2ndCareerRN

ITA, and will add. Another reason is that irresponsible humans like the kittens, but when they get older they are tossed aside for various reasons. Once that happens they are free to breed, and overpopulate areas. And when that happens other animals in the immediate ecosystem become victims. bob

Although I don't do the actual compressions that often, I am there when it is done. While the aide or EMT is doing compressions, I set up the monitor, slap on pads, get IV access and all the other things that need to be done during a code. If all of that is done, I have been known to seperate a rib or two in my time. It sure does make compressions easier, and more effecient, if the ribcage has more "give". bob

Go to Spain....you can always visit those other places when living in the US. But to live in Spain.....something that should not be passed up. bob

I usually put in a number that equates to 10-15 minutes before the fluid infusion is done. That way, if I am busy, the pump beeping will cue me to change the bag. That way there is not a period of time that the fluid is not infusing. Others may do it for other reasons. bob

Somebody was blowing smoke up your "you know what". Most new grads (RN)are hired as a GS7, and that is nowhere 60K yr. It is easy to find out how much they pay. Look at a job announcement for a position your are looking at and then go here http://www.opm.gov/oca/05tables/indexGS.asp it has base pay rates and locality pay. This will give you a good idea. I believe (but not sure) that most LPN positions are GS5. There may also be a special pay scale for the position. I know my base is greater than what is listed. bob

Frankie, One small bit of advice........ Keep your day job. Unless you can read people 100%, in a matter of seconds, it is best to leave the jokes behind during clinicals. bob

No more craziness here on full moon nights than on other nights. It is always crazy. bob

Google...is your friend....and so are some other search engines. You should be able to find something in there to help you out. good luck bob

HI, Try a search on titles only and put in PDA. You will see about 8 pages of related posts. bob

As a reservist you will have to go to Officer Indoctrination School in Newport, R.I. You may also be able to enter at an advanced paygrade, rather than as an Ensign. Talk to a Nurse Recruiter. Do not bother with the local recruiters. The phone is your friend, in fact, you may be able to talk them out of a free trip to observe Navy Nurses in action. Jacksonville is pretty nice this time of year, a nice beach close by. Go to this site and look around. This is the course you will take. You will not go to OCS because the medical corps are not line officers. https://otcn.netc.navy.mil/ois/index.cfm good luck, bob

I have the free version. I also have the Davis Drug Guide on mine. I use the DDG quite a bit more. Epocrates doesn't seem to have as much info. An example I ran into the other night was with pyridium. The doc would not give any to a 10 year old because epocrates said there was no pediatric dosing. DDG listed a pediatric dose. This doc in an arrogant SOB who does not listen, and cannot make a decision unless he pulls out his PDA. So the girl didn't get any pyridium. bob

While it is not ok to cut bebefits, it is permissable, and expected that the VA use their money more wisely. Does that mean some people will not receive the care they believe they deserve. Of course it does. But with the number of service connected diabled vets, it is the duty of the VA to care for them first. Non-service connected, and people who feel they deserve free health care because they did their few years of active duty, have to realize that they are at the bottom of the pile. And very little money will trickle down there. So, has there been a cut in the VA budget? I have been out of the loop, has there been an actual cut. Or just a restructuring of benefits? This is all I could find. I could not find anything reputable about the upcoming budget. A lot of chest beating, and accusations, but nothing solid. But, I didn't spend a long time looking either. http://www.factcheck.org/article144.html bob

That is the way NCLEX is supposed to work. But, what of the person who takes 4 tries and still fails. They will have seen an extra 1060 questions. Questions you can't see by doing Kaplan or anything else. They are the real questions. Although there are many, many questions available for the test, eventually there will be repeats. That is where the averages catch up. If you have seen 5-10% of the questions from prior tests, and can recall them, you have an advantage over those who take the test a finite number of times. As far as a poor test taker. My god, they just finished nursing school. Don't you think they may have had to take a test or two, and learned some test taking strategies? I will still stick by my feeling that 3 times and then remediation should be the norm. If failed the 4th time, perhaps a formal remedial nursing course, much like nurses who have been away from nursing for several years are required to do before obtaining a license. bob

I often see where people have failed NCLEX 3 or more times. Some states require a remedial course of study after failing so many times. Arizona will allow multiple times in 1 year. In Kansas, you must petition the board if you take more than 24 months after graduation to pass NCLEX. In Louisana you can only take the NCLEX four times in four years. In Michigan, it is 3 years or a max of 6 tries. South Carolina is 4 tries in one year and then remediation. http://www.virtualnursinghome.com/licensure.htm Most of the states do not have a limit for retaking the NCLEX. You can keep going and going and going. Eventually the law of averages will catch up, and the test will be passed, IMO. So, how do you feel about the number of times a person should be able to take the NCLEX exam? Remember, this is the same nurse that will be taking care of you or your loved ones. Should remedial education be required after 3 tries, 5 tries, a certain time frame? This is a harsh world, there are some people who should not be nurses, and if the NCLEX is one way to prevent that, then I am in favor of a 3 try limit, followed by remediation and then one more try to pass. I feel that the practice of allowing unlimited re-takes does nothing to advance the practice of nursing. bob

I can't tell if you got a bum rap or not. There is only one side to this story. I don't understand why the IHS would want to single you out when they have a lot more problems than what you alluded to. Perhaps you should look into a lawyer who will work on a contingency, and take them to court where the story can be told. One last thing, paragraphs are your friend. It got hard to follow your story at times with it all jammed together. bob

That pretty much sucks, but, you have to live your life for you. Not for your family. You can choose your friends, but you are stuck with family. I seldom (once every 10yrs or so) talk to someone in my family. It just happened to work out that way. Parents gone, siblings a bunch of buttwipes. Live your life for you, and it will be fine. bob

One way to figure this out is to look at the insulin you are giving. What is the duration of time from giving it until onset and peak? And what is the duration of the inslin. Once you figure that out, you should be able to formulate a plan for checking glucose leverls that are correct for the insulin. bob

Did you even read this thread? Or just skim the title? Those that are"maimed in his name" do get medical care for all service connected disabilities. Kevin covered that quite well in his posts. And, if it is service connected, it matters not how the injury or illness was sutained. bob

So, you are touching the patient, purposfully distracting them, and performing something on them they may find distrubing. And you say this is ethical? 'Splain that to me Lucy!! Just because a patient is seeking healthcare does not give you permission to do whatever you feel like doing. I think you and your Reiki master need to sit down and think this through a little bit more. Unless of course your psychic abilities allows you to also read minds. Just my 2 cents worth. bob

In a nutshell, everyone has to make that decision themselves. I do not think being an FNP is all it is cracked up to be. I started a program, and was really enjoying it. Then I sat down and took a good look at what being and FNP entailed. Other than no longer doing nursing, which for me was a big thing, there is also the hours you will put in. Usually 9-5(7?) five days a week. No more opportunity to do shift work. As a staff nurse I work 7 days on and 7 days off, you won't see that as FNP. You will most likely work in a physicians office, very few NP's actually open an independent practice (but there are the ones that do it). Although a mid-level (PA/FNP) should see less pt's than a physician, often the scheduling of appointments keep you close to what the doc does. So much for a holostic approach to health care delivery. You will be grinding them out just like the docs, see em, treat em, street em (with a script). I believe a NP should take more time and spend time talking to the patients, treating the cause as well as the symptoms. If I see a doc for a cough, I may get some meds, same with an NP. In my world, an NP should take the time to discuss health behaviors, environmental causes, and the relationship of the cough to the whole body. But, that seldom happens. If an NP were to take that much time per patient, they would be there till midnight. Of course, doing half the patients the doc does could help the NP reach that goal. But, would you hire an NP that only sees about half the patients you do, if you were the clinic doc? I also looked at the money an NP makes, and I decided to travel for a few years. I would venture to say in the last two years I have made as much as most NP's. And that is as a staff nurse. I have now taken a job in a government facility, while not making as much as a traveler, it is more than adequate for me. I probably still make as much as many NP's. I am home, I see my wife everyday, and I like where I am, I get a week off every other week. So, I am happy with my decision to quit the NP route. I also would have needed loans to finish my NP degree, which added to what I already owe, was just more than I wanted to do at this time. If I were to go back for a NP degree, it would as a Emergency Nurse Practioner. There are a few programs in the country that do this. I know one is in Houston. There seems to more of a demand for mid-levels in the ER setting to deal with the "clinic" patients, especially now that so many people use the ER as their primary health provider. There are many good reasons to become a NP, I just don't think any of them made an impression on me. Most NP's I know are happy with their decision, a few are disgruntled. But, that is true in any profession. I wanted to show a less than rosy picture for you. A decision like this has to be made with as much information as you can get. If you are serious about becoming a mid-level provider, you may want to look into becoming a PA, and comparing all aspects of that job with the job of an NP. bob

What the others said...... BTW, how can you do something you can't even spell......I am a little concerned. ster-ile-ly bob

I feel for you. I do not get migraines, but my wife gets menstural migraines. A she is trying to get through menopause the migraines still rear their ugly little heads. She will have a migraine 3 days before the start of her period (or when it should start) and then 3 days into her period (or non-period). We were hoping that with the onset of menopase, they would stop, but so far, no luck. Her cardiologist will not let her go HRT, so it looks like we are stuck with the migraines. She will manage most of them with Mazalt, but occasionally needs Imitrex injection to get through it. And then she is wiped out for at least another day. I hope yours gets better as time goes on. bob

Actually, GWB will be the president until 2009. We only have an election in 2008. Sorry to add a year to your pain. (actually 20 days, but doesn't 2009 sound so much better?) bob

Ummmmmmmm NO. But it is only 3 short years away! bob

Ya think. Here is my take on this. If this is true, this person needs to learn how to use search engines effectively. The OP will not be able to come running here every time there is a question. The OP's journey into nursing school is close to the beginning. If there is any hope of seeing it to the finish, a student needs to be very literate in the use of internet search engines. There is a phenomenal amount of information available, if you know how to get to it. That is why "Google is your friend". Anymore, computer literacy is as important to finishing nursing school as is your performance in school itself, IMO. bob