blackberry

Yes, I think it is humbling for healthcare professionals to have those disciplinary actions publicized online. But, remember, people actually have to go to those websites to look you up. Does your family actually do that? I'm happy you found another job in another field. Before you stop attending the AA meetings or steps to reactivate your license, please start working in that job 6 months and see if you like it. Then, re-evaluate your decision. I don't know how old you are or how many more years you must work before retirement. I have a friend who surrendered her license in her mid 50s. About 8 yrs later, she regretted her choice because she couldn't find a well-paying job. She thought about taking a refresher course and starting to go through the hoops but never did. She's a vibrant 68 yr old and could still be doing some light nursing work earning decent pay. Instead, she decided to take a job in the school system making slightly above minimum pay. I wish you well. Bravo to you for writing down your story and sharing it. For me, it's therapeutic but also hard to see my painful past.

I live in a non-compact state. I want to apply for a license by endorsement in WI. As I'm searching for work, some positions want you to be licensed in WI. My dilemma: I took a med-surge position at a hospital and was fired 10 months later. They wrote up all sorts of situations to make me look like a reckless, unsafe nurse. It talked about a patient's bizarre complaint, one mistake (which others have made at that hospital), OT ( which did I cut down in half) and several other things. I will be writing more about what happened in another thread. But, the bottom line is that I uncovered many things that nurses were doing incorrectly or not doing at all. Even docs were messing up. I was investigated by the BON and found an awesome nurse (ICU experience) attorney to help me write a response. She heard my side and said, "she really had it out for you." The BON DISMISSED my case. My license is clean, no dings. Also, I don't have any criminal records. QUESTIONs: When you apply by endorsement, BON site asks if you were fired and lets you submit documentation. 1. If I submit all the documentation - the complaint, my response and the BON's letter dismissing my case, could WI BON possibly make that public in the Nursys website IF they grant me a license with restrictions or deny me a license? I chose to take over a year off from the work force after being fired to enjoy life. I haven't worked since being fired and I'm job hunting. 2. Or, before applying for a WI license, would it be better to get a job, show evidence that I've been working safely for a year and then apply when I'm ready to look for other work that may require me to get a WI license?

A month before I started my second year of nursing school, I had a concussion and two weeks later suffered a tonic-clonic seizure (grand mal). I saw a neurologist and was put on phenytoin. A few months later, he switched me to trileptal because the phenytoin slowed my brain down so much I found it hard to study and focus. I had failed my second big exam. I did notify my instructors of the seizure and was allowed to continue through the program. I did have a written letter from my doctor stating I was under his care and had no restrictions. BTW, that was in 2004 and I worked in a hospital environment for 16 years. I did have a few more seizures at home but they stopped. My neurologist took me off my meds and I've been seizure free for 10+ years. So, I would think that if you stay under the care of the same neurologist and get a letter that your seizures are controlled through medication, the school would let you continue. Also, in your appeal, state your commitment to following your docs orders which may include taking your meds, getting labs to ensure the medication is within the therapeutic level and seeing your doctor annually or more often if recommended. Also, not all nurses do hands- on patient care. I went to school with a student who had cerebral palsy who walked with a severe limp and did have a little trouble doing patient care, but she passed. She knew her limitations and was planning to work in a desk job. Good luck!

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., demonstrated his propensity to misconstrue words from the English language. We know the word "amen" is a nongendered word. Yet, he was inclined to twist the word to have a nuance of a masculine gender because it has the word "men" in it. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., needs to take a remedial course in English if he is going to continue to serve in congress.

It's not that competitive depending on the state. Where I live and work, there is high turnover because ED's in the inner cities also have a high rate of violence due to psych patients. I work in one an ER of a teaching hospital and half of our patient's our adult and child psych patients. The other half is adult medical patients. I love the core staff I work with. There are new nurses who come and maybe stay about 6 months to a year and leave to another ER. I also love working with the immigrant population who always are teaching me about their culture. What I have learned is that you must find a place where you are a good fit. Some nurses bounce from ED to ED because they think the a different ER will be better.

Zara, I am happy you did not get kicked out. I think the school overreacted. I have worked with many types of patients. The most important thing I have learned is to always get use the proper precautions. I have patient's defiantly refuse to wait for the second person and I will document that they refused to wait for me to put the gait belt or if they refuse to wait for a second person. The key is to document that you educated the patient that since they are on fall precautions and you must endorse use of the tools used to help with transfers and ambulation. If the patient refuses, you document that the patient refused to cover your license. Working with patients who have lost some of their functioning and are in rehab are some of the most difficult patients because they are dealing with a lifestyle change, body disfigurement etc. On top of the physical changes, some have underlying mental health problems that may be undiagnosed and need a neuropsychologist for further testing.

You ARE A Good nurse. You were listening to your gut that you should make a call. You also read through the notes and found a parameter. It sounds like the the docs didn't WRITE an order to give prn meds OR for nurses to call them when VS are above or below specific parameters. So, honey, ya did good and the patient lived. Here's a few pieces of advice. 1. BREATH and talk to your more experienced nurses or charge nurse. 2. Look at your patient. How do they look? Do a mini assessment - lung sounds, heart sounds, pain assessment, Urine output, etc... 3. Don't be afraid to call a doctor if the patient is seeming to go downhill even if - as in your case - the bp is under the parameters. Something tells me that you were looking at the BP trend or urine output (if any) that triggered your concern. You are doing fine.

I'm confused. You mentioned two infractions that you committed. But, which one led to your getting fired: violating the 3-day suspension or your comment to your co-worker? In any case, it sounds like you have history of making off-the cuff comments which some may have found unprofessional, demeaning or plain rude. If the charge nurse said to me, "that's too bad your busy...," I would have have been pissed off, hurt and felt helpless. The better response would have been, "what's going on and let's prioritize to take care of the most immediate needs of the patients." I have had to delay discharges when I was needed to take care of a patient who needed immediate attention. Also, if you tell your nurse manager that her idea is stupid, the only thing you are doing is working your way toward a pink slip. Believe me, they are using that as ammunition for HR to get rid of you. Word of advice, it is best to THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK. In other words, LEARN TO edit your thoughts before you speak.

thanks for the tip. i try to rise above the negativity. ignore ignore ignore.

For our rehab patients, the OT's have a supply of different foam and gel cushions that fit the entire seat. Make sure the wheelchair supports his head and neck. Make sure his arms are positioned on soft cushions or pillows.

to all you er triage nurses that defended this nurse's behavior, i think you need to change jobs because your are justifying poor behavior. justifying acrimony is below the status quo and you are burned out. i am an rn and have been a patient in the er and was never ever treated so poorly.

Do you live in the Twin Cities? There are lots of nursing jobs here.

I read your posts. My bf has been a heavy pot smoker for about 11 years. He did quit for about a year but started up again. He's tried to wean himself off, but couldn't. So, he went to the doc and she prescribed zoloft, which has really helped him with anxiety and depression. When he would go without, he had trouble sleeping and wanted to be alone. He got agitated easily and wanted to be alone. Thank goodness for antidepressants. I know of another female who did pot and cocaine...injected it in her veins. She is on zoloft which has helped her. I wish you well! Keep it up.

I've seen the discussions on hourly rounds. My manager claims they are a JCAHO requirement as well as a written report instead of taped for change of shift. For the next shift, the nurses fill out a written report sheet for the next shift. Our form has three column: night, day and eve. The night shift makes a copy of the master copy that was completed on admission for the patient. A new form is completed every 24 hours. The sheet is kept for 48 hours and the old sheets are shreded. My manager claims this is JCAHO. The only thing I know that JCHAO requires is that nurses be able to have a verbal exchange regarding the patients at change of shift. I don't believe our report is JCAHO. How can I find this out? Also, are hourly rounds JCAHO? :anbd:

Boogs, Your unit sounds like mine. Our unit is connected to the hospital and we are also part of the university which is does organ transplants and a multitude of surgerys. Consequently, we are able to take complex patients with new LVADS, kidney and liver transplants etc. I believe this is why we only have 4--6 patients per nurse. We also have peeps who are constantly checking our documentation. We have a rehab director who seems to have eyes everywhere. Not to mention that they are cracking down on overtime. So, there have been times when I logged out and stayed to do my charting. Some nurses leave without finishing their charting. They say, "well, they don't like me to work overtime." I am frustrated by the nurses who have no sense of urgency. These nurses tend to be from a different culture where timlienss is not as important. It may be due in part to the fact that they have seen people killed in war or people dying....and they are thinking, "it'll be okay. these people aren't dying. They are fine." They are correct. However, they don't understand the legal implications from poor documentation and lack of timeliness in giving meds. They don't understand that a family's/patient's complaint can put their job on the line with a complaint in your employee record. One nurse (from another country) has been fired d/t taking long breaks, coming to work late, charting that she gave meds B4 actually giving them.... Float nurses hate coming to rehab because it is physically :bugeyes:demanding, esp when you have lazy aids who aren't quick at answering lights. Also, patients seem to develop "needyitis," When in fact they are supposed to learn and practice the skills they are learning in rehab so they can go home! Yes, I love my job...truly. Cuz, our nurse manager has been proactive in making changes on our unit. People have improved their workstyles. ... And, she is cracking down on things one step at a time. I know she'll get on the nurses who don't chart. If you have a nurse manger who's not proactive, then leave. You need support to do your job. There is a nursing shortage. So, network and find out where people like to work!