Jami RN BSN, 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...

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. Y...

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....

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 so...

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 pl...

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 w...

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 ...

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 wee...

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 ...

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 pra...

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 poli...

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 d...

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 ...

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...

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 t...

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 f...

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 o...

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 ...

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 j...

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 ...

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 o...

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 ...

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 col...