grobertson10

Hi there, I’m thinking of quitting and becoming a SAHM. I’m currently PRN but I’m still losing my skills and quite honestly I just want to let it go entirely. I live in Texas. My question is, as long as I get my CEU and pay my renewal fee, I can keep my license right? Even if it’s been “over 4 years since I’ve worked”? I know that the 4 year thing is part of the renewal questionnaire.

Hi there, on texas BON website, they say the CEU’s need to be “in the nurse’s area of practice”. I’m a NICU nurse, does this mean all my CEU’s have to be neonatal specific? Also, I have my BLS and ACLS- does having the certificates alone count as CEU or do I need a separate paper that lists the CEU? Asking because this newer hospital I work at didn’t give me any CEU’s for it- and despite me emailing education I’ve gotten no response. Can anyone help?

Hi there, on texas BON website, they say the CEU’s need to be “in the nurse’s area of practice”. I’m a NICU nurse, does this mean all my CEU’s have to be neonatal specific? Also, I have my BLS and ACLS- does having the certificates alone count as CEU or do I need a separate paper that lists the CEU? Asking because this newer hospital I work at didn’t give me any CEU’s for it- and despite me emailing education I’ve gotten no response. Can anyone help?

Hi all, I’m currently a NICU RN of 2 years, prior to that, I was a Neuro (adult) ICU RN for 1.5 years. I am now part time at my current gig but want to pick up a PRN position elsewhere. Of course, I’m considering other hospitals and the same speciality I’m currently in, however, I would love the idea of a change and doing PRN Day surgery. Do any of y’all think I should even bother applying since it’s been 2 years since I’ve worked with adults?

Thank you for the advice! Unfortunately me, and all of the nurses I was hired on with, including the nurses who started after me, have all had the SAME discussion with our supervisors and managers. We tell them we need more consistency with high acuity. They simply don’t listen and give all the high acuity babies to the nurses who have been there 10+ years. Then, the nurses who have been here 10+ years complain because many of their coworkers are not “competent like them”. We can’t learn if they don’t give us a chance! And no, the mistakes I’ve made are minor and have not been brought up the management so no- they don’t restrict me due to that. If that was the case then every nurse who has been on our unit 2 years or less are being “punished”. I came from an Adult ICU residency and it was very different. They gave us high acuity right away- and supported us along the way. THATS how I progressed at a good pace. This whole “give them low acuity until they are ready” is for the birds. You simply don’t learn that way. Repetition in high acuity is key and I can’t have that if I’m always bottle feeding. Sorry in advance for my ranting. I get so frustrated. It feels like what I need/want is just not at the unit I’m on. I think it’s time to move on and maybe pray they let me stay PRN just for job security since they never cancel nurses.

I wish I was you ?

Hi all:) I couldn’t find a NICU specific section, but this post might make sense to NICU nurses more! But I accept advice from all! So I have been a nurse for 3+ years now. I started in Adult ICU for 1.5 years- I was good at my job, excelled quickly, but did not like my job- the patients were mean and the work was hardly rewarding (I.e always sending patients to nursing homes or my patients would pass away) I have been a NICU nurse now for 1 year and 7 months. My job is rewarding now but I am not progressing. I still feel so stupid and think maybe I should either quit or ask to only have feeder growers. This is the situation- bear with me it is a lot to explain. I work in a level IV NICU where we get the SICKEST babies. Our assignments are heavy- double vents, admission + surgery, discharge one baby and have 2 others on bubble, 3 IV babies, so on. Our unit is chaotic- management doesn’t help. Every nurse on my floor is miserable because we are overworked, and our nurse culture is very negative. You would think me working on this floor that I would progress quickly as a nurse, right? WRONG. They don’t trust “newer nurses” so they give us low acuity assignments allll the time. So when I finally do get high acuity I am #1 panicked and #2 have to relearn everything and embarrass myself because it’s been months since I’ve done anything (ex- assist with line insertions, complicated line changes, giving blood, you name it). I forget so much that it has led to mistakes (minor mistakes thank God) but mistakes none the less. Either that or I make a mistake because our unit is too busy and hectic (like forgetting to do something or even giving my antibiotic with my lipids!! -which I did today:( )I struggle with panic attacks and high levels of anxiety/ stress over my job. I even had a miscarriage this year and I do not think it’s a coincidence that it happened on a very stressful day at work. The days where I love my job I have feeder growers on the “feeder grower” separate unit. But again, I lose my skills and again the cycle continues. Now that im nearing 2 years I want to give up. I want to stop trying to be an ICU nurse. I should know more than I do by now but am not progressing! I either want to find a NICU elsewhere that values teaching and is a SUPPORTIVE staff or just give in and stay a feeder grower nurse. But by the looks of it all of the units around my area are lower acuity and have MAYBE one vent, some bubbles, and mostly feeder growers. Oh and another thing- surrounding units are cancelling nurses all the time due to low census- my unit never has that problem. What do y’all think? I am not the type of person who has to have high acuity excitement- I’m a very chill person. But I also don’t want to be a quitter and wonder “what if?”

Thank you all for being so kind and caring, you all have helped a lot. I've scheduled a physical with my doctor to make sure it isn't something physical that can be helped with supplements, etc. I've also spoken with my therapist and we are going to come up with ideas.

There is a possibility of me transferring to a smaller NICU within the system, or to another unit. However I've only been at this system for 8 months. And my managers are terrible. Maybe I can talk to HR and see what the details are. Thank you for your response.

Hello all, I was looking for some advice from someone who may have gone through a similar situation as me. I am 24 years old, have been an RN for just over 2 years now. I started off my job with severe anxiety, but chalked it up to being new and that it would get better. Well, now it's been 2 years and it's honestly only gotten worse, because now I have no hope of it getting better. I hate the pressures of being a bedside nurse, I have panic attacks before work and cry nearly every single day. I moved from ICU to NICU thinking it would be better, because at least I would see more positive impact in patient's lives and seeing them progress. But honestly the anxiety is just worse because I am MORE connected to my patients. I just am so fearful of hurting someone. Not to mention the unit I got hired on is CHAOTIC and has the sickest babies in the metroplex. Should i just give up bedside? Or is it still too soon? My personal life is great, so it's not that. I see therapists and have been on antidepressants, but they only help temporarily. Sadly I have a 2 year contract with the hospital system I'm with, so I feel so stuck and hopeless. Its gotten so bad that I've considered just ending t all at times. Any words of wisdom would be so appreciated by me. Thank you guys in advance.

And I will have a preceptor for 2 years at this school

I never meant to hurt anyone's feelings when I said "bored". I read a bunch of posts on school nursing and a lot of people said that would be an issue. That's the only reason I said that.

I'm legitimately wondering... to see if anyone can lay out the differences..

Just wondering...have any of y'all worked in a hospital?

Hello, i am 22 years old and have been working in the Neuro ICU for 1 year now. I do not like my job- for many reasons. 12 hours are hard, I now have back pain, hospital politics, only 30 min break, psycho patients who yell, hit, and bite, code blues, ANXIETY. I want to get out so bad. I've applied to other departments such as post partum or NiCU but none are hiring right now. I got an offer for school nursing, and I'm unsure if I should take it. I don't make much now, so the pay decrease probably wouldn't effect me much. I don't mind being "bored". After the stress I deal with on a daily basis I need a break. It is so bad that I get anxious THINKING about going back to work. I get anxiety attacks the night before and now I'm in a depression because of it. i just don't want to make a mistake and regret leaving bedside. I think I might stay PRN at my unit to at least keep my foot in the door. What do you guys think? Should I take it? What is your experience with school nursing? Pros and cons? p.S- I don't have kids, it's just me and my husband