adagiogray

The OCN cert test still uses a pretty dated Study Guide and Core Curriculum, they haven't had a new ed out in many years(2005ish). An older book, as others have mentioned, won't have the latest and greatest, but I've found the dated 2005 one to be the best: http://www.amazon.com/Study-Guide-Curriculum-Oncology-Nursing/dp/0721603599

$50 Dr. Scholls orthotic inserts (from the department store kiosk that you stand on)and whatever cheap Walmart shoe I can find that fits my size 13s for the next 3-6 months. The orthotics have lasted YEARS - and I went from crippling plantar fasciitis to pain free in a week or 2.

1. Consider perspective. They may be looking out for *your* interest, even if unsolicited. I often request a female chaperone when doing certain things for female patients just to avoid any question. 2. When in doubt, ask the patient if they are comfortable. Your fellow staffers really didn't have a right to go around you and ask the patient if they are comfortable with the situation - that's your job, where appropriate. 3. Bring it up at a staff meeting or to your manager. Worst case, bring it up to the EEO/discrimination/harrassment type officer.

...and there I go, calling it 'male nursing' near the end of my prior post. Seems I'm as much of a problem as a part of the solution sometimes. :) No editing after 5 minutes for non-paid members? Hrm.

I wouldn't call it out and out discrimination in my personal experience, just minor eye-roller annoyances that a lot of women get in other professions, like 'male nurse' being a lot like 'lady cop,' as if pointing out the sex of the professional were necessary and a part of the job title. It is more likely to come from the older crowd. Or when being greeted by some patients or doctors it's "Hello ladies! Oh - and gent!" That sort of thing. Many books and literature regarding nurses still use/assume the female pronouns when talking about the nurse, but this is changing. Most of the time people are appreciative of quality help period, regardless of whether it's a male or female caregiver. In my 9 years of nursing, I can probably count on one hand the number of times a patient has requested I be replaced by a female nurse. We have some physician and nursing staff from Lebanon where I work who echo your sentiments - machismo seems to still be very much a big deal over there. I don't think it's possible to change an entire culture's hearts and minds overnight, but with time, more men in the profession, and experience/exposure to male nursing, views can change. It took a few decades for it to become a 'norm' here in the states, it will get there in time, too. Currently here, I think the last number I'd read put males at about 12-15% of the nursing workforce here, I'm not sure what the numbers are there, but a lot of the articles I have read about Lebanon show that the nursing shortage is more dire over there than even here. That being said, yes, most of the ladies still assume that a Y chromosome = a degree in weightlifting, and you'll be chased down for lifting, moving, transporting patients (especially the obese ones) probably moreso than your female peers.

I don't intend this to be an ad or spam, but I like to share what has worked well for me. I know you said you don't like scrub pants, I hate the traditional/plain/basic ones. However, I'm a big fella, and I need comfy pants with utility, and jeans don't fly where I work. I use one particular model of Landau's scrub bottoms to great satisfaction. They have cargo pockets, a wide elastic waistband, zipper AND a drawstring, with pockets galore(6 or 7, I think). Front, back, and cargo. I order them from scrubshopper.com, they're a decent deal there, free shipping if you order over $100. Here's a link to the page for those pants: Landau Cargo Pant Now, if you're a REAL man, get yourself a Utilikilt in your uniform color.

CAVEAT: The contents of my reply are intended to convey my OPINION, this is not a troll or flamebait, and I really don't care if anyone responds to my post or not. I think nurse strikes are a wonderful thing: they provide many lucrative opportunities for me. Someone has to take care of the patients. Period, end of story. It's at-will employment. You know exactly what you're going to make per hour, and have a reasonable idea as to your work environment within a few days to weeks of starting work. The best way to get what you want is to speak with your feet - work where the cash and rules are more to your liking. With the shortage of qualified nurse professionals, organizations have every interest in accomodating reasonable requests. Strikes are akin to professional bullying and threats IMNSHO. I wouldn't want to pay exorbitant union dues to a body that may or may not speak for me, but hey, if it's your bag go for it. I don't need a middle man to get what I want out of my career.

Critical care units (ICU, etc) in general tend to be that way - smaller patient load of 2-3, RN responsible for total care, no NAs generally...if that's what you were asking.

I've always kept more than one resume about myself with a 'focus' on my experience in a given industry. In addition to my comprehensive resume I have a medical, an IT, and a sales resume, and try to start off using those - I only include my pertinent experience on each, and am up front about the fact that "this is my resume focusing on my medical experience" or the like. If they want the whole picture, I give the comprehensive one. I don't believe there's a liability in giving someone a 'focused' resume, so long as you've made them aware of the fact.

Depends on your definition of 'hands on' nursing. If by that you mean 'hands on dirty bed linens', there's a ton of things that you could consider in lieu that's not as 'hands on' in that regard: 1. nursing research 2. legal consultation 3. documentation/care plan/claims review for insurance and regulatory agencies 4. working for social services / care management 5. forensic nursing (not S.A.N.E. nursing necessarily, more for a coroner's office or the like researching the scene, interviewing family/relatives for medical history, etc- it's as close to CSI as a nurse can get. )

Thanks for the response. One of the advantages of having had a *lot* of clinical sites (seven in my case) throughout nursing school is figuring out how 'things are done' in a variety of settings. The basic patient care, assessments, med admin all seem to be much the same, the major differences seem to lie within documentation, and acquainting yourself with a different set of doc preferences. Anyone else have some insights on my various questions?

From what I understand, it's approximately a 3 year program. I honestly haven't looked into it yet, though.

Yes, there is a 2 year-to nurse practitioner school here in Ohio, I believe it is Kenyon College.

I did mine the community college route, ADN, I ended up with about 17k in loans owed, but I also *lived* on loans and took out the full amounts allotted. That's peanuts to repay when you look at the average RN salary.

I was a nursing assistant for a very long time before I became an RN, I'd strongly recommend doing it for a bit to help determine if nursing is right for you. Keep in mind there's no such thing as a duty that is purely a 'nursing assistant's 'dirty work'. RNs and LPNs can and DO do everything a CNA does. The assistants are there to help the nurse with the tasks that *the nurse* is ultimately responsible for getting done, with or without the help of a NA.