sheilagh

:yeah:This is me clapping for you to say thanks for all that you do,because above everything else it is obvious you have a huge heart and a nurse's soul. I know what I am gonna say will sound ludicrous in reality,but you need to set some boundaries. You are tired and burnt,but I don't think burnt out. I worked tele for 3 years and I do understand that as nurses,even with unions,a break or even 30 seconds to pee can be a luxury. I gave everything I had at work,and yes I left drained,but I always came in when called,and did my best I thought for patients. BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU?????? When you leave work,LEAVE WORK !!! If they try to call you in screen your calls. You may have to go so far as to speak directly with mgmt and say I don't want to lose my position,but we need to set ground rules about how much this place has control of my life. With so many different opportunities in nursing maybe a change of specialty is needed,or just a new place. Take up kickboxing,become a volunteer dog walker at a shelter,do something for yourself...if you are not whole as a person then how can you be a good nurse to your patients? I let it all go,nursing was my absolute life,and 6 years later I was doing enough demerol to knock out a linebacker ! I had lost myself,I pray that doesn't happen to you,because you seem like someone very special.!!! Sorry for the rambling,

Wow,where to begin! First off you are so full of anger and resentment,you need to talk with someone or share at a meeting and let it go,none of it will help in your recovery and it will absolutely hinder getting a job! IPN has tough rules and regs because we are ADDICTS and ALCOHOLICS that need some stability in early recovery,and more importantly because their reason for existence is to ensure public safety! Would you want a stoned/drunk/bipolar nurse who is not monitored taking care of a loved one??? And yes IPN will find out if you are working without permission and within a few days they get an emergency order to revoke or suspend your license....I know because I have done it! Told myself I needed the money,was totally not strong in my recovery,and by the second week at work I was grabbing the demerol....PARTY!!! That was until the cops showed up as I was being fired....oh and as my boss handed me the phone with IPN on it asking me what the hell I was doing working??? Just a suggestion,but do as they ask,jump thru the hoops,and see if along the way you don't find your sanity and a strong sobriety,which is totally worth it!~ Feel free to PM me if you ever need to talk or vent...GOOD LUCK!!!

I know it's tough to come to grips with all that is coming down on you now, but one day at a time does help! Start the IPN process,get the eval,and be totally honest! Since you didn't divert you probably won't get a narcotic restriction,which makes finding work much easier! And I have met people in IPN with 2 or 3 year contracts, It depends on their use and circumstances. It will get better,and all is not lost. I will keep you in my prayers!

:yeah:CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! I know you will be great! And we are all here for you to vent to,cuz we don't work for you, so you can:devil::angryfire:devil: all ya want

When I worked Tele we had 5 nurses named sheila. We all had different spellings and such,but for overhead or when tracking us down,we had to come up with something,or 5 nurse Sheila's would answer every page! 1. I became "Irish"Sheilagh(I am and I look it) 2.Another became "Tall Sheila" because she was 3.The 3 other nurses were Indian,so they became sheila t. sheila m and sheila p Somedays I really miss all of them...

Wow..... I hadn't realized how much different these groups can be. I assumed it was a 12 step for healthcare professionals only,same as women only meetings. Thank you to all who posted,I will proceed carefully Sheilagh-taking one day at a time

That was an excellent article,their is so much to explore on this topic. I am bringing copies to my nursing support group,thank you for posting it!

I was just wondering,why do you do shifts as a C.N.A??? I am not trying to downplay the C.N.A's, was just curious why as an L.P.N you would do shifts for less money...???

Lol,all my mind kept thinking was... " EWWWWW,on the floor????":eek: A hospital floor is the last place I'd be hitting it, I don't care if Brad Pitt or Hugh Jackman wanted me! (If they do want me and happen to read this....call me! ) ;)Sigh

Smoker,Republican in views of financial government issues... But the government DOES NOT belong in my bedroom:angryfire Keep religion out of government separation of church and state sound familiar??? But it's said with lots of love and tolerance...:loveya:

:loveya:Sunny,I'm sending you lots of love and support. I well remember the utter terror you feel,OMG the world is crashing! You are alive,you have 2 kids who need a clean and sane mother. You have done the hardest,which is admitted you have a problem,look around,there is help. Call local health dept,they can make referrals. It's tougher with the kids,but even if you can get to a local NA meeting,there are resources,and you will feel better after having been there. There is hope,please don't give up! Anything at all,plz pm me or just ask this board, we try to help each other :loveya::loveya: Lots of love,:loveya::loveya: Sheilagh

Ok,I'll show my ignorance...beast with two backs??? I'm guessing that's a reference to sex,but one I have not heard before Sheepishly, Sheilagh

Yup,venipuncture is for me...I love IV starts and drawing blood...I will actually look in movies or if I'm out somewhere and notice veins. I'll be like,"Damn I could start him blindfolded!":yeah: Also love autopsies,the human body is amazing...GO Dr.Baden!:loveya: And my weirdest usually makes people laugh...I hate false teeth! HATE THEM ! HATE THEM! U can puke,poop,pee, or cough up a good phlegm ball on me,not a problem. But keep your teeth to yourself! And we're all odd ducks! Quack! Quack!

I love when these threads get started,they always give me a laugh! Scenario: Me as nursing student A.M care for resident with c-diff Learned quickly what c-diff was:imbar After cleaning her 6 times thought I was good to go Turned her to reposition in the bed Her buttocks were aimed at me,no undies at this point on pt Does the term "Mudmask" mean anything???? Instructor looks in from door "I guess I'll just bring lunch back for you" she says as she giggles down the hall But I got an A from her for pt care...think she just felt bad for me,lol.

Hey everyone! I do check in everyday,but don't post much because one of my many problems is making it about me,so didn't want to overtake the board,lol. Hopefully everyone is just busy working their recovery with outside sources,praying for no relapses!!! I send all my thoughts out to all who are suffering,hopefully they learn to take it one day at a time. Sheilagh

I did not want this to become a L.P.N vs R.N thread. The point I was trying to make is that ALL information should be available to all nurses for the betterment of patient care. If you want to have certification guidelines be my guest. Just don't tell me I can't read a book or a professional journal because I don't have the right credentials... I just think the continued prevalence of this type of prejudice will only weaken nurses as a whole. We are nurses,here for the patient's well being,and any and all education can do nothing but improve the quality of our care to them! This is not about title,this is about open access to all sources of information. Somehow though I think many will still see this as a title thread...sad:sniff:

Alot of insurance companies wouldn't care if ya hop,skip or jump in to work when it comes to phone triage,QA follow up,wellness calls etc... In fact I know of 2 nurses who Humana just allowed them to work from home,cost efficient for the company and they make calls wearing pink fuzzy slippers! Lol Good luck,perseverance will pay off;)

Whatever degree we as nurses have achieved,we are still just that,NURSES! My frustration stems from when I look to join professional organizations or seek certain certifications and am told NO you can't join and know we will not impart our knowledge or certification to you. Why???? Because I do not have R.N or even R.N with at least a bachelors degree behind my name. OK,all the tongues getting ready to jump on the bandwagon about differences in education and so forth,hold on. We all have different specialties,and how did we get them? Experience and knowledge acquired while working. I guess my point is if you feel for whatever reason that you have gained a strong working knowledge in an area,and would like to challenge that specialties certification....go ahead. 1.I tried to call FNA(Florida Nurses Association) to join and receive their literature...I was hung up on when they found out I was an L.P.N. I called back thinking this was a mistake,but they assured me that it wasn't,they don't acknowledge L.P.N's as nurses. 2.Worked in LTC for 4 years,I've seen every wound you could imagine and some I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I have cared for them all,and learned a vast amount about wounds and their protocols. When I contacted WOCN to receive their monthly journal(I wanted to learn more) and inquire as to their certification process,I was told you cannot receive monthly journal unless certified and to be certified you have to be at least a bachelors R.N with at least 1 year experience. If something required a skill that was not within my scope of practice,then I have no problem with the certification being limited,though I do believe the knowledge should be available to any who wish to learn. Ex:I took the central line and ICU course that my hospital offered,and only cause they had empty spots R.N's who might need it didn't fill. Why?? knowledge,so that when I was working tele and a central line had an issue I was able to discern it from normal and bring it to my R.N partners attention. The ICU course helped cause very often our"stepdown" unit was anything but. Sorry it's so long,it was a big soapbox...LOl:yeah:

:angryfire I would report them somehow,although as an instructor once said in school about CYA " Doctors make money for the hospital,nurses cost them money" . I had a ct done after an accident,was told all clear by radiologist that read it,and 18hrs later had my spleen and 1/3 pancreas removed cause I was hemorrhaging !!! Be an advocate...though it can be frustrating. I try to be the nurse I would want taking care of me or my loved ones. Sheilagh:yeah: ( sorry,but I LOVE the smiley faces)

Congratulations!!! I can't even express how happy I am for you,I hope to be there some day. :yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah:

Where do I need to apply??? It must be called nursing heaven ltc and rehab...Lol. I am glad you have such a supportive and teamwork oriented place to work...CONGRATS !!!

Do not feel badly,we have all had that type of manipulative pt,and you may have actually saved him more pain in the long run! by him continuously having the condom changed or maneuvered he could easily have irritated the skin to the point of an open sore...compared to having pubic hair pulled out once. I had a pt who had hx of occasional retention,and had talked doc into writing for straight cath prn. Well,he would call for the nurse at shift change,check us out for desirability I guess,and if we met his standards he would call every 30 mins for a straight cath,and would be waiting in bed naked and "happy" :imbar! First I educated about infection and what he was setting himself up for by demanding this this frequently,it went nowhere:banghead:. We had 1 male nurse,and the staff quickly agreed that when pt X called for straight cath we would send in the male nurse...he called once,refused when he saw a man show up,and after a few times he got the picture...

Caduceus group is a recovery group for healthcare professionals. Really doesn't matter what your addiction,it is a place where those with our work environments can come together and share.

I have worked the unit desk,and yes I am an LPN. As previously stated,I handled all the desk responsibilities(admits,discharges,orders,assignments,etc)but if a clinical question came up I would refer it to the house R.N supervisor. Often a veteran LPN is giving the desk as she/he is familiar with the docs,protocol,and how the place runs,as opposed to a newer hire R.N. Titles rarely were an issue as generally we were a cohesive team,and often the other staff were thrilled they didn't have to handle the families and docs. So,no you don't have an LPN supervising R.N's. You have an LPN running the desk,being part of the nursing team so you have more time to give excellent nursing care. Smiles:yeah:

Hey ya'll,I was just wondering about caduceus groups. I found listings in other cities,but none in my area. I am going to try to find some info on how to get one started. So, basically I'm putting feelers out to see if anyone else would be interested in going...I live in the ft.lauderdale/boca area,let me know! Sheilagh-taking one day at a time