TNViking

I'm not going to get into too many details with this; but for several years I've struggled with my emotions; and instead of getting better, it just keeps getting worse. While I do well in my work, I struggle mentally and just can't shake the way I feel. My family has suggested I see a counselor, and I am considering setting up an appointment, but I'm afraid. At what point do you decide to seek counseling?

Hello all! So, to start off, when I originally graduated nursing school my dream was always to work ED; after working for awhile in med-surg, I had finally landed an ED job I had always wanted. I worked there for about a year, and while I really enjoyed the type of work that I did I ended up leaving because I couldn't stand a select few people that I worked with-primarily in leadership positions. When I left there, any confidence I had had been destroyed; I remember crying every night on my way home feeling like such a failure and worthless. Now, a year later, I am in a supervisory-type position in a skilled facility; and have redeveloped my confidence as a nurse. I absolutely love the people I work with, they have been very good at supporting me and I truly feel cared about. However, I really just can't get into the type of work. The hours are long, and I worry every day that I am losing skills I had developed in the hospital. Even my days off are consumed with dread going to work. Last week I decided to put in for an ED position at a different hospital; and yesterday they called me in for an interview. I am excited to be interviewing, but I feel kind of scared that I may be setting myself up for the same thing all over again. Thoughts?

"I just had to trudge down the hallway, past room 55, JACHO, and a code brown. I've been places, man."

Disinfecting after every shift may be a little excessive. However, I do disinfect my drivers side seat, steering wheel, transmission, and gas/break pedals and flooring every now and then. I also refuse to wear my work shoes indoors, they are often left outside unless I wipe them down very well and carry them to my shoe rack. I also have a special place I keep my scrubs until they are ready to be washed. And I sanitize my phone with alcohol o.O.

I've done the Ancestry DNA kit for ancestry purposes. Never have done one for health purposes. Thought it was neat seeing what DNA I inherited and what I did not.

Certainly! I've met people who use some of these big name companies exclusively and they sound straight up brainwashed. I've heard things like "put this oil on your feet and it will help such and such!"-Doesn't make a lick of sense to me. On the other hand, I have an oil blend that I use as a muscle rub if I've had a particularly long day and am sore, it seems to help. I do think that EOs have some valuable uses, but I don't buy into the cure all thing either.

Has anybody seen that scene from Scrubs where the nurse asks "Doug ordered 500,000 mg of morphine, I thought I'd check with you before I killed a man." -I think that scene right there explains it all. But really, I view Doctors and Nurses as two separate disciplines. Sure, there was a time back in the olden days when nursing education wasn't as extensive. But these days, in my area its common to make recommendations to the doctors about what to do for the patient, since we are at the bedside and can actually see the pt.

Truer words have not yet been spoken ?

I live in Tennessee so this really hits home hard. Vanderbilt is our closest burn center. I have mixed feelings about this case, on one hand, vecuronium and versed are two completely different things; and from what I remember back in my ER and CCU days, I think paralytics such as that are clearly labeled with warnings. HOWEVER, I have compassion for her, because I wonder what her day that day was like. We all know what it is like to have the day from hell where you are short staffed, overloaded with acutely ill patients, and management is over here trying to push even more on you. Perhaps she was overwhelmed, perhaps she had a patient who was starting to go downhill, a new admit, and had to get this one down to radiology all at the same time. Its easy to make mistakes when we are at our wit's end. It was a horrible tragedy, but I'm not sure I agree with the charges of reckless homicide. Especially when these charges are brought forth by individuals who likely have never spent a day working as a nurse.

Been doing a lot of research lately on essential oils and their efficacy, and it has me wondering what my fellow nurses believe. I have the book Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Healthcare by Jane Buckle, RN and I find it very interesting. I personally use essential oils for myself and my friends & family. I believe that there really is some legitimacy to certain claims. However, I think there is also a lot of misinformation out there that certain companies are largely responsible for, making it somewhat difficult to easily obtain fact vs fiction. What are your thoughts????

Its no secret I haven't found my "niche" in nursing. After trying so many specialties, I've decided I want to exercise my passions by becoming a freelance writer. Writing is always something I've enjoyed.... I credit my writing to how I made it through my BSN. After doing so much research, I've found there is a whole community of Registered Nurses-turned-freelance writers. I plan to start off by creating a blog soon, but I struggle with narrowing down to exactly WHAT I will write about. Many of the nurse writers that I have found write specifically for a nursing audience; but what I would like to do is write for the general public. I want to use my nursing expertise to help empower the general lay person to make good, informed decisions regarding their healthcare. I want to help people to live fuller lives. I have a plan in place, but there is a part of me that is scared it will amount to nothing. What are your thoughts? Do you have any experiences to share?

So, I am being considered for a management position at a facility much closer to home. I currently work as a staff nurse at another facility in a neighboring county. I love where I work and I love the people I work with, but I would really like to advance in my career. Where I am now, I have many friends, and I know if I leave I will be putting them in a bind. But at the same time, this position, if I get it will not only advance me in my career but is also much closer to home and better pay. I guess I just feel very guilty. Is there any advice or words of wisdom you can give me? I would love to hear it.

Hello, I have an interview soon for an administrative supervisor position, and I would like to ask the allnurses community if you all have any advice for the interview, or for the position itself if I get it. What do you think makes an excellent supervisor? Any advice you can give would be great! Also, if I get this job, I want to ask my current employer if they will keep me on per diem. I haven't been with them for more than a few months so I am a little worried about asking. Do you have any advice on how to ask them? Thank you!

Hello all! Within the next few months I'm hoping to go per diem at my current LTC facility. But before I do, I want to get a secondary prn job to insure adequate hours. Fortunately, I have a lot of options; but I don't know what to focus on. I really enjoy LTC work, so I wouldn't mind going prn at another facility as well. But I also enjoy a variety, so I wouldn't mind trying something different. I'm also slightly worried that having two prn jobs at LTC facilites might not grant me enough hours that I may need. I have experience in med-surg, ortho, ER, and LTC now, so I feel like I'm equipped to try anything new. I'd prefer to avoid the hospital, but am willing to go there as long as its not med-surg. Any ideas? Any prn people out there care to share how many prn jobs they have (and how they insure they get enough hours?)????

Hello all, from my previous posts its no secret I've been unhappy at work for some time now. Due to all this stress, I feel it has taken a serious toll on my health. In recent months I seem to get every virus that comes by (102+ fever, N/V/D, etc.), I at random get these moments where my heart rate will skyrocket to 160, I'm not eating or sleeping well, etc. Because of this my attendance has been rather poor (only call out when I'm febrile and have a legit virus). Due to the poor attendance I'm in a bit of trouble with my management and have to meet with them in a few days. Furthermore, for several months theres been a particular person at work who is particularly nasty towards me, when I first started working there I was weak in a particular skill set (IV starts) and it seemed every corner I turned I would hear this person saying something bad about me due to this weakness. It got to a point that for some time I was afraid to ask for help if I couldn't get an IV on somebody. I've gotten stronger in that skill since then, but every now and then I still catch this person saying something demeaning about me to someone else. Recently, however, I've been getting the feeling that this person may be trying to set me up to get in trouble; when this person is in charge it seems that I have been getting rougher assignments with less help, but that could just all be in my head. Theres no way for me to prove anything. I'm also fairly certain this person reported me on a "patient safety incident" where there was no complication with the patient, no adverse outcome, and no complaint from the patient or physician. Its because of all of this I am seeking other employment, but for the time being I have no choice but to stay here. I'm scared to go into another shift. I'm scared for my health and my safety as a nurse. What do I do? I have no idea how to handle this situation!