prmenrs

That was truly the worst cert/recert ever. I'm positive they don't do it that way anymore.

When I got certified as an instructor, we used a manikin w/a strip that printed out the side. They checked that all your compressions, and breaths were correct. After a few tries, I passed. Then we had 2 person. My partner could NOT get it right. I couldn't pass till she passed. I was determined to not come back another day. So we went for who knows how long. Finally, one of the instructors had mercy on me and partnered w/me to pass. I went home. The next day, I was sore from my neck, wrists, arms, abs, to my knees. And, don't forget my glutes and shoulders. Oh, ouch. It was the next week before I was normal.

I believe it's a mistake to burn bridges. You never know when, or how, it might bite you in the butt.

One of the best education sessions I conducted, back in the day, was the "glo-germ" demo. The idea was to teach effective handwashing. Participants coated their hands w/this neon oily stuff, and then tried to wash it off. Then I used a black light to show where they missed. It got quite competitive. The best a participant did was the pharmacist, who applied the soap 1st, suds up, then rinsed off. He got the most off. @ the very least, people washed a lot the rest of the day!

My hospital was required to hold "cultural awareness" seminars for everyone--mandatory, of course. One of the 1st things they talked about was "family values". We broke into small groups, of course, to do this activities. A co-worker showed up w/her usual hard-covered book. She listened to the 1st presentation, when they broke into groups, she announced that her family's value was to "mind our own business". She retreated to a corner to read her book, and didn't participate in any other discussions. The poor facilitator told her she could go home if she wanted to. She declined, saying that if she did, tptb might make her return to complete another session.

Are you a BSN? If so, I don't know what the problem is. If not, that, most likely, is the issue. UC Davis comes to mind. I worked for UC--great benefits. A google search got me these: https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=BQVAXNnLJq-50PEP7a6vkAM&q=level+iii+nicu+near+sacramento&oq=level+iii+nicu+near+sacr&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.33i22i29i30.1151.15038..17757...1.0..0.134.2570.12j14......0....1..gws-wiz.....0..35i39j0i131j0j0i10j0i22i30j35i304i39j0i13j0i13i30.1F3uEnWOAMo

Again, this is my opinion: the bottom line---it is NOT ABOUT YOU or your beliefs, it IS about the patient.

Your job as a nurse is to support the patient and his/her beliefs. Not to expound your own. Of course you can pray for and with patients--IF that is what they want. Most do. Some do not. Respect that. Take care of them as you would anyone else. It's not a slam against you or your religion if they don't want to pray w/you. Some areas of the country and some cultures, it would be considered intrusive and rude to insist that any person pray or listen to scripture, whatever. What if your patient is Buddhist, Shinto, Islamic, espouses indigenous spiritual beliefs, etc. It's not "argument against religion", it's a statement of what goes where. Take care of the patient. If they request spiritual support and you are able to give it (and you have the time!!), great. If they don't ask, don't impose your belief system on them. jmho.

@Jose--"fellow" in this case refers to the doctor's place in the teaching hospital heirarchy. She is one step below the attending (professor) on the service. She has completed her residency and is receiveing advanced education in the specialty. She has been around long enough to know better how to interact w/other members of the team in a productive manner. Apparently, in this case, she missed the class on how to play nicely and the one on listening.

God Bless you and keep you (and your delightful sense of humor) intact through this difficult passage. You are a gem. And so is your Dad.

3 of my classmates and I went to a restaurant for dinner one night--and ruined dinner for a very nice older couple! I've always felt bad about that.

Any momentary pause in a hectic day can give one a chance to re-group, re-frame the shift and it's priorities. The specific way in which we do this is beside the point. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, "I really can do this", exhale, relax your shoulders and proceed! "Please, God, a little help here, 'k?' Thank you, Commuter!

Beautifully written account of something very sad, and very frustrating. All I can suggest is to place it in God's hands and pray--if that is within your belief system. We may thing we're in control, but it turns out to be not true. You did good. Believe that. :hug:

My mother had this. I never knew this had a name. It developed ~ 10 days before she died. The ulcer was painful, but I could not get her to lie in any position but supine, if I tried to turn her to massage it, she resisted strongly. Until 5 days before she died, she insisted on getting up and dressed every day and moving (w/a lot of help) into another room. Very, very cachectic. About all I could do was give her MS. I felt very bad, but I don't think there was much more I could do about that.

I remember standing in my kitchen a few years ago, staring @ a bottle of Premarin, and coming to a decision that I was NOT going to die from menopause. And I didn't!