Blog Entries - September 2008

How do we get the right people into nursing school?

disappearingjohn@gmail.com — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I have a question I am thinking about doing some research on...

We know there is a huge waiting list for a limited number of nursing school spots; we also know that a large percentage of new nurses leave the professions for good within the first years. Despite the hysteria of the "lateral violence" crowd, I think a large part of that loss is from people getting into and through nursing school that have no idea what the job is, or involves...

How do we fix [...]

"Why Aren't You a Doctor?"

amherstlaughteryoga@gmail.com — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Yesterday, a patient looked at me and said, "You're so smart. Why aren't you a doctor instead of a nurse?"

"So," I replied, "do smart people always have to be doctors? Isn't it good to also have smart nurses?"

"Well, I guess you're right, but aren't doctors usually smarter than nurses?"

I guess I was feeling impatient but tried to still be kind. "But what does that really mean? Does it mean that as [...]

C'mon, people---get involved!

amherstlaughteryoga@gmail.com — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Ok, so there are almost 400 people who are members of Nurse LinkUp? Where are they? It's time for people to post on the forums, write some blog posts, and connect with each other!

The other nurse networking sites have lots and lots of members, but there are also lots and lots of advertisements and other commercialism that turns me off.

I appreciate NurseKeith's articles, and I can see that he's trying hard to provide us with fresh interesting content every day. [...]

New Interim Position!

nursekeith@gmail.com — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Today I accepted a temporary position as the Interim Public Health Nurse for my town of residence, ten hours per week! The nurse who has been in the position is leaving after thirteen years (to become a school nurse, of all things) and I am stepping in for at least three months and will be responsible for disease surveillance, immunization tracking and clinics, and other public health issues. I am excited and nervous, and could be in the running for the permanent 26-hour position at the beginnin [...]

Nursing Theorists...

disappearingjohn@gmail.com — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Oh, how I love studying nursing theory!

I am in my theory class right now in my Master's program, and my brain is awash in the various theories. I never realized there were so many.

If you want to read my thoughts on the theory that applies most to my current occupation, you can read them here on my blog...

Live chat

amherstlaughteryoga@gmail.com — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I really like that Nurse Linkup has the capability for live chatting, but I'm disappointed that more people are not online at the same time. Some of the other nursing networking sites---NurseConnect and Allnurses---have very active forums, but none of them have the live function. When will Nurse Linkup have enough members that we can all chat online together? I think that would be one of the more radical things that we can do in social networking for nurses.

Weekend!

amherstlaughteryoga@gmail.com — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Boy am I glad it's Saturday morning and I'm not scheduled to work this weekend. I am exhausted from the week's travails: needy patients, impatient doctors, grumpy colleagues (not that summer vacations are all behind us), and some chilly nights that make my shoulders tense.

Ah, how nice to have a place to kvetch.

Meanwhile, this nurse needs a massage. And a hot tub appointment. Maybe the two back to back. Plus I need to go shopping. Not for groceries or a vacuum [...]

Interesting Work Prospect

nursekeith@gmail.com — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Sometimes things just happen. Yesterday I received an email from the person who serves as the Public Health Nurse for the little college town where I live (population: 20,000 residents + 25,000 students, more or less). She's stepping down from her post and the town is looking for an interim part-time nurse (10 hours per week +/-) to organize, plan, and implement the town's flu clinics for the season, as well as track the handful of TB cases and other reportable diseases in the area. < [...]

ED Overcrowding...

disappearingjohn@gmail.com — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I found a great article compliments of another blogger about the problems those of us working in ER's have with overcrowding.

Some of the paoints it makes are surprisingly refreshing regarding the reasons.

You can read the article here, or read my blog here

My Precepting Story

amherstlaughteryoga@gmail.com — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:10:21 +0100

Back in the day, I was a nervous young novice nurse trying to make a go at becoming a real nurse. In a hospital in the NYC area, there were some pretty tough old nurses who treated me like crap and basically wanted nothing to do with me.

Some of the nurses on the units were older nurses who had been educated at those old hospital-based schools that no longer exist. Many of them seemed to have a problem with how nursing education had become a college-level thing. There was some resentme [...]

Mindless Meds and My Restless Mind

nursekeith@gmail.com — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Yesterday, I called the community health center where I sometimes work as a per diem nurse, asking if they needed any help. I didn't really help out there all summer because they hired several school nurses who needed temp work for the summer, so now that Fall is here (well, almost), it seems my services are needed again several times a week.

Now, I am not one to complain, and I do what's asked of me in any given situation. When I go to the health center, what they really need [...]

I Did It

nursekeith@gmail.com — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Well, I did it. After twelve years of eschewing taking a job in a hospital, I have applied for a part-time position in a local inpatient psychiatric unit. Things have been very slow at all of my per diem jobs, and while I'm very hesitant at this juncture to commit to a solid position, finances are telling me that it may be time to at least have 16 or 20 hours of assured work each week. So, this 24-hour per week position consisting of two 12-hour shifts may fit the bill.

Although I [...]

Names

amherstlaughteryoga@gmail.com — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

The other day, I was talking with one of the docs I'm friends with at our health center, and our conversation had a lot to do with some thing that NurseKeith wrote in a recent article on his blog. I told him that I feel that nurses are often treated like 2nd-class citizens by doctors and that mutual respect is what we need to feel more like professionals.

When he asked for examples, I told him that doctors are always addressed as "Dr So-and-So", especially in front of pat [...]

Uniforms

nursekeith@gmail.com — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

That old subject of uniforms and professionalism keeps coming up here and there. All of those scrubs with teddy-bears and angels hearts and flowers---I understand the sentiment, but I feel personally that it is making us look less and less professional.

Some facilities are now mandating that each clinical discipline wear a certain color uniform or scrub so that employees, patients and visitors can tell who performs what function on the facility staff. The more I think about it, the mor [...]

Tired

amherstlaughteryoga@gmail.com — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Sometimes I am just so tired after work. It seems like nurses just run, run, run. Wouldn't it be better to just work in a garden somewhere, paint houses, or work in a store? People are so needy, colleagues are so whiny, and my tolerance is so very, very thin.....

Then again, tomorrow I might feel completely differently and just looooove my job.

Hormones? Hmmm. Maybe.

Creative Responses to the Nursing Shortage

nursekeith@gmail.com — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I am an occasional guest blogger on NurseConnect, and I invite you to read my latest post, Creative Responses to the Nursing Shortage, posted on NurseConnect today. I think the post offers an interesting perspective, detailing ways that individuals, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities are responding to the crisis at hand.

I hate getting old...

disappearingjohn@gmail.com — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

My body is betraying me!

My mind can no longer "simply ignore" the occassional bumps and bruises... You can read about my latest fight with creeping age on my blog here: It sucks getting old!!!

From Silence to Voice

nursekeith@gmail.com — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I am currently reading From Silence to Voice: What Nurses Know and Need to Communicate to the Public, by Bernice Buresh and Suzanne Gordon. I simply cannot recommend this book highly enough for any nurse interested in how nurses are perceived by society at large.

While I have yet to finish the entire book, I can say that Buresh and Gordon are touching on every aspect of nursing that irks me:

Why are nurses not quoted more often as experts on healthcare?

Why do nurses [...]

What's Up With The Angel Nurse Thing?

amherstlaughteryoga@gmail.com — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Why are so many websites and nursing stores selling gifts for nurses that depict us like child-like cherubic angels with wings and stethoscopes? Add to that all of the scrubs with angels, teddy bears, and all manner of childish paraphernalia, and it seems like most nurses want to be nursery school teachers.

Granted, pediatric nurses have every reason to wear scrubs and uniforms and pins and decorations that might have a chance at putting children to ease in the hospital or doctor's [...]

Political Oddness and Palin phobia

dmazment@yahoo.com — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I have to admit, I'm stumped as to why when trying to discuss politics, people become nuts. It always starts off calmly, intelligently and then suddenly name calling starts, rudeness sets in and feelings get hurt. Accusations become more and more outrageous and hurtful. I don't like to argue, but I do like to discuss. I'm open minded, vote as an independent but I just can't stand the idea of another four years of a dubya clone in the white house.& [...]