Germ phobia strikes even people who should know better

Someone who was very worried of being "exposed to things" at work posted recently; there were several follow-up posts on being afraid of things outside the hospital, not wanting to touch the shopping carts or the doors in public restrooms, etc. This whole thing brought my mind back this discussion I joined in another context.

"Every time I go to the supermarket deli counter, I have this sudden urge to bite my poor cuticles because of what I witness !!! Yup, they all wear gloves alright ! And w/ them on, they scratch their heads, noses, answer the phone, open the fridge door, touch the counter top etc etc...and then, receive each slice of whatever DIRECTLY into their dirty hands !!! This gets me crazy... Read More

2013 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition

Earn more than 30 continuing nursing education contact hours at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI), May 18-23, 2013, in Boston. Enhance your knowledge, learn best practices, see new technologies, network with colleagues and improve your practice. Learn more and Register Today!

Political hope for bedside nurses

A new book is coming out which details the history of the California Nurses Association. Just a union...of nurses. This book is now available on Amazon. It details how and why the California bedside nurses managed to get staffing ratio laws, and how we can do it all around the country. Dr. Laura Gasparis Vonfrolio (well known nurse activist and clinical expert ER nurse) has called this book the one book every RN in the U.S. needs to read.

We are not powerless. Read More

I don't want a male nurse! - Caption Contest Winner

As nurses, we get a lot of requests. What is the most frequent request in your place of work? Read More

A job I thought I'd never love

I have a job as an LPN at the Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation, which is a rehab facility for sexual offenders who have been civilly committed after their criminal sentence has been served. When I took the job, I looked at it as just a job where I was just going to give the residents their meds and that was it...just the basic stuff. After all, look what they had done. When I got there, it was a totally different feeling for me. This job is more like therapy for me since I was molested for close to 5 years myself when I was younger. This has been a very rewarding and satisfying experience for me. I have learned to love my job very much and make sure that each and every resident is taken care of and treated with the same respect they treat me with and deserve. Read More

What is wrong with these kids? (Mystery Diagnosis)

My area has recently seen 3 children at 2 separate facilities present with eerily similar and so far undiagnosed problems. Similar age group, but nothing else in common (different locations, ethnicities, no similar contacts or travels, etc.)

Presentation: 2-3 day history of fever, c/o headache, occasional vomiting. ER admission due to changes in level of consciousness or physical mobility.

Course of stay: Progressive decline in neurological status. Most recent presenting patient deteriorated from oriented and physically appropriate to a GSC score of 6 within 8 hours. Seizures in the first 2 presenting patients. Loss of ability to maintain airway. Intubated for currently 2 weeks and 4 weeks respectively.

We are all at a loss. Does anyone have any insight? Read More

Multi-state licensing woes

I graduated in Oct 2012, husband is USAF, so I moved literally the day after grad. The state we moved to is a compact state & am in the process of endorsing my license over to my new home state. I did have items to declare in my original state as I had a "tarnished halo" and have declared the items to my new state as well. I'm just wondering if anyone has had trouble endorsing a license over with the same declared items? Like, will my new home state maybe put restrictions on my license when my original home state had none?? Read More

Fraudulent visits - yes I brought it up!

I'm a DON at a HHA. I have an LPN who we've caught a few times and has been accused many times of fraudulent visits. She's on probation with the BON for the same thing in the past. Every time I bring it up to my administrator for disciplinary action, she never wants to do anything!! All the people in the office and in the field can't stand her because she's making $150,000/year while they make 50-60 and actually do their visits. My administrator wants proof, but when I give it to her, she says it isn't good enough. Read More

Putting in my letter of resignation today

I came to the official decision after working 60 hour weeks, and work becoming my life. I spoke up once and now my boss has been making my life h ell. My cases are the most difficult, they made my productivity go up for less money. I'm crying everyday and having panic attacks.

I want my life back. I want to sleep again. I want to play with my DD when I'm home. I want to not decline invitations because I have charting. I don't want to be scared when I'm being sent I to areas where drive by's have occurred.!! Read More!

Do you like being a nurse?

For everyone out there, do you like what you do? Especially for all those people out there who dreamed of being a nurse, is it what you expected? I'm trying to get into nursing and sometimes I wonder can I really do it. And if I can will I like it like I've always thought I would. I've always felt like nursing was the career path for me.

I also really want to know, how stressful is your job? After nursing school do you feel adequate enough to take care of your patients safely? Do you like going to work? I guess I'm trying to get a grasp of what life is like as a nurse. Read More...

Nurses and exposure risk

I am just wondering everyone's opinion on nurses and exposures to blood born pathogens. I'm a relatively new nurse and I wonder that with as much handling as I do with bodily fluids is there a chance that something could splash in my eye in small (I'm mean really small) amounts and I might not know it and it lead to infection? All my life I've been pretty OCD and worried about "germs," and now that I'm a nurse I worry more with all the close patient contact I have each day. What are your thoughts? Read More

Top 10 - You Decide Who Wins 2013 New Year Article Contest

Select your favorite articles ... Yes, you may select more than 1 article. The 4 articles with the most votes will each win $150!!! Thanks to all our writers. This has been a very successful quarter! Read More