sshannon

Same, same!

I did not say that I expected everyone to receive the same compensation. I said only that such policies seem to me to be used to cloak salary discrepencies. I did not offer an opinion about whether or not those discrepencies should or should not exist. I only wished to state that it seems completely absurd to me that what people make is considered some kind of top secret information. My salary is a simple fact. A dollar amount. Not the recipe for original Coca-Cola. If you and I work side by side and you're a better negotiator than am I and can, due to need or want on the part of our employer, compel a better price for your services, bully for you. But what purpose is ultimately served by keeping the information closeted? There never would have been a Lilly Ledbetter lawsuit if such information were widely available at places of employment.

These numbers are for dayshift. Type of Hospital: Community Type of Unit: medical-surgical telemetry Number of beds: 48 Number of patients each RN has: 5 (6 if we're down a nurse) Do you have a nurse's aides and/or at what census level do you downstaff an aide: 2-3 aides per shift Do you have a unit secretary and/or at what census level do you downstaff the sec'y: 2 unit secretaries, 2 charges (one without patients, one with three patients)

> I've always had a problem with such policies. The only reason for their existence, so far as I can see, is to cloak salary discrepancies. I think salary information and wage scales should see full light of day. Nurses need complete information to make decisions about their employment options and opportunities.

OK I just got a pair of the white Lindsey pants, wore them today, and they're great. Just be sure, as the other posters have said, that you wear nude (not white) underwear with them. Perfect for summer, and love, love, love all those pockets!

I'm happy to share with you what I know of Seton. I've been employed with them since January this year, but also volunteered on one of their units before starting nursing school. My husband also was cared for following spinal fusion surgery at a Seton hospital. All were positive experiences and I didn't consider applying anywhere else (I did do clinicals at two St. David's facilities, so I had some basis for comparison). Please let me know what some of your specific questions are and I'll be glad to answer. You probably can get a lot of info from their nursing recruiters. Contact them at 512-324-1776. My personal impression is that Seton is very nurse friendly. It has a nursing governance council that is very active in policy and decision making, and each hospital unit has its own council. Seton also utilizes TCAB at several of its hospitals, and it just has made its way to my unit at Brackenridge Hospital. All Seton's new RNs (just passed or are about to pass NCLEX) are required to go through the 18- to 22-week Versant program (length determined by which specialty area you're in). It's a structured teaching/orientation program that I'm in the midst of. Some of it is kind of basic review from nursing school, but much of it is useful to us all, particularly if you weren't in the Austin area doing your clinicals at a Seton facility. You can get your hands on their equipment and have people teach you in small groups or one-on-one how to use it (lift equipment, pumps, etc.). Starting salary is $21.46 and once you pass NCLEX you're eligible for differentials (don't ask me what they are because I never pay attention to them ... isn't that pathetic?). On my med-surg unit, nurses typically carry 4-5 patients on dayshift (can't speak to nights because I don't work that shift). Once out of orientation, you can work 12s or 8s. They like you to work every other weekend. That's all I can think of right now. Let me know if you have other questions. Feel free to private message me and I can pass along specific contact info for a couple of the recruiters if you'd like. But the phone number above will get you connected with them. Best!

As a 45-year-old new nurse, I am heavily into self care! My strategies (which are paying off so far) are: 1. Medical support hose on 12-hour shifts (love em!!!); 2. Buying excellent shoes and then changing my shoes half-way through any shift (just the subtle repositioning gives your hips and back a break); 3. Using the unit's lift equipment or getting help (no hero-complex here); 4. Doing yoga/meditation for the relaxation, streteching and strengthening benefits at least twice a week (either at the YMCA or at home); 5. Doing a cardio class or getting onto the eliptical exercise machine or taking a long walk on a route with hills for 30-45 minutes 2-3 times week; 6. Getting a 1.5 hour massage every two weeks (this massage therapist, bless her heart and hands, offers a steep discount to healthcare workers, whom she considers among Earth's angels); and 7. Eating well (I pack my own food and snacks), staying adequately hydrated (healthy muscles need water to function well) and getting 8-9 hours of sleep those days I'm not scheduled to work. Stress, lack of sleep, being physically deconditioned, eating junk = high-risk for injury. Every nurse needs to have his/her own plan to ensure health. What's yours?

To anyone who wants a decent (not perfect) orientation, get thee to a Magnet-certified hospital that's using the Versant RN new nurse education model. I'm in the middle of my 18-week orientation and it's absolutely wonderful so far. The staff nurses overall (not just my preceptor) are very helpful and I'm feeling very supported. As I said above, nothing's perfect, but this definitely feels more like what I was hoping for.

New nurse here. Been following our best IV starter into rooms when he's called in to do a stick everyone else is missing. One thing he does that I haven't seen mentioned here is that, unless it's contraindicated, he sits the patient up in high Fowler's. And he puts the tournaquet on TIGHT! Then, believe it or not, he starts singing. The patients love it and he says it relaxes him for the stick. He's amazingly good.

Done and sent! Thanks for the link and the heads up.

I can tell, just because you asked such a great question, you're going to be the kind of student I will love having! Best of luck in clinicals and in your studies.

Hi, Wanted to encourage you, if you're considering relocation to Austin, TX anyway, to look at the Seton Hospital Network. I'm a newly hired nurse with them and I love it. Am working daytime 12s on a med-surg/telemetry unit. Am getting excellent support from staff nurses and management/clinical educators, plus an 18-week orientation!

I am CRAZY about my Koi scrubs. They're functional and so darned cute! I'm always getting compliments from co-workers and patients on them. I have six of their tops and their bottoms in black and navy (the tops mix and match with my Urbane scrub bottoms). The only drawback is that I find I absolutely have to iron them if I want them to look as crisp and neat as I like to be. My Urbane scrubs can just come straight from the dryer and hang and be fine. :nuke:

All the documentation! Some days I just feel like I point and click, point and click, point and click. To cope I get massages, have a yoga practice and meditate. And I work for a great hospital system that really values its nurses and encourages self-care. :redbeathe

That is my philosophy, too. I wish more people would realize that blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol levels, etc. -- coupled with conditioning for strength and endurance -- are more important than dress or pant size. I appreciate the Discovery Channel awakening people to this fact when so many other media outlets spend time encouraging unhealthy lifestyles.