Straydandelion

I am for healthcare workers getting the flu shot in order not to spread it to the general public. I also think it may be going too far to "mandate" it however taking care of disabled family members I see the necessity of this. The facillity has two choices IMO in order to make sure their facillity remains safe for patients... either mandate the flu vaccine or not and tell the healthcare workers that elect NOT to receive it, the facillity has the option of asking them not to come to work during the flu season. I don't think most people would be happy with that alternative either.

The trick for the mole is to only stick the head up occasionally then duck, not to keep it up to be hit continuously. Sort of like parents do "pick the best fights and leave the small ones alone". Apparently someone in your meeting misunderstood your information and brought that back to your boss. I would just go and talk to her explaining what you said exactly and even invite her to the next meeting....then let things cool down a little. There is nothing you can do to change some issues, possibly things to change others. As far as daytime help, if you could at least get a tech, US for those times that would help. Ask your boss to possibly be able to pull someone from another area for a few hours? Just some ideas to compromise may help.

Because a lot seem to disappear where I work and have lost a good one before, I picked the more obvious/rare color for mine.. bright neon pink LOL. I am not sure if they still sell that color, but I STILL have it after all this time.

I doubt she was in pain if not showing any HOWEVER I hope she has something ordered for pain if needed, as a prn..this would help the family member be relieved she would be well taken care of if the event arises.

Having flat feet I need the arch and have found Reebok running shoes the best for me. I think a lot depends on your feet.

Lots of health insurance DO cover yearly screening and preventative care. In the USA the health insurance companies are out for the money ergo it costs less to prevent a problem then treat it once it is there.

Not liking generalizations about ANY group, being a med-surg nurse for a few years I have only had a problem once giving report to an ICU nurse and it was explained to me by another nurse in the unit what a BAD day she was having being super busy, which we all have occasionally. Having gone to ICU in the capacity as UM and knowing what can happen, I would say the attitude or respect can go from the top down. As far as report, I generally keep mine in two parts for ICU... 1. initial diagnoses and what happened to bring them to ICU 2. extended report IF they have time to hear yet not necessary for the immediate situation. All of this information however can be obtained in the chart or nurses notes in case not obtained during the report.

Maybe it would be best to just put a standard note on anything you buy "use with common sense" and be done with it? This is sad. :/

I think it would be up to the workplace but doubt she would be allowed to work in the mean time. If I were her I would immediately send all information to get the license reinstated ASAP possibly calling the licensing bureau, there is a possiblity they would work with her to help the time-line..possibly she can even drive there. I had mine lapse once also and it took approximately two weeks to get an updated one but this was by mail. As far as the previous eight months and legality of working without a license, I am not sure however MOST facillities keep track of licenses and I am surprised hers didn't (I wasn't employed at a place that reminded me which is why mine expired)

I agree, there are some things I would stay to complete..urgent matters, talking to an MD about a patient that you called if they call before you leave etc. Things that SHOULD have been done earlier but you didn't have time and are non-urgent, I would leave for the next shift. It is MY guess though I may be mistaken, this same shift gets it similar from the night shift, possibly the best alternative is to: 1. Let the charge know what and what isn't completed (to give yourself a back-up preventing complaints from hitting you down the road, and 2. discussing this situation with the nurse manager. All this after finding out if others on your shift are having the same difficulty (if only you that may be a problem with time management).

I worked UM for a hospital for over 5 years and really enjoyed most aspects. It encompassed medicare and commercial insurances for precert, continued stay and D/C planning. I learned a lot covering different areas of the hospital including interviewing patients, families, working with social service, home health, and talking to doctors. I didn't miss direct patient care possibly due to the interview process and really enjoyed the hours. It was very nice to go home and not be dog-tired.

You are stressed because you care about the patient? I certainly hope the charge didn't mean you weren't functioning effectively. Why didn't she help btw? Anyway, sorry for your night....it is very sad to loose a patient. *hugs*

Mandated max acuity a nurse is expected to take along with max overtime and "breaks" for meals being enforced. Pay scale on par with management and workers at commercial places. The pay is fine for new nurses but after a few years is far behind others. Retirement benefits.

I would first go to the hospital administration, this is a patient advocacy issue and should be addressed by them along with encouraging the family to ask for hospice consult and notifying the ombudsman. http://www.ltcombudsman.org/static_pages/help.cfm

This doesn't seem like a case of the hospital questioning anyone, they have made their decision. This affects your nursing school and future employment. To protect both, I would contact a lawyer.

I have seen this happen also, it ultimately boils down to who is going to sue I think. On a side note, I don't see why a hospice patient couldn't have had an IV if it would make the family feel a little better and keep him in hospice. I don't think it would have affected the outcome and would have made the relatives who I am sure are frustrated with the situation, possibly more accepting.

Seems a little conflict of interest!

Sorry, but not knowing anything about the procedures, promised orientation and receiving 1/3 or less...I wouldn't do it, your license could be on the line.

I think a lot depends on you, how well you know the patient, how comfortable the patient/acquaintance/friend is with you etc. Sometimes it may be best to acknowledge them, let them know you are around then tell them another nurse will be taking care of them, yet I can see occasionally there being no problem. I would say if in doubt, switch patients.

I am still a little astounded by one nurse I knew that was unmarried, had two children on medicaid. She worked more then full-time, yet "elected" not to take the insurance due to the cost. When I asked what she would do if she got sick, she told me "I have nothing anyone can take if they sue, so don't worry about it". Now, I realize this is not typical, or hope it isn't, yet I personally don't like the idea of paying for when she IS sick.

Best advise: Never assume. Worst advise: You will get used to it. ;-)

I don't think I could do two double shifts in a row and function effectively. I realize the hours sound nice, but you may want to try just doing ONE double shift and see how you feel after that.

I have a BSN and have found salary-wise it wasn't helpful. However the extra training opened doors that would have been unavailable without. I think a lot depends on what you want to do with your degree. Management, education, specialty field.. it definitely would help.

I have found in my experience that nurses seem to just dive in and "take it" no matter what, thinking that they will "deal with it" in order to make sure their patients have the best care. Yet someone new to the area (even IF the other nurses had similar schedule and MAY be used to all the procedures, or may be too busy to help someone new), and getting behind deserves a response. Letting the charge/supervisor know you are behind due to whatever... and also talking to your agency AFTER that night is completed. Even though you were told by the next shift not to come in, it would have helped to also call your agency and get their opinion. Letting people know something BEFORE there is a problem helps. There are some areas that WILL help to new/agency nurses, some not. I wouldn't call moving to a different area a "demotion" in that situation and even if you have two more patients, the floor could work with you better then the telemetry, and the acuity could be different. Be that as it may, I wish you luck!

I have found you generally get willing assistance if you work as a team, that is if your CNA feels they are a part of the team and not an RN's "underling". If someone took hour breaks and were actually off the floor, not ready to assist, this calls for a write-up. However, if you have the reputation of being difficult to work with (and that news will travel extremely fast), then you will have problems with a lot of the CNA's, after all we are all human, some will show their displeasure in different ways though it usually won't affect patient care, yet may keep some "hiding" from your view also. Yes, there are people working that are just in it "for their time" but there are more that have good ideals.......wanting to do the best they can for their patient. Keeping all the team informed of changes, even explaining why things need to be done a certain way, asking before going to chart if any problems, getting feedback on anything new with the patient etc. all helps. As to the original post, if someone was going against facility policy they should be written up. Possibly it would help also to talk to other nurses and find out if they have problems, if so their recommendations. Perhaps you all can decide on a course of action?