3/19 What I learned this week: more about employment laws than anything else

[ixchel]

I'm sorry for another late post this week. Honestly, I'm not really sure where to begin. The last few months really haven't been kind, but we might be at the cusp of an upswing. Vacation next week, surgery to follow. If my leave is approved (yes, still waiting, and very anxious about this), I'll be off for quite awhile, which I think I've really needed for my own health. I'm hoping to use a lot of this time to brush up on patho and pharm in anticipation of school this fall. I just wish my employer would communicate with me. I have no idea what is going on.

So, with that said, this week, I have learned:

Malpractice insurance lawyers are not occupational lawyers. I mention this because I see so, so often on here, "contact your malpractice insurance for guidance," whenever someone comes on here with a work-related, potential legal issue. I definitely think no matter the issue, it's good to at least make sure they have your issue on file in case the issue does affect your license or patient care. But, they will not get involved with workplace complaints. Very disappointing and, frankly, scary news in my world right now.

If the body isn't able to be in REM enough, eventually there is a rebound effect during which you will go into REM while awake. Literally, you will be sleepwalking.

Symptoms of the above:

*going from one topic to something wildly different mid-sentence, each thought potentially being understandable or not

*inability to complete things, adequate patient care, maybe even simple tasks, when you may typically be a fully competent, fully functional and great nurse at your baseline

*total personality change in a person who is typically normal and stable

*falling asleep, even mid-sentence

*hallucinations

*essentially appearing to be drunk, doing heroin nods, on acid

I imagine there are plenty more symptoms than that. If you witness this behavior, your first instinct may be send the nurse for a drug test. Certainly that's a good idea. But make sure you send that nurse to the ED for it, so they may be assessed by an MD/NP/PA. Any other person in a hospital with a severe change in mental status would be given immediate medical help. An employee should be, too. This person needs medical attention.

I'm still not sure if I'm employed. This is actually beginning to really bother me.

A dog's normal heart rate is 70-180 with a regular rhythm. Mine goes quite brady and irregular when she's resting. When she gets up, she begins to pant. My nurse brain has decided she needs an ekg while resting.

If you shave your dog to determine if she has a heart block, you may be a little unbalanced. (I did not cross the line. Mostly because of the next line. [emoji23])

It's minimum $600 for an ekg or tele monitor on amazon.

I begged my PRN job's nurse to take a day off because I considered shaving my dog for an ekg. I need to be nursey. I'm craving it!

I left my stethoscope at work.

When I'm not thinking about work's uncertainty, I'm feeling happy again. Legitimately happy. I forgot how good that feels, and I wish I hadn't allowed myself to get swallowed by the big dark cloud that hovered over me.

A lot of very random threads that are older have been getting bumped lately.

TPTB here on AN are working on ideas for better thread visibility. I've discovered my, and guest OPs', WILTW threads have been labeled Journals and I really like that. These things have become journals to me, and I love that I can look back through almost a year now and see where I've been in my growth as a nurse.

I "forgot" how much fun quotation marks can be.

The entrepreneurs hub they just started here has been tempting me, but I don't know how committed I would remain over time.

With all of this uncertainty with employment, I've considered what might be my plan B. I've been stalking a few posters who have mentioned they work from home. Since I'm heading back to school, this may be a good for fit me.

Boy Child is so happy to have his mommy home that I've been stock piling the sweet greetings, snuggles, and unlimited hugs. Girl Child is all like, "whatevs." *sigh*

My step-uncle, who happens to be my grandfather's best friend in this world, decided to move hundreds and hundreds of miles away, when he's never lived more than an hour away his whole entire life. I live hours away. My mom lives twice the distance away that I do. My other living uncle lives an hour away but is very limited in his spare time. My step-uncle was the main support that Grandpa had. Grandpa is going to be destroyed by Grandma's Alzheimer's. I wish I could be there every day for him. I'll be stepping up and being there more for them because I just can't see Grandpa being okay, or asking for any help. I'm furious that my step-uncle would do this, now of all times.

FMLA paperwork requires a diagnosis be disclosed.

The show Cuckoo is hilarious, and I love Greg Davies.

I love that AN has connected me with some of the most amazing, supportive people to help me get through all of the stuff that's going on lately. Far, Ood, WK, and Dogen, I'd be out of my mind completely without you. Thank you!!!

A large number of nurses here only feel comfortable with disclosing their mental health challenges here. On one hand, how wonderful to have this great place to turn to. On the other hand, how sad is it that nursing doesn't accept mental illnesses well in the work place. If you didn't get to last week's thread and you want to bond with others who may share common experiences to your own journey, check out last week's WILTW, which has "ALWAYS taper your SSRIs" in its title.

You guys learn anything good this week? Perhaps something happy?

Small reminder - please try to keep this thread mostly related to topics regarding nursing, employment in nursing (including nursing assistants), or nursing student-related topics. Veering away from this too far will make the thread disappear, but it is okay to discuss side thoughts briefly, and always, always, always respond to each other with encouragement, questions, whatever you'd like to keep the conversation going. This thread is meant for hijacking, provided we stay mostly nursey. Thank you for this! I love these threads too much to see them leave the yellow side.

This week's video?

I'm fairly certain I've accidentally become this song. Except for the whore part.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

OC- sending hugs to you.

My hubs works in the oil business too- overseas. For the last 6 mos or so, everytime he comes home, we aren't sure if he's going to have a job to go back to. It's extremely stressful!

Since it's done nothing but get worse, we decided I should go back to work. Don't get me wrong, I love being a nurse- but trying to decide what job to do because of all the bs involved....

I decided on HH (for flexibility-ha!) And after 3 weeks I want to find the people who made up the OASIS questions & beat them with my tablet!! Just thinking about going to work everyday makes my brain so tired.

So I do kinda, maybe a little bit, get how your brain gets overwhelmed with thinking about what all you're going to have to learn, what will be expected and how freaking scary it all is. How it can make you so emotionally tired you just want to run! Or, maybe that's just me not wanting to go to work today??

Anyway- more hugs to OC (& anyone else that needs it!) - lots of people that love & support you here! Hang in there!!

Thank you so much. *hugs* We never expected him to get laid off. It was a small mom & pop company & the owner would always talk about how family comes first (he was a God fearing man) & blah blah blah. But actions speak louder than words & his actions never lined up with his words so I never liked the dude.

When they laid off my husband they said they would help him get unemployment, well that couldn't be farther from the truth. What they told the unemployment office makes it sound like he quit & can't work. Which is making us worry if he is gonna get unemployment or not.

I tried working & I did for 2 weeks but then my bipolar disorder swung her nasty fist at me. I was picking apart my job & soon enough I just hated going to work. I'm sure even if I had the perfect job I would've done the same thing. I tried a different job, part time but I didn't even make it to orientation. By then my depression had set in & I was in too deep.

I don't know if I'll ever work again, I know it'll be awhile if I do. But for now I need to focus on me & not job hop. Maybe once I have gotten my bipolar disorder under control I can become an RN.

[Dany102]

My original question was also pretty out there. I researched a bit, and here is what I found:

You can wear them for longer periods of time. There is a decreased chance of leakage. It can be more cost efficient, depending on what kinds you buy and if you take proper care of them (multiple usage). And it also doesn't have as much of a risk for TSS as tampons. Plus, personal comfort, depending on the individual.

Ah. Thank you, cracklingkraken, for the continued education. It is appreciated.

Dany

[Wrench Party]

Things I learned:

1) Day shift seems to be in a downward trend with getting their dressing changes done. I spent more time changing dressings on my night shifts this past week than I have, ever, on this floor. That includes about 4 sterile dressing changes spread over 4 patients, in addition to leaky chest tube and feeding tube sites that needed changing several times throughout the shift. Dressing changes are supposed to get done on day shift. No, no bueno.

2) Had a patient with us approximately 1 hour after transfer across the state, an RRT was called on him due to raging sepsis and altered LOC. His post-surgical care had been poorly managed from what little I could gather- staples not removed, incision not cleaned, huge skin rash everywhere, etc. Paged the provider several times to get orders on him, had heard no response, after transfer his infected incision dehisced in the ICU several hours later and dumped about several gallons of pus all over the bed. That won him a trip to the OR.

*** did other people do/not do to this man after he was discharged??

3) My house is the external representation of the chaos of my mind/life. I'm hiring an organizer to help me de-clutter/prioritize,

and a lawn care guy to help me get on top of the jungle called my yard. I love my husband, but let's face it, we both suck at organization.

4) SPRING'S HERE!! I've been busy doing the more fun gardening things like digging garden beds, starting seedlings, starting fruit trees, making flower arrangements out of the remaining ornamental plants in my yard.

5) Skipping yoga class on Friday was a terrible, terrible idea. I paid for it dearly on the next 2 night shifts with a jacked up back.

[aeris99]

I was on spring break last week and learned how to level up really fast while playing Diablo 3: ROS.

This week I learned that my brain gets super fuzzy during the first clinical NOC shift back

Also, I am almost totally burnt out. There's 6 weeks left before graduation and I'm finding my motivation to attain good grades is slipping. I'm not sure how to regroup.

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

I was on spring break last week and learned how to level up really fast while playing Diablo 3: ROS.

This week I learned that my brain gets super fuzzy during the first clinical NOC shift back

Also, I am almost totally burnt out. There's 6 weeks left before graduation and I'm finding my motivation to attain good grades is slipping. I'm not sure how to regroup.

I like Diablo II better. For some reason, I could never get into the storyline for D3, despite the improved graphics.

[aeris99]

I like Diablo II better. For some reason, I could never get into the storyline for D3, despite the improved graphics.

I love them all to be honest! I spent a chunk of time playing 4 player with my family and it was so much fun!

[RiskManager]

Going back to the OP, I am amazed at the number of responses to workplace complaint issues to 'call your malpractice insurer'. The malpractice insurer does not care about this since they do not cover you for your workplace complaints or conflicts. They are not going to keep a record of your call nor are they going to open a file unless you are calling to report something that will trigger your coverage, and I have spoken extensively here about events that will trigger your coverage.

[OCNRN63, RN]

My very personal opinion is you did not miss out ....

Menstrual cups.

Two words that do not belong together.

[OCNRN63, RN]

GUEST OP NEEDED!

I need a guest OP for the WILTW on 3/26. Because. Right now I just can't even and if I start to even, kittens will be punched right in their noses.

I'm sorry - I love you guys and I assure you, this is face-to-face crap. Nothing I'm learning this week should be shared here due to probable pending litigation.

I was going to volunteer until you said this. (j/k) I'm just a crazy cat lady who hasn't any cats.

If you haven't had any takers, I'll volunteer.

[Farawyn]

I was going to volunteer until you said this. (j/k) I'm just a crazy cat lady who hasn't any cats.

If you haven't had any takers, I'll volunteer.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

[ixchel]

I have days when this expresses exactly how I feel. Those days when I'm tired of being the primary wage earner, of having to work full time because my husband expects it, of him totally not understanding what the work environment is like now because he's been retired for 18 years...and then I read about the things some of you are going through and I'm ashamed of myself.

Hugs to you all.

[ATTACH]21406[/ATTACH]

Please don't ever feel your stresses aren't valid because you weigh them against others. We all have our share of crap in this world. It comes and it goes. It's good and it's bad. Cycles. There will comes times when the hugs needed with be for you. Being worn down by the circumstances of life in general can be just as frustrating, if not more so because it's chronic unlike these self-limiting experiences we've been sharing here. Please ask Jen for a hug. [emoji173]️

[ixchel]

I was going to volunteer until you said this. (j/k) I'm just a crazy cat lady who hasn't any cats.

If you haven't had any takers, I'll volunteer.

OCN, it would be an absolute honor! Thank you!

If any of you would like to keep this in the back of your mind, it's possible an OP will be needed the following week as well. It depends on how many nursey things I can list from vacation.