VBRNJD99

I have found it is much more beneficial to manage the resume process on my own than to pay someone to write one for me. The problem I've found with having someone create one for me is that it tends to be very generic, difficult to edit or update later, expensive, and misses transferable skills. If you don't have basic resume skills, there are a few places to start. Most state run job centers or "unemployment offices" have workshops on a regular basis. College career services offices usually do as well. There are workshops at business expos. Of course, there are lessons on YouTube. Microsoft Office has several word based products that will do the formatting for you. I always print it out to check for spelling and formatting errors that aren't always apparent on screen and find someone with better grammar and spelling skills than mine to proofread. Good luck.

Jewels26, you make some excellent points I would just like to add though, in the state where I live if I had to be off of work for 6 months because I have a medical emergency, I would get no assistance. I wouldn't qualify for unemployment because I wouldn't be "available for work" due to the illness, I wouldn't qualify for SS disability because I don't qualify for that until I'm off over a year, I don't qualify for welfare for several months because my prior months incomes were too high, I haven't accrued enough sick time at my job, STD doesn't kick in for 6 weeks, and only after I've been there a year, and LTD doesn't kick in until 6 months. Also, if my car is worth more than $3000 I don't qualify for welfare. I can keep my health insurance through COBRA, but it's $450 a month out of pocket. I can't get loans because I have too much student loan debt. My savings was used up during the 2 surgeries my 40 year old husband had after his hip replacement 18 months ago and the $20,000 we paid out of pocket in health care expenses in 2011 and the fact that he got fired the day he went back to work from medical leave. So, the welfare system in the US is great. It is really easy to take advantage of. Anyone can do it. A safety net for all. I'm 2 weeks away from homelessness just like so many other people, 7 years of higher education and all. It's not so easy to get into the system and it's hard as hell to get out. Oh, and I was a single mom for 16 years, was on welfare for 6 weeks on maternity leave when my baby was born 17 1/2 years ago and never looked back. I worked my way through an ADN, BSN, and law school. But, I could have NEVER done it without federal loans and help from my parents in the way of babysitting. Some people aren't that lucky.

There is truly a lack of education in this country regarding universal healthcare. There is not going to be one federal system, just like there isn't one system now. Each state runs their own Medicaid and CHIP programs with many different eligibility requirements, copayments, premiums, etc. some states will have federal programs, some states will have government programs, etc. the difference will be ACCESS. In Canada, everyone has health insurance, some people pay higher copays than others. Some medications are covered, some are not. The tax rate in Canada is lower than it is in the US, wages are higher, vacation pay, sick pay, maternity leave, etc are better than the US. They have the same fundamental freedoms we do as well. Just one example. There is also the UK, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Japan, and so on. My employer sponsored plan does not cover Viagra, or levitra or Celebrex, or Pristiq for my husband, should I go on?? The community hospital where I live is owned by a gagillion dollar corporation 8 states away. The CEO of that company has a net worth of $10 million dollars. Assets, not just annual income, assets, free and clear. 4 hours in the ER the other day, 1 bag of NSS, 1 finger stick, 3 minutes w the doc, 5 minutes w the nurse, $3000. I have insurance, before I left, they asked for my $300 copay without even knowing the usual and customary fee my insurance will approve. They asked 3 times and would not unlock the door for me to leave, even after I explained why. Greed, that's the problem. If I make $1000 a month, no insurance and have $10 a month extra to pay the bill, it would take a long time. I also know that this particular hospital gets bonuses in tax relief for treating Medicaid and uninsured patients in the community. And they get tax write offs if the patients don't pay the bills. But the money doesn't go to the patients, it goes to the corporation. That's the problem. We're already paying for people's healthcare, it's just crappy, short term, emergency, care which is overpriced. The US pays more of its GDP on healthcare than any 1st world country and is ranked almost last. That's sad.

Just one comment. If we aren't willing to pay for even basic public education for helpless children, how do we expect them to be able to get jobs that pay well enough for them to be self sustaining when they are adults? Does anyone really think that an illiterate adult without even an 5th grade education will be able to get a job with healthcare benefits? They won't even qualify for a job mopping floors at McDonalds. Really people. It's so easy to tell people to pull themselves up by their boot straps. A lot of people were born without boots!!! Some of the ones who have boots have people standing on them. Not everyone is born with the intellectual skill or social grace to be a "success" in the US, ie making more than 15,000 a year. Not everyone has the emotional maturity to know about responsible birth control practices because they were never taught it!! I'm really disgusted by this whole thread. I find some nurses becoming the most entitled, selfish, judgmental group of so called professionals. It really makes me lose my faith in this profession and in humanity. Don't forget for one minute that we are making our living by easy people's suffering!!! Some people may not be tasteful by your upper middle class college educated standards, but they are still human beings worthy of compassion and respect. But sure, go ahead and let them suffer because they are uneducated, freeloading losers who can't afford healthcare. Judge them because poverty is all many of them have ever known and many have no good role models and see no hope of escape. I'd love to see the view from your bright shiny ivory towers.

One additional point about National Health Systems, several of my physician and nursing friends have been concerned about their "standard of living." In Canada, and several European countries, the providers actually make more than physicians/nurses in the US (adjusting for COL), report a better non-monetary quality of life, and have a better work/life balance because of being government employees instead of corporate employees. I will post the link once I find it. As far as research and development, the world health organization has a great website, as do the sites for the Canadian and European equivalents of the NIH.

In response to some posters, actually, one can die without medication much faster than without food. I believe medication falls under the umbrella of healthcare. There are many services that " my hard earned money" pays for that I haven't used. I'm sure some of the posters have used pell grants, subsidized and unsubsidized student loans, fire and emergency services, bridges, roads, phone poles, electricity, and courthouses. My tax dollars pay for farm subsidies, oil and gas subsidies, prisons, state, local and federal government. And in finitum. I pay for people I don't know to go to college, go to work, stay warm, travel, stay safe, etc. There are a lot of misconceptions about universal healthcare, about the cost, the quality of care, the wait for services, etc. The point is that no one should have to die in the street because they can't afford basic healthcare. The next point is that ER services and emergency hospitalizations are not cost effective and are not basic healthcare. I have worked in the ER for many years and in LTC for many years, I have seen both ends of what happens to people who have no insurance, most of whom were like my parents, the working poor, lower middle class, hard workers, with no insurance. Or people who fall on hard times, lose jobs, lose benefits take insulin every other day to make it last, lose their legs and kidneys. LTC for life. Or, take their htn meds 3x a week, massive CVA, LTC for life. And on and on. But yet, "healthcare" is too expensive, it's not a basic right. Cost/benefit analysis; prevention much less expensive than catastrophic care plus extensive custodial care for years. Prevention for many still less expensive than catastrophic care, long term care. In addition, healthcare is a business right now, CEOs getting rich off of the poor. RX too costly, procedures expensive, tests, etc. What about cost containment? What about price caps? The govt regulates meat, dairy, phone, electricity. The constitution grants us the right to life, liberty, and property. Isn't access to physicians and medication part of the right to life? IMHO

To conquerer+, if you were referring to my post regarding cable and 2 cars, I was being facetious. Many people are given the choice to suck it up and die. They make too much for Medicaid, or they don't qualify, they don't have group health plans or they can't afford it and housing and food. There are no affordable plans in the open market if a person has pre-existing conditions. The basic life and health of the wealthy and upper middle class should not be worth more than that of the lower middle class, working poor, and those under the lash of poverty. People do not choose to be poor!!!! I doubt People involved in these fancy arguments have ever had to choose between paying for their rent or paying for their insulin. But for the grace of god go you.

I have been an RN for 13 years. I was wrongfully terminated from employment last December. I was unable to find full time employment with benefits for 6 months and was working per diem as well as receiving partial unemployment. I got married a week after the termination so that I could go on my husbands health insurance. I was lucky that I could do that. My out of pocket expense for continuing coverage under my old group policy would have been $950 per month, in addition to the $500 a quarter I spend on insulin, pump supplies, test strips, and other meds. In the free market, I was offered a "better" plan for $1200 per month. I live with the assumption that one life is not more valuable than another merely because of what one can afford. "Access" to healthcare does include visits to the ER, but I don't think it should end there. One 3 day trip to the hospital for DKA can pay for a years worth of diabetic supplies. I can choose not to pay for insurance, not get my insulin, and if I'm lucky, I'll slip into a coma in a few hours. Or, I could go into renal failure, be taken to the hospital, placed on dialysis for a month, go into LTC for 3, and then I would qualify for Medicare for the rest of my life. Oh, and SSI. But, no, healthcare, medicine, primary care, immunizations, mammograms, pap smears, etc. shouldn't be a right. Nor should public education, roads, snow removal, EMS, or any other public service It's just like cable TV, cellphones, and 2 cars. Save it for the people who can pay for it.

In the facility where I work, we use the sleeve kind with the paper in the middle. The new connectors are very tight and the bands usually have to be cut off when a resident leaves. Everyone wears one. The paper strips are color coded as well, pink for DNR, white for everyone else. I believe safety trumps dignity in this case. The bracelet is small, discrete, can be placed under a sock if troublesome but is there for identification in case of emergencies or new staff. I have worked in the facility 6 months and know the residents but sometimes w 5 Mary's in the same building, the band helps. In addition, an argument can be made that watch mates or wanderguards or locked dementia units are not home like and take away dignity, but if it was my family member, I would want safety first.

It was an RM when I submitted it. If we kept original ARD of the next day, would have had 5 tx days to get RV. we were still in grace period and had plenty of time to submit. But, I had to have all of my assessments with ARDs before Friday submitted before 3 on Friday for end of month billing by corporate to lower unassigned days. I go to PPS mtg every morning and should have caught the error. But I am new and had unlimited trust in the rehab manager. Now I know if something seems wrong, triple check it. I'm the one who signed, locked and submitted, so it's my head on the chopping block. But, I feel horrible, like I let everyone down, and I'm an MDS failure. The amount of money I lost is killing me. Is there a solution? I have learned and will never do it again. The RNAC director and consultant are working on it, but I need clarification for myself in the meantime.

I locked and submitted an MDS yesterday on a resident who was on therapy caseload. New CVA , 30 day assessment. RNAC director and rehab director played w ARD date a few times. Resident unable to participate several days. Ended up with an RMB. it triggered a thought in my brain that something was wrong, but I figured since the rehab director and RNAC director set that date, the res was having issues, COT set for next check date for RV, we were fine. I was wrong. Got in big trouble by both and administrator. Now I know to DOUBLE check w someone before lock and submission. Any way to redeem myself??? I feel horrible!!!!!

I have been an RNAC for a little over 3 months. I have 2 years experience in LTC and 13 years experience as an RN. The facility I work for is a 96 bed facility. We have a 26 bed sub-acute rehab unit with a 28 day average LOS. We typically have 13-15MC with the rest Managed Care, some following PPS scheduling, some non-PPS. The rest of the facility are Medicaid residents. In my department, it is me and the Department Director, also an RNAC. My daily duties are to attend PPS meeting in the am, which is typically 30-45 minutes, where I set the assessment schedule at the Director's direction. I then cover the one dining room for breakfast (30-45 minutes). I then start the rest of the day. I am responsible for performing resident interviews for pain and BIMS for all of the Quarterlies/annuals/sig changes, as well as all of the medicare/managed care OBRA interviews (Section B,C,J). I am also responsible for performing all of the assessments in the facility. (All annuals, quarterlies, sig changes, admissions, discharges, 5/14/30/60 days, COT/EOT/deaths, and all entries). I enter all of the data for the MDS except for activities section, K, mood, behavior. On average, I complete 4-7 interviews a day, and 4-7 assessments a day. I also complete all CAA's and initiate and update care plans. Our average census is 92. I don't have to attend any care plan meetings, department head meetings, or nursing meetings because the director does that as well as completing denial letters and coordinating with corporate insurance authorization people. I average 30-40 complete assessments per week, about 6-9 of which are comprehensives, with CAA's and care plan updating. The department head/director has recently counseled me that I am not fast enough, am not completing enough work on a timely basis, and will be "let go" if I don't improve. I am an hourly employee and must take a 30 minute lunch per day (which I clock out and work through) and can't have any over time. I refuse to clock out and work off the clock at the end of the day, although it has been suggested. I really enjoy completion of the MDS but wasn't sure if I was on track with my daily/weekly progress.

I have been type 1 since 2001 and have been on a pump since 2003. What most docs and nurses know about diabetes is scary. I started on a continuous glucose monitoring system 9 months ago. I wear a sensor/transmitter in my abdomen. I check a FSBS q 12 hours. The system transmits a BG q 5 minutes to a receiver so I know what my BG is at all times. It even has arrows to tell me if I'm trending up or down. It alarms if I'm below 70 or over 200. Most people have never seen one or heard of one before and those who have don't have a clue how it works. I was in the ER for a migraine a few months ago. I went in w a BG of 225. They did a FSBG and wanted to do SSIC. I told them I had a pump and a CGMS, that I was trending down, and that if I was getting fluids I would be hypo in about an hour and a half. The doc mumbled about "non compliance" ordered pain meds, fluids, etc. which were administered. In my pain fog, I forgot my glucose tabs. 30 minutes after my IV bolus finished my sensor beeped that I was below 70. I called the nurse, told her I was going hypo, she argued w me that my BG was high an hour ago, etc. By the time she got the glucometer, I was 53, sweating and headachy. Needless to say, the treated my hypo, and I was able to have a teaching moment w an ER doc, a nurse, and an ER tech about IV fluids effects on BG, the pump, and CGMS. The bottom line for me is that I always listen to my patients symptoms and if they tell me they are feeling a certain way, I listen. I also think that SSIC often do more harm then good. Proper basal insulins/meds, carb counting w meals, and SSIC for the rare time for clean up would solve a lot of problems. IMHO.

This is about salaries in Canada. Different animal

I haven't read the entire post, but OP where I live there are male nurse groupies. Not just other healthcare workers either. Many women assume rightly or wrongly that being a nurse will make you a good provider, husband, father, friend, etc. Not to mention how nice everyone looks in scrubs. Someone who judges my worthiness as a partner based on my profession or what car I drive is not someone I want in my life anyway. Nursing is tough sometimes. I don't need to make it harder by worrying what others think about it. JMO.