trippinwitchu

By ambulance, screaming at the top of her lungs, coming from the other side of the city (passed 4 hospitals to get to mine), a toothache!!! Her continual screaming irritating the actual sick patients. And did I mention that she was wearing a short skirt with no underwear, flailing about the waiting room and terrorizing these two little old ladies.

He he he he. If you haven't already watched it, check out the Typical ER Patient video over at youtube. Absolutely hilarious and oh so true!!!

Thank you for your words of encouragement. I do feel better after reading your responses. I have an interview tomorrow with a home health agency, wish me luck!!!!

Here it goes, it's long, sorry.......I have been a nurse now for more than a year and a half and I have worked in the ICU for the majority of that time and now I am in dialysis. Since nursing school, it has been an uphill battle. My introduction into the hospital setting was horrendous. I was pulled on/off my orientation numerous times, preceptors who were more concerned with smoke breaks rather than teaching, and once I was off orientation (which didn't feel much like one) I was given assignments that were way over my head. I switched hospitals and pretty much started all over with just slightly better luck, but staffing started getting worse-with the more experienced nurses leaving for better pay-and the harder assignments were being turned over to us newbie nurses. There were points that I was seriously worried about the patients and my license and when I spoke up or refused an assignment, I was labeled a troublemaker or "not a team player." So I left and went to another realm of nursing, which I am finding out is not me at all. And that's okay. But my real dilemma is I am beginning to think I made a huge mistake of becoming a nurse in the first place. I have worked in the medical field off/on for the last 10-12 yrs as a CNA in LTC, hospital, hospice and home health. I enjoyed nursing school and did very well while I was in school. However, the stuff I have seen in the last year and a half is enough for me to never enter a hospital as a pt and take my chances with the disease process. :uhoh21: I feel I have been lied to and I feel I may have wasted my time with school. I love helping my patients, I really do; I love the families I encounter and I am glad to do my part with educating and treating my pts and their families. But I don't know how much I can stomach watching a pt have an unnecessary questionable surgery that ends with death,the ethics of some/the industry or the lack of proper training and/or the short amount of time in nursing orientation, etc, etc. I know I have to choose my own path and that no one can make that choice for me. Nursing has always been a goal of mine and I pursued it with great determination and passion until I finally reached my goal. I will continue to further my education, but I am feeling stuck at the moment. I am asking anyone who cares to take the time to read this, to let me know if they have experienced the same things, do they have any pointers they could share, or maybe some words of encouragement. I think and believe that this is still a very honorable and noble profession and the men and women who work within it are angels in human form. I am just looking for people who are in the same boat as me, or who have been able to jump ship....I am trying my best to keep my sanity..... Thanks.

Female, critical care/dialysis, a border collie, 3 cats.

It is good to discuss the issues and try to see things from all sides, but at some point action needs to take place. Look to California and that state has a union. Now, it is not perfect and I am sure there are some CA nurses on these threads that can give a list of the problems, but it is a good start and from what I have read it is making some progress with staffing ratios, etc. As far as the ASN and BSN programs, they are more similar than different. Of course, there are more classes to take to obtain a BSN, but the core classes are the same (general classes and nursing). ASN/ADN is not a mere job with training, it does require a degree (education). With that said, we need to pull together, and stop with all that easily divides us. Each nursing role brings something to the table...LPN, ASN, BSN, MSN, etc. We are very good at advocating for our patients...it is what drives us...however, in advocating for ourselves, it benefits our patients in the long run with proper staffing, safe ratios, education opportunities, and happy well-rounded nurses.

I have had this very same thought myself when I have witnessed the in-fighting. However, I quickly brush it aside when I think about the world in which we live in. A good example is Congress...it is a male dominated governing body and look at all the squabbling that takes place there. How much good could get done if people sat aside their differences and really focused on the problem at hand? Unfortunately, this issue is human based not gender based. History is full of this, but if you look closely, there were a few people who were true leaders. They just had to find their voice and others with the same voice soon followed. As far as the multiple entry points, nursing is just the tip of the iceberg. When you deal with something as complex as the human body, you are going to need to specialize and diversify, i.e. MDs, PAs, NPs, RNs, LPNs, CNAs...etc, etc. Just the many spokes of a wheel.

I prefer Littmann. I have used the Litt lightweight, which is at the lower end of the price scale. It served its purpose well. Had it for about 10.5 years. I recently purchased a Litt Cardiology III, and I absolutely love it!!! I can hear breath/heart sounds so much better and I don't pick up much background noise (makes a big difference) like I did with the lightweight version. My advice is go to a uniform store or place that sells them and try them out. Get the one that works best for you (usage and budget). You can always buy a nicer one when you get out of school and are making the big bucks! :wink2: He-he!

In my unit, RNs can remove chest tubes, however, you must attend training, and then you have to have 3-4 witnessed CT removals before you can do them on your own. Look at your state's scope of practice. Do not do anything without the proper training.

I thought those who are interested can check out this article. http://www.nursinglink.com/benefits/3842-where-are-we-on-this-issue-adn-vs-bsn Recently, I have even heard the "rumor" that in the future nurse practitioners would be required to get their doctorate. I have done some research and the idea has been tossed around, but is currently a "no-go." No one should stop reaching for their highest potential. Furthering one's education is always a good idea and should be a priority. Nursing IS a serious profession and requires years of education and training. The fact we have to sit for boards and are scrutinize by governing bodies (all for protecting the public welfare and the profession) makes this a profession!! And a good one!!! Unfortunately, there are some schools that do not serve the profession or even their students, well. This needs to change. Arguing about what is or isn't distracts from the issue at hand....the shortage, the need for highly trained nurses, the money to train them, etc.

It sounds like you have made the right decision. You have to follow your heart. Life is too short to be miserable and anxious all of the time. Staying would only take away from the quality of time spent with your family, as you would be bringing your stresses home. This is not fair to you or your family. And as others have said, children grow up fast. Good for you for making this otherwise, difficult decision. Your family will thank you for it. I am a firm believer that when one door closes, another opens. Good luck to you and your family. They are lucky to have you.

I get what you are saying. If someone asked me to check their chart, I would do it. I could take this in couple of ways--that the person needs help or the person wants things double checked and is just being thorough. It was wrong of the preceptor to yell or get on you in front of everyone--there is a more tactful way of constructively criticizing someone--you do this in private. The way it was done was humiliation, not cool. Most importantly, as a preceptor, it is your job to go back and check to make sure things are done correctly and in a timely manor. This also goes for procedures/tasks performed by unlicensed personnel. It ultimately falls upon the responsibility of the nurse/preceptor and falls on his/her license. During my 1st year, a similar situation occurred with a preceptor I had the unfortunate honor of being paired with. I had told the preceptor multiple times during the shift about a particular finding concerning the patient. Each time she said okay and went on. She was more concerned with leaving the floor to smoke or run to McDonald's, or talk to her boyfriend via her cell. When shift report came, I gave report, the oncoming nurse raised the issue and my preceptor berated me that I was supposed to tell her that kind of information so it could be brought to the doctor's attention. I stood my ground, and put it back into her court with a matter-of-fact I did tell her and promptly gave her the times I did (because I had written them down) and her responses. The oncoming nurse didn't get on me, she turned her attention to my preceptor. I had gotten the feeling that my preceptor had a reputation for half-a##ing things. My advice to you is to make sure you stand up for yourself, nobody else is going to. Be tactful and respectful. Make sure you communicate clearly. If you need something, ask for it. Part of being a good communicator is making sure your message was received. If a similar episode happens again, clearly ask for help, "I need help with my charting. Will you please check it and make sure I did not leave anything out. I am still trying to get the hang of it." State your purpose/goal and make sure they received the message. If they don't do it, you might ask for a different preceptor. Sometimes it can be a personality conflict, too much is going on for the preceptor (possible burnout), etc. However, it is your orientation and you want to get out of it what you can and make the most of it. Good luck to you and hang in there.

I have to agree with JJJoy. I think mandatory BSNs would only exacerbate the current nursing shortage. Traumahawk99 brings up a good point about the nature of nursing. It can be very rough and especially with new nurses. I think more needs to be done with the promotion of nursing as a rewarding career and maybe more opportunities at the state and federal levels with financial aid to those who choose nursing as a career. I know there are programs available, but not enough. Also, I think we nurses need to be more supportive of one another, and more supportive to new nurses, and stop acting like it is some type of club. There seems (to me) like there can be a lot of in-fighting, as well.

I am reading everyone's stories and it is just amazing how much stuff nurses have to go through. Does it have to be this difficult or troubling? I know I feel a lot better knowing I am not alone in feeling this way. I have been a nurse for just a year now. My 1st job was an absolute nightmare. I was being bounced around from preceptor to preceptor, taken advantage of, getting pulled off orientation too early, etc. I would go home with migraines and I think I was even experiencing heart palpitations. It was horrible. However, I left that hospital and was able to get a job at hospital closer to home and in a very supportive unit. So far, so good. To everyone coming out of school and just starting out, hang in there, find someone you can talk to, and don't settle. Sometimes you may have to find another position elsewhere. You don't want to get to the point that you dread going into work. Life is too short for that. Thanks to everyone who posted here, it helped me out.

I just started working in the CVCU. I absolutely love it! I worked in the ICU previously but this is where I want to be. I am fortunate enough to be working with some very knowledgeable and dedicated nurses who are also very supportive. I love that I am able to see the progress that patients make postop and I love the many opportunities to teach patients and their families. The cardiovascular system was my favorite to study in school. I always found it very fascinating.