Barb2000

The hospital I did clinicals at hired student nurses as tech's. Is this an option for you?

I have been a RN for 12 years, and these stories really upset me. I wish those nurses had been much more supportive to you. I have worked in places that had student nurses and new grads. I will say most of my co-workers were supportive to these nurses, but I still saw a select few experienced nurses continually put down the efforts of those new people who just wanted to learn. It's too bad that those type nurses have forgotten what it is like to be a new grad. We all know there is a nursing shortage, and the last thing we need to be doing is driving out our up-and-coming nurses. I hope you have an opportunity to get back to ER nursing if that is what you want. I am sure you will be one of those compassionate nurses that help someone new to the profession excel.

What used to take me 30 minutes, now takes me 60. This is due to the hurricanes (I live on the Gulf Coast). Construction on the roads (from Hurricane Ivan 2 years ago), is still going on, but hopefully in the next couple years, I'll be back to 30 minutes again.

I just got out of the military where adultery is a punishable crime. I only hope that although it is morally wrong to do this, a hospital cannot take action for this between to consenting adults. The patients should not be made aware of any personal business between any dating workers, whether one is married or not. That is the only problem I have with it. Does anybody really know what is going on in the home of this doctor? Maybe his wife is doing the same...maybe there is some sort of weird agreement betrween them concerning this. Who knows? But I definitely agree that patients should never know about anything personal with those who care for them, that is very unprofessional.

I worked in an ICU where occassionally we had pregnant women who were on treatments that could potentially harm the fetus. The approach was that you always treated the mother first. If their was an alternative that decreased fetal risks, that was always preferred, but if not, mom's health was paramount. In the case presented, if the mother isn't saved, the fetus would not survive anyway. So, if a nurse refused, they would lose both patients.

I have always worked in facilities where if I had real concerns about how a MD was handling a patient's condition, there was always someone above me and above that MD that could be contacted to intervene. It was not always easy to do this, because some MD's took offense, and didn't like to be questioned. BUT, I was told if I ever just let the situation go, and it went to court, I would be just as guilty for allowing it to continue, and that could jeopardize my license. I guess I am lucky, as in all facilities I have worked in there was a chain of command for handling MD's who didn't seem to be taking care of the patient appropriately. I would definitely let the charge nurse know what is going on if that happens again, as they should know what is the appropriate action in that particular facility.

To LT Dan: I worked with a LTJG Dan at Jacksonville Naval Hospital in 1997-1999, in the ICU. I won't post the last name here, but would that happened to have been you? He was always referred to as LT Dan. Just curious... LTJG Barbara (at the time)

I work with nurses in this type of program, and each state is different on requirements of the key restriction. In Florida, the nurse does NOT have to tell EVERYONE she works with. Only her supervisor (the charge nurse if on nights), and whoever is going to be the person to pass her narcotics since she/he is not able to do this. The supervisor fills out reports that get sent to the board if they feel the nurse is having problems. It is the nurses responsibility to let that charge nurse know about the restriction, and ensure that someone else will handle the passing of those meds. I also hadn't been told by admin about one of the nurses with this restriction, BUT she told me as she is required to for her first night of work. And a few times other RNs tried to hand her the keys, or get her to count meds, and at that time she did tell them NO, and when asked, explained why. She didn't have to tell them why, if she didn't want to, but she did have to refuse the keys, and anything else associated with narcs. It's too bad that admin did not pass this on to staff, but still, it is the restricted nurse's responsbility to inform those who need to know. States also monitor a restricted nurses employment status, and if they quit, the state wants to know why. So, they will eventually find out anyway. And if she took the meds, a required random drug screen could pick this up. The DON should be approachable on this subject. If she agreed to hire the nurse with the restrictions, she should have ensured things were set in place to help her be successful in her return to work. It could just be that the nurse realized it was too difficult to work at that place, that the DON didn't at least care enough about the nurse to assist with her re-entry into nursing with restrictions, and felt it was better to just not return as she was risking relapse at that facility. She may have already notified her monitoring counselor of the situation. The DON should have a copy of her restrictions with her counselor's name and phone #, so she should be the one to follow up on this. As a recovered addict herself, I would have expected her (or him) to have handled this better for everyone involved.

I just started at a LTC facility, working nights with a differential, and am making 20.50/hr. That is with 10 years of experience. This is in the Florida panhandle where the cost of living is pretty low, so people say I am making really good money for this area. I just moved here from CA, so it is hard for me to know if I am working for too little. There the pay was up to 40/hr, but the area is unbelievably expensive. So, you have to look at area property values, etc.

I just want to add that I have seen some posts encouraging you to surrender your license as it will look better than losing it through the board. Be very careful about doing this. To get in most Alternative to Discipline programs, you still have to have your license. The point of the program is to get you back into nursing (if that is what you want), and you have to have a license to do this. If you surrender your license, you will have to wait up to 1-2 years to have it reinstated, and that is usually only after you prove that you have participated in an accepted recovery program on your own. That means documented UDS, AA/NA meetings, chemical dependency evaluations, and individual counseling. If you go immediately to the alternative program, they have you sign a contract where you agree to go to whatever inpatient/outpatient program they feel you need, with AA/NA meetings, random UDS and nurse support meetings following. They allow you to return to nursing with some restrictions within a few months. Unless you really want to give up nursing for awhile, DO NOT surrender your license. The process for reinstatement is not easy. You will not work in nursing for at least a year, maybe longer. Also, alot of nurses have found out the hard way that by surrendering their license, they were put on the Office of Inspector Generals's list. This means they can never work in a federally funded facility (medicaid, medicare reimbursement, VA, etc) at all, even if it is in a non-nursing job, such as housekeeping, billing, etc. They have to get their license reinstated to get taken off the list. I know in Florida, if a nurse has to go before the board, they will ask if he/she would be willing to go to their alternative to discipline program (call IPN), and if they are, their is no revoking of license. I hope this is something you will consider, and your state offers it. Just make sure if you want to surrender your license, you are aware of all the consequences in your state. A nursing lawyer should know this. A good website for advice on this is Nurses in Recovery.

I was a single parent of a baby (no child support) when I went for my BSN. It was a struggle, but somehow I made it through. I obtained employment at the university I was attending (which worked around my school hours). It was only part time minimal wage, but it was something. My financial status qualified me for a grant that covered almost all my tuition, books, fees. Then, I was still able to take out student loans to cover my housing (a very cheap apt), and living expenses. I found a church with reasonable daycare fees, but you might even be able to find a sliding scale type fee arrangement with the county? I got food stamps to get help with that expense. I had no extra money for 4 years, but am so glad I did it when my daughter was so little. I graduated with alot of debt, but was able to get a great paying job, and still ten years later am paying off those student loans. But it was so worth it. I am still further ahead financially than I would have been if I had put school off. I really had to tighten my belt, and had to keep focused on my goal to get through each day, and remind myself it would all pay off. My daughter has no recollection of how rough we had it, and I am so glad that when she needs things now, I know I can provide them. Talk to the financial assistance counselor at the school you want to attend, and ask about ANYTHING available that could help you get through school, including grants, scholarships, and loans. Ask about job placement at the school. Good Luck to you!

LadyInPain: I have worked with nurses and MD's who have gotten in trouble with drug use at work, including prescription forgery. If they are not pressing charges, count yourself lucky. Some of them did face charges, and when convicted lost their license until they completed their sentence and had their civil rights restored. Most, actually, did not lose their license, as they were allowed to participate in an Alternative to Discipline program (each state has a different name for theirs). It seemed that once they agreed to go to treatment and enter this program, most hospital, clinics, etc., agreed to not pursue charges if they felt the individual was making a genuine attempt at recovery, and would be monitored by the nrsg brd and medical board. Some did have chronic pain, and were still able to have their pain managed and continue working. But, as stated in a previous post, they had to agree to have (in my state's program) : 5 years of drug screening (calling in everyday to see if an observed urine screen was due, with an expected minimum to 2 a month), nursing support group meetings weekly, AA/NA meetings weekly, and individual counseling. All of which have to be documented and sent to the monitoring program. Before all this even started, they had to go to either 28-day inpt or 10 week outpt programs. Most did not have insurance (as they had been fired), so had to pay out of pocket. BUT, as long as they agreed to abide by their monitoring contract, and do all asked, they got to keep their license, with restrictions. Usually no narcotic access for up to a year, and only working in a supervised position. Addiction is a disease, and makes people do things they normally wouldn't. So, I think it is great that not all places or people want to just put medical professionals in jail and throw away the key! If they want to make a change, and will put the effort into it, they should be given a second chance. And I am glad the nursing and medical boards see it this way too.

I was a former L&D nurse, and though none happened at my hospital, I remember cases being presented at inservices where mothers refused C/S. In one, a mother was forced to undergo a C/S, literally held down with anesthesia knocking her out despite her refusal of the procedure, and the baby was found to not have been in any distress, as originally thought. The staff was charged with assault. This, I know, is an extreme case. I do think women should be held accountable if they choose to not pursue a C/S and the baby has problems as a result. But, there have been situations where the MD's were adamant a baby was in distress, the mother had a lady partsl birth despite staff's pleas, and the baby was fine. One thing I noticed in L&D was that all the OB's had different criteria as to who needed a C/S. One would allow a baby to decel for a longer period than another, before deciding to recommend C/S. It was based on their own comfort level as to what was going on. If it was decided a woman had to undergo it if a OB deemed it necessary, HOW exactly would you do it if a mother continued to refuse. I mean, how would you do it. Are you going to restrain a woman and just do it as she protests. Are you going to slip it in her IV as she lays there unaware of what is going on. I just don't see how you can make a C/S happen, while treating a patient in an ethical manner. I do believe she should be made accountable after the fact if something has happened to the baby due to her refusal.

our patients initially had to be escorted also, a block away, to allow them to smoke. however, this was stopped, as the facility felt protecting staff from second hand smoke superseded a patient's right to smoke. staff also have rights to not be exposed to harmful substances like that.