EwwThat'sNasty

Some of us have "poop" phobia, others "blood" phobia, and others still, "writing phobia. Do the best you can but give up on that person. If you can't find a nursing instructor that you knew, go with the former boss. Sometimes if you ask an instructor that did not even know you well they'll still write one as they can review your grades and ask around. Sadly, these days, few nursing instructors/professors know how to write well. Good luck.

Absolutely. I tried to become a CNA and was refused by two county nursing homes because I'm older and have several degrees. "You won't be happy here, go become an RN" is what I heard. Now six years later, having been a ward nurse, an adult ICU nurse and an Occupational Health Nurse, looking back, I believe that even six months of being a CNA/LNA would have made life much, much more comfortable. As a CNA you learn how to "handle people." Thus when you go to college to become an RN or BSN that is one immense thing "not to worry about." Having had CNA experience I believe you will learn much more, in less time, and be a better quality student nurse all around.

It's a difficult position to be in, plain and simple and it doesn't need to be CNA to a RN, it can be MD to RN, staff secretary to RN, or RN to RN, but when this ugly monster rears its head it can get quite nasty. The proper term is "lateral violence." Sometimes we hear it as "nurses eat their young." The "giving me wrong information" is a classical symptom. I wonder if she makes it difficult on occasion for you to find items and supplies that you need? To gain an understanding of the why's and some insight in how to cope with such behavior I highly suggest buying a copy of "Odd Girl Out." This book will open your eyes regarding passive/aggressive behavior and why it occurs. Do not underestimate the passive/aggressive person, oftentimes they are highly skilled at being the bully, having had decades of experience. Sometimes the actual best answer is to simply find another job--sad but true. These highly skilled people often can confuse your bosses, and usually do NOT work alone. So your single complaint can get trumped by the perp and an ally. It's all about power.

Sure, figure out where you want to go. Write the Board there and see if you can be licensed there and then "travel." Find an apartment, find a job as a CNA (they are worked so hard that there are always jobs, albeit many at uh, less than desirable places) and when you want to leave, repeat the above and give proper notice. The above was said without any cynicism. The idea of a "travel CNA" really does not exist because the per hour rate is too low for an agency to take enough of a cut in the nurse's pay, so it is very unlikely that you will find an agency to locate jobs for you. Go travel, the world is your oyster! Bon voyage.

I am seeing safety programs being downsized. In a difficult economic environment especially if job security is an issue, workers' comp cases can increase exponentially, thus in my opinion, in this environment, the nurse has it over the safety people. However given the opportunity I think that RN; Advanced Nurse Practitioner; COHN-S; along with CSP and/or CIH would be absolutely dynamite. But CSP has a boatload of information to know, and so does CIH. Yet if it suits you, go for it! I've a BS in Safety and have worked as safety specialist extensively, and I am nowhere near knowledgeable to sit for CSP! I have decided it will be Advanced Practice Nurse or nothing, a simple MSN is definitely (IMHO) not enough in this environment. I do not anticipate a real economic rebound for at least five years. This year alone we are racing towards a triad of horrors: 50-100 billion in bank losses for Consumer Credit Cards, 'a bell curve rise' (bigger than the subprime) on variable rate mortgages, and Monster commercial real estate write-offs. Beware of student loan debt. There is a limit on deferment time and Sallie Mae is not kind to non-paying debtors.

I'm American, not Filipino. I just thought I'd chime in with my "two cents" as we say here. Nursing in America is odd these days. In certain States such as California there is a shortage of RN's, however this is not so in many regions. On the East Coast not long ago I heard an RN working in a major Boston Hospital who worked as a Registered Respiratory Therapist in the hospital's NICU and who had recently passed the NCLEX and who applied for a job there. She did not get the job and told me that there were 1200 applicants for a few jobs! RN resumes on job sites in states like Michigan used to be non-existent, these days there are quite a lot. Unemployment in America is probably much worse than you can imagine. Look at this graph: See: http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2010/1/7/saupload_jobs_thumb1.png The red area is the number in millions of unemployed. At a normal "expansion of economy" rate this graph predicts that normalcy will not be achieved until 2016! I know many RN's who have been terminated due to closings or down-sizing, and locally no hospital that I know is hiring any nurses. I will be terminated from my job this coming summer as my unit is closing. I do not expect it to be easy to find a replacement job even having been a med/surge and an ICU (Intensive Care RN) and am qualified in a sub-specialty. There are very hard times. Some RP schools turn out highly learned, highly skilled RN's, as good as any in America or elsewhere. This being said there are a few things that I'd like to add. The NCLEX pass rate from all RP Nursing schools, if you look at the % of schools that have a 70% or greater pass rate, is abysmal. The majority of nursing schools in RP are scams, simply inadequate diploma mills that the BON should close. I mean no disrespect by this, but this statement is evident by RP's annual pass rate data. If you search you can find a list of all accredited Nursing Schools and last year's board exam/NCLEX pass rates. You will see that (if I remember correctly) only about 16% fit in the >70% pass rate. There was a surprising number with zero pass rates. Therefore, no matter how hard you try at these schools that have horrid pass rates, no matter how much time you spend studying, if these schools do not have the faculty or classes that are necessary to give you what you need you will be throwing money into the wind. This is very sad, I think but evident based upon statistics. If you are in a school with a According to the chart above, even if you are in one of the top schools jobs in America will still most likely be scarce and will become scarcer. Further it is likely that agencies will become more and more corrupt pushing pay grades down an demanding more and more from both foreign and domestic nurses who manage to get hired. (Though this may work to foreign nurse's advantage since the quality of the work environment, I think, is causing many American RN's to want to escape.) Even my former hospital DHMC.org now requires onerous (in my opinion) and very one-sided contracts such that if you leave for any reason you will be required to pay them a huge amount. It's shameful. The fact is that for America (and Iceland, Spain, Ireland, and Italy, and soon: Great Britain, Germany and many other countries this recession does not appear to be resolving quickly. If the world has a "double-dip" recession where countries get "hit" again in 2010, even Japan will be severely affected. I also suspect there will be more and more agencies who "offer" jobs (at a fee) and never manage to get you one, and there are no refunds. I don't mean to be overtly negative. Knowledge is power. Now for a more positive suggestion: When you do graduate, take the NCLEX as fast as possible, preferably within 8 weeks. Why? Because there is a very clear relationship that shows that the longer a person puts it off, the more likely they will not pass, or the more likely that they will no longer have the confidence to even try. The NCLEX does not (at least for Americans) have an "end date." As long as the person logs a certain number of nursing hours as a state licensed RN (I am not sure if volunteer work is ok) at a job every two years, it stays active. I wonder if obtaining the NCLEX and then working the requisite hours in RP is enough, I do not know. (Look for a thread that addresses this questin on the forum.) Also, different states here have different regulations. Nobody makes it easy do they? Still, even if you take the NCLEX as soon as possible and then cannot utilize it such that you have to retake it a few years later, the experience will be invaluable. Pass it once, and you will likely pass it again. Frankly with a decent education the NCLEX is not difficult. But American colleges (even very small "community colleges," are very well run. In my class of about 23, I believe that everyone who took it passed. As mentioned previously the MN will probably not be useful and could possibly be used against you as some hospitals are such that they must pay a premium for a nurse with a Master's. Exceptions to this would be an Advanced Nurse Practitioner Master's degree which is "golden," or some exotic Master's such as CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) which is ultra-golden. IV experience might or might not be useful. When I practiced as an Adult ICU nurse, all IV's were initiated by a special team; all wound care was also done by a special team. In a smaller hospital this could be very valuable. What happened to Arroyo's NARS? (Nurses Assigned in Rural Areas) That seemed to me to be a good starting point if the program ever got off the ground. I wish you all the best of luck! Persevere.

Six of one, half dozen of the other... A well paid temp contract position works for some and in some states termination opens (at the moment) ARRA protection such that you are covered under Cobra with the former employer paying 65 or more % of the premium fees. This is true even if you do not have company coverage. For instance, once you are resident in MA you are forced to obtain insurance. Then 4 months later your term ends, and you are unemployed. If you are considered "terminated" from the position MA and the prior employer will cover 9 months of insurance premiums, the former employer paying 65% (to be recouped as a tax rebate) and in the case of MA, MA kicks in 20%. But it is not the same in all states. Many contract agencies are squishing contract employees and this is what has happened to me. Nice long term (2+ year job) annual cost of living benefits, 401k matching, good medical/dental, good vacation, etc. Now all gone! Many contract agencies are sleeezy but I imagine some are not. Be willing to be skilled enough to say: "thank you but intstead of being impoverished by you reneging on your promises, I'm out'a here." The problem is that in this economic environment even RN-COHN/S is not enough. Industry is downsizing and that has been going on for decades. Twenty years ago there was one Occ-med nurse for ~200 ee's, now there is about ~600 employees. There are a glut of nurses (except in some areas) and contract agencies are living high off the hog. If you truly wish to obtain what it is that you enumerate the answer is simple: Become an Advanced Nurse Practitioner or PA. Why, because they can often replace an MD and $80k is much, much better to the profit line than $170k for a MD! Sad, but true!

On my first day of orientation a supervisor rushed into the office where I was learning the "paper work." "Come quick," he said. "Seven workers are down with poisonous gas exposure." Now that was not boring! Severed fingers, a crushed arm, that is what one faces in a paper mill. Currently I supervise a small Occupational Health Clinic in a factory, but we are downsizing and well, I do have time on my hands--to study for the COHN exam. I'd prefer something a bit more active, and intend to take the EMT-B course. I guess the answer is yes it can be boring, or it can be that you will wish you were bored--depending upon the job. The trauma background is ideal (especially if you were to go the EMT>Paramedic route) for industries that have higher rates of serious injuries. Refineries, Manufacturing and Mining can offer such non-boring jobs. With your qualifications vis a vis trauma, if you are not limited to one geographical location, you will find what turns you on.

In the state of NH there is a "bridge program" to move from LPN to RN in two semesters. There is likely plenty of funding to help also. You might want to look into this as an option. But if you don't, sure you can do Occ Med work as LPN but some of your abilities might be limited. I don't think that you can do vaccinations, for instance. I also do not think (but I'm not sure--perhaps someone else can answer this) that you can do post-hire physicals which is often intergal to most jobs. But you can do certain forms of drug testing (unless State rules apply) you can become COHC and do hearing tests, and respirator fit testing. I'd suggest that you look for a place that has a large employee base and which has a couple of RN's, then you could learn skills as you need to and there wold still be plenty of work that you can do. Good luck.

A lot really depends upon your insurance company (workers' comp) and the details surrounding the case as well as the state you work in. If you have children, see an occasional worker, and then are later diagnosed with H1N1 you will most likely be denied by WC. In the state of NH you probably would not prevail if you took it further. In MA or VT where the worker is almost always right, you probably would prevail. The problem is: how do you know that it was a work related incident that infected you? If it was, then all care including antivirals would be covered as well as mileage driving to get them. If though, for instance, your documentation on employee "x" noted: EE x presented to Health Services with sore throat and accidentally sneezed on me before I could put on an N95," and then four days later you developed symptoms, well, that's a no-brainer. You would likely be covered.

I agree with both of the recent posts. To become certified (COHN) I believe that the number of hours doing Occ-Med work has dropped to 2000 hours. I think it is best to look for one of the many small regional firms that do Occ-Med work. Some jobs are very elemental and really require little prior skill. Basic physical assessment is quite easy. Drug testing is easy to learn. Perhaps later you can find a job that is more challenging where there is Workers' Compensation case management, and perhaps a higher load and more potential acuity. The needs of an Occ-Med nurse are as varied as there are industries to work for. I've worked in a Paper Mill, a rough and ready, crushed arms, workes overcome by poison gas, or exposed to PCB's that included lot's of training. Another job was "light manufacturing," with a lot of sales staff. There was little possibility of a major injury to attend to short of a stroke or heart attack, or bee sting reaction. Some industries require you to be trained to do respirator fit testing; sound management and becoming COHC to do hearing tests, some do not. Start light, and move around. Many people poo pooh the COHN cert, but I don't. It is a broad body of knowledge, and if there are ten people applying to a job and you are COHN and the other nine are not, you probably will get it, not so much because of the cert, but because you know what needs to be known.

It's become a terrible job for some. Excluding ED; ER; ICU; CRNA, NP's; it's simply an extension of our economic and moral climate. Nurses currently are a dime a dozen. Most of us are "meat." Extreme pressure on "increase profit," exists, and we are the small fish. Work us to death with reversing rotations, keep us in horrid places with one-sided contracts, and import foreign (often good) RN's who "take what they get." This will only change some years out when a true shortage exists. In the meantime, burn-outs disappear, there are plenty new grads to fill the empty spaces.

Indeed, they did. They removed the day before Christmas, Christmas day, New Years eve day, and New years day from "paid holidays." They also now require that I pay for may own adult CPR card training, and do not help with license fee even though I have one in my native state and need another one for the state I work in. They have removed medical insurance. Downgraded dental insurance so that cost=benefits, and have removed a flexible medical savings account. So my Holiday "gift" was (-$946.00) (Overall the year's loss stands equal to a pay reduction of about $9,000. A better gift considering my happiness score would be a "You are terminated" note. And I'm being serious. At least I could collect unemployment and find another job with benefits. I won't even ski anymore as it's too risky--a broken leg would cost about $7k. A few years ago I crowed about how wonderful a nursing career was. Last year I stopped recommending it. This year, in light of the Healthcare bill I now recommend against entering the medical field as a nurse, a doctor, ect. for things appear to be heading in a direction that is not positive.

Hmm.... the stylelist.com is an unabashed "hire me" advertisement with little real substance. The other one is more helpful but consider please that a six million dollar fine is about 1/3 of one percent of Sears gross income in 2007. If a nurse earns $50k a year that equates to a fine of $176 dollars. It is wise to look at things in scale. Still it is nice that EEOC is holding Sears to the line! There must be some good links to what is appropriate for pre-hire and post-hire physicals from good sources--anyone know of some really good ones?

Generally lifting requirements vary from the question: (an example: "Can you lift and carry 25lbs 200 feet, ten times an hour?" To: Please pick up that box, and carry it to the end of the hall, and bring it back." So it depends upon what the requirements of that job can be. Here is an example of an accomodation recommendation that might be an outcome of such a test: To safely and competently perform required job duties the employee needs the pallet of boxes to be placed such that the bottom of the lowest box to be lifted is no less than 18" from the floor. In some cases this can be a very easy accommodation requiring maintenance to build an 18" "table." In other cases this could be much more difficult (as in an assembly line) or even impossible without extreme expense. In that case the worker is unfit for the job, however the company must attempt to find her alternate appropriate work. It might seem unfair that a person might actually lose their job because an accommodation might not be reasonably effected but think of the alternative. (Severe chondromalacia or patella-femoral syndrome due to stress caused by lifting with existing leg problems). It is better to have no job then be unable to walk and in constant pain, so as hard as it may be, sometimes being turned away creates a more appropriate outcome.