Sisyphus_01

To you maybe, LOL. But, damn. I'm already having a hard time because I'm studying to go to med school and I'm a giant obsessive dork who gets really excited about medicine and I've accidentally gotten too stoked a few times before a nurse has gotten to know me and gone into a schpeal talking to the patient about the pathophysiology of something a patient is experiencing... all the info was correct, but it was "out of my scope." Most of my nurses know me now and encourage me to educate the patients because they know I won't talk about something unless I know what I'm talking about and that I am basically just regurgitating from textbooks, but some of the nurses who haven't gotten to know me yet are still sort of (and VERY RIGHTFULLY SO) worried when I start spouting stuff. Most CNA's should for the love of GOD not say a damned word... I hate to say I'm an exception, but I am... but I will totally back off if a nurse asks me to, but that doesn't happen once they get to know me. I have no life except studying medicine. Seriously... it's kind of sad and glorious at the same time.

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WHOA... My name is also Delaney B. and I work as a nurse tech... now I think I understand the weird vibe I've been receiving from my nurses on the floor today. Dude...whoa. For the record... my name is Delaney B. and I am a CNA in Tennessee and I respect nurses very much. So, yeah. Don't hate me if you work with me because I AM NOT the OP.

There are also post-bacc pre-med programs, they can be intensive, but can really help you get into med school in many cases, some have upwards of a 90% acceptance rate into med schools and offer "linkages" med schools that sometimes don't require the MCAT! A Guide to Postbac Premed Programs: Another Route to Med School

This post might shed some light, the OP did what you are talking about, perhaps if they are still active you can PM them?

this post might shed some light? They are very different disciplines, but this member did it. Perhaps if they are still online and active you could pm them? https://allnurses.com/registered-nurses-diploma/nursing-school-vs-991251.html

Relevant article ? Apply to Medical School With an Undergraduate Nursing Degree - US News

I work on a med-surg unit as a tech and have been totally blown away at the LACK of bullying and environment of acceptance and teamwork. Our nurses usually have 4 or 5 patients and rarely have 6, in fact, that only happens when someone calls out. However, I do work night shift so perhaps that has something to do with it? Regardless, I am going to ask some of my nurses what makes where I work different than where they worked before. Perhaps I could pass along some of the things our floor/hospital does differently and help out. Here's what I know: Usually we have 6 nurses on shift and 2 techs, day shift has 3 techs and I'm not sure how many nurses. Our nurse managers are AWESOME and used to be floor nurses themselves! We also have clinical staff leaders who act as a liaison to the nurse manager...not sure if that's normal as this is my first healthcare job. Every week we have a weekly summary emailed out where people can give "kudos" to other staff members for the work they did during their shifts, it is so awesome reading those! Our charge nurses actually STAY on the the floor most of the time and help out with duties when we are short handed, again not sure if this is abnormal. Above all, we look out for each other and have one another's backs. I have had my charge nurse ask me and other nurses if we've eaten, and if we say no, she will tell us to take a break and she'll take over while we eat. I love my floor.

I think the reason so many jumped on the bandwagon of #Nursesunite is because it had a great amount of publicity. Simple as that. NOW why don't we use this publicity to our advantage and sneak in REAL ISSUES with the #Nursesunite hashtag posts ?

We need some COBs to sound off on this with their experience. Specifically, in your experience, please answer one or more of the following: *WERE things ever different/better? *WHAT factors do you think caused the changes? *HOW, in your estimation, can we fix these problems? Admittedly, I don't know how to approach this issue at all, I am a NEW-B beseeching the COB's and others with more insight into the situation. I think if we approach this logically and do a sort of forensic autopsy of the nursing position of old, we might be able to figure this thing out together. What was the cause of death?

I wear the Nurse Mates brand medical grade compression HOSE see here: Medical Compression - Nude - Nurse Mates Womens I tried socks and stockings and found both simply rolled down my legs and left a nasty and painful indentation. The nurse mates hose have held up ok, the only runs were caused by me pulling too hard on them and I definitely do not have the swelling and dead legs feeling I was plagued with after a shift before I started wearing them. IMPORTANT make sure to get the correct size (look at the size chart in the link I provided) I bought one pair that were a size too small and this resulted in some discomfort in the inner thighs as some of the weave broke down due to my thigh-aliciousness . I'm also not a fan of tight waistbands, so I made a vertical cut on both sides of the waistband above my hips and they are about as comfy as hose can be. Just be sure not to make the cut too long or the band will stop holding up the hose :). I LOVE the seams around the toes... they are super comfy and reinforced and the hose really support the feet. Anyway, just my two cents. :)

I work at a hospital as a CNA and feel extremely valued, but I did clinicals at an LTC where I felt very devalued. It depends on where you're working and who you're working with. I feel very fortunate that I work with nurses and doctors who see me as an integral part of the health care team. Doctors and nurses where I work are very helpful and don't mind pitching in which is so amazing. Just this morning after shift, a doctor helped me boost a patient up in bed... it was a beautiful thing... a "let's roll our sleeves up and do this thing together" moment!

I'm prepared to be flamed for this, but... no... just no. Time spent training is what makes people better, see Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule. NPs are a valuable asset to the patient care team, but they cannot and should not replace physicians. IMHO, NP's wanting to be defacto doctors without going through the training diminishes the perception of nursing as a whole and cheapens what NP's bring to the table. Nursing is a school of thought and practice that at its heart is very different from the medical model. Respect nursing and allow it to be what it is, a valuable part of patient care, it's not less than medicine, it's different. Hence, there are different roles and different responsibilities. I'm pretty sure that the hospital where I work would flip a lid if a physician tried to give a patient a bed bath or change a patient's brief... that is out of their scope. Plus, I'm pretty sure they'd make a giant mess and as a tech, I'd have to clean it up... lol. You want to practice in the same way a doctor does without NP restrictions? Go to medical school. This crap is tantamount to a civilian pilot whining that he can't be a naval pilot and demanding that he be allowed to assume the role with his current level of expertise ... dude... you aren't trained to do all the stuff you need to do. You don't like it? Tough. Want to be a naval pilot? Go do the work, get the training. No, being a naval pilot isn't better than being a civilian pilot IT'S JUST DIFFERENT and additional training is required. I'm sure a naval pilot would also have to learn quite a few things in order to become a civilian pilot. Also, your argument that a surgeon's rotation through ICU as a resident would not impact their ability to be a better practitioner is ludicrous. Where do you think surgical patients go after surgery? Quite often, it is the SICU. Knowing where your patient is going and having seen the consequences of different decisions that were made by the surgeon is a powerful learning opportunity for a budding surgeon. Here's just a few examples of things a surgery resident would learn in an ICU rotation: "GY I/II - Surgical Intensive Care Unit Service A. Medical Knowledge The resident should learn in depth the fundamentals of basic science as they apply to patients in the intensive care unit. Examples include anatomy, physiology and patholophysiology of the cardiovascular, respiratory, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, hematologic, endocrine systems, respiratory failure, coronary ischemia, shock, malnutrition, stress ulceration, nonocclusive intestinal ischemia, antibiotic-associated colitis, antibiotic resistance, jaundice, and renal insufficiency. The resident should understand the rationale for admission and discharge criteria in the ICU. The resident should understand factors associated with assessment of preoperative surgical risk. Examples include evaluation of the high risk cardiac patient undergoing non-cardiac surgery. The resident should understand fluid compositions and the effect of the losses of such fluids as gastric, pancreatic and biliary fistulas at various levels. The resident should understand the indications for, and complications of blood component therapy. The resident should be able to discuss the pathophysiology of respiratory failure. The resident should be able to demonstrate an understanding of acid-base disorders, including diagnosis, etiology, and instituting appropriate treatment. The resident should be able to discuss the pathophysiology, indications, and complications associated with various modes of mechanical ventilation. Examples include ventilator management of ALI, ARDS and thoracic trauma, as well as weaning from ventilatory support. The resident should understand the role of hormones and cytokines in the graded metabolic response to injury, surgery and infection. The resident should understand the indications, routes and complications of administration of parenteral and enteral forms of nutrition. The resident should understand the factors associated with altered mental status. Examples include traumatic, septic, metabolic and pharmacologic causes. The resident should understand the risk factors associated with stress gastritis. The resident should understand the causes and treatment regimens for gastrointestinal bleeding. Examples include bleeding from upper and lower GI sources. The resident should understand the factors associated with bleeding disorders. Examples include DIC, ITP, hemophilia, coagulopathy associated with shock and hypothermia. The resident should understand the pathophysiology of hemodynamic instability. Examples include types of shock, cardiac arrest. The resident should know and apply treatments for arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, acute ischemia and pulmonary edema. The resident should understand adjuncts to the analysis of respiratory mechanics and gas exchange. Examples include work of breathing, rapid shallow breathing index, CO2 analysis and dead space measurements. The resident should understand fluid and electrolyte as well as acid/base abnormalities associated with complex surgical procedures and complications. Examples include massive fluid shifts associated with trauma, shock and resuscitation, high output fistulas and renal failure. The resident should understand the pathophysiology associated with endocrine emergencies in the ICU. Examples include thyroid storm, hyper, hypoparathyroid states and adrenal insufficiency. The resident should understand the risk factors and common pathogens that are associated with nosocomial infections. The resident should be able to discuss the mechanism of action as well as the spectrum of antimicrobial activity of the different antibiotic classes. Examples include carbapenams, extended spectrum penicillins and fluoroquinolones. The resident should understand the risk factors that result in multiply resistant organisms. Examples include antibiotic dosing, antibiotic synergy and transmission patterns. The resident should be able to discuss the factors that result in an immunocompromised state. Examples include malignancy, major trauma and steroids. The resident should understand the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury and neural disease. Examples include knowledge of intracranial pressure monitoring and maneuvers to normalize ICP. The resident should be able to discuss the pathophysiology, presentation, and causes of hepatic failure. The resident should be able to discuss the pathophysiology, presentation, and causes of renal failure and indications for intermittent dialysis or continuous hemofiltration. Examples include pre-renal failure, acute tubular necrosis, hepatorenal syndrome. The resident should be able to discuss end of life ethical issues. Examples include organ donation and withdrawal of support." SICU Resident Orientation - Training & Education - Trauma, Critical Care, and Burns - Division of Surgery, UCSD #dealwithit #sorryi'mnotsorry

These are so full of win...

I would leave. Sounds like a gnarly place. Keep in mind that with those types of nurses, the place you're working could develop a bad reputation and could cause trouble down the line for you when looking for another job. For instance, I'm sure there were some good nurses working at Blackwell's Island in the late 1880's, but after Nellie Bly's piece I bet they took pains to distance themselves from the institution.

I have been guilty of the "doll" and "dear" thing as well as "dude" and "man"... It's like my mouth can't decide if it wants to offend by being nauseatingly southern or overtly hippie... I almost swallow my tongue every time those words slip out...

Once, I was helping a lady walk back from the bathroom to her bed. She grabbed my hand weakly, I switched to a more appropriate stabilizing technique and then said, "This is how we walk you." I have rarely been more disgusted with myself ...

I think it also depends on the types of tasks you enjoy doing. I really am not a big fan of ADL's so I LOVE nights. I also love that when a night goes well I have time to dig into the charts and learn about stuff, there would be almost zero time for that on days. Plus I get to be my slightly weird and silly self with a smaller chance of offending someone :)

*Ambulating patients (OMG, WHAT IF THEY FALL!??! What if they poop and it runs down their legs and then they slip in it?!?! What if I slip in it??? *nervous tittering*) *Putting on those disposable blood pressure cuffs which REFUSE to go on correctly and then REFUSE to come off without some herculean prying ... stupid velcro. *Bathing patients (Is the temperature right? Is this towel too rough for their skin? :unsure:What if I get soap in their eyes? Also, somehow I always seem to get water on everything and I never really feel like I did it "right"... I think I might like those shampoo caps, I haven't tried them yet but they look cool and decidedly less messy, plus there are time indicators for how long to massage the hair or whatever:up:) *Repositioning patients (Did I do it right?!? It doesn't look right ...the sheets are uneven *more nervous tittering*) I don't necessarily loathe these things, but they are tasks that make me nervous because of the potential for patient injury and/or because I can't know if I'm doing them perfectly... I'm a smidge obsessive :

I work as a CNA so I don't do all the stuff nurses do, obviously, but I really like the following tasks: *I actually don't mind cleaning super gnarly poop, mostly because I have a superhuman tolerance for nasty and as a result I get these looks of utter shock and awe from gagging coworkers because I'm wiping, humming, and making chit chat with the patient while some inhuman stench is raping the air. *Catching a clinical sign or symptom that is important that no one else noticed :) *Being able to calm and/or connect with a patient that hates almost everyone *Emptying urinary drainage bags (I know, weird... I think it's because there's nothing subjective about it. When I'm done I can say with confidence that I didn't mess it up, plus I like the clicky noise the foley makes when it locks back into the bag *hahaha!*) *Putting patients on telemetry, I love getting all the stickies lined up, filling out the telemetry request form and faxing it off :) *Feeding patients *When I'm one of the only ones able to understand what a patient is saying who has trouble speaking, it feels awesome to see the frustration melt from the patient's face *Winning over an abusive/crabby patient to the point that they say, "thank you" and are excited to see you come on shift *Preparing Blood collection kits (placing the tubes, the gauze, the butterfly, etc. into the baggie and collecting blood when I can get a good stick) :) *Placing catheters, nothing better than seeing that first bit of pee flow! *Sending stuff off through the tube system *WHOOOSH* *Stocking supply carts (not sure if this is a nursing task, but I really like doing it... I can organize things, and again, it's something where I KNOW I did a good job when I'm done lol)

Using the call light like a room service bell. We have pagers that let us know when a patient has hit their call light. I had a patient who would hit the call light almost every 30 minutes for one particular snack, this patient literally used up our inventory of said item almost everyday. The abuse of the call light led to other patient's pages getting buried in the pager since I can only view the most recent page unless I delete it. Very frustrating and dangerous for other patients. I finally had a talk with the patient and set some ground rules.

Thanks guys! I'm gonna ask the nurses for clarification, it seems like most things say oxygen doesn't effect oral temp, but I'm getting mixed results when I'm searching...for instance, I found this in Mosby's Comprehensive Review of Practical Nursing for the NCLEX-PN® Exam from 2013

Hi, I'm a new CNA working at a hospital and have noticed that we take oral temps on all patients including those with NG tubes and oxygen. I was taught that in such instances we should use an alternative means of obtaining temperature. The patients I work with are very sick and I feel that ensuring the temperature is accurate and will not cause the pt distress is important, but no one else seems concerned. What should I do?

Thank you so much for posting this! I agree 100%... if someone asks a question don't post a response that derides the question or them as a person. Not only is that type of response OT, it's rude and reflects poorly on the profession of nursing.

Bed pans make it easier to measure urinary output (UOP) and observe the color, clarity, amount, and odor of the pee... .super important. If the PT is on Intake and Output (IOP) poise pads would make it kind of impossible to accurately record the amount of pee coming out. There are also special bedpans called FX bedpans (fracture or orthopedic bedpans) designed for use in pt's who can't roll on their side due to back surgery, leg fx, hip replacement, etc. The logistics are different with each pt depending on their injury but usually you get them to elevate their hips a teeny bit. This is usually done one of two ways, either have the PT bend their good leg at the knee and push down with their foot onto the bed to raise their hips or if legs are immobilized, the pt uses the trapeze to raise their hips. Once their hips are raised a bit, you slide the FX bedpan under the pt like a doorstop. The deeper end facing toward the FOB. It's uncomfortable, but I think the PT would be a whole lot more uncomfortable with dying because I sacrificed getting an accurate IOP for their comfort lol.Schedule