Anyone else hate "winter nursing"

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi folks,

Just wondering if anyone hates "winter nursing" as much as I do?...LOL... The other night I went in and we had some pneumonia's, a few gastroenteritis's, a couple influena's, and two little old ladies that had fallen on the ice and broken their hips. Errrrrr....I just hate winter nursing and everything that goes with it. I literally feel like a portal of germs by the time I get home. We are always so damn busy in the winter...like I'm sure a lot of you are too. I always find "winter nursing" to be high stressed and our staff always seems way over worked this time of year...not to mention always working short because of all the employee call ins. Oh yeah....and why do little old people insist on getting that darn mail right after a fresh ice storm...hmmmmmm?????? LOL..... Ok..enough venting...I don't want to be a whiner....but I just feel like my love for nursing always seems to take a dive this time of the year. I'm already hoping and praying for SPRING...anyone else?

Yours sincerely (buried in snow, ice and germs, in lovely WI),

:rolleyes:

Snoop

Okay, you've got a point...but think of the other pluses, when you are done with your shift, you can walk out into warm sunshine...Here it is January 2nd and the temp was in the high 70s.

Kris:cool:

:rotfl: Now be fair and tell the truth.

This is our busy time, and pneumonia and respiratory stuff hits here especially hard on all the old folks. I can't tell you how many times I got coughed on the other night. I just wanted to wear a mask for everyone and be done with it. I think the worst are the pneumonia with C. Diff patients. *Cough* bed change, *cough* bed change... all night long. :uhoh21:

They're old, so they c/o CP and we get them. Sometimes they have a really bad cold or COPD exacerbation plus an MI. All you hear all around is the hissing of Neb treatments all night long and hacking coughs.

That's wintertime for us here in Florida, anyhow.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
*Cough* bed change, *cough* bed change... all night long

LOL!!!!!!!

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
Okay, you've got a point...but think of the other pluses, when you are done with your shift, you can walk out into warm sunshine...Here it is January 2nd and the temp was in the high 70s.

True. I don't have to deal with snow and ice, for which I am grateful.

Just the usual, plus the tourist illness. I think the community education programs must be seeing some results with our elders. No longer do I hear, "I had a severe HA and went numb on my left hand, so I drove myself to the ER."

No. Now it's "I got a severe HA and my fingers went numb last night and Sadie said it could be a stroke, but she doesn't drive at night, so she brought me in this morning."

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

Ugh...I hate winter because we are slow and have to go to peds with all the icky viruses! We NICU people don't have the antibodies to stand it LOL And we have been dropping like flies from some stomach flu!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
Ugh...I hate winter because we are slow and have to go to peds with all the icky viruses! We NICU people don't have the antibodies to stand it LOL And we have been dropping like flies from some stomach flu!

RSV and influenza have hit my peds LTC facility. One entire unit is quarantined, with MRCP kids going crazy because their routines are being disrupted. The entire unit is on flu prophylaxis, because a kid was admitted for respite for the holidays, and guess what her gift to us was? Influenza A exposure.

In heme/onc, many are on reverse isolation, s/p bmt and on immunosuppressants. The minute I ungown and glove, the IV beeps 'occlusion' :angryfire . My hands are ready to fall off!!! :crying2:

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I work in rehab. I remember thinking at the end of August how quiet things were. I also remember thinking it was the calm before the storm.

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Specializes in Operating Room.
For us, summer mirrors the winter. We get the pnuemonia and falls plus lots of staff call-outs in the winter. But in the summer we get lots of CHF and COPD exac from the heat, plus staff taking vacation time.

I was thinking the same thing about the Dr.'s offices. ...and in fall you have a swarm of kiddos needing immunizations, and physicals. lol

....although I do think winter is great for the hypochondriacs out there! :chuckle

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Or the people that have been given the Ok to get discharged, yet don't want to.

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Specializes in Home care, assisted living.

Well, let's see, right now we have a nasty bug going around. Residents and staff are throwing up, having diarrhea and passing it around. We've been spraying everything with Clorox disinfectant--handrails, doorknobs, furniture--and it's still active. One resident has crapped watery BM all over herself twice this week. Love-ly.Here's hoping that the sickness going around won't be followed up by an ice storm. ("I can't come to work 'cause I can't get out of my driveway"). :uhoh3:

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

We're having a mild flu season. But out busy season in winter. Lots of tourists and people who come down and spend the winter months filling up the hospitals. Good for business and the local economy, but tough on the staff. :)

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