Greetings, Younglings, from a Crusty Old Bat

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

Back in my Day: Reflections from a Crusty Old Bat

Thirty-one years ago, I graduated as a baby-nurse and sat my boards. This was back when a graduate nurse actually sat boards with two or three hundred of their closest friends from across the state in one large hall, and testing took two full days. The camaraderie was intense; it was a right of passage.

What's interesting is that in 31 years of continuous nursing in multiple environments, the ER is essentially the same, ICU is essentially the same, and med-surg is essentially the same.

What hasn't changed is new nurses floundering and wanting to quit within the first seven years.

Here's my suggestion to you youngsters either in school, or in your first few years of active practice:

Pay very close attention to what tripped your trigger in nursing school, no matter how seemingly insignificant at the time. Think about it: there was probably one little moment in clinicals where something surprised you and made you curious, and that "something" felt natural, even if it felt alien. Follow that gut instinct.

Thirty-one years later and my what I regret most is that I never became a CRNA. One of my fondest memories in nursing school was in OR. I thought I would be fascinated by the surgery itself, but, much to surprise, I instead pestered the anaesthesiologist the entire surgery. I eventually end up in a specialty that is somewhat closely related, but it took a long time to get there after I floundered around for several years.

I am at the end of my career, now, and it's been  a really great run, but it could have been so much better if I'd paid attention to that tiny little spark from so long ago.

Best wishes to all the newbies, and, in the words of one of my professors, "go forth and do great things.”

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

I've been a nurse since 1992 and agree with most of what you say. 

What I find for me (and I'm working past 65 now) is that with the increasing pressures and job demands being put on nurses and all healthcare staff, I don't get the same satisfaction that I did at the beginning. 

I am an APRN so although my duties have certainly increased over the years (I've been at this job 17 years), it is still doable. However, I look at my bedside RNs and I see the exhaustion in their eyes....

 

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Hail to everyone that graduated before the century turned over. I graduated in 1989, and have newbies scrunching their faces up about the years before disposable gloves, or IV pumps only in the ICU.

more education is always a good idea, and think about what you would do if you weren't a nurse, then how can you move towards that type of career in nursing. Education? IT?

[abbnurse]

canoehead said:

Hail to everyone that graduated before the century turned over. I graduated in 1989, and have newbies scrunching their faces up about the years before disposable gloves, or IV pumps only in the ICU.

more education is always a good idea, and think about what you would do if you weren't a nurse, then how can you move towards that type of career in nursing. Education? IT?

Hail to you as well !  I graduated in 1992 , and we had mercury thermometers ( blue tips for oral / axillary ,  red tips for rectal, if memory serves me correctly, ? ) .   And I loved those wall - mounted mercury BP cuffs ! 

I don't have a lot of regrets.  On the whole, nursing has been good to me.   I work in the world of addiction recovery now, and absolutely love it.

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

Guttercat said:

Back in my Day: Reflections from a Crusty Old Bat

Thirty-one years ago, I graduated as a baby-nurse and sat my boards. This was back when a graduate nurse actually sat boards with two or three hundred of their closest friends from across the state in one large hall, and testing took two full days. The camaraderie was intense; it was a right of passage.

What's interesting is that in 31 years of continuous nursing in multiple environments, the ER is essentially the same, ICU is essentially the same, and med-surg is essentially the same.

What hasn't changed is new nurses floundering and wanting to quit within the first seven years.

Here's my suggestion to you youngsters either in school, or in your first few years of active practice:

Pay very close attention to what tripped your trigger in nursing school, no matter how seemingly insignificant at the time. Think about it: there was probably one little moment in clinicals where something surprised you and made you curious, and that "something" felt natural, even if it felt alien. Follow that gut instinct.

Thirty-one years later and my what I regret most is that I never became a CRNA. One of my fondest memories in nursing school was in OR. I thought I would be fascinated by the surgery itself, but, much to surprise, I instead pestered the anaesthesiologist the entire surgery. I eventually end up in a specialty that is somewhat closely related, but it took a long time to get there after I floundered around for several years.

I am at the end of my career, now, and it's been  a really great run, but it could have been so much better if I'd paid attention to that tiny little spark from so long ago.

Best wishes to all the newbies, and, in the words of one of my professors, "go forth and do great things.”

Except for the 401K, I had lots of regrets about becoming a CRNA and I did it for 31 1/2 years!  You become an employee of a corporation and a corporate widget.  The understaffing, outside of an academic practice, is a business model to keep the senior partners extemely wealthy.  My adrenaline addiction was running at a high level constantly and we never knew when we were leaving for the day or on a 24 hour shift.  I had to work alone weekends and nights two weeks after graduation from CRNA school, but fortunately they had trained me very well.  It appealed to my workaholic character trait.   If you enjoyed what you did, let this regret go. 

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

Guttercat said:

I eventually end up in a specialty that is somewhat closely related, but it took a long time to get there after I floundered around for several years.

I am at the end of my career, now, and it's been  a really great run, but it could have been so much better if I'd paid attention to that tiny little spark from so long ago.

I would not use the word flounder,you did a great service,day ,night whatever,I am sure they floated your butt wherever they could get away with it...the spark for you was to remain at that bedside and help those patients,and you did just that.... congratulations from another crusty old bat.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

abbnurse said:

... blue tips for oral / axillary ,  red tips for rectal, if memory serves me correctly, ?  ....   

"Red is rectal!" (Remember that one?)

 

 

abbnurse said:

 

 

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

subee said:

Except for the 401K, I had lots of regrets about becoming a CRNA and I did it for 31 1/2 years!  You become an employee of a corporation and a corporate widget.  The understaffing, outside of an academic practice, is a business model to keep the senior partners extemely wealthy.  My adrenaline addiction was running at a high level constantly and we never knew when we were leaving for the day or on a 24 hour shift.  I had to work alone weekends and nights two weeks after graduation from CRNA school, but fortunately they had trained me very well.  It appealed to my workaholic character trait.   If you enjoyed what you did, let this regret go. 

Thank you so much for the insight, subee. The grass is not necessarily greener, as it is said. Sounds a lot like my gig. Yes, I loved what I did, but it was a love/hate thing. Many hours on-call, and getting hauled out of bed at 11PM when your head finally hits the pillow is a big fat drag.

 

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

Leader25 said:

"...I am sure they floated your butt wherever they could get away with it..."

Indeed they did. I was floated to a neuro ICU (as the only RN covering four patients in that unit) with no neuro unit orientation. Nada, zip, zilch. No idea what I was doing for patients with TBI's and Crani's. 

I had only been a practicing RN for four months at that point.

I got handed report and was on my own. Absolute insanity.

 

 

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

Guttercat said:

Thank you so much for the insight, subee. The grass is not necessarily greener, as it is said. Sounds a lot like my gig. Yes, I loved what I did, but it was a love/hate thing. Many hours on-call, and getting hauled out of bed at 11PM when your head finally hits the pillow is a big fat drag.

Love - Hate.  You get to the point when adrenaline is no longer a friend. Says it perfectly.