[epsilonprodigy]

What are some tips and tricks everyone uses to muddle through their issues each shift?

For me, I work in an ER where the staff is great, but we are inner-city nonprofit... I would only ever work for a nonprofit organization and love working with the underserved. Unfortunately this also adds up to NO MONEY and therefore NO STUFF! What limited equipment we have is often broken. So I pray- silently and A LOT!

"Dear God, I know you're busy, but if you could just help me get this pump to work, I really think it would be helpful for my seizing patient "

"Dear God, it's me again, I really have no idea how we managed that crashing kid when we went through three dead monitors in the code bay, but we did it, so... thanks!"

I grew up going to church but got out of the habit in college. Nursing has lead me back to it in the way that I often feel like the only thing left to do is pray about things like this. I even carry the Novena to St. Jude (the patron saint of lost causes! )on the back of my badge!

[ShellsNYrn]

Prayer works for me.
<---- Plus lots of this stuff

[facetiousgoddess]

I wear my grandfather's St Dymphna medal pinned to the inside of my ummmm brassiere...I swear I'm turning into my grandmother...

But I figure who to better understand a nurse than the patron saint of "mental and nervous disorders." Cause I swear there are days we must be DSM diagnosable to keep returning to work.

Tres

[DebRN06]

I repeatedly remind myself I have a mortgage I have to pay... I'm afraid if I did not do that, I would end up throwing a huge fit, say the things I would love to say, leave and not care about losing my license.

I also carry a nurse's prayer in my pocket!!

[husker_rn]

I keep repeating " I can do anything for 12 hours "

[scrappingfaye]

ditto..... "this is only one shift(sometimes 8 hours, sometimes 12, sometimes 16).... "I can get thru this...."

[NewbieEDRN]

Originally Posted by husker_rn

I keep repeating " I can do anything for 12 hours "

LOL!!!! Me too! That I and pray alot and remind myself how ridiculously poor I was before I became a nurse.

[abbaking]

I pray for assistance from above, I take a quick break - Call a friend and vent. Sometimes, although frowned on (go into the bathroom chill and let the tears out).

[gonzo1]

I keep telling myself that if all my peeps are alive and breathing I am doing great
and that if they are all alive and breathing at end of shift I am a genious.

Sometimes I nearly have a panic attack thinking of how far behind I am and how much I need to get done
Sometimes I have to stop myself for a minute and get a grip.

It is unbelievable that administration expects so much from us that we end up feeling like this.

I pray a lot too