sweetpooty

I work in a hospital North of Atlanta in the Float Pool. We float to all areas except L/D and the OR. We are paid a 15% diff for all regular areas and 20% when we go to critical care areas. We are full time employees with all the same bennies as other employees. We are also able to be on a clinical ladder for more pay. I wouldn't float if not paid more. I have clocked in to different units as much as 6 times in a day. Not the usual but it happens. I keep up many different skills to be all to do it.

We are considering the use of Paramedics and LPNs to help with the nursing shortage. Is this something that you would be comfortable with. Do you think that an RN would then be responsible for the paramedic. What areas do you think this would work in and not. I need your help to present this at our next meeting if it's a bad thing I would like to make sure it doesn't happen. Thanks!

Man, this issue goes on and on. A syringe is made to give the correct dose that is marked with what is in the needle. If you think about it the plunger would stop and the needle would still be full. Therefore changing the needle is not a great idea and you would lose some. Lovenox has a bubble that is to follow in the injection to keep the solution in the sub-q tissue and prevent bruising. A bubble in a IM injection is also to keep the medication in the muscle and not the subq tissue. The bubble also needs to be behind the medication. One of my biggest irks is a nurse who doesn't give any insulin that is 2units or less because it isn't even enough to get through the syringe. They act as though it's an unwrittten law. As a diabetic I can tell you that those 2 units do get through and they do make a big difference for some. 2 units will drop my blood sugar 200 pts. So don't skip the insulin!

I'm looking to put together stories about full moons and patients. Everyone seems to have some and there really does seem to be something to the full moons effect on patients. Mary

OUCH! At our hospital you get $3.00 if you work only an occasional weekend. $5.00 if you commite to one weekend day a week and $10.00 if you work every weekend like this poor child in Texas. You guys need to raise a stink!

I'd like to see our hospital pay for nurses who drive so many miles or more to work. Gas is $$$$$. We are in a rural Atlanta area. What makes nurses drive to a hospital away from home when they can leave to work closer. 25 miles? 30 miles? What would you think would be fair to reimburse someone for miles driven to work when your hospital has to recruit nurses from out of the area? I drive 37. I bought a small car but it's still a big bite from my check.

Do any of you have a pharmacy protocal that you institute when a new PICC or Central line is inserted? I'm looking for one that would show the dressing change is needed, when flush is do and how much. Anything will help. We are having problems getting our central line dressings changed and we feel we need to give ownership of it to someone so it won't fall by the wayside. A scheduled time for the dressing and a place where a nurse can document. Would sure appreciate your help. Mary "In moments of joy all of us wished we had a tail we could wag".

Iworked for Columbia in a Home Health agency in Florida. I was layed off by them in a group cut back when Federal investigations nearly killed our business. Sorry to disagree but....I was always treated fairly, offered and given all the education I wanted and needed and they had very generous ways of rewarding good patient care. We were told over and over that patient satisfaction was the number one goal. Never was I told we couldn't afford to get something that one of my patients needed. It may not be the same all over but I didn't have a bad experience with Columbia at all. Mary