AMY30

I have two jobs. First, I have been a charge nurse in a small LTC home on a native reservation. I do 5 med passes on the day shift for 50 residents. I deal with Down Syndrome, Parkinsons, Huntingtons, Alzheimers, limited mobility due to age, Organic Brain Syndrome, CHF, Stroke, Diabetes, etc as all of our residents reside on one floor and are not segregated. I have 5 PSW's working with me and a nurse manager at the desk. I am also responsible for 3 housekeepers and 3 dietary staff as well as any volunteers scheduled that day. I arrive at 6 am to do med count, get verbal report and catch up on new orders etc. I punch in at 7 am and begin med run #1. At 9:30 am i hang 4 PEG feeds and do med run #2. At 11:30 i do med run #3. At 1400 i do med run#4. At 1500 i do all my wound care (typically 5- 6 diabetic ulcers). At 1600 i hang 4 PEG feeds again. At 1645 i do med run#5. At 1800 i clean med room and do charting. I typically leave the facility at 1930. Second, I work in the Nursing Health Services Research Unit at McMaster University, Hamilton ON Canada. I arrive at 8 am and scan email, table of contents for research journals and news headlines for anything related to our research. I reply to emails, schedule interviews, sit in on meetings, transcribe audio interviews, etc. I also conduct interviews, work with statistical data. From day to day the work changes but most of it is done at a desk in front of a computer. I like both my jobs, and i like the variety of having both of them. Cheers, Amy

Hi - I am full-blood Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) - Oneida of the Six Nations

You asked- "Is this risk really that relavant? And should it be deemed "high risk." And one article I read type cast homosexuals in general so what about lesbians? I know donations have to be screened excessively but is this too much?" Accord to the WHO Report Aids Surveillance in the America Annual Report June 2004 available atPage 15 Percentage of AIDS cases by Category of Exposure in North America between 1979-2003 were as follows: Homosexuals - 51% Intravenous Drug Use - 24% Heterosexuals - 12% Other risks - 10% Hemophelia & transfusions - 2% Perinatal - 1% Unknown risk 0.15% So i am assuming that these types of decisions would be based on these types of numbers. Hope this helps.

Honey, I just finished my third year of my BScN. I am here to tell you that poop is everywhere all the time so hold your breath and get used to it. For instance, I worked in a LTC in between 2nd and 3rd year. One guy had to be supped every 3 days cause he didn't go on his own. Well I have him on the sit-to-stand and am just pulling down his brief when he starts to go. Had poop down my arms, legs and shoes - cleaned up as best I could and finished my shift that way. What is really funny is that you get used to it, not to long ago I was having a quick snack and a friend needed help. Here I was washing an enormous amount of poop off of this little old lady and realized that I was still chewing the last bite I had taken - and I wasn't grossed out :rotfl: Now, even when family has complaints, one of my first questions is "When was your last BM and what was it like - hard, soft, colour?

So far, the best I've come up with is, "It sounds like Christ is important in your life. Tell me more about that." : I think this is the most appropriate answer. As a nursing student I was under the impression that holistic nursing included spirituality. It may not be to discuss your own but I think it is definitely beneficial to explore their spirituality because in many cases it is a source of strength. I am speaking as a mother, widow, friend and nurse.

[There is no easy fix to this dilema other than requiring the same base education for all. Which is a long way from becoming reality. It is reality now in Ontario. There is no more 2 year course for RN. Everyone entering the profession now must have a 4yr BScN. I am myself a third year BScN. One thing I have learned that we are taught an enormous amount of theory and often complain that we do not get enough bedside nursing time. Sure the diploma nurses don't have this part of the education, but if you spend time talking to them they think in the same way - they just don't label it as "theory". I have had many non-BScN nurses put us down for not knowing the clinical skills. But I figure if I can take the book work I have done, and learn from experience (both mine and observing practicing nurses) I will also go from novice to expert. The most distressing thing about this whole debate is the fact that it seems to be causing unneccessary strife and division among nurses. I enjoy team nursing, I have learned from PhD, MSN, BScN, diploma RN's, HCAS and even environmental aides. Education definetly opens up more doors but it is not a free ticket to look down on anyone else. Interestingly, many of my peers in the program have no interest in bedside nursing. I think this is interesting because if you come out of BScN not wanting to bed side nurse and there are no new diploma nurses - then who is going to do pt care? I personally want to get a combined MSN-ACNP after I am done because the few nurses I have met with this actually combine bedside nursing, advanced skills and administrative work. But that is just me. Finally, I just think that no matter what education or experience you have it is always possible to learn from others. My father has a grade 8 education but I think he is the smartest person I have ever known (I may be biased). Let's share our strengths and help each other with our weaknesses -

I do that too, but then I always wonder - where are we supposed to put them? Any suggestions are welcome - our hospitals have linen bags in the hall that are shared between 8-12 pts. During am care or hs care it is not practical to take the bag out of the hall. Let me know what you all think.

Hi, sorry to intrude as I am a female nursing student but I have a few things to say. Before I started my training I was dead set against male nurses. Now I find that male nurses are a considerable asset. Many of the male nurse I have worked with bring a unique style of humour, empathy and compassion that I consider to be a valuable resource. I applaud each and everyone of you for facing the gender challenges you do with such grace. YES we love to ask for your help with manual labour, but I always try to balance this with assisting my male colleagues with tasks to make up for this intrusion. Remember that women were excluded from practically all careers but through perserverence, working together and a firm belief in their worth they have become present in almost all fields. And by the way, in Hamilton, ON men can wear any colour they want - blue, green, black etc. Good luck guys, I look forward to working with you.

I am in my third year of the BScN at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON. Last term I spent three wonderful months working in a hospice. Til this experience I was so afraid of death. This has all changed, I love the philosophy - our motto was "to live until you die". I believe in the wonderful pain control strategies used to keep people with family but not in agony. I plan to work in palliative care in the future, but first I would like a good grounding in oncology because it is often the cancer pts who are in this particular hospice. I think if we advocate for this specialty by educating the public and health professionals we will see a change for the better. I hope all of you who are interested in this specialty perservere until you find a position. I don't know about America but the CNO in Ontario offers a course for registration in this specialty. If you were willing, having something like that on your resume would be an asset. Just my suggestions! Good luck to all.