NurseSpeedy ADN, LPN, RN

NurseSpeedy has 18 years experience as a ADN, LPN, RN.

NurseSpeedy's Latest Activity

1. 

   Four 12s in a row?!?! 😭😭

   NurseSpeedy replied to NightNerd's topic in Nursing

   In my youth, I loved having my days bunched together and then having a long stretch off. Once my soon to be mother in law was in the state traveling and that’s when I was able to make a 6 day vacation with my now husband to meet her and have a vacation at the same time but not actually have any time off requested. It just worked out that way. The only time it truly sucked was if I was sick (common cold, gi bug, etc) and had to brave threw it or worse yet-started with a group from hell that I knew wasn’t going anywhere that week. Then I realized a great way to avoid that and get a pay bump-I went float pool and I hardly ever got the same assignment two days in a row so if it was real bad, I could usually luck out the next day with a different unit assigned anyway. Now that I’m older-HATE 12s but most places use them only. Three in a row left me brain dead but part of it was because I was stuck on the same darn unit all the time with a clientele made for the Dr. Phil intervention episode marathon. I had to request that they only schedule two in a row for my sanity. I tried going pooL but it was the unit no one wanted so.....yeah, no luck getting floated. I think part of that was my age and point in my life. Married, older, with a young 5 year old at home- it was a lot harder than when I was single or younger and married but no child yet. Now, I work part time and not at the bedside. I had almost 20 years there though.
2. 

   Getting off the "do not hire" list?

   NurseSpeedy replied to cmf2021's topic in Nursing

   Had that happen years ago, small hospital, last hour of a 16 hour shift. Borrowed OR scrub pants-stripped off the shoe and sock and washed my leg/foot well since isolation patient (got the part that the gown didn't cover-I’m tall. And earned a patient sock and OR booty shoe cover for the end of the 10pm-11pm hour. Thinking back, I must of been quite a site to the oncoming shift-worked a double and got peed on for it!
3. 

   Getting off the "do not hire" list?

   NurseSpeedy replied to cmf2021's topic in Nursing

   They will find out, likely through your social, and then you will probably never have a chance for employment because now you lied about your employment history (by not including it or just checking no instead of yes for previously employment with them). I worked for HCA as an LPN under my maiden name but through their agency. When I worked for them 10 years later as an RN employee- new name and title- same employee 3/4 ID number-was told same ID for life-no matter what role. The first file was from 2005....so the records go way back.
4. 

   Rationing Care in COVID: Whose life is worth saving?

   NurseSpeedy replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nursing

   I haven’t had a chance to read all responses yet as I have to get up for the morning to work, but didn’t NY get a naval ship to prevent this issue that they didn’t really need after everything hung was over? Why on earth couldn’t the same thing be done for California? Rationing care, here in the USA-at least give them a chance unless they do not want it (Ex: no living will stating otherwise)? This is getting out of hand and the complete screw up with rolling out the vaccine does not help anything. None of those vaccines should have gone to waste because some idiot couldn’t decide how to distribute them prior to expiration.
5. 

   Is it reasonable for Nurses to be fired who "ran away" from work during the pandemic?

   NurseSpeedy replied to DK123's topic in Disasters

   Please do not even compare COVID19 to the flu. They were allowed to go on leave. You have no idea what their circumstances were and they have the right to privacy. Many nurses have pre-existing conditions or family members in their household at risk. They chose what they had to do at the time. If the facility allows them to come back now then that’s their choice-and they may be coming back now because they’ve had the vaccine and are at a much lower risk of contracting the virus and won’t need to disappear again. There’s been a vaccine for the flu for years. Sometimes effective, sometimes not-but we never had refrigerated trucks outside facilities as temporary storage morgues either in the past.
6. 

   If Nurses are "Essential", Why Can't We Be Treated Like It?

   NurseSpeedy replied to Catalin's topic in Nursing

   I actually did just that working 6-7 12-16 hours shifts a week at the end of the year in 2005 as an LPN between three employers. I got taxed through the nose by my main employer during OT and regular with two per diem jobs...didn’t see much more in my actual check and the got kicked in the teeth and had to PAY another $1k at tax time. I was anticipating a big return-CPA dad informed me that I had pushed myself into the bracket just above with all the OT and basically screwed my self. Never did that again.
7. 

   Nurses are Pushed to the Brink

   NurseSpeedy replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Disasters

   Agreed-and with COVID being a reality, who the hell would want to work for the same amount they can make at a grocery store with a lot less risk-yeah it’s still there too but coughing in public is almost like a crime now. Patients aren’t wearing masks. Some people may really need a job, but many are not willing to deal with the craziness of COVID without some incentive for putting their own lives on the line.
8. 

   5 Things to Know About Mutant Virus B.1.1.7

   NurseSpeedy replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Disasters

   At this point we will probably all get something and live through it or go crazy trying to avoid it. Been in quarantine since March. Hubby works for OR equipment manufacturer. He went in for a repair today. They had to move him to another room due to a trauma case. Then they started trying to role dead bodies into the room. That’s when he said he was calling it a day and hopes to not have a any visitors when he finishes the job tomorrow. Outside-a two mile long line for those to get the vaccine since the hospital had a surplus-some workers rejected the vaccine so it was going out to the community. I just hope they are careful since there are bound to be some resistant forms that emerge. Vaccines don’t make us bullet proof-they just hopefully help us survive it with a better outcome than if we didn’t have them.
9. 

   I Really Do Not Want the COVID Vaccine 😞

   NurseSpeedy replied to AspiringNurse94's topic in Disasters

   While quitting a job and moving to a remote area seems a bit of a stretch the first part I have to agree with-big liberal government has never been a welcome thing in my option. I don’t believe someone should be forced to purchase health insurance or get taxed through the rear (although I do pay for it), I don’t think someone should be forced to get a vaccine (although I do want one), and I do think that everyone should wear some form of mask-and be educated on how the CORRECT way to wear it is, especially if they don’t get a vaccine, because I see people possibly self contaminating themselves constantly. Years ago I wouldn’t really care if we had a Democrat or republican president-its just now everything is so severe to one way or another-and the house and senate were supposed to balance power so nothing too crazy could happen. That stopped a long time ago. And it’s a bit ironic-I received my absentee ballots prior to 2008-then they stopped arriving and I had to go in person-after my ballot not arriving 3 times I changed my status to in person because I wasn’t getting one sent to me otherwise-but I got an extra line to wait in for it...three times-three missing ballots-just wondering where they went...or if maybe there was some hope I’d be too lazy or afraid to show up.
10. 

    I Really Do Not Want the COVID Vaccine 😞

    NurseSpeedy replied to AspiringNurse94's topic in Disasters

    I have thought about it and will get the vaccine when available. Unfortunately, my work as a nurse is not in a hospital or nursing home so I will problem not be able to get it early. My husband travels for work (medical service personnel) and is not sure if he will be considering in that first round of vaccines-but he’s in and out of hospitals. I’m high risk-last year’s flu almost landed me in the hospital (md got be an lender nebulizer until one could be delivered and did antibiotic and steroid shots in his office along with oral with the promise if I got worse I would either come back in for another dose or go to ER). I have asthma, autoimmune disorders, and a low wbc count (2.1) so COVID19 is not a visitor I want to play the let’s see game. Also, something to consider- there are some young people who had what seemed like mild covid only to end up in really bad shape in the ICU later- healthy, no pre-existing conditions-and then months later in the ICU from a covid related issue... just make me think that young people don’t realize this thing can still come back to sting you. Kind of like shingles post varicella-but a hell of a lot worse.
11. 

    I Really Do Not Want the COVID Vaccine 😞

    NurseSpeedy replied to AspiringNurse94's topic in Disasters

    Because it is probably going to take that long to have enough vaccines to give it to those who want it - and have enough time for them to show immunity-and masking will be required if people resist getting the vaccine. We aren’t crazy enough to issue a vaccine license to get out of wearing a mask for those who won’t get the vaccine and for a handful that do not seroconvert after the vaccine (this is more common than I would of thought with MMR and varicella vaccines in adults with negative titers who got the vaccine again).
12. 

    Degree Devastation - School Lost Accreditation

    NurseSpeedy replied to Ccne reject's topic in Nursing

    So sorry to hear your story. I had a friend that was in his last term at a private school in Florida before they literally closed their doors-had to redo the whole thing at another school. This time he planned to go to a well known community college and just deal with the wait. It’s a lot of work, time, and money lost when these horrible things happen. I found out that there were some issues going on with my LPN program at the time I graduated by my instructor (after the fact). It turned out in the schools favor but there were allegations made by some students that I guess really had the board considering yanking their accreditation-and it was a public vocational partially county funded program...
13. 

    Surprise, Surprise... COVID Contacts after Thanksgiving... great!

    NurseSpeedy replied to Amethya's topic in School

    Good lord, reminds me of years ago when parents would find out another child had the chicken pox and suddenly wanted to have a party with that child as the special guest. Hope they plan on taking off work and self quarantining with their positive child and then wait on returning to work themselves. Some of these kids have pre-existing conditions, some of their parents are at risk-and some have grandparents living in their home. Yes, most kids will do fine-not really the same to be said about some of the school staff or the family that they are bringing it home to share.
14. 

    Med Surg nurse being given Tele Patients

    NurseSpeedy replied to Morning Glory's topic in Nursing

    I have never seen a patient in need of progressive care, tele, or Med surge placed in psych unit they are medically cleared and with a psych condition that would be transferred after medically cleared. If they are in L&D....well, then ...there better be a baby about to be born or there is no way they would be on that floor. But hey, I’m in Florida-we do a lot of crazy things but sick patients in psych willl never happen and L&D is strictly labor and delivery. I have worked in ICU units in one hospital that would be step down in another-when it comes to Med/surg, tele, progressive, and even ICU. Different hospitals have different levels of care that vary greatly where the patient is placed. When near capacity, beds are assigned sometimes based on, hey there’s a bed if an appropriate one isn’t available. It stinks but it’s reality.
15. 

    Med Surg nurse being given Tele Patients

    NurseSpeedy replied to Morning Glory's topic in Nursing

    Whenever I was floated to units that had patients with some things I would need assistance with it was given to me. I was a Med/surg LPN and was floated all over the hospital-including ICU. I was willing to learn and was given the less severe patients, but was never expected to interpret a wonky ekg or titrate an unfamiliar drip. A qualified coworker would take care of that part and then I would monitor and do remaining care. I later went on for my RN and the same was implemented-speak up if you are uncomfortable and need assistance with a specific area of a patients care, but honestly there are a lot of patients on tele just as a precaution due to pre-existing history or thought that better safe than sorry. The majority of the patients I had on tele with Med surg probably could of done without it.
16. 

    New grad from online RN program with ZERO CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

    NurseSpeedy replied to angel1312's topic in Nursing

    This is scary as hell. Where have the standards gone? We had to have some many hours of logged clinical experience in order to graduate. Your best bet is a job with a great training program or something. Hopefully covid will get under control by some point where a decent training option would be available. Sorry, but your school has done you wrong.