits to my new income. One thing we have found helpful is the google docs website -- if you open a free gmail account you can access and share a number of spreadsheet templates that will help you budget and track income. We have found that we spend a lot less money when we know we'll have to enter it on a spreadsheet and account for it. Good luck!

It is my understanding that nurses are not to re-package any meds to send out with patients or residents. It is considered "dispensing" medications and is not within a nurses' scope. Others may correct me if I'm wrong, but this is what I was told when I worked at a LTC facility.

Unfortunately, speaking for myself and most cardiac nurses I'm familiar with, we just don't do it. I know that there is a relationship between oral infections and cardiac issues, it just tends to be lost in a hospital setting. I think a CEU on the subject would be very helpful. Maybe information on how to spot oral disease would be helpful. Also, encouragement to refer client's to dental providers and encourage regular dental care should be part of our discharge process. Interesting subject!

I had mine last month. The only side effect that I suffered was extreme fatigue the night I received the flu mist. After that, I was fine. Also, I have spent the past week cooped up with my 3 year old daughter who swabbed positive for H1N1 this week -- sleeping next to her through the worst of it and being endlessly coughed on -- and haven't come down with the flu, so it must be pretty effective!

Because of the high number of women in nursing, it does make a difference in how things are handled. I totally agree with Trimm about this. Women are passive-agressive. Instead of addressing issues face-to-face and discussing the real issue, they gossip, sabotage and hen-peck each other into submission. The same goes for nurses' interactions with others -- most nurses won't confront a doctor on bad behavior or question a doctor's judgement, they'll just internalize their frustration and then take it out on a colleague that they perceive as weaker or more vulnerable than they are. Nursing as a profession struggles with this same issue of powerlessness. Nursing as a whole knows that they are the center of the services that hospitals provide and bill for, but nursing has not figured out how to stand up to hospital administrations and bring the focus back to providing holistic care the way it should be delivered. Instead, nurses seethe inside while they're baking cookies to make the unit smell better, and then vent that anger on each other. If nursing was historically a male-dominated profession, nurses would be treated much differently, I believe, because men don't take crap from one person and then take it out on another. They tend to be more direct and they also tend to demand the respect that they deserve. Also, OP, despite a previous poster's statements, I have never worked with a giggling, silly new grad who spent their time frivolously or on superficial matters while they were at work. I have only worked with new grads who have a look ranging from apprehension to sheer terror on their faces while they are trying to acclimate themselves into a very complex, very dysfunctional, but very worthwhile, profession. Namaste.

Just an FYI to all plus sized scrub buyers out there -- I usually like Cherokee uniforms, but definitely stay away from the "Flexibles" line of pants! They really do not work for plus sized women and you will be pulling your pants up all day and praying that they don't fall off during a code -- but they will feel too tight in the butt -- it's very strange. Just a public service announcement -- resume prior conversations...

To answer the original question in one word: Insecurity. Nursing is a very stressful profession and nurses bear maximum responsibility for patients' wellbeing, yet have very little power to influence the medical care they receive or the hospital policies that dictate how care is delivered. Finger-pointing, blaming, nit-picking and judging others on the unit is a great way to divert negative attention away from oneself. Much like a playground bully, the meanness is almost always rooted in self-loating and insecurity. I have worked in many other professions, and in a human relations environment at a hospital, and never have I experienced this phenomenon except for nursing. If your unit is cursed with a superficial, insecure manager as my unit is, it will ampifly the issue exponentially, because when management gives a disproproportionate amount of attention to the bullies and tattletales, they feel even more powerful and their bullying gets worse. Hospital administration also encourages this behavior by constantly asserting to their nursing staff that "you are all replaceable." Also, administration's fear of lawsuits is passed on to nurses, so the focus becomes avoiding doing the wrong thing instead of striving to do the right thing. No one wants to lose their job or be sued, so nurses live in constant fear, which is minimally alleviated by diverting negative attention to one's colleagues. Welcome to nursing. I wish you well and hope you survive the meanness and bullying and grow to be a wonderful nurse. I repeat the Black Flag lyric, "Rise Above," to myself throughout the day to remind myself not to sink to the level of the weak, fearful and mean nurses that try to crush others' spirits. Good luck! Jami

I use Kindercare.

Prepare as much as possible before you get there. Know the things your instructors expect you to know at your level (meds, cares, etc.). Look busy at all times -- clinical instructors prey on idle students and think up things for them to do. If you don't have something to do, read a chart and try to decipher the things you read. Spend as much time with your patient as possible -- practice your therapeutic communication skills if nothing else. Project confidence -- to docs, nurses, instructors and patients. You'll be treated with more respect if you appear confident. Ask questions and look for new experiences. Don't judge the nurses you're working with if they don't do things "the nursing school way." Do things the way you're supposed to, but don't judge -- you haven't worked on the floor with a full patient load yet. Be respectful of all you come into contact with -- CNAs, housekeepers, food service workers, etc. They can be a tremendous help to you. Be safe all the time -- ask questions, even if you think it may be stupid. It's better to ask a stupid question than to do something unsafe because you were afraid to ask. Be on time and don't assume that you are the center of the universe -- yield charts, computers, chairs, etc. to the unit staff if they need it. Learn everything you can and be forgiving of yourself -- it is a long process to become a good nurse!

I drop my 3 year old off at daycare at 0600 (long commute) and my husband picks her up when he gets off work at 1530. My daycare (a large national chain) offers drop-off as early as 0530 and pick-up as late as 1800. They do before and after-school care with transportation to and from school as well. With the downturn in the economy, they let me pay for only the days I use during the week instead of having to pay full-time rates. Prior to using this daycare, I used a home daycare provider who had flexible hours and good rates. She took care of a few school-aged kids also. She would get them ready for school and pick them up after. Is there a stay-at-home-parent in your neighborhood who wants to make a little extra money by doing before and after-school care a few days a week? As far as who stays home when my daughter is sick -- my husband and I take turns. Either we alternate, or decide by who has more PTO saved up, who has called in sick more recently, or who absolutely cannot call in that day for whatever reason. It works and keeps us both out of trouble. When both parents work full-time, both parents need to be engaged in household work and parenting full-time as well. This may be an adjustment for a spouse who is used to having a partner who stays at home, but in my opinion is absolutely non-negotiable. I'm lucky that my husband feels the same way. Not to stir up controversy, but some people would have you believe that all childcare is the devil and you are a terrible mom for using it. Not so in my book! My daughter loves going to "school" and learns a lot there, socially, emotionally and intellectually. Your children will survive being cared for by someone else for a few hours a week, and despite what some may say, you aren't surrendering your kids to be "raised by strangers."

When I was a nursing recruiter, I always thought that people who tried to assign some sort of official title to being a stay-at-home mom were kind of cheesy. I would just say, "resigned to stay at home with children." There is no stigma attached to staying at home with kids. Your situation is different now and you are choosing to work instead. I don't think that any recruiter would think badly of you for staying at home for a while. Be honest and concise on your application and don't sweat it, but don't try to make it seem like you had a bunch of job duties or make up a phony job title -- most people take care of children, clean a house, pay bills and manage a family whether they work or not. This is not what recruiters are looking for. Focus on your clinical situations and skills and use your preceptors and clinical instructors as references. Recruiters want to know what kind of nurse you will be and are most interested in your clinical experiences. I have the opportunity to interview new hires for our department. We just hired a mom of 6 who had been a SAHM and homeschooled her children for the past 15 years. I admired her for being able to do all of that and didn't think badly of her for not working outside of the home for that time period. She is a great employee -- obviously good at time management, very patient and a very hard worker. Best of luck, Jami

I disagree. It's not a case of "good guys vs bad guys" etc. It's wrong to think that one side of the theory/practice split is 100% wrong and the other is 100% right. That kind of thinking is part of the problem and not part of the solution. I agree that it's not a case of "good guys vs bad guys." I think everyone involved in the nursing profession would like to see nurses garner more professional respect and be treated as educated, self-directed professionals. I believe there is great value in compassion and universal caring, and my values align with many of the modern nursing theories. Unfortunately, I do see that the course of the nursing profession is often charted by nurses with PhDs who have been away from actual patient care for a long, long time. I think that part of the problem is that the nursing profession has tried very hard to separate itself from the medical profession through nursing theory, even though the majority of nurses not employed in education work in facilities that are governed by a medical model. While nursing diagnoses are seen as the hallmark of our profession by academics, they are viewed by those outside the profession as inane nonsense that talks around the real reason that most patients are receiving care in an institutional setting. Unfortunately, nurses of any educational level make up a very small percentage of upper administration in any health care institution, although they provide the majority of the care in said institutions. In the last 20 years, our health care system has evolved into a business model ruled by insurance executives, finance officers and businessmen, with little input from doctors and even less from nurses. I think that one of the biggest issues facing our profession is the lack of acknowledgement by our leaders and theorists of the fact that healthcare is not driven by philanthropists and religious orders anymore, and much of the nursing process is a luxury that is not viewed as valuable or profitable by hospital administrators, insurance execs or politicians. Unfortunately, that is the reality for the bedside nurse who struggles on a daily basis to complete her designated tasks and goes home feeling guilty that not much true "nursing care" by definition of the theorists was given during her shift. Although I digress and am not sure what this has to do with the questions on standardized tests... Respectfully, Jami

I am currently in the GCU RN to BSN program. I don't think you'll find it that difficult, especially since you're coming from a traditional nursing school environment. I spend about 4 to 6 hours per week on coursework and papers.

I believe that this disparity between actual practice and nursing theory is pervasive not only in exams, but in the nursing profession as a whole. I agree with the poster that stated that the PhD nurses who drive the theory and make the guidelines for the profession are very, very far removed from the realities of bedside care within a medical setting. These "leaders" and policy-makers are oblivious to the "what is" of the profession, and concern themselves only with the "what could be in a perfect world." Nurses at the bedside should step up and try to overthrow these ivory tower scholars, but unfortunately, most of us are exhausted, disenfranchised, cynical and overworked, and therefore unwilling to put forth more effort without guaranteed results. I guess it's a viscious circle and I don't know the solution. JMHO, Jami

I don't mean to sound offensive, but I find this type of stuff to be offensive, whether it's on the floor or from the education department. I am an adult, I am not 6 years old. I totally agree! The morale on my unit has been steadily declining over the past 3 years. The only thing my manager is willing to do is make a new bulletin board -- that is the answer to every problem. LOL My philosophy on the whole kindergarten game and craft mindset is that if you wouldn't expect a doctor to participate in it, then don't expect it to work for nurses. I hate that kind of crap! To answer the original question -- I think what needs to change is that the nurses and other staff are treated with respect by the management and supervisory team, that workloads are appropriate, that nurses' opinions are valued and their suggestions are acted upon. This is a no-fail way to increase morale. Unfortunately, this is also why morale is so low on most hospital nursing units. You can start by treating others with respect and kindness, helping where you can, and trying to be a pro-active problem solver. Ultimately, we can only control our own thoughts and actions and hope they impact others in a positive manner. Just my two cents.

Good luck to you! It is the hardest thing I've ever done, but it was well worth it. My life is so much easier and my health is much better since I quit. I set my quit date a few weeks in advance and weaned myself down over that time period so it wasn't so much of a shock to actually quit. There are so many benefits to quitting -- you can do it! :heartbeat

I don't and never would. We currently have a couple that works on our unit that is going through a very nasty divorce. It is ugly and distracting to the rest of the unit. I feel bad for both of the people involved. Neither wants to find another job while they're in the middle of such emotional trauma. I think it is fine to work in the same facility, but not on the same unit.

My unit lets people volunteer for a day off for low census, but if no one wants a "VTO" then we go by last date called off and we do not give people a choice. As a supervisor, I am not going to call every single nurse on my unit to see if they want the day off because someone else doesn't want a mandatory time off. I do not have enough time in the day. Usually, it is not an issue because someone wants a VTO, but in times of extended low census, everyone has to take their turn.

Quitting really is the hardest thing I've ever done. I am very addicted to nicotine. There are a lot of benefits to quitting: -- Going to see a long movie and not getting restless at the 2 hour mark because I need a cigarette -- Starting a new job or endeavor and not having to worry about who smokes, where to smoke, how often can I smoke, etc. -- Having a lot more time to do things at home because I don't have to stop and have a cigarette -- Not coughing in the mornings when I wake up -- Not feeling worried/anxious that I may run out of cigarettes, and not having to stop to buy a pack on the way to.... -- Not having to worry about being the only smoker at a social event Just don't pick up one more cigarette, ever! I know you can do it! Jami

The one thought that helped me quit smoking, and prevents me from ever picking up another cigarette is this: The first hour is the hardest. The first day is the hardest. The first week is the hardest. The first month is the hardest. Once you get through that first, you never have to do it again and it only gets easier. If you can go 10 hours without one, you'll never have to do it again if you don't start up or cheat. When I finally quit successfully, I just went cold turkey. For me, nicotine gum, patches, etc. just let me keep focusing on smoking. The longer you go without, the less you think about it. I do know that if I smoke one cigarette, I will be smoking a pack a day the next week. Cigarettes are/were incredibly addictive for me. I know I can't have just one ever. I haven't smoked for five years, but sometimes I still want to and I still have (very happy) dreams that I smoke. LOL Good luck!

I really think you'd be better off trying to get into a cheaper school, even though you may have to wait or complete additional pre-reqs. That is an awful lot of money to pay to a private school that doesn't help you secure funding. A community college is a much better alternative, IMHO. Good luck!