Latest Comments by sweetstrwbrry1

Update:
I never heard anything more from this unit or about this situation from that unit or my own. I had come into work and was floated to that unit not by choice just for that day. I honestly hope I never float again. The responsibilities and being in an unfamiliar environment were overwhelming. On my floor we only have 3 patients and they are mostly post-op. This floor you have 4 patients and they can be total care and with all sorts of issues that I am not familiar with from my unit. They also get a lot of direct admits from the ED which I had never done before. And on top of that having no support, having no access to stuff to do my job, and no idea where anything is. I'm also not used to patients screaming at me about stuff. I swear we must have a different patient population on my floor because we don't get patients like that.

I called in the next day and was able to regroup myself. If I had actually not been thrown under a bus with no support I think I would have had clearer judgement about what to do. I agree that floating is dangerous. I could never be a float nurse, I know people who do that all the time. I feel comfortable on my unit & could not be happier. There would never be a time where the stress would affect my ability to do my job. I'm actually very grateful for my unit because now I know how good I have it. I do have difficult days but I don't think anything compared to like this unit I floated to. I give those nurses a lot of credit, honestly I don't think I would still be in nursing if I was originally assigned to work there. :/

I'm in my 7th month of being a new nurse and I love my floor. I've always had support and never have any issues and I couldn't be happier. Today I was floated to another floor for the first time ever. It was extremely chaotic and I had 4 patients including a direct admit instead of the usual 3 patients I have on my floor. In all honesty I've never actually done a full direct admit myself because I work in a half PCU/ICU floor and nearly all the patients we get are from the ICU just being downgraded.

Today was the absolute worst day of my nursing career. Not only could I not find anything, remember door codes, print my patient's info out without a hassle... it was just a busy, awful day. I had no access to the med cart, couldn't scan my badge to do accuchecks or find any of the supplies that I needed. Didn't even finish getting report until 8am so I felt so behind whereas my unit we are done with report by 715am. My total care patient's family was hovering over me all day and interfering with the care and my other lady was needing round the clock pain meds and needing people to get things for her. My direct admit lady was the worst, just all over the place. Acting as if she was drunk and walking around about to fall over. Would not listen to a word I said. Not to mention sitting on lines and rolling out and ripping out her IV.

She came in with chest pain and SOB and they found in the ED bilateral pulmonary embolisms in both lower lobes. She also has a history of GI issues such as peptic ulcer and her stool was positive for occult blood. They wanted to get GI approval before starting anticoagulation. Critical care saw her as well as cardiology and they didn't order anything. I called GI twice and asked about the diet order because the patient was raising hell about being NPO. I had to get the charge nurse in there and she was just yelling and yelling. I completely forgot about asking if they wanted to start heparin.

Didn't even finish giving report until 8pm which is so late for what I'm used to. So after my horrible day i go to my car and just cry. First time ever. I go home thinking everything is over and tomorrow is another day. I get a call from the unit around 11pm asking about why I didn't call the doctor about the heparin. She gives me attitude and now I feel like I made a huge mistake. I start crying again. I'm so overwhelmed right now and worried that I made such a mistake that I will get fired or lose my license that I worked so hard for and just got. I never would have missed this on the comfort of my own unit. I'm so worked up about this I can't sleep and tomorrow is supposed to be my third day. I can't even fantom going to work tomorrow because I am so upset and the fact that I am not getting any sleep even though I would be back on my own unit.

I don't understand why this wouldn't have been addressed in the ED when the patient had been there since 6am (I didn't get the patient until 3pm). I was so overwhelmed with having 4 patients as it is and having to do all this direct admit stuff that I never do. I am so worried that I am going to get in trouble over this. I hate calling in and don't want to do this to people but I literally cannot see myself working tomorrow after the day I had. Can anyone offer any advice?

Hello I am a second semester student nurse and I have also been a tech for a year. I just got a job at a hospital last week and I have started doing blood draws, a skill that I have not learned in school you but was taught at the hospital. Anyway, I have a lot of anxiety about doing these. I fear having to do them and am anxious that someone's going to say "need a blood draw in "this room"!" And it's my patient. I have done it about 6 times now with my preceptor watching. I am still anxious though. I think I am most anxious about getting stuck with a dirty needle. And it is only this type of needle, the butterfly. I don't think I would have a problem giving injections, just blood draws. Nothing else bothers me... Poop, pee, you name it... Except this. Does anyone have any advice for dealing with this?

I am currently in my second semester of nursing school and I just got a job as a tech at a hospital. I've been a CNA for a year but we definitely didn't do any blood work or anything like that before.

My first day was Sunday and I was so nervous about the blood work. I am also worried about needlesticks and have always been. I think that's the one thing in nursing that is going to be difficult for me at first.

My first stick I got in fine, got the blood, but I couldn't figure out how to retract the needle. So I am fiddling with it while it is still in the patient, pressing where I can. I ended up having to take the needle out before retracting it bc I couldn't see where the button was. Retracted it safely after that. I noticed there was a tiny amount of blood on my gloved finger where I was holding the base of the butterfly needle. My finger has felt funny the past day. There is no break in skin or on the glove either. I did a ton of glucose checks and was rubbing a lot of alcohol pads with that finger and using constant sanitizer which I am not used to which could have possibly irritated it. I know I did not stick myself with the tip of the needle... Am I just being paranoid? Can blood leak out a little from the plastic part? I didn't get a close look at it the needle, so I didn't see the structure of the plastic base. Is the needle completely enclosed? Thank you, I know this may seem like a stupid question

Didn't hear anything today (the day after). I didn't even think of it... But should I email the nurse manager thanking her for letting me come in to interview with staff and for giving me a tour of the facility? Is it too late now? I could send it first thing into the morning.

Well I spoke too soon on my last post! I got a call Friday evening at 530pm from the nursing manager and was asked to come in for an interview at 10am Monday. I told her I had class at that time so she said what about 11 or what would work for you? I said 1pm was good for me and so we went with that!

The position is for a advanced clinical tech on a PICU floor at a smaller hospital. When I got there, I was expecting to talk to the nurse manager but instead I had a group interview with two RNs and a tech! Is this common? It was nerve wracking but I think I did pretty good in answering their questions. I am also surprised because I would be doing EKGs, blood draws, and glucose checks.... All of which I have never done in my LTC facility. Would this be more like a patient care technician and don't they typically get paid more? I am from Florida. I am really hoping I get this job! It would be perfect because I am learning more things as I am in nursing school.

I noticed this afternoon the posting from the hospital website is down. I'm not sure if they were interviewing anyone else today.... I sure hope not! I would really love to have this job I'm so anxious to hear back!

Good advice! I also just recently remade my resume and have more keywords like that. I bet I could put even more because I didn't include I & O or hoyer lift.

Well I got all my references in so now I am just waiting to hear about the central service tech position. Ended up using my clinical instructor I'll go ahead and add those words to my resume and keep applying. Thanks for the encouragement everyone,

Haha good point! I am going to try my best. I was able to contact a manager I had many years ago in a non health field. And I am going to ask my clinical instructor tomorrow when I go to clinicals. Hopefully that it sufficient.

I feel the same way about my LTC.... Obviously things aren't going well if corporate came in and fired the DON. I want to get out of there....

I am just about to finish my first semester in nursing school and I've been a CNA and a long-term care facility for almost a year. I really want to get a job in the hospital and just finished my first clinical rotation. I've been applying to nurse tech positions but I am constantly getting rejection letters. I don't understand because I have all the qualifications and I even have the year of experience. What more are these places looking for? It is very discouraging.

I also don't know what to do because I have been getting contacted for a central service technician position. However that is not really a nurse tech and I'm not sure that I'm all that interested. They also want two managerial references which I don't have..... Our head nurse quit a while back and our DON just got fired last week. I do not have any supervisors or managers that can give me references, period. I am not sure if I should continue to pursue this if my heart is not exactly in this position or if I should just hold out for a nurse tech position. What do you think? I have a feeling I would have to do the references anyway so it's going to be a problem down the line.

I know that sounds bad. But I work in a long term care facility and we have a patient who has been known to leave needles in the bed, tray, or wherever else. No one has any idea where they get them. The last time this person was in the facility a few months ago, a CNA got stuck with one. This person is also very nasty and cusses at the staff, calls them names, and things like that. I know a few of my coworkers refuse to care for him. They do not feel comfortable being in the room with him. He is independant and alert. I have never felt so uncomfortable being in a patients room before. I went in to change the roommate and later to take the roommate to the bathroom. I brought another CNA with me when I did these things. I am worried about not only needles laying around but also what this person is capable of when I close the door behind me and I'm in the room with him. I brought up what I had heard about the needles and rudeness to the nurse and she said she hadn't heard anything about that. But all the CNAs are mentioning the needle thing and the things he has said or done to them. I absolutely did not go anywhere near that side of the room. What do you do in a situation like this?

I am a new nursing student and I am new to a lot of information especially regarding multi drug resistant organisms. I've really thought about it because I have a situation coming up that I am not sure about that involves my own "family". Right now I am a CNA at a long term care facility and I also am doing clinicals in which I am obviously encountering many MDROs daily. I am clean and make sure to follow the proper protocol.

Now within this next week my boyfriend is having a pilonidal cyst surgery which is most likely going to involve him having an open wound for almost 2 months. I will be changing the dressings twice a day for him. I am nervous because I am exposed to so much at work and shower in the same shower as him at home and things like that. Do I have anything to worry about or am I overreacting? Is it possible to give someone in your family for example mrsa if he has this open wound? He has no one else to change the dressings. As far as showers go, I could stop at my parents on the way home to shower there but I don't know if that is necessary or not. Has anyone ever had this experience where they had to care for a family member at home that would be like this situation?

I have been a CNA for 6 months now and I work in a long term care facility where it is mostly total care residents and a lot of physical labor. I have noticed the past few months I have had on and off neck pain. it usually is at the bottom of my skull on the right backside of my neck and either stays there or it can radiate down to my shoulder. It feels stiff sometimes and other times it feels sore like it just needs a massage and that will help it feel better. I remember the exact incident that started this. A resident was too far down on the bed and so I got up to the head of the bed as far as I could, grabbed the bed protector, and pulled double my weight sideways to the left to get this person up on the bed farther. It makes sense because by pulling left (I never pull the other way) it would have used the muscles on that side. I have only been working 1 day a week now but I think I keep reinjuring it because ill do the same thing. I try to be careful but I usually end up using that muscle doing something that night. I am also a student so I am stressed and I spend a lot of time looking down and being in uncomfortable positions. Is this a muscle strain? It will be bad for a few days, goes away, is almost non existent and then it comes back again.. Usually because of something I probably did physically. Any advice from other CNAs out there?

I am currently a nursing student and have been a CNA for six months. As I go through school I am learning about things I did not know about a CNA regarding contact precautions. I know that my long term care facility does put a sign up on the door saying 'Stop! See nurses station before entering'. At my facility, I will be honest. Absolutely no one wears any gowns or anything when working, no nurses and no CNAs.

My question is as I study this I realize how important it is. It makes me nervous now because what have I been doing? Have I been exposing myself to VRE, MRSA, ESBL and will I someday get if my immune system weakens? No one in the facility seems the least but concerned. They will go in there and pick up a contact patient and put her on the toilet. I am very careful about what I do in every singe room. I never let my clothes touch the bed or the pt and just get them cleaned up as quick as possible. I also do not bring my shoes or clothes into the house and do separate laundry with everything. I will start wearing gowns now that I am educated (even if I am the only one who does and they think I'm crazy). Is my facility the only one who just doesn't care? I imagine hospitals would be strict. I'm scared I will be colonized with these germs and wondering if its too late :/

I am a CNA at a LTC facility and we have a lot of residents that are total care and wear diapers. A lot of them have chronic medical problems, honestly I have no idea what. I know a lot have MRSA, some with VRE, lots of kidney problems, even an HIV positive.

The other day I was changing a residents diaper and another CNA saw me, ran into the room and told me I should be wearing a mask because the patient had VRE. Honestly the nurses never tell us anything about what these patients have. Is that common practice? I have never had any of them tell me. It is also not in the comminication charts we fill out on the computer every shift either. The only way I know is if there is a separate yellow or red bin for laundry in the room. Is this common in a hospital? I know VRE really isn't an issue for healthy people but I find it unbeliavble no one would communicate anything with us. I definitely use double gloves and sanitizer if I can't wash my hands right away after every patient. Is it like this everywhere? Or only my facility?

Does anyone have any resources on where I can apply for these? I am a second degree student and need money for school. I cannot get any more loans because I already have taken out some for my masters degree (completely unrelated field). Will having a bachelors and masters prevent me from being able to receive any grants? What are some scholarships? I applied to the tylenol future care scholarship.... I need more like these. I hate using fast web because all they do is spam my inbox. Iam currently accepted to a BSN program at a community college (combined w a university) and I need money for tuition this fall!