RN Job Description

Today I attended an 8 hour Magnet meeting / conference where we were given this job description:

The following job description was given to floor nurses by a hospital in 1887

In addition to caring for your 50 patients, each nurse will follow these regulations:

1.  Daily sweep and mop the floors of your ward, dust the patient's furniture and window sills.

2.  Maintain an even temperature in your ward by bringing in a scuttle of coal for the day's business.

3.  Light is important to observe the patient's condition.  Therefore, each day fill kerosene lamps, clean chimneys and trim wicks.  Wash the windows once a week.

4.  The nurse's notes are important in aiding the physicians work.  Make your pens carefully; you may whittle nibs to your individual taste.

5.  Each nurse on day duty will report every day at 7 a.m. and leave at 8 p.m. except on the Sabbath on which day you will will be off from 12 noon to 2 p.m.

6.  Graduate nurses in good standing with the director of nurses will be given an evening off each week for courting purposes or two evenings a week if you go regularly to church.

7.  Each nurse should lay aside from each pay day a goodly sum of her earnings for her benefits during her declining years so that she will not become a burden.  For example, if you earn $30 a month you should set aside $15.

8.  Any nurse who smokes, uses liquor in any form, gets her hair done at a beauty shop, or frequents dance halls will give the Director of Nurses good reason to suspect her worth, intentions and integrity.

9.  The nurse who performs her labors and serves her patients and doctors without fault for five years will be given an increase of five cents a day, providing there are no hospital debts outstanding.

Oh my, how far we've come!  I'm not sure I would have been able to fulfill these job requirements....
Debbie

BSN ~ RN Pinning

I graduated!

It is finally real!

I did it.

I worked hard and accomplished this goal.

I finished my BSN 

(well really I finished in December but we just had graduation and our RN pinning)

I have a bachelorette degree.

It was nice to finally have the pinning ceremony.

The school only does one a year where they honor 3 nursing cohorts (summer semester, fall and spring semester grads all at the same time.) plus a few others who still needed to finish a few classes.

Not all of my classmates attended but for those that did it was a wonderful time of recognition.

Speeches were given.

The president of the university was there.

Most of our professors were in attendance.

We each got acknowledged and received our pins.

And thank goodness we didn't have to wear one of those old nursing hats!

It was a really good day and I for one am glad that I attended.

This is our director of nursing ~ Dr.Mary Wickman

She used to work on our postpartum floor so I have known her for many years.

She went on to get her doctorate and know runs the program ~ yet she is still so down to earth and easy to talk to.

 A few of my good friends ~ Walter, Me, Sandy and Shelley

Mike, Walter and myself

(Walter gave the speech for our cohort...thank goodness...otherwise it would of been me! Though I did lead the Florence Nightingale pledge for the graduating nurses).

Most of my cohort.

L to R - Alex, Akemy, Sylvia, Dana, Shelley, Mike, Sandy, Me, Lyra, Walter and Thuy.

We spent two years of our life together.

We supported each other when we felt like quitting and we made life long friendships.

Every works in different hospitals and has different specialities but that made the learning all the better for we learned from each others experiences and expertise.

 My actual pin - I love it!

We also got this Florence Nightingale lamp.  

It's a nice little memento of our time spent at Vanguard.

If you want to watch my presentation here it is - click on it. :)

Remember to silence the playlist down below.

Such a fun event

Now I need to decide if I want to go back for my MSN or totally switch gears.

For right now I'm just going to relish in being free of homework!

Debbie

Busy or Too Old

I came home from my little mini vacation to a busy, busy work mode.

It is only May but the days that I have been scheduled have been sort of crazy...it makes me nervous for the summer months which tend to be busy in the baby world!
I've worked days where I don't get a break until 3:00 in the afternoon...one day I didn't get a break / lunch until 5pm.  Our unit isn't one where you can just say "Oh, wait - stop delivering while I go eat".

So I've been coming home a bit exhausted.

And not only that but it seems that I have been involved in some really scary deliveries lately...so much so that I find myself wondering if it is time for me to move on.  Time for me to find something else to do.  Time for me to retire (though I really can't do that for I'm too young and need to work for the $$).  Maybe I will get a master's in library science and go work at my local library since I love reading so much!

Today I lounged around.  I must be getting old since it takes me a full day to recover after a couple of hectic days on the unit.  UGH!

But on a better note.  We got our long term benefit / choices for our department.  We can choose things such as no floating (which we rarely do anyways),  working fewer weekend days, etc.  Since I have been at the hospital for 25 years I could also choose to only work one summer holiday...so that is what I'm going to do - and I chose that holiday to be Memorial Day (since I don't do anything different or celebrate that day in any way).  Which means I get Mother's day, Father's day and 4th of July off!  Guess there is some benefit to longevity!!
Debbie