DelightRN

This is, without a doubt, the most ridiculous thing I've read on this site today. All animals have souls, but non-human animals exist only to be your meals? You can't have it both ways. Either animals have souls, and they should be treated accordingly, or they don't, and you can eat them.

I'm with Deb, I was pleased with the length of my exam (although it took me 41 minutes to get through those 75 questions... I remember most vividly being irritated because I had paid for a full day of parking in the garage, thinking that the test would take 4 hours or more). I think that this exam is so extremely stressful, that if people weren't focusing on the number of questions, they'd be focusing on something else equally unimportant. I've seen people fail with 75 and pass with 265. You just never know. Continue to answer each question with your full attention. I agree that if you've gotten through nursing school you should be able to pass boards. I don't understand people that require 5 or 6 attempts before passing.

It took me 3 years total for my ADN. Some are a little longer, some a little less. I took most of my pre-reqs before starting the nursing portion of the program. As another poster mentioned, you could do an LPN program. The LPN program at my school was at least 2 years, with the pre-reqs.

This is the latest on this case, from about 30 minutes ago. The courts aren't going to intervene and stop the withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration that is scheduled for Friday. For some reason my link won't work, so I'll cut and paste here. Court Won't Intervene in Schiavo Case Florida State Appeals Court Won't Block Removal of Terri Schiavo's Feeding Tube TAMPA, Fla. Mar 16, 2005-A state appeals court Wednesday refused to block the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube later this week, shifting the focus in the right-to-die dispute to the Legislature. The 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland turned down a request by Bob and Mary Schindler for a delay while they pursue further appeals, and for a new trial on their daughter's fate. The tube is scheduled to be removed on Friday at 1 p.m. Florida legislators pushed bills to block Michael Schiavo from having his wife's feeding tube removed. The Senate and House were scheduled to consider competing bills Thursday, but negotiators said it would be difficult to reconcile them in time. "We need to able to talk long and hard about this," said state Rep. Shelley Vana. Schiavo, 41, suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped, and court-appointed doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, has said she told him she would not want to be kept alive artificially. Her parents dispute that, and say she could get better. Late last month, Circuit Judge George Greer granted Michael Schiavo permission to remove the feeding tube. After that, it could take a week or two for Terri Schiavo to die. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

I work every; I'm weekend option. We do have to take call, so I'm on call a couple of days/nights a week.

Actually I'm quite sure I wouldn't have the same reaction, but that's because I work with these kids all the time. You need to be alert. Maybe it would be a good idea for you to wear some arm guards or something else to protect yourself. He needs a behavioral therapist. Incidentally, if he pinches you and you attend to the behavior negatively or positively (by playing with him, as you state in your post above), he has received reinforcement for this behavior and will continue.

Perhaps someone could merge all of these multiple threads.

Does he ever try to injure himself, or just others that work with him? Its difficult to say how you should handle the situation without knowing more about him and his other behaviors. Generally the way we would handle this is with a "block and ignore"... i.e. block him from hitting you and then do not attend to the behavior. This is assuming the negative attention is what is driving this kind of behavior. As I said previously, I could offer much more insight if you weren't so vague. I definitely would not advocate slapping this child as a behavioral modification technique.

Ah. I've never worked in California so I didn't know that. Here in Baltimore, each facility is individual, but I'd venture a guess that the majority are non-union. Out of all the RN jobs I've had in MD, I've never worked at a unionized facility. My facility is non-union, I'm pretty sure JHH is also non-union, but I'd have to get back to you on that with some more concrete information.

I think its interesting that you assume all hospitals are unionized and all nursing positions are static (i.e. no lateral or vertical moves). Many hospitals in this country are not unionized, and having a BSN can make a difference in advancement, hourly wage, and where a person might be on a clinical ladder.

I wished you luck on the other site, but I'll do it again. Good luck! :)

You'll get exposure to a variety of specialties in nursing school. Sometimes its easier to find out what you don't like than where you feel you belong. I had a few positions that were a poor fit for me... I left, explored new areas, and now have a job I love.

NTP is also not a good idea for someone with labile blood pressure or other cardiac issues. Sometimes with the kids we'll give them Emla or lidocaine before we stick, but that's for their comfort, not for our assistance. I find kids easier to stick than adults. I agree, practice will make you more confident, and a confident stick is more likely to be a successful one.

It doesn't matter, as long as she receives it. Your last day should be 2/4 weeks from the day your NM receives the resignation. In my experience, resignation notices for nurses are required to be 4 weeks, not 2, so I would check your employee manual to see what the requirements are. If you don't give adequate notice, you're likely to not be eligible for rehire, and maybe not receive your leave bank. Generally when they call to check references, they speak to HR, not your supervisor. I've never found it necessary to inform a supervisor I was job hunting before I'd accepted a job elsewhere.

This is an interesting thread, but I think its split over semantics. Whether there's a bona fide shortage of registered nurses in this country is really irrelevant. We're all aware that there are a number of nurses not working at the bedside, or in totally different fields, but what most of us are experiencing is a shortage of bedside nurses, and that's what is relevant in this thread, IMO. We definitely have a shortage here in MD. Every hospital I've ever applied to has been responsive and interested, if my qualifications are relevant. I think many people have been lulled into the idea that -- since there is a nursing shortage -- all they have to do is show up at the job interview in reasonably appropriate attire with a pulse and a valid license and they'll roll out the welcome mat. That's not entirely the case. Its important to make a "good fit" with the job you're applying for, and there are many new interviewing techniques designed to determine if you're a good fit for the facility, department, and position you're applying for. If you're very particular about the area you're working in, or the hours you want to work, its going to take longer to find work. I also think that although nurses start at a reasonable salary, it doesn't increase at regular intervals, and nurses often find themselves capped at a certain salary that isn't commensurate with their experience and skills set. I have a good friend in WI, and she has trouble finding work. She's currently at a NH, which is not where she wants to be, but necessity and child care demanded it.

Different people will have different answers to that question. For some people, its the possibility for advancement into management or other areas of nursing that require BSNs or greater; for others, its education for its own sake. And then some people don't think it matters at all. Above all, you have to do what's right for you.

We have to call in by 5 am for days and by 3 pm for nocs. I think if someone calls in consecutive days it is counted as one occurrence, but if its 3 consecutive days that requires a physician's note. Physician's notes are also required for absences around holidays and in cases of inclement weather. More than 4 occurrences in a 6 month period warrants counseling and an action plan, with progressive discipline for further absences. Of course there's FMLA available for people with intermittent/chronic illnesses or ill family members. I think our call out system could use some work. Right now, we all have to take call. So if someone is not coming to work, they will call the unit. If the NM or ANM is here, they'll take the call. If not, we call the NM to find out who is on call, and then we call that person in. I think it would help streamline the process if we had a nursing supervisor or staffing specialist that could take the calls and contact the appropriate person, but we're such a small facility that we don't have an off-shift sup or a staffing office. We've also had problems with frequent call outs, but I try to be positive about it... it is influenza season, and we have had a ton of sick kids. I try to believe that every absence is genuine. And if not... if someone needs a mental health day, its not really my business why they're out.

I think you're absolutely correct. There is a lot more to assessing a patient's pain than accepting a number on a scale, particularly when there are numerous studies that suggest people do not always self report accurately. Furthermore, if the orders with pain scales were created by physicians, I don't see where the pharmacy has anything to do with that. If an auditing process is indicated, it should be a peer or NM audit, not one by another department. We have several audits that are ongoing, and pain control and assessment of effectiveness is one of them.

Good luck!

At my very first nursing job, I worked with a fellow new grad who was a little person. She was less than 4 feet tall. She did a GREAT job. She required a little more help with lifting than the normal staff person, because she was so short in stature, and she was a tiny slip of a thing. Besides that, though, she did a marvelous job adapting to an environment that did not adapt to her. I can't imagine how difficult it must be functioning in an environment where everything is designed for someone much taller.

My facility has tuition advancement, which makes the reimbursement argument a moot point. I think education benefits us all... nurses, as a profession, and certainly our patients. And to answer the OP's question, there are many facilities (mine included) that include an additional differential for further education (i.e. BSNs make more than ADNs). That's not the reason I'm going back for my BSN, but every little bit helps.

I carry a clipboard, but only so I can carry around pictures of my babies. :wink2:

If I'm sick, I don't work. End of discussion. Unless its a situation like 3rd shift described... where I don't realize I'm ill until its too late to call off... then I'll come in and work until they can get a replacement, or even work my entire shift, but let them know I won't be in the following day. You'd think nurses wouldn't be so foolish.

Have you ever been a psych nurse? I wouldn't call that a slower pace.

ITA. I would never take orders from an office nurse, even if she were actually a nurse. In fact, the only time I've ever taken orders from an MD via an RN are when the MD in question is scrubbed into surgery and I'm on speakerphone talking to him. You are a professional nurse, and when you need to speak with an MD, speak with him/her, not an office surrogate whose credentials you are unsure of.