Which unit to choose?

[cokey]

I am on the track to become a RN, but is troubled by the thought of getting deadly disease and being sued by emotional patients (just because they don't understand why they didn't get better, etc). If you can provide any light on the following I would really appreciate it, thanks!

1. How often do nurses get sued and usually from which departments?

2. I have a new born at home and don't want to increase my chance of getting disease. Which unit is safer (disease + nurse injury wise) in comparison?

3. Which unit is less busy so I can actually get lunch breaks?

I am smart, caring, responsible, and very capable. I just want to make sure I am getting into something that's right for me. I just don't want to get deadly disease, be sued for no reason, and busy to the point where I am going nuts. If nurse can be for me, I want to find the right unit in the hospital to work for, or a doc office. Thanks!

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Moved to the General nursing discussion forum

[itsmejuli]

Well, in nursing school you really have no choice in what unit you go to nor what diseases you come in contact with nor what kind of breaks you'll get.

Not that I'm saying you'll come into contact with some terrible disease, but you just never know.

Then again, I might just be driving down the road tomorrow and get hit by some idiot going the wrong way and die.

[nursynurseRN]

I am on the track to become a RN, but is troubled by the thought of getting deadly disease and being sued by emotional patients (just because they don't understand why they didn't get better, etc). If you can provide any light on the following I would really appreciate it, thanks!

1. How often do nurses get sued and usually from which departments?

2. I have a new born at home and don't want to increase my chance of getting disease. Which unit is safer (disease + nurse injury wise) in comparison?

3. Which unit is less busy so I can actually get lunch breaks?

I am smart, caring, responsible, and very capable. I just want to make sure I am getting into something that's right for me. I just don't want to get deadly disease, be sued for no reason, and busy to the point where I am going nuts. If nurse can be for me, I want to find the right unit in the hospital to work for, or a doc office. Thanks!

I haven't heard of nurses getting sued, they usually sue the hospital... At least from my exeperience. As for disease I would go to post partum.. prbably the least likely place. But you really can get anything from anywhere. GOod luck.

[RXtech]

I don't think it's very common for nurses to be sued, it's more likely that you could be called as a witness when the hospital or a physician is sued. There is insurance available to protect you.

The best way to keep yourself from catching a disease is to practice proper hygiene and wear proper personal protective equipment.

I believe it is not how busy a unit is that determines if you get lunch breaks or not, but how well managed and how well staffed it is.

Good luck!

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Oh wow, those are loaded questions. Seeing as you have a newborn at home, I would come home, immediately (if you have a laundry room or a mud room) strip my scrubs off, put them directly into the washing machine, put your shoes in the mud room and spray them down with Lysol, and have a new change of clothes right there on top of the dryer. Go shower real quick before you touch your little one. That alone will give you peace of mind.

As for working on a unit that allows for lunch breaks...I have NEVER worked on one where this is consistent. You will get a break, but it may not be at the same time everyday.

Malpractice insurance will cover you. The hospital malpractice should cover you sufficiently...I don't want to start a discussion on private v. hospital malpractice.

I would agree that postpartum may be a good place for you. I hope it works out for you!

[SonorityGenius]

Based on the OP; you really cant pick and choose.... and you really cant be paranoid of catching diseases - they are patients foremost -- and you cant be paranoid about being sued if you just did your job and followed protocol set in place.. and no you cant get your break every single day - its way of life of hospital nursing.

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

You are more likely to pick up something at Walmart or your local grocery store than you are at work. If you worry about what "deadly diseases" you are coming in contact with, hospital nursing may not be the place for you. Remmeber - even if you work in a place like post partum, you will still be walking through a hospital full of bugs, etc.

[ObtundedRN, BSN, RN]

If your patient has some big bad terrible disease, you'll be given the proper protective equipment to stay safe. And if you're worried that much about it, then just stay out of the ICU's. Then the only bugs you'll probably have to worry about is MRSA or C.diff. But again, you'll be given gowns, masks, and gloves, so you can pretend you're about to go touch the monkey from that movie Outbreak....

As for the lawsuits. If you don't do anything out of your scope, or out of your policy and procedures, then you should be fine. People don't sue just because their loved one doesn't get better. They sue because someone harms the patient. Look up the legal requirements to prove malpractice (duty, breach of duty, damages, and causation). Its harder to prove then you think. And still, you can get private insurance if you're worried that much. Its pretty cheap to get.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I like working in BMT, because the conditions my patients have healthy people don't catch. Working in a HEPA filtered environment, I find I rarely get sick.

[NeoPediRN]

Remmeber - even if you work in a place like post partum, you will still be walking through a hospital full of bugs, etc.

Not to mention MRSA rates are on the rise in the postpartum/infant population.