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Hey guys, I'm currently an RN transferring from the ICU to a private clinic with 8-5 hours. My city has begun the biggest hiring class in over a decade and want to seize the opportunity to pursue the career I've always wanted. My only issue is this: I currently take diazepam PRN for muscle spasms. I've tried other medications and they haven't worked; this was literally my last resort. I would never have to use it on shift and take a very low dose at night when needed (literally 2mg-5mg, the lowest doses prescribed). Do you guys know if this will affect me in my hiring process? I want to emphasize I do not take this for anxiety and it has not affected my job as an RN. My doctor will be able to provide documentation showing this. However, having my legs spasm at night would affect my sleep pattern without it. Otherwise, I expect to do well on the written examination and am in excellent physical condition for the CPAT. Any input is appreciated, thanks in advance. edit: just realized I failed to mention this was for firefighting. Calvin Johnson Jr. fucked around with this message at 07:43 on Jan 11, 2021 |
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Jan 11, 2021 07:09
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 13:10 |
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Ugly In The Morning posted:It won’t gently caress you over on the drug test, if they even test for benzos the MRO report will just say “negative” since there’s a prescription. As far as medical screening I also doubt it would be an issue but I can’t 100 percent confirm that, depends on department policies and the doctor who’s running the medical screening. Thank you! I just don't want to be dismissed for "anxiety" when I've dealt with high stress situations in both the ER/ICU with zero issues. I've tried every other medication for my muscle spasms and low dose diazepam has been the only thing that's worked with any effectiveness. Like I said, it isn't a nightly occurrence nor would I ever consider taking any mind-altering substance while on my 24 hour shift. UCS Hellmaker posted:If your an rn seriously look for rn to paramedic bridge programs. They are their but rare, and literally you as an icu nurse have a ton of critical care experience which will be helpful. I will have to get my EMT certification, which will need to be done post fire-academy. I'm almost positive a paramedic program will work as an equivalent though - I'll confirm at orientation on Wednesday. Becoming a firefighter was what I always wanted to do initially but if I can help people as a first responder in any further capacity then I'm 100% in. Thank you for the advice. Job satisfaction is extremely important to me and I sincerely enjoy helping others in any capacity I can. I figured my experience as an RN in critical care would be beneficial as a first responder to car accidents and similar incidents. I just don't want to lose this opportunity over something as trivial as muscle spasms. I'm currently at a private endocrinology clinic and plan to continue work there during my 48 hours off. edit: Sorry I didn't clarify that the job position I'm going for is firefighting in my initial post. Calvin Johnson Jr. fucked around with this message at 07:44 on Jan 11, 2021 |
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Jan 11, 2021 07:40
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Well, firefighting orientation went extremely well and I got my colleague to prescribe me adderall for a previous ADHD diagnosis. I figured it can't hurt with the 24 hour shifts. I'm definitely going to look into the paramedic route as well now that I know paramedic-firefighter is definitely a thing. I feel much more comfortable now and am extremely excited to get out of the hospital and into a true first-responder role. Most firefighters don't get paid much but we start at 65k here in a state with a low cost of living. I'm not sure how much being paramedic will add to that, but job satisfaction matters more to me than anything. All the firefighting guys were really nice and seemed like genuinely cool dudes who actually want to help people; what makes you feel the need to dunk on them? I'm really excited to bring my trauma/critical care experience into the field.
Calvin Johnson Jr. fucked around with this message at 14:40 on Jan 15, 2021 |
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Jan 15, 2021 04:19
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Yeah, firefighters in my hometown get paid garbage whereas the much bigger town I currently live in get paid ~$60k median. They just built a new multimillion dollar training facility that we'll be the first class to go through as well. I don't know, maybe I'm being naive, but I can't wait to get the gently caress out of the ICU and do this instead.
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Jan 20, 2021 01:11
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So I took my firefighting entry exam earlier this week - one question has me kinda conflicted. I mean, I only need a 70 to pass so it shouldn't matter. It was just a lot of phrasing designed to throw you off. For example, they gave us a formula where you solve for a variable and then multiply it with the others. I put the "right" answer down according to the equation and then realized they were just asking for a single variable of it. I didn't get to review my exam before I turned it in so that has me nervous. Everyone is telling me not to worry but I can't help but wonder if I missed something else like that. One of the questions was a simple "if you turn this cog one way how many cogs turn counter-clockwise" but it was worded in a way to where it was sort of ambiguous if you included the original cog in your count. It'll be two weeks until I find out but I'm more nervous about this than when I took my NCLEX to get my RN. Anyways, the question was something like, "You just finished putting out a fire in a home and see a fellow fireman put $50 from a drawer into his pocket, what do you do?" (It was worded to where it wasn't clear he was stealing.) I think I overthought it, the answers were something like: A. (Can't remember but definitely wrong.) B. Tell the supervisor C. Ask him what he is doing. D. Say nothing. I chose C because in this scenario it didn't clearly state he was stealing so it seemed irresponsible to go over his head without confronting him first. I figured I could make a better judgment on doing B if I performed C first. It's plausible he was removing it from the scene; it's not like I know the protocols yet. The more I think about it though, the correct answer they were looking for was to tell the supervisor? If I saw someone doing something sketchy, I would ask them before reporting them because that would still allow me to tell the supervisor afterwards if they were obviously stealing. It's one of those real world vs. 'in a vacuum' questions, I guess. I feel like you should always start conflict at the lowest level then escalate as necessary. Going over someone's head and accusing them of theft to their superior seems like the second level of ethical escalation in this scenario. It was worded in such a way that I couldn't tell if it was a trick question or not. God, it's sad how much I'm overthinking this exam. I just hate that it will be two weeks before I get the results.
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Feb 6, 2021 01:26
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 13:10 |
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Ended up with a 92 on the exam. I'm not sure why I was even worried; I'm pretty superstitious and would rather be anxious and happily surprised than the inverse, I guess. Already pretty conditioned for my CPAT but still going to go hard for two weeks on legs since that seems to be where I've atrophied the most during covid. I'm sincerely happy that I'll get to practice my RN and do this as well. I feel like getting my EMT-B is redundant but I'll jump through whatever hoops they ask. Both jobs pay roughly the same so it's going to be nice to have a chill job coupled with something physical. If I truly like firefighting I may just do it full time and work towards my CRNP on the side.
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Feb 21, 2021 14:28
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