Charles S. Smith, RN, MS

I think i clicked the wrong button and started a new thread by accident. This response is to the Staff Development Person who posted about Mandatory OT. Mandatory overtime is an abused system. While it can work for very short term fixes, with a se...

you will get out of it what you put into it...i find it is worth it to belong to my professional org, my clinical org and the honor society best chas

Jay..thought I was the only one who even remembered orderlies, much less was one! Started in '68 as an orderly, then swithched hospitals and actually was promoted to nursing assistant all thru school until my senior year, became a nurse tech (same j...

Nope..not 1:1 unless very unstable..could even be a triple with 2 transfers or step down patients waiting for a bed... But...given your experience level, I question what resource you had to back you up, supervise you with unfamiliar skills, etc. A...

This is just about square on the nose George. As a nursing administrator I knew first hand just how much funding went in to the merit system. The caveat from the CEO and CFO was...if you give a 7.5% (max) then you have to give a 0% to someone else ...

The real problem is we have so few real teams in nursing. We have work groups made up of folks with personal and sometimes competing agendas, not teams. For a complete discussion on what teams really do look like, see "The Wisdom of Teams" by Katze...

Thank you George for putting it simply! Marijuana use is illegal and is cause for license revocation in every state of this country. If you need to be high to work, or high to forget work, get help period. And fyi..look at your practice regulations...

A true warrior for doing the right thing even at the risk of your own livelihood! You are an inspiration. I hope others learn from your commitment and gutz! chas

OT depends on how your facility manages the federal requirements or collective bargaining requirements for OT....1) OT after 40 hours/week or 2) the 8/80 rule..anything over 8 hours and anything over 80 hrs/2 weeks... chas

Depression is ubiquitous and sometimes often misdiagnosed. A former poster suggested thyroid testing...get a physical and get a counselor/therapist. Talk to your MD. Paxil, Zoloft and others similar are SSRIs and help to keep your seratonin levels...

There is mounting political and social pressure to increase the numbers of students in nursing programs regardless of the type. Unfortunately the mounting pressure may be leading to the acceptance of marginal candidates for nursing education. The e...

Lever, again...just know what your hospital requires and what your nurse practice act allows. You asked the original question about responsibility for others. We do when we know that a patient is getting substandard care. it is a matter of ethics ...

In a word....yes. The reporting mechanisms of any hospital should clearly indicate that any/all unresolved issues or issues of risk are reported immediately to a manager (unit or house supervisior). This protects the patient, the nurse and the hosp...

The sad fact is that the charge nurse is responsible for whatever the hospital says she/he is responsible for. Get a clear definition of what the charge duties are and get some basic management/people education to make sure you can handle the job. ...

Hogon...I too am disturbed about the packed conditions in the ED and yes, they get very unsafe. The person you described is taking advantage of a dysfunctional system that is open to this kind of abuse. I dont judge his motives, they are clear. Th...

There are all kinds of reasons why people hit the ED doors with what, we as healthcare providers, know are not emergencies. But, we are healthcare providers, and the general public think we are there as a walk in clinic for any and all ails. What w...

It sounds like this one incident has put you over the edge. Were there more incidents with the same magnitude of stress or was this an isolated one? If your stress level has been mounting over time and this is the straw that broke the camel's back,...

Nurse Karen...I am always amazed at the depth of your resource base! You are a wizard! Thank you for keeping such timely, accurate and legal information flowing foward. my best chas

Hi again JT...the owners of the travel companies are doing business and they are doing business well because nurses allow it. More nurses need to understand that we all can do business, reap better financial rewards and still reduce nursing service ...

The difference between AMN and Cross Country and the vast majority of nurses is that they view nursing and healthcare like a business....and I have to agree. And, JT, I certainly agree with you that any RN can move into independent practice and make...

In many hospitals now, the informed consent signature line states something like "witness to signature only" indicating that the nurse is only witnessing the signature of the patient or legal rep of the patient. Also, there may be a place for the MD...

This is not a corporate lawyer requirement. The basis of this practice is to elicit from the patient the procedure she/he is having in her/his own words. You are not supposed to write it out yourself unless your policy states you are to do it this w...

In reality, the facility might be helping to cover your butt.. The issue of supervision/delegation is fast becoming an important legal issue in litigation all over the country. Where there is an RN, there is responsibility for ALL the care that occu...

We have experienced the All About Staffing entre here in the Richmond Market. It has been met with mixed reviews. There was talk of a mass walk out just the last couple of months. The experience of nurses who work with them is very mixed. Many ar...

Check with the Missouri State Board of Nursing. There are limitations on practicing nursing without current experience. You may be required to do a refresher course to bring you up to speed. Check the California Board for their requirements for li...