TheCommuter BSN, RN

Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych

Member

All Content by TheCommuter

  1. TheCommuter

    Racial Refusals In Nursing

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    For starters, 'racial refusal' is a term I constructed several years ago to denote the practice of patients and / or family members who refuse care from certain nurses, physicians, aides, techs and...
  2. TheCommuter

    Challenging The Boards To Become A Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)

    TheCommuter posted a topic in LPN, LVN Corner

    Contrary to popular beliefs, a person really can become a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) in the state of California without ever having graduated from an approved school. An unlicensed person...
  3. There are many reasons to pursue a nursing career, including making a difference in the lives of others, job stability and growth, having a diverse career path with many specialties to choose from,...
  4. TheCommuter

    Completed Non-Accredited Nursing Program, But Want Higher Education. Help!

    TheCommuter posted a topic in School, College Programs

    A handful of individuals may have read the title of this piece and probably thought to themselves, "How could anyone graduate from an unaccredited nursing program? Are these graduates even able to get...
  5. TheCommuter

    LPNs? What do they do? Where can they work? Difference between LPN vs RN?

    TheCommuter posted a topic in LPN, LVN Corner

    I have heard and read the same questions rather frequently. Heck, I am almost certain that you have probably encountered these very same questions, too. What is an LPN? What type of...
  6. TheCommuter

    That Dreaded 3-11 Shift

    TheCommuter posted a topic in General Nursing

    One of my patients, a hard-nosed nurse who retired from the profession after more than 30 years of duty, struck up a conversation with me not too long ago about shift work. "What hours do you...
  7. TheCommuter

    Rudeness from EMTs and Paramedics

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Are there any LTC nurses out there who have experienced condescending attitudes or blatant rudeness from EMTs and paramedics during the process of sending residents out to the hospital? I simply want...
  8. TheCommuter

    The Cons of Working in Long Term Care

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I worked as a floor nurse and supervisor in long term care (a.k.a. LTC, nursing homes, or aged care) on and off for six years. Last year I wrote two articles that placed a mostly positive spin on...
  9. TheCommuter

    Warning Signs Associated With Degree Mills and Scam Schools

    TheCommuter posted a topic in School, College Programs

    Until a few decades ago, a high school diploma or GED was suitable enough to secure a good job in the US. Soon after high school graduation, people on the vocational track found entry-level positions...
  10. TheCommuter

    Nurses' Charting: Focused Documentation

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Medical-Surgical

    First and foremost, the medical record is a permanent aggregation of various documents that should furnish a comprehensively accurate picture of a patient's health status while he/she stayed at the...
  11. TheCommuter

    Scam Schools And Diploma Mills

    TheCommuter posted a topic in General Students

    Several generations ago, a high school education had been sufficient enough to land a good position. An individual could graduate from high school, find an entry-level job, remain with the same place...
  12. TheCommuter

    Do Not Work Off The Clock, Nurses!

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Nursing Professionalism

    The economic climate in this country still remains somewhat sluggish several years after the official end of the Great Recession. In addition, dwindling reimbursement rates from Medicare and private...
  13. TheCommuter

    Confessions Of A Nurse With Poor Interpersonal Skills

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    I've heard that the initial step to solving a problem is admitting that you have one in the first place. Well, my name is TheCommuter and I have a problem with interpersonal skills. Gulp. For...
  14. TheCommuter

    Unit secretaries assigning patients to nurses??

    TheCommuter replied to gratefultobeanurse16's topic in General Nursing

    I wouldn’t be agreeable to this situation at all. Non-nurse unit secretaries don’t know how clinically weak or strong some floor nurses might be in certain tasks. Sorry, but as a former house...
  15. TheCommuter

    LTC Charting: A Beginner's Guide

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Geriatric, LTC

    The long term care industry (a.k.a. nursing home industry) employs a large share of new and experienced nurses in the United States. Furthermore, the number of nurses who secure employment in this...
  16. TheCommuter

    The Pre-Employment Background Check

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    First of all, it is an extremely positive sign whenever any prospective employee reaches the point in the hiring process that involves initiation of the pre-employment background check. This is...
  17. TheCommuter

    Nursing Interviews: Basic Post-Interview Etiquette

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    Many job seekers become elated after having been granted that prized interview. After all, it is extremely easy for our online applications and electronically-submitted resumes to forever disappear...
  18. TheCommuter

    How To Answer The Most Common Nursing Interview Questions

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    To be perfectly blunt, interviews can be rather nerve-wracking because a lot is at stake. After all, you really want to be considered for this available position, and you only have one chance to make...
  19. TheCommuter

    Nursing Professional Development / Staff Development Coordinators

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Nursing Educators, Faculty

    Members of nursing staff are a significant, if not arguably the most important, human resource employed by modern day health systems since hospitals and other healthcare facilities exist chiefly for...
  20. TheCommuter

    Do Nurses Earn Big Money? You Decide.

    TheCommuter posted a topic in General Nursing

    "You're rolling in the big bucks!" Am I the only one who becomes at least mildly irritated whenever a random individual finds out that someone is a nurse and proceeds to say, "You're rolling in...
  21. TheCommuter

    My Reasons For Avoiding The Acute Care Hospital

    TheCommuter posted a topic in General Nursing

    I've been asked the same question by members of allnurses.com, real-life coworkers, and even some of my own family members: "Why aren't you interested in working at a major hospital?" My relatively...
  22. TheCommuter

    Young, Thin, and Cute New Hires

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    My workplace, a freestanding specialty hospital owned by a for-profit corporation that operates multiple facilities across the United States, has been having recent troubles with low Press Ganey...
  23. TheCommuter

    A Day in the Life of a Work-At-Home Nurse

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Case Management

    For starters, I currently work as a case management nurse for a major insurance company that most of the dear readers have probably heard of. In fact, my employer might even be the same company that...
  24. TheCommuter

    Therapeutic Lying With Dementia Patients

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Therapeutic lying is the practice of telling little 'white lies' or fibs to prevent from agitating the patient with dementia. Even though some of us were taught to never lie to any patient under any...
  25. TheCommuter

    My CRRN Study Guide Accountability Thread

    TheCommuter posted a topic in Rehabilitation

    As some of you may know, an accountability thread is one that has been started to keep the originator focused on the goal and accountable to themselves. Hence, this is my personal accountability...