Walti

In reply to hitting the lottery. I was working registry on a stepdown unit in the Bay area. I worked it so often that the unit would just call me at home and then tell the registry they were working me. I got called in to replace a staff nurse who was moving up to charge after the charge nurse suddenly became "inoperative". I asked what happened and they said just come in, we'll tell you when you get here. I got there and Claudia was sitting in the nurses station looking dazed. I asked okay, what's going on. Turned out her boyfriend had bought two tickets and gave her one. It was worth $750,000. I know she quit shortly afterwards and went home to New Orleans to buy a house. I do wonder how she fared as this was before Katrina.

Retired now and after nearly 10 years the dreams are fading. When I do dream the nightmares are about codes having bad outcomes. Sometimes they are about actual events and sometimes they are about patients who never existed. I wake up and think it's only a dream and I never have to go to work again. I do think it was a way of subconsciously training myself on how to respond to specific problems. In the ER you are always preparing for whatever is going to come through the door. Thankfully not my job anymore.

Sadly too any of the unions don't want to bother with the smaller hospitals. Not enough nurses to pay dues into the union pocket. I've worked at a few that were like that. When a hospital is not unionized administration gets away will all sorts of abuses. I think of the thousands of hours of pay I didn't get for missed breaks and meals that I didn't dare claim. It would have reflected badly on my manager and myself for poor organizational skills. No raise for you! I did appreciate the Christmas bonuses though. When I was working in an ER in Silicon Valley many of my friends were getting bonuses which were typically between 10 and 20K. I got a coffee mug shaped like a vertebrae.

Just thought I'd throw in my thoughts on the huge discrepancy in pay for travelers in the Covid 19 environment. Absolutely the travelers should not getting so much more than the regular staff. It is time for all hospitals to use their bailout money to bring staff nurse pay up to traveler levels. But as know it will go to management bonuses instead. The latest is the Federal stockpile is to be sold to the states that bid the most. It makes me sick to call myself an American.

Sounds like registry work rather than travel would be right for you. You set the hours you are available. I would be very cautious abuot working in multiple facilities as the spread in Washington was from nurses working more than one job.

Just wondering how many of you would prefer to use an expired N95 instead of a surgical/procedure mask? Wondering what your thoughts are on the Customs and Border Patrol transferring 1.5 million expired N95s to TSA. Especially since TSA is doing so little passenger screening as of late. Seems to me that the masks could have been more appropriately distributed. Last thought for the day, POTUS appears to be pulling facts out of his imagination again. Anyone know of any major hospitals with only 2 ventilators?

Reading the statement from the board left me a bit confused, I'd be leery of an open ended, nonspecific "etc". But I did not see where the board is concurring with relaxed rules from the CDC in this statement. I feel more clarification is needed from the Oregon board. It will be interesting to see if other boards are going to be killing off their nurses.

50 years ago I was a young medic in Vietnam. We had to do so scary stuff but we were never ordered into battle without ammunition. For some of us, sometimes the ammunition ran out. When that happened they died. They were soldiers and they didn't have any other choice. No nurse gets paid enough to die for her patients. Good reply about eating any young.

All of you still working need your pay doubled at the very least. Except the ones not involved in patient care. You should take pay cuts to help with the raises.

So I guess the only option is surrender the license or die? No vents, no PPE, do you just bag the patient until you die or can you go home if you get a fever? If you have to come back by ambulance do you go to the front of the line for a vent? Glad to be retired and hunkering down. I know at 70 years old when the vents are triaged to the younger folks I will be up the proverbial creek. Best of luck to all of you.

Kooky Korky, Sadly as I've aged I'm starting to show signs of cognitive decline. Senior moments so to speak. For all of us there comes a time to hang up the scrubs and stethoscope. I once made an "age" mistake when I was a much younger man. I was caring for a 96 year old retired public health nurse. I said to her, "I understand you used to be a new nurse." She put me in my place when she responded, "I still am." It is a title we carry to the grave unless a board of nursing takes it from us. Yes, I've aged out but I'm still a nurse and proud of the 45 years I put into the profession. Ops, not new nurse, strike the new part, senior moment there.

I live on the California/Oregon border. I have held licenses in both states. I've also aged out and let my licenses lapse. Since I don't have to worry about the state pulling my license for inappropriate behavior I really don't have to worry about losing a license. I guess that means I can tell them just about anything without fear of retribution. Oregon is going to get an earful. Sounds like they've thrown the nurses under the bus and, or are in the pockets of the AHA.

The P100 will do all that a N95 will and more. Many folks find them difficult to breath through. Not cheap either, sounds like your hospital cares enough to spend the money to protect you. I'll put in a plug here for Home Depot, I bought one a while back for spraying paint. Home Depot sells them for $10.98 apiece. They do have them in stock online with a limit of 10 per buyer. Mention this to purchasing, see if they are willing to pay the price for them.

How about we suggest that all the executives go to minimum wage for the duration of the crisis and forgo any bonuses they would have had coming this year. Use what is saved across the board for increases in wages for direct care employees.

Your patient has Covid-19, He has just stopped breathing. There is no cart or bag available. You are a 70 year old retired nurse that has answered the call of the BRN to come back. You had lung surgery and a lobe removed a few years ago. Should you do mouth to mouth respiration? Yeah I know it is no longer recommended but there is going to be a prolonged time for code equipment to get to you. You are working a SNF and the one cart is in use at the other end of the facility. Nobody gets paid enough to die for the patient.