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"Breast Is Best": A Mantra to Promote Infant Health? or Stigmatizing Adage to Guilt Moms
Great article. I remember my SIL going through something similar with both her sons. Her oldest was an emergency C-section and while she tried to breastfeed, she gave up quickly when she wasn't producing enough milk. She felt pretty bad about it and my MIL, while meaning well, told her she gave up too quickly. Fast forward 7 years later and she gives birth to her second child. This time, she intends to give breastfeeding a real try. We were discussing it before she gave birth and my MIL made it known that she felt my SIL gave up way too soon. I said, "Well hopefully the hospital can pair her with a good lactation consultant and if it doesn't work out that's okay. There is a lot of support these days." My MIL had 4 children and breastfed all with no troubles. I love my MIL, but I think she can be a little tactless. She told me that she breastfed 4 children without any support and SIL didn't need any of that. Never mind the fact my SIL has issues with social anxiety, so it's really important for her to be reassured and supported for her to succeed in some of the simplest tasks. SIL had her second baby and had a slightly better experience, but still ended up switching to formula about 8 weeks in, because again her milk production just wasn't enough. Sometimes our bodies just refuse to work with us and it sucks that the "Breast is Best" folks won't acknowledge it. My mother couldn't get me to latch, so she did formula with me. I was sick a lot as a child, but my immune system caught up and now I'm rarely sick. My cousin couldn't breastfeed, because she had a missing milk duct, because one of her breasts didn't form properly during puberty. She was really depressed about it and felt like a failure. The judgment has to stop.
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What % of women don't know basics of female anatomy?
I use to think my pee hole was my baby hole. But I was a child and my grandmother and mother kindly set me straight when I got my first period at 10 years old. I had my first gynecology appointment around then as well, because my first periods were pretty heavy and we just wanted to make sure everything was okay. The doctor explained everything as well. I can see how such a thing could happen. Especially with girls raised by single fathers. Men sometimes aren't the greatest sources for explaining the female anatomy which is why a lot of them rely on their wives, mothers, etc to explain it to their daughters and if they have no such source, then I can see how it gets glossed by. Then you have cultural reasons, society's discomfort with talking about genitalia, lack of education in general, etc. I wish there was a way to assist parents in these conversations without stepping on toes.
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I really do feel depressed about the situation
Sounds like a pretty emotionally draining environment to live in. I echo the advice on moving out. Sometimes, it's not the job. Sometimes its the living situation. I'm sure your parents love you, but sometimes you just need some distance. Same thing happened with my mom when I was 17. My mom had chronic pain issues on top of anxiety and depression and living with her during that time was almost impossible. So I moved in with my grandparents and our relationship improved tenfold after getting some distance. Her anxiety was putting me on edge and it really didn't help us have the relationship we should have. You need to be able to make decisions and live your life without a peanut gallery at home. You're old enough to live your own life and yes they are allowed their opinion and I'm sure you welcome their advice (When you ask for it...), but you need to make your own mistakes and find your own way. That's the only way we learn and grow. Like the other said... see if you can't get your old job back or look into getting on at another facility, once you've gotten settled in... get an apartment by yourself or with a roommate if you choose, and go from there! Maybe get into a bridge program and get your ADN or BSN. Might open some doors for you position wise. It's definitely hard to get in bedside at some hospitals for LPN positions. Even people who have connections. I had a friend who was a monitor tech for yeeeears. When he got his LPN and tried to get hired at his hospital for a LPN position and they passed him over for it despite his seniority. They did give him a position eventually, but it was hard for a bit. Now he's been offered a position in Arlington, Texas and he's moving there right after Christmas. So you never know what's gonna happen! Keep on keeping on!
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HELP! Threats to call BON!
I think you shouldn't worry. Your record speaks for itself. The facts speak for itself. Those questions on those applications are there to weed out the people who were found guilty. Putting yes just makes them look further into the matter and when they find that the complaint was found to be malicious and baseless and you were not found guilty. It happens. It should be illegal to make false accusations like this. However, the bright side is, if he does report you, you can still sue for slander and defamation.
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So what's going to happen to health care now?
From what I understand Trump wants to focus on the cost of health care and not so much the insurance companies. He wants to create more price transparency with providers to give the consumer more power and financial awareness when making healthcare decision. I think he also wants to allow for the sale of health insurance across state lines. Might level the playing field and give customers more options. He also wants to make it so individuals can use health insurance costs as a tax deduction on their taxes. Medicaid and Medicare administration will be given to the States with little federal overhead with incentives to weed out fraud, waste, and abuse of the system to ensure the people who truly need to coverage get it. Let's be honest, insurance premiums were rising long before Trump announced he was even running. While the ACA made health insurance easier to get, it did not address the issue of the bloated costs of equipment, medications, etc. I've had people tell me that they hesitated to get life saving treatments and medications, because their insurance companies refused to pay it and it was too expensive to cover out of pocket. Trump isn't even in power yet and people across the board have noticed their premiums and deductibles skyrocketing and that honestly has nothing to do with Trump and everything to do with the fact that insurance companies have no incentive to offer us affordable premiums. There is little competition in the current market. Insurance companies know they will retain their customers regardless, because there is really nowhere else to go. Most people have insurance through their employers, but those who don't really don't have many options and don't qualify for federal aid, because they make too much money. Many of them are self employed or are small business owners. So they are stuck with crappy Market Place insurance that really doesn't cover much outside of preventative care and health care in the event of something catastrophic and even then you are still responsible for thousands before the plan even kicks in.
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What Job Did You Work While Getting Through Nursing School?
I currently work as a PCT at a retail clinic where I will continue to work as I start nursing school. I will most likely go PRN and work when I have the free time.
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How to handle being belittled by superior?
I recently had this issue. I would agree with previous posters. Just let it go. Sometimes I have to remind myself how stressful my superior's job must be with a lot of the things they personally have to deal with when it comes to cooperate expectations for their region. It's not hard to get snippy or rude when you've had 500 things go wrong that day and you have to fix it somehow or face getting flack from your superior. Then there are some people who just don't have the tact to deliver constructive criticism kindly. He/She might think they are helping, but don't realize their tone or choice of words. Tomorrow is a new day and who knows... your supervisor might come in with a different attitude and it'll all be in the past.
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they say nurses are the worst patients....
My boyfriend is TERRIFIED of taking pills. He swears he's going to choke. He will suffer through a migraine for hours or pull a muscle at work and ignore it for days. I've bought him the chewable ibuprofens for kids, but he still won't take them. HTN, cancer, and diabetes all run in his family and I'm not looking forward to arguing with him about meds when he gets old enough to have to take them. I think the side effects scare him even if the more serious ones are extremely rare. Him: I read that ibuprofen causes stomach bleeding... Me: Yeah for people who abuse it. Taking it occasionally on a full stomach is fine. Him: But why should I take something that causes stomach bleeding at all?! Me: Did you hear anything I just said? UGH!
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Unsafe call house
While I think its a great idea to provide a on-call house to nursing staff, they have a responsibility to either provide a safe, clean place to stay or reimburse you for a certain percentage for alternative accommodations. I assume by providing these lodgings they save money? Well if they refuse to address these issues, then they should offer an alternative option by reimbursing a certain percentage (What they pay in maintaining the on-call house most likely) for you to seek out your own accommodations. Or alternatively, work out a deal with a nearby hotel to offer rooms at a discounted rate. If you are going out of your way to be available, then they need to meet you halfway WITHOUT putting you in danger.
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So is there really a nursing shortage?
I think in certain areas there are. Think rural, border towns, lower income areas, LTC, etc. The less then glamorous facilities and areas. We will see where the job market is where I live when I graduate. I worry slightly, because I'm not in a position to relocate for work as I have minor children and my bf's entire family lives here. If I were single and childless, I would re-locate in a second.
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Wearing Scrubs Outside of the Workplace
I work in a retail clinic in a grocery store, so I a lot of times don't have a choice. We don't have a locker room to change in and the bathrooms are always disgusting, because the public doesn't know how to use the bathroom without making a mess. They're cleaned hourly, but there is always someone who comes in right after and trashes it. I will say thank god for online grocery ordering, because you don't have to go in anymore! I order my grocery and swing by to pick them up and they will load them into the car for me. Don't even have to get out. No squawling babies, no slow pokes, no having to wait in line at the register.... It's great. It really is. With Pea Pod it gets delivered directly to your house. But if I just need to grab some toilet paper, I'll go grab it.
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ADN in 2016 completely useless?
ADNs are still hired in my area, but most are asked to sign a contract agreeing to earn a BSN within 5 years of their hire date. Luckily, I currently work in a position where once I get my ADN I can transition fairly easily into an RN role. I'm a PCT at a retail and they hire RN's for my role, but it's expanded to allow them to practice within their scope. We have a few RNs and LPNs in several of our clinics and they're nice to have and it helps take a lot of the weight of the FNPs at our busier locations. I would suggest looking in neighboring states and commuting or move away for a few years in order to gain some experience. The good thing about NYC is that it's so conveniently placed that if one wanted to travel out of the city for work, they could.
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Social Class and Nursing
Personally I would consider nursing a blend of all 3 blue, white, and pink. Nursing combines aspects of all 3 if you think about it. Nursing is definitely physical if you work bedside, but it can also be white collar as all RNs are educated workers and some work desk jobs as managers, consultants, etc, and nursing does have a service aspect to it as they do provide a service to their patients via their medical care. Some nursing jobs are more blue collar or more white collar then others. It just depends.
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misconceptions about nursing pay
I had a FNP who is also nursing educator tell me her first nursing job after her BSN started at about $23 an hour in our area which for her was about 5-6 years ago. So that's what I expect to start at or around when I graduate.
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Social Class and Nursing
Wikipedia describes blue collar workers as people who work in unskilled professions that involve physical trades such as construction, HVAC, plumbing, etc. Nursing is considered pink collar since its more service industry based.