PrincessPratt

that's why it's in the "off topic" section silly guy! Hugs Rusty!

I think not. I was an RN with my BSN for 10 years prior to becoming a nurse practitioner. I can tell you the nurses don't know half as much as the NP's and docs do. I can tell you that b/c I used to be one of those arrogant nurses who THOUGHT I knew just as much as the docs. Geesh then I went and got more education and clinical experience and realized I didn't know half as much as I thought. I have nurses arguing with me every single day about orders I write that they want to disagree with until they see the outcomes of my orders and realize I was right and the patients are getting what they need. If you don't like the time your doc spends with you then change docs. there are tons of them around. My internist spends 30 plus minutes with me every time I go to see him. He answers ALL my questions and communicates with me the way I need him to. I've worked with LPN's, other RN's, and medical assistants for the last 20 years. I promise you they do not hold the knowledge base we do.

OK I said I was leaving BUT one last comment. I am not wealthy by any means. I do live paycheck to paycheck (but only b/c I buy too many shoes...lol) BUT I make a pretty good living for a single gal who lived on the public welfare system until I was 18 years old. I can remember making internal promises to myself to never live like I did as a kid. Now I don't b/c I WORKED FOR IT! I have 95K of student loans to show for it and have to get/start my PhD in the next 3 years to stay competitive in my field but it's ALL worth it! The American dream can be reality IF you are willing to be diligent enough in your work whatever it may be.

Well maybe we shouldn't have stayed at the irish fest all hours of the night and you could have kept your 10pm friday night day with your warcraft! :D

Well I'm leaving work now b/c I'm NOT an M.D. and I love my life! LOL. So chat aways peeps. Catch ya later!

And I do want to add that at one point every single person in this thread is going to need to have "extra" time with a doc at some point in their life. You know what you're gonna get??? Oh, I'm sorry but with my reimbursement rates I can only give you 10 minutes today. Sorry but if you have other issues to discuss you're going to have to come back another day. This is all I'm trying to get across. It's going to affect each and every one of us. And isn't it the American dream to be able to work hard and get paid for it?

Every single doc I work with does it for b/c they care about people but you still want to be able to support your family AND pay off your student loans. I'm not saying that docs don't make decent money but you have to think about the amount of hours they work. That forbes information is all surgeons. I don't anyone that's not in plastics and is a surgeon that isn't at work by 0400 and leaves well after 7 pm every day. Those are long hours. I would NOT want their job.

Jeff all the close calls and I've never done it since I got the frame sliders on! Have some faith in ur girl!

that's why I wrote this Pauly!

yes but if you went to school that long and then your money that was promised to you kept dwindling how would you feel?

Well I wanted to throw this out there b/c someone posted a one liner in the new proposed healthcare legislation that really bothered me. They wrote that capping the reimbursement rates for docs might simply mean they will have to downgrade from a "luxery" vehicle to a tahoe. I was quite disturbed by this statement. My reasons: 1. The majority of the docs I work with work their butts off! Usually 70 plus hours a week! 2. They've spend countless hours preparing for a 100K plus salary that is not as nice as people think (will explain later). They spent at least 4 years in an undergraduate program. 4 years in medical school (and you cannot work during medical school). 3 to 7 years in a residency program depending on specialty (3 years for family practice/internal medicine 7 years for neurosurg). 1 to 3 years in fellowship. The average age is 32 to 34 when they actually become an attending physician where they can bill. In residency they average aboutu $9 to $10 an hour with all the hours/call they do. 3. Family practice docs make an average of $120 a year after malpractice, overhead, etc. I don't know any docs breaking $500K unless they are anesthesia or CTS or NS, etc etc etc. Meaning LONGER residencies, fellowships, and much much older when they are done to make that money. 4. Average student loan debt is $250 to 300K when they are done. Wow that's a butt load of money!!! That is MORE than a very large house payment per month. 5. Family life usually sucks b/c they work so many hours they don't get to see their families much. Ok those are just a few reasons why I think physicians deserve their salaries (believe me there are MANY more I could list). I mean they are dealing with human lives every single day. Do you realize if they cap the rates anymore all the very good docs are going to start taking more administrative roles and leave the patient care to the docs who are very "sue" worthy. The quality of health care is going to be severly diminshed. These are not prestigious jobs anymore like people think. This profession has lost it's appeal for many reasons I'm not going to discuss. If someone is willing to work that hard to get where they are why should they not be able to drive a nice car after all that school and work? Why should they be judged for it? And furthermore, I park next to the docs every day and I promise you it's very FEW of them that drive anything more than an accord or another more economical car. They have decreased reimbursement rates so much in the last few years with managed care that docs are working double and triple the hours they used to just to make the same cash. Obviously you all know my thoughts on this but I was wanting some of the publics opinions seeing this is the culture I live and breath in.

Only if you promise to do our ritual! YOu know where you back my bike out of the garage so I don't tip if over (of course that's YOU thinking it's going to happen)! hahahaha! See you tomorrow you sexy man beast you! Lubs you!

OMG this is freakin GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy birthday whitey!!!!

:lol: He said dumbass! My what big words he uses.

Gosh looks like YOU are also guilty of not reading thoroughly. Just b/c I skimmed it does not mean I didn't read it nor have the intent on not going back and giving a thorough reading Jeremy (fusion). I gave a very brief synopsis of what I thought. I am a nurse practitioner in a palliative medicine practice and I've been following the government's agenda the last few years with what is going to affect my patients, their families, and MY reimbursement. Yes I was the one that gave you the negative rep. Rep is just disagreeing or agreeing with what another person said/wrote. I could care less about it and you shouldn't either. Gosh it's just a public forum. It's the internet thus who freakin cares. I can tell your maturity level to revert to "name" calling. Your lack of effort in coming up with an educated response in the public and on the rep shows me what type of character and smarts you really have. I know the salt that I'm worth and what you write isn't going to affect my self worth nor my income sir. So sling away.......

Ya but when the pharma companies lose their patent they still find a way to recoup their money. I'm sure many on here have heard of celexa. They lost their patent and then created an isomer of the same drug. Now we have lexapro and they can charge $100 a rx when we can still get the same benefits for $4 with celexa. I don't play the pharma companies games. VERY infrequently have I prescribed lexapro. I ALWAYS go for the most cost effective methods to help out the patients and I never go to the dinners where they allow nurses/docs to eat $100 plus dinners at the patients expense learning about a drug we've been administering for years already!! Ok I'm sleep deprived right now and completely done with my rant and this thread! LOL....signing off now.

Ummm I think I know how to read and just b/c I didn't quote the whole entire section does not mean I haven't read/skimmed it. Have I thoroughly read it? Ummm no b/c I have been very busy the last week with work...I have a life! I am FAR from an idiot and I find that to be an extremely uneducated inference you have there. I think my educational accomplishments speak for themselves!

Do you know how many times I've written my representatives hoping to have a voice and NOTHING was done! It gets quite frustrating. This affects me not just on the patient side but also as a Nurse Practitioner who relies on reimbursement rates to make a living. We've all lobbied for HB253 allowing Ohio NP's to have schedule II prescriptive authority but NOTHING has been done and it's still on the freaking shelf 2 years later!!!!!!!!! I need that bill to be passed seeing I manage opiods all day long!

PG 430 Lines 11-15 The government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life. This is such crap! I have end of life discussions with people EVERY day SEVERAL times a day. It's what i do! Quality of life is different for every single person! GRRRRR. I don't agree with many of the decisions my patients and their respective family members make...like leaving someone on a vent that has no chance of meaningful recovery BUT nevertheless it's their choice. Healthcare is getting very scary people. Reimbursement is gettting less and less. Attendings/NP's are getting VERY VERY tired working double the hours to make the same money. Good medical staff are going to start looking elsewhere and will start taking administrative/research positions just to keep income coming in. Is this what we want? Just my 2 cents.....

Happy birthday!!!!!!!!!

I always say I was born and raised in Toledo like Fonzie.........BUT I'm really from Genoa! Welcome to the site!

Oh Brian I could be sitting there topless and nobody would get much of a show! Thought you knew!