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I've worked in the same hospital for almost 30 years, and for my current manager for a large part of that time. This is the same manager who helped me keep my job and supported me during my recovery in spite of my diverting drugs, and now I'm just o...

I look at it this way: when I'm a bedside nurse, I work for the patient. When I'm a charge nurse, I work for my coworkers...my job is to help them take care of their patients. Obviously I have other duties as a charge nurse, but patient care and safe...

The other day I was taking care of a patient admitted for rectal bleeding. He had a history of chronic pain and took an opiate and a separate dose of Tylenol. I called the doctor for orders for his home pain meds, and she said he can't have the Tyl...

If they have a pacemaker or preexisting left bundle branch block the EKG won't reveal anything. Several years ago a cardiologist admonished me for ordering an EKG on a pt with a pacer, saying he wouldn't sign that order.

I work on a cardiac unit, so we don't have rapid response for CP. My manager gets annoyed when we call a rapid response for anything though, which I think is an unsupportive and unsafe culture. He doesn't say much, but he'll take it out on them by ...

...What Earthmama said. But to give you hope, let me share this: I diverted. I was able to keep my job, thank goodness. Now I've completed a contract with IPN, and I'm working in a new and wonderful job. When I interviewed, without going into det...

Congratulations! I believe that if we're going to disclose our story, it's important to share what we've learned and how we've changed as a result. I'm so happy for you!

Surrendering your license is a drastic move you may come to regret. I would imagine getting it back will be more difficult than keeping it, and you're making the decision based on assumptions. Why don't you cooperate and find out what happens as it t...

COC stands for "chain of custody". It's a form that you may have to take to the lab when you test. I've completed a 5-year monitoring program and never once had to use one. I know someone who went to Hawaii while she was being monitored, and it was...

Don't forget, each step of this journey is your choice. And congratulations on reaching this next step! Best wishes

I assume you refer to political leanings, as I don't know what else it would be! If so, it's probably more related to your location than anything else. I'm a liberal, but I live in a very red district and most of the nurses I work with are very con...

All the stuff people already said, and Don't complain about or judge your patients...and don't complain about spending money on indigent or non-compliant patients. Don't sit on your discharges all day to avoid getting new patients. Your coworkers a...

I'd go to Asheville NC. Close to the Appalachian Trail and demographically they're my people...liberal hippie-types. I live in a very conservative "red" area. That, and it's not too far from my family, so visits wouldn't be too hard.

There's a saying, "Home is where your family is". Those ties are important.

My stethoscope is always either in my pocket or my bag, I don't like to wear it around my neck. No one borrows my stethoscope. No one. I don't care if it offends anyone, having my scope in someone else's ears is so gross I may as well give it to t...

Here's how it works in my state: If you're being monitored for drugs, you're being monitored for anything that can be mood altering. This includes alcohol, Benadryl, NyQuil, the kind of antihistamines that come from behind the counter such as Clarit...

Addiction among nurses is a quiet epidemic. Very little attention is paid to this by nursing schools, so stigmas flourish. Our culture is to abandon addicted nurses. Not so many know about the mental health and addiction assistance programs availabl...

...and if all the comments from the previous posters didn't make you feel better, then think of this: the needle you touched the skin with was probably sterile, or at worse had the baby's own flora on it. I wouldn't worry!

That's a sweet and sad story. I'm sorry you have to move on. Sometimes it makes us feel better to help others, and maybe the comfort your patient provided you at that moment also gave her something she needed. You reminded me of something that on...

The ECC was the most stressful place I've ever worked. I prefer a more controlled environment. All the drama, drama, drama...Yeeeccchhhhh! (It didn't help that it was weekend nights!)

Besides the tubing being kinked or a clogged catheter, more specifically, if it's a male with bleeding, it could be a clot and may need flushing. If the catheter has been there for a while, there could be mucous or something clogging the tip and may ...

Hearing aid batteries and denture paste. I like the pencil and paper idea, as we're always encouraging patients and families to make lists of things to talk to rounding docs about.

I've read the statement linked above. Are you licensed by the NY Dept of Education? In my state, RN's by licensed by the Dept of Health. Besides that, it's a crazy regulation. Among other confusions, I can see blood sugars getting missed under t...

Congratulations on graduating with your MSN, and best of luck with your NP! That sounds like terrific advice from twoyearnurse, I'm sure everything will go great!

I traveled an hour for school and clinicals, and it wasn't bad at all. We had to be at clinicals at 0630, so I'd leave the house at 0515 or so to get there on time. I'd do it again.