my likes: fast-paced, adventure, kicking back and relaxing, hands-on stuff like injections, maybe even some trauma, high pay (the higher the better), friendly faces.
my dislikes: a heavy workload, working my ass off, stress, psych and geri, teaching (if i wanted to teach, i'd get a teaching credential and be a teacher), talking to the patient (especially about random meaningless stuff), family members who stare at you, mean and strict supervisors who works you like a dog, nurses who don't seem to care or take their job seriously, nurses and doctors who are mean and unfriendly, doctors (and nurses) who think they are God and could care less about a nursing student like when i was in school, no collaboration between healthcare team (yes, your CNA is part of your team and is as important as the physician himself, and if you don't think so, then i wouldn't want to work with you).
what i like about the ER: fast-paced, adventurous, random patients (i dont see the same face each day), time flies, and you see all types of cases.
what i dislike about the ER: random patients (never know what kind of psycho will walk through that door), high risk for TB or similar type infection.
what i like about NICU: minimal talking to the patient, no TB risk (if i am correct), saving an innocent life.
what i dislike about NICU: very strict infection control (dont want to have to wash my hands every 5 minutes), teaching parents, giving emotional support or consoling parents when their baby dies, handling fragile preterm newborns.
what i like about the OR: patient is sedated so no talking to the patient, just "kick back" while the surgeon does the work, the trauma of a surgery (cool to watch).
what i dislike about the OR: when equipment malfunctions (i'm no techie).
what i like about Urgent Care: less critical cases than ER, seems more relaxing than ER.
what i dislike about Urgent Care: too many illegal immigrants seeking free services who can't afford to go to a real ER. you're limited in the type of patients you see (you don't see real trauma, like gunshot wounds, etc.).
sorry for being so blunt, but i need some advice other than to leave nursing because you might think it might not be for me (if i wanted to leave, i would already have). i am from los angeles and a new grad who just took the nclex recently and will assume for this thread's sake that i have passed. so, what unit sounds the best for me? thank you for your response.
Specializes in CST in general surgery, LDRs, & podiatry.
sharidcst...excellent post!!
i can only sit here and laugh my fanny off at the op. he thinks my post wasn't "feasible" namely that i log in miles each shift? whatever. he should come see my or, especially when spring and summer rolls around, what with all the trauma that comes through. i'm lucky if i get a supper on those nights and a chance to pee.
i also do not "sit and watch" cases. if you are any kind of a decent or nurse, you are working all through that case. i also cringe when i hear people on here advising him that the or is a good fit for him. he'd last 1 day, if that. patients often express their fears and anxiety right before surgery and the circulator has to teach and provide comfort. we also do peds and pedi trauma so the last thing a devastated and fearful parent needs is to run into a nurse that is callous and heartless and is in the or to "kick back".
i know we can get in trouble on here for using the "t-word" so i'll use this:smackingf. if this person isn't the "t-word" then i'm very, very afraid for his future patients.
thanks! i thought it was spot on - i tried not to leave anything out, but i'm sure i did someplace! i think maybe the "c" word applies here - as in clueless!!! i think probably my favorite part was where he was declaring that with his "license" he wouldn't have any boss but the patient?? where do they get this stuff?? the patient's name isn't going to be on the bottom of his paycheck - hasn't anyone explained that yet?
and that he'd been in ors where the rn sits and relaxes during the case? i wonder if he was in a real or - or on some tv/movie set someplace? sounds like a fantasy to me. i know i've worked in all kinds of ors - small community hospitals with 3 or 4 ors total, ascs, up to major metropolitan teaching hospitals with over 20 ors - never ever did i see an rn sit to do anything. not even do the computer charting - there's no time! he's obviously not been exposed to the "real world" if he thinks that's the norm. i hope, for everyone's sake, he ends up getting a big gulp of "real world" when he gets out of the twisted littel fantasy land he's been living in.
oh - and working corrections - he thinks he's gonna carry a gun? and a big stick? and a "large bore needle full of general anesthetic"?? another fantasy..........and then he said right out he had a "military police" mindset or some thing or other - i wonder why he picked nursing? can you say "vigilante nurse"??
i just had a conversation with someone who did some time in a correctional facility in california for "hard core" folks - he says, and i quote: "nurses don't carry guns - most of the prisons have correctional officers stationed at the infirmary," and, "so (unprintable) wants to carry a gun to put on bandaids?" and "wonder if he knows most cons would shove that gun up his ***?" and "in federal prison the guards don't even have guns - they have a special squad....." well, you get the picture.
well - like i told someone else earlier, everyone's entitled to their delusions.........so much for the comic relief, eh?
I've come to the conclusion they are trying to get a rise out of everyone.
If they think that Correctional Nursing is a great fit and are questioning if they can carry a gun.... I mean come on...there's just no way someone can really believe this...most correctional facilities don't have armed guards on the inside.
I can only imagine how a male nurse w/b perceived in a correctional facility?? (I'm not trying to say there is something wrong with being a male nurse... I love them...) But one with this sort of attitude wouldn't last a minute. You would have to work extremely hard just to prove yourself and keep yourself safe... and that has absolutely nothing to do with the work part of it. So the idea of a kick back job goes right out the window there!!!
i read about alot of the NICU nurses over on that forum and how burnt out they are, how depressed they are, etc....it's really pathetic to think about. i'm not about to turn into a psych case working at any NICU like that, or any unit for that matter. how do you deal with a dying infant who you cared for for 6 months? you deal by not taking it personally. you deal by appearing cold, even though inside you're really compassionate. you act like you dont' care, but you really do. you just dont show it. you accept death. this is called self-awareness. people die, get over it and move on with the next case. you must keep your emotions in check in order to cope. if you break down after each case, then you won't last in NICU. as for consoling the parents, same concept. you say your i'm sorries and move on. need more consoling? that's when you call the chaplain, priest, social worker, or psychologist to help them deal with it.
[this part I deleted, because I had to use my nice words] I have done NICU for my entire nursing career, and have never approached "burnout" and the psychological mess you mentioned. We NICU nurses use the forum to openly speak out about the patients that are special to us that we have worked with for months, only to lose them. We NEVER become cold, simply say "I'm sorry," give the parents a handshake, whatever. We go to funerals all the time. It's someone else's child you are caring for, who you end up loving almost as much as your own. You form relationships with parents that encompass more than teaching. I've never met a NICU nurse suffering from burnout. We get tired, fed up with management just like everyone else. The holistic patient/family relationship you form is more tangible than the self-awareness bullcrap they feed you in school. Check out the "What you love about NICU" sticky at the top of the forum. There are hundreds more posts there than the occasional support threads that pop up when we lose one of our babies and turn to our colleagues who understand what we're going through.
i am a male (not female for that gay guy who called me darling)
Well, apparently I'm the "gay guy."
Gay, huh? Here's my old high-school response: "That's not what your momma told me last night!!"
haw haw.
As for the "darlin'," It was either my Southern charm defense mechanism activating after reading your OP, or me banking on the probability that you WERE female. (6% men in nursing, baby!) There's an option in your user preferences where you can click "male" and avoid getting mislabeled again.
It was apparently offensive enough to slap a label on someone you don't know.
OK. I'm done....and yes, mods can engage in debate!!
Gay, huh? Here's my old high-school response: "That's not what your momma told me last night!!"
haw haw.
As for the "darlin'," It was either my Southern charm defense mechanism activating after reading your OP, or me banking on the probability that you WERE female. (6% men in nursing, baby!) There's an option in your user preferences where you can click "male" and avoid getting mislabeled again.
It was apparently offensive enough to slap a label on someone you don't know.
OK. I'm done....and yes, mods can engage in debate!!
Yeah... I don't get it... first of all... who would give a rats bleepitybleep if you were gay or not... and secondly... how in the world did he come to that conclusion anyway?? Because you are a male nurse??? Isn't that what he is??
I'm going to bow out now. I'm so irritated by the OP I just have nothing positive to add.
Specializes in CST in general surgery, LDRs, & podiatry.
i've come to the conclusion they are trying to get a rise out of everyone.
if they think that correctional nursing is a great fit and are questioning if they can carry a gun.... i mean come on...there's just no way someone can really believe this...most correctional facilities don't have armed guards on the inside.
i can only imagine how a male nurse w/b perceived in a correctional facility?? (i'm not trying to say there is something wrong with being a male nurse... i love them...) but one with this sort of attitude wouldn't last a minute. you would have to work extremely hard just to prove yourself and keep yourself safe... and that has absolutely nothing to do with the work part of it. so the idea of a kick back job goes right out the window there!!!
here's a thought - i had it earlier, but was away from the computer at the time..........:typing don't you have to go through a rather extensive interview process plus a psych eval to work in corrections? they don't take just any nutball out there who wants to dispense his own brand of "vigilante health care" do they? i thought not. therefore, i seriously doubt correctional nursing will be his destination after all.
and with the complete lack of compassion, and desire to actually be a nurse or do anything actually connected with nursing patients, it's a mystery for sure where he will end up.........probably should have been an mp to begin with.........
here's a thought - i had it earlier, but was away from the computer at the time..........:typing don't you have to go through a rather extensive interview process plus a psych eval to work in corrections? they don't take just any nutball out there who wants to dispense his own brand of "vigilante health care" do they? i thought not. therefore, i seriously doubt correctional nursing will be his destination after all.
and with the complete lack of compassion, and desire to actually be a nurse or do anything actually connected with nursing patients, it's a mystery for sure where he will end up.........probably should have been an mp to begin with.........
i'm not sure what sort of requirements are asked of nurses working in corrections. i have a correction/law enforcement degree and i had certain criteria to meet when i applied as a correctional officer for a state penitentiary (height/ability to lift xlbs/etc). i had to take a state exam which rated me on a point system (it's been a while so i don't remember all the details) but i know a lot of the questions were subjective... almost like jury duty...
i know you think big/bad rough tough types need that sort of treatment... but thats not going to get anyone anywhere. he's barking up the wrong tree.
btw.. what is mp?? i'm so used to hearing managing partner from my husbands position that i can't for the life of me place it??
Specializes in CST in general surgery, LDRs, & podiatry.
btw.. what is mp?? i'm so used to hearing managing partner from my husbands position that i can't for the life of me place it??
in this case "mp" stands for military police - he said something earlier about having a "military law enforcement" mindset, or something similar to that. makes me wonder why he didn't pursue it...........or did he?
You know, I was reading an article recently about the internet. There are these people that have another life in cyberspace. They have virtual bank accounts, own virtual property etc. Many spend hours on role playing computer games. There's another group(forget what they're called) that try to go on various sites and annoy these people. Often, they start out engaging in troll like behavior on various sites first. (There! I said it, the dreaded T-Word:p)
Maybe that's what this person is doing because his posts just make no sense. I cannot believe that someone on the verge of graduating school and being a working nurse could be such a doofus.
Although, isn't LA where that poor woman died after being ignored in the ER? Maybe the ER staff in that hospital was "kicking back".:icon_roll
Specializes in CST in general surgery, LDRs, & podiatry.
you know, i was reading an article recently about the internet. there are these people that have another life in cyberspace. they have virtual bank accounts, own virtual property etc. many spend hours on role playing computer games. there's another group(forget what they're called) that try to go on various sites and annoy these people. often, they start out engaging in troll like behavior on various sites first. (there! i said it, the dreaded t-word:p)
maybe that's what this person is doing because his posts just make no sense. i cannot believe that someone on the verge of graduating school and being a working nurse could be such a doofus.
although, isn't la where that poor woman died after being ignored in the er? maybe the er staff in that hospital was "kicking back".:icon_roll
well - that's always a possibility. but - there are some truly scary individuals out there who manage to make it through schools of all kinds are are the most inept, ignorant, clueless people, as well as being socially retarded. i've had the misfortune to work - albeit briefly because they did not last - with some of those unusual people. a couple were new nurses, and one of them was allegedly a cst. turns out her "experience" that she came touting when she applied, amounted to no more than holding retractors during procedures during clinicals. she had no clue how to set up even the simplest breast biopsy, which is a real beginner's case for us, how to run a mayo or organize a back table, how to count sponges properly, or a myriad of other school lab basic skills. how she got past not only her instructors but the certification test is a mystery to all of us. she did not last two weeks because they discovered finally that her schooling was completely lacking in form and content, and they sent her packing. we needed someone with at least the basics, and didn't have time to train someone from scratch with skills she should have walked in the door with. not sure whatever happened to her - but she just disappeared after that.
came across an er nurse in a large metro teaching hospital that didn't have the first idea about the five rights of medication administration - and i was her patient! to keep it short and simple, after the whole ed department visit was concluded, which had become a complete comedy of errors, i wrote a carefully worded email to the patient care coordinator for the department, got a phone call back in about 3 days, and after further investigation, it was discovered that this was a nurse she had had numerous issues with, who finally left of her own volition to go to another state and study medical coding. probably a better place for her. she had passed every test, her nclex, got hired, oriented, and had been there for a while.
there's always a weirdo in almost every batch - maybe he's the token weirdo for that class - who knows? it'd be interesting to know which school of nursing failed to recognize and address his basic unsuitability for nursing in particular, and for dealing with other human beings in general.............
First of all I want to make a suggestion in case you have inadevertantly misrepresented yourself in your post. With my limited understanding I think possibly PACU since there is no family there, Not much running around (I think- but requires careful assessment and ability to respond in emergency) and the pt is kind of out of it so you will not need to teach/talk a lot. Secondly, I want to say that I think it's more than okay to by blunt about wanting good pay and working conditions (who wants to be overworked and stressed out all the time?) However, your post made me soooo sad!.You think you are being blunt...no. It's not just what you are saying or how you are saying it--it's the meaning behind it. You are revealing a very selfish charactor. Everything you posted was about you and how the patients affected you. Why do you want to be a nurse? I think you might need to look at your motives. You don't want to educate and interact with pts??!! (especially those without insurance??!!) That is the essence of nursing. Caring for patients and their families, making people's lives better nomatter who they are!! I am not a nurse yet (graduate next april) but I am prepared for a very difficult road and very difficult pts, coworkers and managers that will ask a lot of me. I know that I will need to get past my feelings and take care of my pts as though they were my own family members. I think you know that there will be things that you dislike about work no matter where it is--that's why you made the likes/dislikes list, right? However, some things are just small but vital parts of care so it is bothersome that they made it to your list. You are considering the NICU but you dislike washing your hands which is vital to protecting those helpless babies. How are you going to treat people/pts who are more difficult to love? Please do not dismiss people's comments as "judging you" --that's the easy way out. Look inside yourself. Don't you want to be good at your job? Nursing requires a lot of hard work, compassion and self-sacrifice not only to be a good nurse but to be a safe one. Can you offer this to your pts right now? Personally, not to "judge" you but to be "blunt"..I don't think so. I am not saying you are a bad person or anything (we all have growing to do). I have nothing to gain by writing this and I am not trying to bring you down. (I like to build people up and encourage them). I just couldn't bear not to say something in case you were not truly considering what your words meant and where they come from. I try to self-examine and test my motives behind my words and actions, but sometimes I miss it and need someone to "call me out". You don't know me so it might not work the same way, but I just hope you have someone to do the same for you:redpinkhe:redbeathe:heartbeat
what i dislike about the ER: random patients (never know what kind of psycho will walk through that door)
Sheesh....you're incredibly hypocritical. You speak of others judging your "wishlist" about your potential dream job in nursing. Talk about being judgmental. The others here aren't trying to talk you out of nursing for your sake, they're doing so for their sake the sake of the patients you may work with. Honesty is one thing, but your original post is full of judgment and derogatory stereotypes (e.g. illegal immigrants).
Allnurses will be much better without your "honest" insight, I'm not at all sad to see you go.
You know, I was reading an article recently about the internet. There are these people that have another life in cyberspace. They have virtual bank accounts, own virtual property etc. Many spend hours on role playing computer games. There's another group(forget what they're called) that try to go on various sites and annoy these people. Often, they start out engaging in troll like behavior on various sites first. (There! I said it, the dreaded T-Word:p)
Maybe that's what this person is doing because his posts just make no sense. I cannot believe that someone on the verge of graduating school and being a working nurse could be such a doofus.
Although, isn't LA where that poor woman died after being ignored in the ER? Maybe the ER staff in that hospital was "kicking back".:icon_roll
It must be something like that b/c I can't believe that a student with a mindset like this could get thru nursing school.
ShariDCST
181 Posts
thanks! i thought it was spot on - i tried not to leave anything out, but i'm sure i did someplace! i think maybe the "c" word applies here - as in clueless!!!
i think probably my favorite part was where he was declaring that with his "license" he wouldn't have any boss but the patient?? where do they get this stuff?? the patient's name isn't going to be on the bottom of his paycheck - hasn't anyone explained that yet? 
and that he'd been in ors where the rn sits and relaxes during the case? i wonder if he was in a real or - or on some tv/movie set someplace? sounds like a fantasy to me. i know i've worked in all kinds of ors - small community hospitals with 3 or 4 ors total, ascs, up to major metropolitan teaching hospitals with over 20 ors - never ever did i see an rn sit to do anything. not even do the computer charting - there's no time! he's obviously not been exposed to the "real world" if he thinks that's the norm. i hope, for everyone's sake, he ends up getting a big gulp of "real world" when he gets out of the twisted littel fantasy land he's been living in.
oh - and working corrections - he thinks he's gonna carry a gun? and a big stick? and a "large bore needle full of general anesthetic"?? another fantasy..........and then he said right out he had a "military police" mindset or some thing or other - i wonder why he picked nursing? can you say "vigilante nurse"??
i just had a conversation with someone who did some time in a correctional facility in california for "hard core" folks - he says, and i quote: "nurses don't carry guns - most of the prisons have correctional officers stationed at the infirmary," and, "so (unprintable) wants to carry a gun to put on bandaids?" and "wonder if he knows most cons would shove that gun up his ***?" and "in federal prison the guards don't even have guns - they have a special squad....." well, you get the picture.
well - like i told someone else earlier, everyone's entitled to their delusions.........so much for the comic relief, eh?