blindog45

I say go for it.Why? Because I have a panic disorder too. I started LPN school with it, and in second quarter was diagnosed with it. And guess what, I have met alot of nurses with this disorder too. So your not alone, its a closet thing, some just dont admit it, and some do. I dont worry about it too much, I dont broadcast it or anything, but I handle it. I got thru LPN school and have been working for 2 years. You can do it, there are worse things than having a panic disorder, hang in there.

Hang in there. Just try to remember that nursing is not all about how smart you are, but can you think your way thru problems and look for alternetives. I remember alot of students in my class who were brilliant and graduated with honors, but have had a hard time adjusting to the real world of nursing once they got out of school. The tests in school were not like any test I had ever taken before. Alot of times there were 2-3 RIGHT answers, but we had to choose the best answer. And the final thing I believe to getting thru school was COMMITTMENT. Being committed to succeeding and putting my hobbies aside. Its time consuming but if you want it, COMMITT to it.

There sure is a nursing shortage. At the hospital I work we are pulled to different units all the time, given max pt. loads and expected to function like we have worked this unit before. The CEO's make too much money!!PERIOD!!! They make the decisions concerning the hospital but they should not make decisions concerning us. My employer is spending 30 Million on a 4 story tower. It is going to increase the emergency department by 50%. Also, a new Cardiac Unit, Another Med Surg Unit. The reasoning is because we cannot meet the publics demand for beds. Great. But where are the Nurses going to come from?? There isnt enough nurses now. My employer is 165 nursing personel short now. That includes RN's, LPN's and NA's. Thats still too much. When answering where the new nurses are going to come from, they say, "We are going to recruit them from nursing school to fill the gaps". YEA, RIGHT!! If they could do this, they would do it now, why wait. The truth is, the new units will stay closed because there is no nurses to work it. AND, They are renovating the Lobby, cost is 65,000$$. All this money being spent, and today I recieve my yearly raise increase letter. My raise is 3 percent.3 PERCENT!!!!!! No wonder nobody wants to get in nursing. Millions of dollars spent on renovation and new buildings, but no money spent on KEEPING the employees they have. If there is a nursing shortage, its for a very good reason. And that reason is the Hospitals and other healthcare agencies are not taking care of the Nurses they have now. People see this, and recognize it, and they say " Screw this proffession" they do not want to work 40 years, with there back thrown out, feet hurting and who knows what other infectious diseases we may pick up, Scabies, HIV, Hep. etc. Nursing is a high risk profession with low risk payoff.

How come Firefighters, police officers, even Krogers( a local grocery store in the midwest) has early retirement in 25 years of service? Nursing however, does not. Why? Wouldnt this benefit bring more people into nursing? If a grocery store can give there employees early retirement, surely, our employers could work this out. 30-40 years in this profession is a killer. Its stressful and can reek havoc on our bodies, back,feet etc. Anybody else agree??

Hello, I have worked in psych for 13 years. First as an orderly in a psych hospital here in Ohio. Now I work on a psych unit for a "normal" hospital. I know the use of restraints is our last option, and seclusion is a last option as well. We try timeouts for an our at times with some success. Other times sitting with a pt seems to work. Other times, if they are violent towards others or themselves, restraints come into practice. I know the DR. needs to see the pt. in 1 hour after they are placed into restraints. I work 3rd shift an the DR's will NOT get out of bed to come in and see there pt., so we are given T.O. to let the pt. out of restraints in 59 minutes. In emergencies where we cannot let them out our house DR. can come and see them in the hour allotted. As far as meds, we try to the prn before the pt is out of control, Ativan, Haldol, and sometimes Benadryl works well. Cutting the stimulation down on the unit seems to help also. Some of the schiz. and manic pts. cannot handle too much stimulation and this helps as well. For the most part, good assessment skills are your biggest assett. Not neccessarily assessment skills we are taught in school, but behavoiral assessment skills. Being able to see a crisis coming is the biggest alternative to restraints that I know of, because intervention and prevention can come into place.

Hello, I have worked in psych for 13 years. First as an orderly in a psych hospital here in Ohio. Now I work on a psych unit for a "normal" hospital. I know the use of restraints is our last option, and seclusion is a last option as well. We try timeouts for an our at times with some success. Other times sitting with a pt seems to work. Other times, if they are violent towards others or themselves, restraints come into practice. I know the DR. needs to see the pt. in 1 hour after they are placed into restraints. I work 3rd shift an the DR's will NOT get out of bed to come in and see there pt., so we are given T.O. to let the pt. out of restraints in 59 minutes. In emergencies where we cannot let them out our house DR. can come and see them in the hour allotted. As far as meds, we try to the prn before the pt is out of control, Ativan, Haldol, and sometimes Benadryl works well. Cutting the stimulation down on the unit seems to help also. Some of the schiz. and manic pts. cannot handle too much stimulation and this helps as well. For the most part, good assessment skills are your biggest assett. Not neccessarily assessment skills we are taught in school, but behavoiral assessment skills. Being able to see a crisis coming is the biggest alternative to restraints that I know of, because intervention and prevention can come into place.

Congrats!!!