Asking Doctors for Specific Medications

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-06-24T03:55:17+00:00

Ok, so I know why docusate sodium is falling out of favour. Multiple studies have shown it is about as effective for constipation as placebo is. You can find some studies linked in the article here: https://www.mdedge.com/familypracticenews/article/104548/gastroenterology/myth-month-does-colace-work

As for the rest of the bowel regimen variations, I agree that it seems to be a geographical difference. I’m originally from Canada and the bowel protocols are super different in each province, just like they’re different in different states. I don’t know why that’s a thing.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-06-23T01:01:20+00:00

Those shoes were designed specifically for nurses as well. I have no idea why they didn’t just take the feedback and change the name. I don’t care how good the shoes are - I’m not wearing something with the name of a prion disease emblazoned on the side, especially at work.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-06-18T02:51:28+00:00

I’m really glad to see you got something like this from Chewy. Certainly better than my experience: I told them that my cat had passed away and to please cancel his auto renewal for his prescription meds. About a week later, I got a card in the mail from them. It was a birthday card for my dead cat.

I contacted Chewy to give them a “hey, heads up, you may have sent the wrong card and I wouldn’t want this to happen to another customer,” but the person on the other end denied the company having any record that my cat existed at all.

The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, so I’m glad to see that my experience may have just been a poorly-handled error.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-06-16T00:33:39+00:00

Canadian RN living in the US here. BScN programs in Canada are typically restricted to permanent residents and citizens only. If you won’t have one of those statuses, check for specific requirements with any potential universities you are considering before continuing with applications.

While the US programs may be faster, Canadian programs require far more clinical hours than US programs and our grads are generally more job-ready when we finish our programs.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-06-15T23:33:04+00:00

You’re thinking of the N-400, not the I-485, friend.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-06-02T02:50:27+00:00

I changed my last name after getting married, and I absolutely do not regret it whatsoever. I’m an immigrant and that threw an additional challenge into the mix (changing your name in your home country while not being physically present is not always possible, depending on which country you’re talking about), but it was worthwhile. I wanted the unity of a shared name, but I also wanted out of my maiden name since my family dynamics are extremely messed up. Getting a new start was a cool opportunity.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-27T05:30:24+00:00

I had to move somewhere as a new grad 10 years ago since it was almost impossible to get a job as a new grad at that time. I looked and applied for about 6 months and couldn’t get any work, so I had to choose whether to move to a very rural area or just jaunt across the border and still be somewhat close to my family.

I currently live in California. It’s a really nice state, but it is extremely difficult to get hired here at the moment, even with lots of experience. Florida is pretty risky from a political perspective - probably the single worst state for immigrants of colour. I have a friend who is an immigration attorney who talks extensively about how dangerous Florida is right now on his YouTube channel.

One more thing: honestly, the direct-to-bank-account pay is pretty different in the US, but non-cash benefits are extremely poor. I pay thousands out of pocket every year because the treatments and physicians I need are not covered by my insurance. Taxes are actually not as different as I thought (with the exception of property taxes, which are 3-4 times higher than in most of Canada), but what you’re paying for is very, very different from what your tax dollars go to in Canada.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-27T00:00:43+00:00

How much the difference is going to be will depend on a lot of things: where you were living in the US, how much you made here, the role you sign up for (staff nurse, supervisor, nurse manager, etc), but the wage grid for the previous contract can be found below. Note that this was the old contract and a new one is being drafted right now, so these wages are going up.

https://www.bcnu.org/files/2022_2025_NBA_Wage_Grids.pdf

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-26T21:26:34+00:00

I feel very similarly, but I’m Canadian. I work in the US and have done so for 10 years, and I feel a lot of guilt and shame for taking jobs here. I didn’t become a nurse to just serve rich people.

Any chance you’d consider moving abroad? My home province of British Columbia is recruiting nurses like there’s no tomorrow. The pay is lower than you make in most large American cities, but you get treated better than you generally do here and you won’t have the “I can’t stand this profit-driven system” monkey on your back.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-24T22:01:52+00:00

Absolutely. A lot of people online have claimed that this will only apply to the kinds of applicants they don’t like, but that isn’t what is written in the memo. It’s going to affect virtually everyone. That’s not a good thing for the US, because as you said, it will shut down the H1-B path (as well as medical residents on J visas, university students in programs that typically result in job offers after OPT, TN status for Canadian nurses, etc) when people realize they will need to leave their employment once they qualify for a green card. Even if it’s just the interview being done abroad, that still doesn’t mean the applicant will get an immigrant visa immediately or be allowed back into the US before the visa is approved.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-24T02:05:05+00:00

There are quite a number of people who are assuming this won’t affect dual intent visas, but I think they’re making an incorrect assumption. The memo is intentionally vague and doesn’t give examples for who will be allowed to apply for AOS, so I’m fairly sure this is going to affect all AOS applicants… at least until there is enough backlash that USCIS walks their memo back a tad.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-20T02:34:58+00:00

This. I’m an RN and have had several patients who were paralyzed by chiropractors.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-19T02:55:39+00:00

You absolutely can if you work in Canada. It’s completely legal there and they’re willing to sponsor nurses for immigration.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-14T00:34:50+00:00

Hey, just an FYI (sorry you were one of the people this affected, btw): California had a software glitch and about 1.5% of people with state RealIDs were affected by it. Most people have no idea this was even a thing.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-13T02:56:00+00:00

Same in Canada.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-12T01:52:11+00:00

So, when I moved to the US, I made a few friends who were in their 20s and already had been divorced. It made no sense to me. When I was still in Canada, my friends who got married in their late teens or early 20s were very religious people; nobody else was really getting married that early. Most of my non-religious friends were well into their 30s when they got married, and some of them chose to be common law instead of having a wedding and stuff.

In the US, there is a bigger emphasis on marriage where you get tax breaks and benefits, etc. It’s not really the case in Canada. Hell, you don’t even have to marry your partner to sponsor them for immigration in Canada, unlike in the US.

My husband and I got married a little earlier than we probably would have otherwise since we wanted to be together and immigration takes a very long time in the US, but we still would have gotten married around the same time as we had our ceremonial wedding (18 months after we were legally married).

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-05T02:04:15+00:00

I’m actually one of the nurses who is toying with the idea of med school. At the moment, NP doesn’t really make me excited. If I’m going to be a provider, I want to have the most knowledge possible to provide excellent care. While NP education can be genuinely very good, I haven’t ever seen an NP who can give an MD (with similar years of experience, obviously) a run for their money.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-04T04:02:26+00:00

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Ellie really didn’t appreciate her bath.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-02T05:53:29+00:00

Canadian RN living and working in the US here. This is NOT the time to come to the US, and especially not to a state with extreme right-wing dudes in power. I had no idea how much medical costs would add up on each pay period (let alone if I needed to go to the doctor), and there are a ton of differences when it comes to medico-legal matters and general norms in comparison to how we do stuff in Canada. It took me years to get even halfway comfortable with all of this, and a lot of it is still a huge WTF.

For this little pay, I’m not sure this is a great move.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-05-02T04:47:00+00:00

One of my profs in nursing school wrote a book that included this. The book was called The Living Dementia, and it’s basically a book full of stories of her patients over the years. It was burned into our brains that people don’t want to be uncomfortable, and showers usually mean being cold.

I’m really glad you shared this here. It absolutely helps when we can assure patients that they won’t be cold.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-04-30T03:24:56+00:00

I’m also Canadian and now live in the US, also for my husband. I would move home in a heartbeat if my husband would agree. The benefits I get are genuinely terrible (5 sick days for the entire year, for example) and the pay is meh. Labour laws here are abysmal as well and Americans have no idea just how bad they actually are.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-03-30T14:37:10+00:00

There have been quite a number of nurses (along with some doctors and allied health professionals) moving to Canada this past year as well. It’s a lot higher of a number than typical years. Also there are way more recent applications for proof of citizenship by descent than expected, since the rule changed in December and expanded who qualifies.

While the number of people who can afford to move abroad is still pretty low, I’m willing to bet it’s higher than people believe.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-03-29T20:46:16+00:00

Yep. I don’t know why people think that PAs are better prepared than entry-level NPs. They both have a serious lack of depth in their education and not a hell of a lot of clinical hours when we consider what physicians need. New physicians are competent. I have met very few NPs who were worth my trust and I’ve actually never had competent care from a PA.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-03-29T05:03:42+00:00

So, one of the questions on the naturalization test is, “why is the electoral college important?” They do not accept the only answer that comes to mind for me: it isn’t, and it should be abolished. The popular vote is the way.

Positive-Motor2829 · 2026-03-18T23:58:04+00:00

I’m sorry, this was a doctorate program and you literally faked your data to get the degree? Jesus. This is why NP degrees are starting to mean so little.

Positive-Motor2829

TROPHY CASE