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November 25 - December 2, 2003
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Alzheimer's is a progressive, neurological disorder
that attacks the brain and results in cognitive problems.
Test your knowledge of this chronic condition. Good
luck!
1. What year did German psychologist Alois Alzheimer
first describe this disease?
A. 1896
B. 1906
C. 1916
D. 1926
2. Which one of the following medications is NOT approved
by the Food and Drug Administration for Alzheimer's?
A. Aricept
B. Cognex
C. Exelon
D. Mentax
3. How many Americans over the age of 85 does the Alzheimer's
Association suggest have Alzheimer's Disease?
A. One fourth
B. One third
C. Two thirds
D. Half
4. Which group of 687 individuals agreed to periodic
memory tests, examination of earlier writings and autopsies
of the brain to further the study of Alzheimer's?
A. Farmers
B. Librarians
C. Nuns
D. Students
5. Which movie star, who died of Alzheimer's Disease,
has this on the tombstone: "To Yesterday's Companionship
and Tomorrow's Reunion"?
A. Jackie Coogan
B. Bing Crosby
C. Rita Hayworth
D. Heddy Lamar
November 24, 2003
Dear Nurse Nancy,
I worked in an ER for 16 years, 2 years in home
health and 2 years helping with yearly flu injections.
I have been a dental office manager for four years.
I continue to take CE and keep my RN license current.
What would I have to do to work in home health again?
Thanks for your help with regards to this matter.
DM
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Dear DM,
I think you have an impressive work experience there,
with lots of experience that a home health agency would
like to have. I would inquire about orientations in
home health agencies - given all your years of experience,
and that you have worked there before, I think you should
do fine.
Good luck!
Nurse Nancy
November 20, 2003
Dear Nurse Nancy;
I am a 58-yr-old RN (ADN) who has never officially
used my
degree--graduated about 10 yrs ago. I cared for my mother
and
father-in-law and then went into Foster Care, taking
in Medically Fragile children. I did work as an LPN
for several years previous to obtaining my RN. Do you
think I could get 'up to speed' by taking a review course--is
it too late for me to enter the work force--to use my
RN? Advise me, please. Thank you.
Sincerely,
JF
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Dear JF,
Well, I admire you for wanting to re-enter the workforce
of nursing after such a long absence. As far as getting
up to speed….it is always possible, as I am a big
believer in transferable skills. In your case, you might
be able to find a place where you could use the skills
you developed with the medically fragile children with
whom you worked. Perhaps working in a camp for children
with chronic illnesses or disorders might help. A review
course would definitely help also.
I get many letters from nurses in situations such as
yours, and I think that there are many ways nurses can
re-enter the workforce. Probably not in traditional
settings, as so much has changed over the years, both
in technology and medications. You just have to seek
out opportunities, and be open to different roles in
health care.
I wish you luck.
Nurse Nancy
November 19, 2003
Dear Nurse Nancy,
I work at a surgery center as an OR nurse. I applied
for a promotion: Director of Nurses. A co-worker also
applied. During my interview, the Chief Physician interviewed
me with the Administrator by my side. He asked me if
my being a mother would interfere with my capabilities
of fulfilling the position and then asked how old my
children are.
Ultimately, my co-worker, who has no children, got
the position. How would I go about finding out what
kind of degree my co-worker has, without doing the obvious
and asking? I think she has an associate's degree, while
I have a bachelors. (The qualifications for the job
require a BS). And if she is an AD, what can I do?
Sincerely,
SC
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Dear SC,
Well, I appreciate your situation, as it falls under
the "Life is not fair" category. It is not
a hopeless situation, though. There are two issues here
- the interview and the qualifications. As for the interview,
the Administrator should have not allowed the Physician
to ask you about your family. I would take that entire
conversation to your Human Resources Department. This
is not allowed by law, and needs to be addressed.
As to the qualifications, you would have to ask the
person directly. So what do you do now? I know that
good OR nurses are in high demand everywhere, and my
suggestion is to evaluate how important this job is
to you, and if it is not important, keep your eye on
other opportunities and go for them.
I wish you luck. I know this is not easy.
Nurse Nancy
November 18, 2003
Dear Nurse Nancy,
I am interested in doing Hospice nursing. We did
hospice with my mother and my friend's 10 yr. daughter.
I thought it was great! How do you know if it's right
for you?
HK
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Dear HK,
I certainly agree - Hospice nursing takes very special
people, but it must be one of the most rewarding positions
in nursing. As you likely witnessed first hand, Hospice
nurses are compassionate and competent practitioners
who provide an incredible service to patients and their
families at a critical point in any family.
As to if you know it is right for you - I guess you
have to look into your own background and preference
for nursing. My observation of Hospice nurses is that
they are incredibly kind people - working with patients
and families requires several skills. They need to be
knowledgeable about palliative care, updated on pain
management, home care nursing, and be able to improvise
- nursing in the home is very different than reaching
into the clean utility room for what you need. I also
think they need to be skilled in group process, family
theory, death and dying, and grieving; this is an intense
relationship and families need the support of the Hospice
nurse.
A good place to start is to look into networking with
some Hospice nurses. The
Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses Association has
6000 members now, and can likely help you meet a Hospice
nurse in your area.
Good luck - I imagine this will be an incredible opportunity
for you.
Nurse Nancy
November 17, 2003
Dear Nurse Nancy,
There have been so many news casts about the nursing
shortage, which I believe has made it harder for me
to get in at all. The nursing schools in the Texas area
have about 650 applicants, but the schools only let
in 100!!! Do you know when this is going to be resolved?
Will the nursing schools ever accept more nursing students?
KB
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Dear KB,
Well, I think the media coverage of the nursing shortage
can help us, as we need attention to this very serious
problem. And along with a shortage of nurses is a shortage
of qualified nursing faculty to teach those new nurses.
It is a vicious cycle, really - not enough teachers
to teach new nurses.
So why is there a shortage of faculty? Several reasons,
really. There are so many opportunities in nursing,
and nurses with higher degrees often take those opportunities.
Salaries are an issue, also, as they are non-competitive,
especially considering the cost of a doctoral degree.
And while the profession is getting older, that includes
faculty. Most educators go into teaching later in their
career, and we need younger people to select teaching
as their early career path. To read more about this
topic, click
here.
In the meantime, I would start taking course work,
study hard and do really well - when those positions
do open up (and they will) the people with the best
grades will likely be selected. I wish you the best.
Nurse Nancy
November 12, 2003
Dear Nurse Nancy,
As a recent, inexperienced graduate nurse I have
many
questions regarding liability. One such question is
regarding family members and friends who ask me to administer
medications to them. If a neighbor or friend would ask
me to administer any type of injection and something
would occur that would injure the patient such as a
miss named medicine or reaction to the medicine etc...could
I be held for negligence/malpractice. Also, is it legal
for me to do this without
receiving a doctor's order?
WN
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Dear WN,
I think you are wise to be questioning this kind of
practice. I would be very cautious, as you should be
concerned about liability. While it is unlikely a family
member would actually sue you, stranger things have
happened! And more importantly, you don't want to hurt
anyone - intentionally or accidentally.
Your last sentence is the most critical. Of course
it is not legal for nurses to give medications without
a doctor's order (whether you are in a work setting
or for personal reasons). We all have to practice nursing
within our scope of professional practice. If you do
have a family member who receives injections at home,
I would have a conversation with the prescriber (physician
or nurse practitioner) and see if that works for them.
They may need to see the patient not only to give the
injection, but also to evaluate lab values, assess the
patient for side effects and symptoms, and so forth.
Thanks for your question.
Nurse Nancy
November 11, 2003
Dear Nurse Nancy,
I have worked in geriatric nursing for many years.
I have a BA in
psychology and I am a LPN. I want to become certified
in geriatric nursing, but I don't have a BS degree in
nursing. Is there any hope for me?
Sincerely,
TM
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Dear TM,
Well, of course there is always hope. Geriatrics is
a great field, and a good choice for you to specialize
in. The American Nurses Credentialing Committee, which
oversees certifications for 37 specialties (including
geriatrics) has revised their criteria. Certification
is based on education and recognition of knowledge,
skills, abilities or competence developed through expertise
in a specialty area of practice.
You need to be a registered nurse to be qualified to
take this exam, but you do not necessarily have to have
a BSN. The exam is open to RNs without a BSN, and they
may use the credential RN,C. (Certified) For those who
have a BSN or above, the credential is RN, BC (Board
Certified).
So the issue here is not your BA in Psychology, but
that you need to be an RN as one of the qualifications
for certification. To find out more about this, and
to read about certification in general, go to nursingworld.org.
Good luck….you seem ambitious and I hope you get
there!
Nurse Nancy
November 10, 2003
Dear Nurse Nancy,
I have been a nurse for 17 years and am ready to
go in a different direction. I would like to become
a case manager to help patients, become an educator
to help other nurses, something in those fields. However,
I don't know how to begin, could you give me some ideas
on how to start.
PC
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Dear PC,
With your experience, you have many qualifications
to make this transition. I always believe if you want
to make a change like this, you have to network. Where
to start? Two things - work on your resume, and get
yourself some personal business cards. When you get
the cards (they are inexpensive, and you can even make
them online) put them in every purse, briefcase, jacket
pocket you own so that you will ALWAYS have them. Take
them everywhere - you just never know who you might
meet in the grocery store!
The other way to get started, along with looking through
the usual newspapers and advertisements in nursing journals,
and on line positions, is to join professional nursing
organizations where case managers and nurse educators
are likely to be. Even if you can't go to the national
meetings, try to find someone in your regional area
who might help you.
We at NurseWeek.com have a comprehensive list of all
of the nursing organizations. Take a look, and see which
ones interest you. You can find that list
here.
Good luck in your search!
Nurse Nancy
November 7, 2003
Dear Nurse Nancy,
I have been working as a school nurse for 4 years
now, and, while I don't have any immediate plans to
change jobs, I am concerned that I could no longer just
walk into a hospital setting. What is "out there"
for an RN like me?
LN
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Dear LN,
I have always believed in transferable skills - what
you are doing in your current position can be used in
other practice settings. Given your experience as a
school nurse (I am guessing you work with children)
you certainly will have the experience to work in an
ambulatory setting. Think of all of the knowledge you
have working in that autonomous setting - growth and
development, medication teaching, keeping up with immunizations,
children with chronic illnesses….you will have
a lot to offer another employer. Finding people who
have credentials in both pediatrics and ambulatory care
is not easy. Most of pediatrics these days is in the
ambulatory setting, so I bet you will not have trouble
finding another position.
Meanwhile, do all you can to make yourself marketable
for your next position - certification, PALS, professional
development. Network with your colleagues; attend professional
meetings and conferences and see what is out there for
you.
Have someone review your resume to make sure you are
crediting yourself with what you do know. Good luck!
Nurse Nancy
November 3, 2003
Dear Nurse Nancy,
I seem to see a lot of sign-on bonuses for recruiting
new nurses, but there seems to be little out there in
the form of bonuses for retainment of nurses. Experienced
nurses are the backbone of our profession. Improved
compensation or benefits for retainment may be of great
assistance for the nursing shortage we are experiencing.
I work in an ICU Unit and our Shared Governance Group
is looking to other hospitals for their compensation
bonuses for longevity. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
PS
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Dear PS,
I share your concern about sign on bonuses…..in
my experience, they are a "quick fix" but
sometimes cause more controversy with the incumbent
staff. Given the shortage, however, I imagine it is
important to be competitive with the hospital down the
street.
I have not seen compensation bonuses for longevity,
but something I might suggest is something I saw years
ago in a place where I worked. The staff were particularly
upset because they kept having good bye parties for
nurses leaving, and the ones who remained were getting
more and more distressed. They worked with administration
and had a "We're Still Here" party - and asked
their newer colleagues to work so that the stable staff
could all get together for a party. (And you know how
difficult that is to arrange) They had a great time
celebrating themselves…..I know it is not a check,
but sometimes just acknowledgment of longevity is meaningful.
Hang in there.....thanks for the question.
Nurse Nancy
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