Wannabe2

When I was brought into an ER with a badly broken arm three years ago, I was screaming in pain, but when they gave me the dilaudid (sp?) I was on cloud nine. They asked if they could cut my Tshirt (a Vegas souvenir) off me, and I laughed and said "I guess I'll never get to sleep with Tom Jones again."

I've had only four surgeries in my life, and a colonoscopy, but I've said some pretty hilarious things. When I was coming around from a wisdom tooth removal, the nurse said "Wake up, Susan." I said My name's not Susan." She said, "I know, I just wanted to see if you were awake." Then I said "**** you," which she understood as "thank you" because of the wadding in my mouth, and she said "you're welcome." Of course, I let her go on thinking I had thanked her. During a liposuction, where I had something called "twilight sleep" anaesthetic, my friend, who was assisting, said I went on and on about how I loved my doctor sooo much. During my colonoscopy, I felt drunk but was awake (sort of) and I watched part of it on the screen, and I kept saying how pretty and clean my colon was, then apologized when the camera showed rice from the soup I had eaten against orders after I drank the go-lite. When I had my tubes tied (done by laparoscopy with two little incisions) I was just coming to when I asked if they weren't going to "shave me down there," which made the tech laugh.

Your information on the Jewish customs seems to be accurate. I am a convert to Reform Judaism, a sect that is a bit less traditionally observant than Conservative or Orthodox. The shiva (seven day mourning period following a death) is generally observed by all three, though. I have personally assisted with about a dozen Taharas (preparation for burial) in the past three years as a member of Chevra Kaddisha ("holy society"). Two or three ladies (many of them nurses or former nurses) meet at the funeral home where we say a prayer over the deceased, ask her 'forgiveness' for any indignity we may cause in preparing her for burial, then wash her and dress her in a plain shroud, and assist in placing her in a simple wooden coffin. It is customary for a Conservative or Orthodox Jew to be buried within 24 hours of death, unless they have died on the Sabbath. The body is not 'made up' or embalmed and nothing unnatural is enclosed in the coffin - we even remove all surgical tape, wigs, nail polish, and surgical markings from the body. A packet of earth from the land of Israel is sometimes placed under the pillow. Traditionally, even surgically amputated limbs were buried, as any part of the body is considered sacred, but it is now considered to be a great mitzvah (commandment) to donate organs to save a human life. Some Reform Jews (like me) are very comfortable with the idea of cremation, since we believe the Almighty can 'reconstitute' us as easily from ashes as He can from dust. :icon_roll Personally, I would not be without my donor card -- and I hope that if I should die while my organs are still usable, they take me straight from the hospital to the crematorium. I hate the idea of anyone going into debt for a fancy funeral or burial -- especially mine!

Thank you. Still thinking about it. I like the job security aspect of nursing, but I make more now than a beginning nurse so it'd be quite a transition, and for a number of years -- from what I hear on other threads. The new nurses don't seem to think they are paid what they are worth. I didn't realize the U.S. was importing so many cheap nurses from the Philippines.

This may seem terribly shallow, but it's something I have to consider. If I go into nursing school at my age (48) I'll want to give it my 'all' but my boyfriend (a doctor) has told me 'You'll be stuck working every other weekend and nights for years.' Frankly, I could work 7-3 just fine, being a morning person, but I have doubts about having the energy to work late shifts when (if?) I graduate. I love school -- I graduated from college 25 years ago -- and I know he'd be supportive, but...he's got a point. Part of what attracts me to nursing is that it is a career that 'ages well' and where life experience really seems to count. Have any of you found yourself working five years of lousy hospital shifts before working days? Are shifts assigned according to seniority?