NursesNotes

Dessert tonight in the NurseFamily house was icecream cones. I noticed that the girls and I like to lick our ice cream, but MrNurse and our son like to bite theirs and eat it in three or four bites. Is this a gender thing? Are you a licker , a sucker or a biter?

Assess your heart attack risk by using the risk calculator here  www.med-decisions.com and assess your stroke risk here www.nhibi.nih.gov/about/framingham/stro ke.htm or if that one is out of order try here http://www.emedical.com" title="http://www.emedical.com" target="_blank"http://www.emedical.com and follow the links to the cardiovascular disease risk calculators
I have started back at a women's only gym. Hoping to reduce my risk factors. 8)

 

Ophelia is now downgraded to a tropical storm, and it is dumping mega amounts rain on Nova Scotia. Calling for high winds,later on,  too.
Time to batten down the lawn chairs!!

I had a great first week at my new job. It seems like it's going to be a good "fit" for me. I miss my old job, and was fortunate to be on a leave from there. In the event we get posted back to CT, I will resume my old job.

But, being a believer in "bloom where you are planted", I want to do well here, get involved with the community and have a job I like. So far, so good!!

If Ophelia doesn't blow us all out to sea, first!!

What's in a name? Well it depends on what name is given to something. I got to thinking about the word "nurse" based on something in Scuba's Blog http://scubadiva.tblog.com" title="http://scubadiva.tblog.com" target="_blank"http://scubadiva.tblog.com. Naturally, as a nurse I am very aware of what is and what is not a “nurse”
So here, briefly, is Nurse Nancy’s glossary of Nurse related terms and definitions!!

A registered nurse is a nurse with a Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree or diploma in nursing. S/he is trained and educated to think critically and make nursing diagnoses for patients in collaboration with or under the guidance of a MD.

A Nurse Practitioner is a RN with advanced education and experience who can diagnose and prescribe.

Clinical Nurse Specialists are registered nurses who have advanced education (usually a master’s degree) in a clinical specialty. (This is what Nurse Nancy has)

LPNs or LVNs are Licensed Practical Nurses, or Licensed Vocational Nurses. Generally have education in nursing and provide bedside nursing, medications, dressings etc. Their course is shorter and is not a degree program. Critical thinking and decision making are important aspects of any nurse's job but at the LPN level not required as much. (Hopefully I am not alienating all the excellent LPNs out there without whom I would be lost!!)

Care Aides, CNAs, etc. are minimally trained individuals trained to provide personal care to patients. They don't generally give medications, or if they do it is usually under supervision of a LPN or RN. They are NOT nurses.

The asshole rude person who is behind the desk in the clinic and is wearing a uniform is not a 'nurse", although they may think they are. Unless s/he is wearing a name tag with the letters RN, LPN, BN, BSN etc.. They are not nurses. Neither is the nice lady in the white uniform that comes in to clean the hospital room every day and empties the garbage can. She works in the environmental services department and is just as freaked out by blood and guts as you are......

Some jurisdictions have laws that prevent people from calling themselves "nurses" unless they are a licensed RN or LPN. The nursing profession is working very hard to remove the designation of "nurse" from such job titles as "nurse’s aid" or "nurse’s assistant" because these people are NOT nurses.

Wannabes maybe, but not nurses.

Unless graduated from a recognized nurse’s education program, these folks aren't nurses. They might think they are nurses, they might say they are nurses, but they aren’t nurses!!
And, by the way, nurses don't always know how to spell unless there is a spell check, which Tblog doesn't have!

 

First day was A-OK!! Nice place, great colleagues. Everyone is friendly and the staff are valued for their knowledge and the contributions that they bring to the workplace. Awesome! :) ~ how I feel!! :)

Of course, I'll wake up one day, realize that my orientation is over and I'll be in the real world. I am grateful, though, to have obtained employment in an area of my expertise. My years of experience and my educational credentials are actually valued! Since I signed the standard confidentiality clause upon employment, I won't be able to blog much about work, but may reach back to my not so distant past and bring out some juicy Ms. Beech stories. I heard from a friend yesterday, that she has "moved on" and has gone beyond reason! stay tuned!! :wink:

I found out on Friday where I will be working. Mostly in areas where there are patients with infectious diseases. I have applied for one of the positions as an education nurse, too, but in an unionized environment I may not be the accepted candidate. I met a lot of the docs I'll be working with and some of the staff. All seem very welcoming and friendly. The facility is not as modern as the one I worked in before but, all in all, the level of care seems to be at a very high standard. I have spent the weekend reviewing the policies and procedures for the facility. Definately a learning curve, that's for sure!
I'm excited to be starting my new job-in an apprehensive kind of way! :?

I kinda feel like a little kid on her first day in a new school! :)

My paper work has finally come through! I start my orientation on Monday!! Yikes, now that it is a reality, I'm suddenly nervous! I go tomorrow to fill in some paper work at human resources and to have a tour of the units I'll be responsible for working in. I was hoping that the papers would finally show up, but now that it has I'm torn. I kind of liked being at home, getting settled, meeting the neighbors and looking around our new home town.
Then the mail arrived with a whole load of new bills! Yup, it's time for Nurse Nancy to pull on her latex gloves and get lubed up to return to the job of nursing people and helping them to get better or, if needed, helping them ( not literally) die a peaceful and comfortable death.

Since Butch was so ornery, I haven't been in practice of giving any good enemas lately, so need to get back into the swing of things, STAT!

Well, the first day of Canadian school started. The kids are intrigued and captivated by the school their new friends and teachers. Busy time ahead, that's for sure!!

Arrrgh to tblog! I did a wonderful post and it got eaten up by blogging gremlins!!
We have done a little exploring by going for a drive yesterday, as much to escape the CNN coverage of the disaster as to explore a bit more. We drove west and came to a lovely area full of farm markets, roadside vegetable  stands and came home with a veritable plethora of fresh vegetables, eggs from the farm and a fresh air appetite.
Today I watch and weep at the destruction going on down in the Gulf coast. I want to go and help out, but can't for the time being. ( Just moved, kids start school on Wed. MrNurse going on a business trip etc.) I'm hoping to have my visa and credentials organized before too long so that I can go back to work. I have been offered a job if and when all the paperwork gets processed. Our budget needs me to contribute as life is expensive. I spoke to my daughter in Hamden yesterday. She's been back to class since Aug. 29 and is busy with her dance company and her activities. Her dorm is putting on a fund raiser for Katrina victims, so sounds busy and happy.

We as a family have made a donation to the Red Cross and have included the victims in our family prayers. God knows they need them. The one thing I noted, however, in all the mess at the New Orleans convention centre, could the people not have organized a garbage locale? why all the crap everywhere?

Latrine areas should have been organized as well as garbage areas. Why they sat in filth for so many days is beyond me. Even in such a desperate situation you would think that someone would take the lead? But, then again, I have never been in a traumatic situation like that so don't know what it was like. I do know the images of the corpses in the water will haunt me for a long time.