Rainbow_RN

I have fairly significant hearing loss but don't require hearing aids (yet). So far I manage but masks do make it hard. There is one excellent nurse on the vascular access team I've met that is completely deaf. Has an interpreter at all times. If you have any experience with ASL it may be an option for you. Also the nurses on her team often wear a mask with a little clear plastic window so she can lip read easier. That's an example of an inclusive workplace. Actually why doesn't every unit have those window masks as a standard? Do you have any idea how many old people with presbycusis I could stop yelling at?? ? I especially love when they're like "I'M HARD OF HEARING" and I'm like "ME TOO BRO" I am ready to apply at your old facility as the manager so I can get hired & fire whoever made fun of you on sight.

The very experience of nursing school is inherently depressing. Don't let this hold you back if you really want to do it. But also don't be afraid to put school on hold if you need time.

I think you should try for it. The memory problems would be most likely difficult in nursing school. Nursing school is difficult for EVERYONE. In real life, you can look everything up before you do it if you need. Except in emergency codes, so learn those protocols really well. As far as your hemiparesis it may not hold you back at all. I do know of one nurse that had difficulties with their hand and couldn't start ivs, etc. So they worked on an area that didn't require IV starts, blood draws etc.

I trim mine fairly short but it's integral to my sense of identity. I have shaven before and mostly felt awful. We do carry Caprs at my work if I need one. I am not in a high covid case area though. Also, sweet username.

I wish I read this back then LOL

The grass is probably not greener. I don't have personal experience trying out other places though, so take that with a grain of salt. It's just that I've thought about it a lot, and then I remember that moving to a new place where I don't already have friends would probably make it worse. I guess I'm pretty typical since I am getting my masters degree right now. I play video games a lot and every 2 weeks I do dungeons and dragons. If you aren't a sporty or gym type, you might enjoy being a nerd like me! You can always go to local events or venues to try to make friends also. Granted, it's covid time so I think everyone feels disconnected and tired. There still may be safe events to go to around you, or bars. I met a good handful of my friends outside school or work by going to a community game night every month. There has to be some stuff that matches your interest. This is kind of goofy also but I know plenty of guys our age who will get tinder or apps just to make friends. And like, you could fall in love with someone accidentally too? It's gonna be OK dude

Check your organization's social media policy. In this day and age it's sort of a red flag if they don't have one. For me, I would avoid interacting...as stated, you may have no consequences now but anything on the internet is sort of "forever" and it would not help you if you ran into trouble later. At my place, it's actually prohibited for the patients to take photos or videos of the nurses or other employees. Makes it a lot easier to keep boundaries.

Depending on the culture of the unit, it may be common. I have learned that over-explaining things is almost never a good thing. Stand your ground, state your logic if they push, and that's it. I agree the next shifts charge should have supported you on this. Based off your listed experience level, if you're anything like me you may face some extra challenges in earning respect when in charge. Don't let the experienced nurses walk all over you. You are in charge because you wanted it/earned it. They are not in charge. Doesn't mean you need to act uppity, but certainly you can't stand for & don't deserve abuse from them. Stand firm, they will learn what you are like.

I'm in a similar boat. It helped to read through this thread. Thanks. 7:1 ratios are a lot for me to handle with 6 months'experience. I know of some nurses that transferred after 6 months. Perhaps you could transfer within your facility. Even still, I'm trying to hold out for my year at least. It's mentally taxing and I worry about mistakes all the time.

Hey all, I have been at my job since July 2018. I am on a busy ortho/geriatric med/surg floor. I know some people have a more difficult time so I don't mean to complain. And I love my co-workers and patients. But my ratio is consistently 6:1 and up to 7:1 lately. I feel unsafe taking 7:1 but I've had to, due to either being the most experienced RN besides the supervisor or nobody else being able to pick up. I have had two coaching forms, which go on my file. One is for not following up a blood pressure and the other is for not removing a nicotine patch. I am worried about this paper trail. I'm not sure what these forms exactly entail but I feel like 2 is a lot & I'm making mistakes like this from being rushed or not sleeping. I have also forgotten to scan narcotics before administration once recently, and remembered hours later, which really worries me. For all I know they might drug test me for that (it will come up clean but still hate the thought of making mistakes like this). I don't know if I'm worrying too much or what. Normally our organization allows transfers after one year. I think it is one year from hire date, but it may be one year since I was assigned to the current floor. Rarely they will make exceptions. I'm told these "coaching" forms will not affect a transfer but I am unsure. I think I want to transfer to a different floor that I trained on at the beginning. (Edit: that floor is surgical & has a 5:1 ratio or rarely 6:1). I'm afraid I made the wrong choice..I only got 2 weeks per floor to decide. I don't think that's enough to really know what I wanted. Do you all think I should see if I can transfer early? I have extreme anxiety about going to work because I never know what I'm walking into. I lose sleep and then I make mistakes. I haven't eaten a full meal at work since orientation. Sometimes I don't even snack. I drink a lot of really strong energy drinks and I'm worn out. Please send advice. I need to know if these are real concerns or if I just need to suck it up. Thanks for reading if you got this far.

I'm a new grad with similar feelings. I think it just takes time to get your brain used to the new career. I'm told nobody has an easy first year. Even the first two years can be tough. Hang in there. You are not alone

Dr. Laura Gasparis as in Dr. Laura Gasparis Vonfrolio? I learned ABG's by watching one of her talks and she is truly a hero among nurses. And hilarious. I always thought that 6 patients is a lot. And then I thought I'm just too new to the profession to know for sure. Thanks for this post and the information in it.

I see the "this is just how it is" attitude. It makes me glad that I work in a facility where mostly everyone helps each other. I never thought of it as having to do with the way women are raised or the culture in society. I have noticed as a male RN that sticking up for myself is almost rewarded, whereas my female colleagues are afraid to stick their neck out. I wondered why. In a predominantly female profession, I would have thought that it would be easier for the women I work with to advocate for themselves, I guess. I got some insight from this. You want to know something else that's strange? Do you all think male nurses get mentioned positively on patient surveys for doing the same things that the women do--but the patients think they're going above and beyond because it's an emotionally intelligent guy? Do you know what I mean? I think it's happening with me. I mean, I'm good at my job and I'll take credit, but I'm not that exceptional . That's not fair.

I cracked up at the superwoman comment--I'm a guy. But the sentiment is totally right. I had a friend in nursing school who would tell me all the time, "you're not Superman". The charge nurse laughed when I was late and told me don't worry, it will probably be 10 years before I am late again. I do have really high expectations of myself, which makes me good at what I do but can be to my detriment also. I'm just mad about the leadership grade because I had an A+ before this. The final paper was to be a manager interview. I conducted and transcribed the interview, then trusted 4 other group members (all RN's, professionals) to write the paper since I did 90% of the prepwork. I thought, "what a great group. They wrote and submitted the paper on time!" Turns out they earned us a 60 on it. If it taught me anything, it's that laissez-faire leadership does not work at all for me. Not to place the blame on others; I should have edited more. I think they finally learned that most of us new grads are night shifters and the rest of the gatherings are at 8 AM or late in the afternoon. Thanks for the responses so far.

We get a $100 gift card -- it's a bank gift card, to be spent anywhere.

definitely questionable, I would not give more than 2mL of anything into the deltoid. anything viscous I would go with the VL or ventrogluteal for sure. basing this on personal experience as well as work.. I take hormone shots (depo-testosterone) every 2 weeks. it's only 1 mL but the solution is so thick i always use vastus lateralis anyway! couldn't imagine putting viscous anything into my delts so that's just my two cents..

I'm a young single man and don't have much going on in my personal life, and I still remember feeling that type of anxiety. Yes, being scared is normal. Yes, you can still get through this. I know 2 people at my college that got pregnant, had a baby, and still graduated nursing school. It's possible. Requires a lot of re-prioritization, but you can do it. Good luck and remember to take time for yourself and your family, no matter how overwhelmed you feel it's always important to take care of yourself.

I started nursing school at 21 also. Sometimes, you've studied all you can and it's just a matter of luck. Yes, I remember some of the questions at my college with the multiple correct answers. Many will be like that. I recommend working on test taking strategies instead of trying to memorize the material. Sometimes there is just too much to memorize. Try to understand what the professor is asking of you and eliminate wrong answers. In my last semester I had a 70 average at one point (passing is 76) and didn't think I was gonna make it out of there. I graduated and am now an RN. Don't give up yet. You're still young. That's what everyone would tell me. Good luck!

A while ago, I posted on here about choosing which area to work. You all were very helpful, so now I'm back. Don't get me wrong. I am extremely glad I chose to work where I did. There is pretty much no incidence of older nurses eating their young and I'm supremely grateful for that. But I feel like I'm drowning. I really do not feel like I am doing a lot with my life, but somehow I still have no social life and I do not have the energy to go to the gym. Self care is minimal and I have lost friendships, as well as a potential relationship due to time demands. I've been off orientation for a couple months now. There are several factors that go into this -- 1) I am doing online RN-BSN courses that are more demanding than I thought. I am about to have a 76 average in a leadership class because of one final paper that I wrote with a group of other RNs that just did not come together as planned. I'm disappointed. 2) I have a mentorship program at work that is a required 6 month commitment with social events like luncheons. They are once a month, with one experienced RN mentor assigned to a group of 5-6 new grads. It can be helpful and nice, but if you don't go they make you sign some kind of paper and talk to your manager. The first two events have been at 10-11 AM when I work the night before. As far as speaking to this mentor about my situation, talking about all this in person feels wrong. It's worth mentioning that I'm pretty stoic and don't talk about feelings a lot. I might not even post this. 3) Typical new grad RN work stress? Maybe you remember feeling this way your first year. Is this normal? I feel as if I am always making mistakes. I was 30 minutes late to a shift three weeks ago and I cannot forgive myself about it. Twice I missed retaking vital signs when there is a blood pressure outside normal range. I am not comfortable drawing blood, transfusing blood or starting Foleys just yet although I have the competency to. (I know blood requires dual sign off--I mean setting up the tubing, doing the monitoring etc. on my own). I get nervous to talk to the on-call providers (mid levels, usually). I have to ask for help 2-5 times per shift from the charge RN or my coworkers. I am not afraid to ask for help, but I think my requests might be excessive. I lose sleep thinking about these things. Should I have stayed on orientation longer? Do I need to just suck it up? Am I not cut out for this? Please be honest with me. This is, or was, my dream. Graduating and passing the NCLEX were among the proudest moments of my life. I felt like I was finally taking steps in the right direction. Now I don't know. If you got this far, thanks for reading.

In my experience, nursing schools in my area are more strict about tattoos than workplaces. If this is something that means a lot to you, which it sounds like it does, then I would hate for you to miss that opportunity to commemorate your mom. With that being said, I waited to get my first tattoo until I graduated nursing school. If you do go ahead and get it, you will probably just be asked to cover it up while in nursing school. For example, if it is on your arm, you might have to wear those little compression sleeves, tattoo tape, or a long shirt. If the tattoo is on your back, foot, or leg, no one would see it anyway while you are in uniform/dressed for an interview.

In my state, you can become a CNA after year one of ADN school, not an LPN. Our bridge program from LPN to RN at the local CC is a little more than a year. OP, my advice is to know what your eventual goals are. That doesn't mean your goals can't change, but have a general idea. If you want to work in a hospital, most only hire RNs these days unless you are in a more rural area. I am a new grad RN working nights 7-7 on a busy med-surg ortho unit at a local hospital. My girlfriend is a new grad LPN working days 7-3 on an acute care hall of a skilled nursing facility. We are both extremely busy & happy where we are! Also, she is about to get a promotion and make more than a dayshift RN would at my facility. Different strokes for different folks. The pay can be competitive either way and you can find a fulfilling job either way. Just be aware that a long term care or home care type situation is more common for LPNs. P.S. as a former math tutor, I want to advise you that there's no shame in getting help to pass your placement test. most of my clients were excellent students that just wanted to understand topics better or had an unconventional learning style. success at your local CC is probably not as far away as you might think it is.

Fellow new grad here. I would feel uncomfortable with it, but I also wouldn't turn it down as an unsafe assignment. I would ask around on my floor, which it sounds like you did. Then, I would go look at the policies and procedures of my facility. If I am still unsure, and I have reason to believe the patient is going to experience a complication or i have orders to do something with the epid, I would call the surgeon or call anesthesia. For the most part, it seems like it would just be monitoring. I wouldn't imagine they'd ask you to put any medications through it yourself, and definitely not to remove it yourself. Common sense would dictate that it involves frequent neuro checks. It would be nice if every nurse went through a class about epidurals, but I've only ever seen them in OB areas.

It is a HIPAA violation waiting to happen, because people will inevitably ask questions such as "i hope not my aunt?" And then the person posting it will get tempted to clarify. This is why my Facebook is made of dog and cat memes. I don't talk about my job other than "I got hired on x unit!" and maybe posting projects that I finish for my BSN classes (I painted a self portrait of me with a saline flush). Stuff like that. Like, as general as you can get. Not even talking about the specific events of a shift or being glad that it's over.

I just chose a specialty for my first job (still med-surg, but orthopedics). I don't regret it at all. Follow your heart. Especially if you are still a student--I will echo what has been said here. It won't make a difference other than networking for you right now. Good for you for planning out your future and being forward-thinking, though. When you choose a career do what makes you the happiest, as long as it's a logical choice in terms of pay/benefits/travel time. I will also mention that practicality includes how many spots there are for new grads. Don't spend your senior year precepting somewhere that won't be able to hire you. If there are spots, look into how many peds has vs. labor and delivery, and let that help guide you. With all this being said, my specialty does not involve working with kids or new moms, so I can't offer any insight into those specific fields.

I'm a new grad, so I follow what my preceptor does (while still using my best judgment). With that being said, our Dilaudid mostly comes in carpuject vials and our IVs are needleless luer-lock systems. So I usually have to snap the carpuject needle off, and draw it out of the vials using a filter needle. I usually use a 10mL flush to draw and mix with these type of vials bc I have many flushes on hand. It can be inefficient, but I work with what I've got. If I am lucky enough to find the Pyxis stocked with luer lock, prefilled Dilaudid syringes, I push these unmixed and slow. It was interesting to read everybody's input on this, so thank you all.