Good Things

I was new on the maternity floor and I thought I had been thrown to the wolves. I was SOOOOOOOOOOOO stressed out that I had bitten my nails as far as I could and gained 10 pounds in a month (dough nuts are my stress reliever). One of the nurses on the floor arranged a welcome pot-luck lunch for me in the break room and had put together a book with pasted magazine pictures and photos and words of advice about everything from catheters to how to make excellent dutch pancakes written by various staff members. I was so touched that I just about cried. I just felt so welcome. Those were some of the best nurses I ever worked with.

When I first became an RN, I was given that nonsense about 'you're not really a good nurse until you've worked med-surg'---so, I took an every-other-weekend deal at an area hospital on 11-7 to get some experience. Well, night number 6 or 7, I was 'pulled' to the ICU!!! Eric and Kara, the two RN's that were there, that night were absolute angels of mercy to me. As soon as I told them that I could show them my acute care resume on the back of a cocktail napkin, they confined me to water pitchers, vital signs, incontinence care and the patient's with the least IV's for the entire shift.

Along with my letter of resignation, I sent these two nurses a bagel basket for how kind they were to me.

Having been a victim of "nurse-eaters" myself, being a new grad on a specialty floor - somehow made it through orientation. After working full time for a year, and got the job at the insurance company and gave my notice that I'm dropping my hours to zero assigned, a nurse that I never thought much of, pulled me aside and said that she was sad to see me go, and actually had tears in her eyes.

My last shift on nights, the whole staff got together and brought food in (like HOT food too, in slow-cookers) and had a going away party.

Most of the nurse-eaters eventually, over time, left the unit, and all that is left now is my original group of new grads, who were hired with me. Now we are considered 'seasoned RNs' and we have been successfully able to change the attitude of the unit! We orientate new nurses we patience, kindness, etc.

Monday night was hideous for me and I was completely frustrated by the fact that I felt I had neglected one of my own patients because of the "neediness" of my other patient and helping the other nurse with her very sick post-op patient plus her other patient who was stable but needed help also at various times. (I work CV-ICU, and we have 4-bed "suites", the other patients were all within 12 hours post-op heart surgeries and the sick one came out of emergency surgery at 01:00 AM- the other nurse has been in ICU for about 6 months). In giving report to my replacement RN, I said how frustrated I was from not being able to give the kind of care I wanted to and she was so kind to tell me that I was a good nurse and gave good care to my patients anyway! That was so nice to hear from her, because I really respect her opinion and she is such a great nurse herself.

I've heard so much backbiting in my day, that simple thank you means the world to me. It seems people have forgotten how to say "thank you".

I have worked at a great hospital the past two nights. It's well staffed and everyone works together and tells you what a pleasure it has been to work with you when the shift is over. It must be because I take cookies wherever I work. You were wise to take some time off. We all need to do that more often. Is there any way you can just avoid this viper in your midst? What works best for me is to avoid these negative entities, unless, of course I'm advocating for a patient or another co-worker. Sheba is a tiger, dontcha know.

I work with a lot of great nurses, none of them are nurse eaters in the least.

The nicest things I can remember is when I would make a mistake as a new grad and the seasoned nurses would pull me aside and admit their mistakes that they have made in the past. It feels real good as a new grad to know that others are human too. Because we can be way harder on ourselves than anyone else can be, we certainly don't need any crap from others.

Other things that I really appreciate are when people don't get an attitiude when I ask a stupid question, or when people don't get offended when I actually know something (which does not happen very often).

The one thing that made me feel really good was the night I had an admission and we were very busy. The pt had a sleeping pill ordered and knowing how busy we were, I had a few minutes and went to pharmacy and got the pill for the pt in case he/she wanted it later in the night. The next day I came to work and had a thank you note from the night shift nurse for thinking ahead and doing this for her.

Thank you is the best thing you can say to anyone.

Jill

There are actually a lot of things..... but some I can't go into, because it would make me sound arrogant.

let me just say, when everybody at work threw me a suprise baby shower, that pretty much put me over the edge. The problem now? I am one of two left from that original group, and it makes me wanna cry when I think about it.....they all went off somwhere else, and that was only 4 yrs ago.

Rick (cen35)

P.S.- many times I go and read threads, ecspecially as of late, if they are posted by someone I know or admire from this BB (i.e. KDay, susy K, wild, Mutsang, HollyKate and a few others. Thats how I ended reading and replying to this one. Good job KDay!!!