Dane Meyer

My journey took six years..too old? I graduated with my BSN when I was 49. I'm now 62; I don't regret any of the time it took to get to here in my career. I've worked in med/surg, home care, hospice and now in consultation/research in geriatrics. Pursue whatever area of nursing interests you, the industry remains wide open!

My experience in management has been outside the medical realm. Nonetheless, I always operated with the philosophy that my job was to see to it that my staff was provided the tools, training and materials to perform their jobs. And to stay in communication with them to ensure that this was happening You cannot manage in a vacuum; some of the other comments posted noted that you must have a presence on the floor; you can't supervise people behind a closed door. It is possible to be present without being intrusive, to be available for questions, insights, problems. Finally, know your staff. They have lives, families, hobbies, in the other 2/3 of their lives that affect job performance, motivation and attitudes.

Probably the best I've heard was that of a patient reporting to me that her IV line had become "inflamatrated"!

Its been 14 years since I earned my BSN. I experienced both the best and the worst of professors in my schooling. Their attitudes and means of instruction varied from "survival of the fittest-if you can't learn you don't need to be here" to "let me help you learn what you don't know and improve on what you do". However, all of the clinical instructors had real life, working experience in their course fields. My worst experience? Having an instructor take me aside and say: "you don't belong here, you're a man, you're too old, you are taking the place of a someone whom could do some good" and she busted my chops the entire semester and I flunked her course. My best experience? Having an instructor for OB/GYN whom encouraged my inquiries, supported my being clinically included in what is typically a female-dominated nursing element and ensuring that I received quality knowledge. (thanks, Kathy!). Dane Meyer, RN,BSN.

Must be the first day of catheter clinicals.