jrt4

We do both. Mostly for peripheral sticks phlebotomy is drawing them but some nurses prefer to do their own. Only nurses will draw from our central lines.

I like to ask about engagement scores for the staff. What are the strengths/weaknesses. And also, what does the organization do to support work/life balance. Stepping into management is exciting but you want to make sure its the correct environmen...

ok got you. I think its important for nurses to understand the risk of certain behaviors. Sometimes that can be conveyed through a story of what has happened to a nurse. It is a fine line though because the story should not be used to "scare" peopl...

Sorry, my qualm was more about how the question was posed because it reads as an insinuation that the manager was using it as a "scare tactic". Without any other information I don't think that question is the appropriate question within the context ...

I don't think this is an appropriate venue to question your managers leadership tactics. I would encourage you to speak with your director or human resources partner if you have concerns about your manager.

I went through something similar early on. I had been a CNA/Tech for about 7 years before graduating nursing school. After about a year in I knew that I didn't want to be a bedside nurse for the rest of my career but I wasn't necessarily looking ei...

Bring food. That always works for me :)

Personally I always announce when I am on the unit. I think that sneaking up on them to try to catch them doing something would build distrust. If poor behavior is found I would suggest pulling them in your office to have a discussion about your va...

I am not a home health nurse but are they issued Ipads or laptops that they could document in between visits?

An MSN will open more doors but it certainly doesn't make you a better nurse. Some of the most skilled RNs I have ever had the pleasure of working with had an ADN. I have worked with some extremely skills diploma grads as well. My opinion is BSN s...

I had an MSN as an assistant nurse manager when my manager only had a BSN. It didn't bother me in the slightest nor should it bother these nurses. My response would be "there is the door". If this is going to be the tipping point for them leaving ...

Its pretty common practice for manager to call each other when someone is requesting an internal transfer. I usually don't even reach beyond that because in a good organization you don't let your "bad eggs" transfer out of your unit to be someone el...

Don't be discouraged!!! We hire internal transfers all of the time into the acute care floor. We haven't had the opportunity to do so in the PICU but we would be open to it!!! My advice would be if you can't find a pediatric acute care unit or PICU ...

Usually an entry level masters degree program is a masters in nursing with a focus on clinical leadership or some sort of generic masters "specialty". We had one of these programs at a hospital I used to work at and we had no issue hiring these grad...

I am going to follow this post to see what others are doing. My current organization is not supportive of work life balance. Its a shame really. At a past organization they allowed us to work 4, 10 hour days (lets face it most days were 10 hours an...

This is the world of pediatrics. We typically staff a charge out of staffing to help facilitate admissions and discharges. The challenge is that either the charge nurse takes a minimal assignment or everyone else takes a larger patient load. If yo...

Quality standards and outcomes are typically driven by CMS. There are certainly other standards of care that are defined by healthcare accreditation such as the joint commission and specialty specific accreditation. In order for nursing to have a s...

I usually say "our friend in room x" it sounds nicer particularly if you are at the nurses station where others could potentially hear. I had a director that referred to them as "varmits" :)

I am not sure on the exact rules you will probably want to reference your state labor laws because it could be different in every state. It is likely not "illegal" to not pay for your time. Most hospitals do pay for the class and your time because ...

This is excellent advice. It probably would have been beneficial to start before now but it can still be doable if you have a solid base of experience behind you. If not I would reschedule. I found it helpful to do the practice tests that you can p...

Hey group - I am looking for some advice regarding getting ancillary services to do their jobs so I don't have to. (yes I know how that sounds). I seem to be in a spot where I need respiratory or lab or even dietary to do something, they say they w...

This will not fix a chronic recruitment/retention issue. Pay is important but not as important as a great work environment. I do agree that making sure there are safe situations for your nurses. Sign on bonuses can be effective if there is a 2 year+...

Good questions. I am actually an introvert and have been in management for about 8 years now. Most people in leadership are extroverts and there is certainly a place for both personalities. I think for us introverts we are really good at listening...

That's surprising! The recruiters I have worked with are always open to give salary ranges. We do not give out what we would offer but they will usually give a starting and max salary range. Most facilities have a pretty standard way of calculatin...

Thank you for validating my concerns! haha I've been at facilities where its been rough with ancillary services at times but this place is almost to the point of ridiculous. I realize we are all stretched thin particularly in the for-profit world b...