WestCoastSunRN MSN, CNS

I am saddened to read you are dealing with such a situation. It is amazing and scary the kind of power others can exercise over us - especially when we are just doing our thing - the thing we are supposed to do. I'm glad you have the confidence tha...

It can be a challenge for laypersons to vet the extent to which their providers deliver care based on the best evidence. And this is why watchdog organizations such as Joint Commission and other accrediting agencies are important to public safety. ...

Well said and thank you. I, also, am an APRN getting my post-masters DNP. I did think about a PhD, but at the end of the day, I want to be a clinician who is prepared for translating research and leadership in community and population health. Beca...

First, if you are using your real name on AN, you need to change it. Secondly, nursing is a very difficult gig, such that we are not really prepared for it upon graduation. Night shift is really difficult on the body if you are not built for...

Great discussion! I agree, collaborative agreements don't bother me and I do not want to be out "on my own" in a provider role - even as a niche/specialty CNS provider. I do, however, want my salary to reflect the additional years of schooling - AND...

This wins post of the week.

Hello, im wondering what various hemodynamics are transduced in different Burn units. CVP and A lines for sure. But do you also use Swans or PICCO or other CO monitoring?

I am a fairly accomplished ICU nurse. I'm still a bit fumbly, awkward, and slow sometimes, dexterity-wise. I remember when I first started nursing, it was comical - me priming and setting up tubing, or getting ready to put in a foley, checking all ...

I would abhor such a commute before or after a 13 hour shift. If you want to stay at mom-in-law's house for two nights - maybe that's an option, but for me ... driving that commute would be untenable.

This is the stuff healthcare reform should be made of.

Social media is a big big deal - for ALL professions. Nursing schools and hospitals are figuring out how to leveredge it to their advantage. Those nursing students are likely being encouraged to post what they do. Quite honestly, I think nursing, as...

Well I'd go with the adult ICU and here's why - if you can cut it there and you still want to do peds later, you can do it. In my experience, adult-critical-care nurses are welcomed into the peds world a little more readily than the other way a...

Wow. Reading this makes me angry on your behalf. I agree, you are NOT burned out. You are experiencing the moral distress ANY of us would in these circumstances. I hope you can find a new position soon. In the meantime, I echo the notion t...

What a refreshing post. A nurse who likes her job! Looks like you've found your niche - at least for now. You are young in your career - you can always branch out and try something different later - or you can just keep being a rockstar expert in ...

Hi! Very cool that you are doing Telehealth in Washington from Florida! (That's what I understood?) If I got that right, you are licensed in WA - and that is how you are allowed to do the telehealth visits? I ask, because since COVID many pre...

So to clarify, can you tell us briefly if they knew they would be intubating this patient when they assigned him/her to you? And why did the patient need to be intubated? When the intubation was happening, were you alone with the intubating pro...

I recognize all sorts of shenanigans can happen, but not enough info is given by the OP to determine if his/her assignment was safe or not. That said, many moons ago I was also floated to the ICU, given appropriate assignments, showed myself to ...

Any amount of blood (even trace) in the urine deserves a urinalysis at minimum. Yes, it could have been menstrual, so having her come back in (when farther removed from menses) and give a sample for UA is good practice. If it is still there, work u...

If your goal is to get FNP certification then just do the BSN-FNP program. I am not even sure how many (if any) schools will accept WGU MSN for post-masters FNP cert. You will likely end up repeating classes if you do it that way. You will not get...

If the nursing schools stopped churning out students - say did not graduate current students until proper clinicals could be had - I think that would be a big eye-opener. It would empower nurses, as it would be recognized that there are, indeed, min...

There are situations where you would need to see all ages. If you are a hospitalist at a small community hospital, for instance. If you work in a procedural specialty that sees all ages. Some specialties see patients of all ages. If however, you ...

I think ACNP program is what you are looking for. Just do one that is a local, brick-and-mortar or choose a well-respected distance program that sets up your clinicals . It's difficult to pick an NP specialty when you expect your practice to transi...

Pinkdoves, you have frequently mentioned how you feel suicidal in relation to your nursing shifts/career. Many poster's have encouraged you to take a deep breath, cut yourself some slack, and realize it is really difficult to be a new nurse and it i...

I would absolutely caution you against an online acute care program. It's bad enough to find clinical sites for primary care, but unless you are VERY well connected in the acute care/ICU/Surgical world, I would not do an online ACNP program. The sk...

^^ This 1000%. Nurses should be able to have patho/pharm knowledge far beyond what they do when they exit nursing school. This knowledge, paired with the ability to speak and write coherently, would certainly translate to being respected as knowledg...