amiss8488

Feels like there are so many and as a travel nurse, nobody (especially the sups) knows them. How the heck can I familiarize myself with them in the different states? I'm so tired of being told I need to keep patients on who are non compliant for education/teaching. Do you usually recert for education/teaching... especially when not taking their meds? Or going to see doctor?

yes. I think I am overloaded. This is new for me and too much. So I am going to slow down and maybe after a few years I can pick up. It's these student loans that are killing me. just want them gone so I push myself to the edge, but then my work is impacted. Thanks for all of your advice (everyojne)

I have 2 years of experience as an RN and most of it was in the OR. I loved it, yet hated it. It never felt right to me and I always struggled to "fit in" and I was even bullied for my religious views (the became the last straw). So I took a job with HHC in Denver. I think this is it, I have found my passion in nursing!! I am not going to lie though, it is hard. Somedays I stay up until 1 AM. Somedays I dont eat. Somedays just suck with the traffic and driving and the constant emails and phone calls. But I put so much into this. I am constantly meeting up with an experienced RN to try to get as much training with wounds as I can. I am always watching videos. Always asking questions. And somehow, even though I feel like I have so much to learn, I am still able to go into the home with confidence. but anyways, I took a job with a company, and then shortly after, another HHC called me for an interview. I have been in HHC for 3 months now. When I went to the second job's interview, the woman immediatley threw an offer with me. I was kind of shocked. She was well aware of how little of experience I have. I was never asked legit interview type questions either. Here was her offer: I am on call for 3 weeks out of the month from 330-8pm and weekends. I get salary 2k a month. Her exact words were: you will only do SOC or emergency visits. She said that it was up to me to decide if I wanted to keep that patient and continue seeing them. If I did then I would get extra per visit. That was really it and I had a hard to turning I down because of my student loans. She also reported they might get 2 "calls" a week So I accepted. My other HHC is huge. It is super nice because I have a ton of patients in my area. This HHC is very small though and a lot of the calls have been for patients 30 minutes or more away! I sometimes find myself getting pissed off for having to drive soo far, that's a lot of time. I am not even bothered about my car or gas, it's more about my time spent driving and then the time to do the SOC. I also feel like I have some resentment towards the agency. The first week I did not get any calls. The second week they called me for a wound vac and abx. I told them I would do the SOC. Then the scheduler asked if I could also take the patient on as a patient. I told her no (drive was 30 minutes). Then about 10 minutes later I get a call from the boss and she demands that I take it. She says, "you need to take this patient". I never got paid any extra. Then she also said that I can see the patient during my on call hours. Is this how on call works? Obviously this was not part of the agreement though and I let her know that. I wasn't happy and they knew this. I voiced my frustration. I did end up taking the patient but I think it was only because it would give me more experience and I could learn their charting system. I am still confused sometimes on what call means. II only thought that if a patient was leaving the hospital after 330, then I would get a call. To me, it seems if they can't find an RN, then I am called. I was also told that I needed to go and open a patient that was strictly PT. When I reviewed her chart, she has zero nursing needs. This does not seem right? The order is really strange. On the order it says RN for SOC and then PT to follow. But the office told that it's that way because PT can't go out until Wednesday. I just get confused, why is nursing going? why not delay SOC until PT? I am wasting my time I feel like Also, they will tell me a patient is to be d/c, (lets just say tonight at 7) then patient is not d/c until the next day, in the AM. They still expect me to open the case even though there will be another nurse following and the patient is clearly not being d/c during my call hours. Please help clarify some of this. I have never taken call in HHC. Maybe this is the expectation anywhere. But I have become salty and it makes me not want to work for them anymore. I really love the other company. Maybe I just need to forget about this place.

Changing mine frame would be good. But how should one change their mind frame when they have been humiliated, put down and treated with aggression in the workplace? I'm not going to accept it. Also, he seemed genuine and like he had good intentions. Told my that our relationship didn't depend on if I went to the church or not. A bit strange how once I stopped going things drastically changed outside of work and then inside of work. You don't think that is treating me differently because of my religious views? Sure he didn't just say, I don't like you because you don't believe anymore. I really did think that it would be fine if I stopped going to church, that he would respect my decision. That wasn't the case though. It's not like I gave them bs either, I told them I wasn't all that into it and had my doubts.

I had good intentions. I actually usually keep to myself at work. I don't really get close to people there. But this is a new job that moved for. It's an extremely rural area. He actually seemed genuine and like him and his family wanted to help. I've learned a valuable lesson from all this.

Agree.. I lacked boundaries. But that gives him not right to treat me like garbage. He didn't have good intentions for helping me out which is why boundaries should have been in place. I don't agree that it has nothing to do with religion though. He very well could treat me like this regardless of if I didn't go to church or not, but that fact that he changed once I stopped (I've been here for 4 months now) shows that it very well can be linked.

So I moved out of a state for supposedly an amazing position. But have had some issues with a coworker. For one I think he's a raging narcissist. He has most of the staff wrapped around his fingers. He's also one of the most important people in our hospital, anesthesia. It's such a rural area that there are only two of them too! The other anesthesia is the exact opposite and I get along very well with him. When I moved here he was very friendly to me. Giving my family and I things (that I tried to refuse), inviting us over, offering services and doing favors (that I again never asked for). He is the head of his church as well. I felt that we could go and check out his church just to see what it's about. I won't say the religion but it is a bit culty. So after about 5 weeks of going I decided it just wasn't for us. Stopped going and then all hell broke loose. He has treated me completely different. He can be an ass to everyone, even patients but his attitude and behavior towards me has done a 180. Once, before I stopped going to church, he did tell me not to touch his patient. But that was the only negative/crappy attitude I got from him. So we had an incident 3 weeks ago and I confronted him on it. He freaked out on me, became very demeaning and confrontational in front of my peers. Then to make matters worse, he lied about what really happened. He now is making things up and happened to bring up these lies in a meeting with my manager. This never came up though during our freak out incident which I find bizarre. I've gone to my manager, gone to HR, talked to administration and it really seems nothing will happen. I was told today to write out an incident paper and figure out what I want to see from him. I think that this guy just wants to treat me like sh!t until I finally leave. It's really horrible cuz I've moved states just to come here. I've signed a 2 yr contract. I'd have to pay back some money (not a huge amount) if I left before then. I'm not even sure what to write on this incident report, don't treat me like **** would be nice (but in his eyes its okay and I deserve to be talked down to). The other day he screamed at me again because I asked the other nurse with us if I should go get the family. His response was (and I didn't even ask him), "No you need to stay right here" in a very angry and confrontational way. Im at a loss. I'm miserable and I miss my family and home. I've moved from everything I know to be here. When he comes around I get immediately worried and anxious which is exactly what he wants. I'm afraid to say anything or do anything. So of course this will in turn impact my nursing care and I'm also likely to cause mistakes because of this. Should I push to take a job at a doctors office? It would suck but I almost don't even care anymore. I just want to feel safe again. The fact that he lied about what happened makes me really worried. I want to keep my license and I know I would be thrown under the buss if something happened. I've been told by an RN whose a great nurse and has worked here for a long time that he can be very vindictive. xxx. The hospital needs him, they don't need me. I've also thought about seeking legal advice even. Possibly getting the help to get out and go somewhere else, learn form this (never go to church with a coworker again). Or maybe I should just stick it out. I'll be fine. I thought about just documenting everything, making sure he knows I won't allow it, and pushing through. Maybe someone else has had a similar experience. Gotten through it all. Please share any experience. Thanks

I kind of laughed at your response. It's just so true. I think I started to second guess myself and wonder if I did something wrong. I will say that I've talked to others and he has some heavy issues. He is known to pick on people. He has also had to go to anger management. And I think there is more going on here. He tried to sway me into his religion and I backed off. I don't think he liked that as he is head of the church as well. This kind of bothers me more because he should respect people. Sitting down and talking with him Monday with management. Also I've decided to go to day surgery and stick there for a while. Not so much drama and interaction with him. I feel a bit defeated but it's just better there. I ended up calling him an a$$hole after I approached him and he freaked out, screaming again, yelling at me to get back there after I decided it's best to just walk away. So now it's some huge deal that I've called him that when I feel I was provoked. He's been running around telling everyone. It's just childish. So the issue is no longer that I put HIS patient at risk (or he claims) but that I swore at him. It's just childish games and I won't play.

Yeah it seems like it's always something. I've worked at places where the techs are horrible. They treat you like dirt because they have done this for 20 or more years. I really don't get it. Why more experience makes you better. It definitely helps but I'd never put myself above others. And I agree, bedside nursing just isn't my thing. I'd even be willing to go there if given the opportunity at this point.

Do you ever feel that OR nursing just isn't for you? Not because you don't enjoy it but because of the people. I am hitting the end of my road with this profession. I have been in the OR for about a year and a half now. I've worked in 4 different facilities. Two of them I would go back and forth and help out at the different facilities (for experience because one was very small). One of them was God awful and I ended up leaving after 2 months (seemed like a better opportunity but the care there was horrible and the doctors were literally abusive.. One kicked me). Then I moved out of state and started at another small hospital. I find I love doing it. I'm super motivated and spend a lot of time outside of work studying. I pick up hours and help when needed. I ask questions and know what I'm capable of. But the last few days have just been a huge downfall for me. All the nurses and the CRNAs just have such strong personalities. They will tell you straight up anything and will never admit fault or wrong. They also know everything. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too sensitive. But today the CRNA (we will call him God) flipped out on me for starting an IV in the OR without a Tourniquet. I could see the vein clear as day. He had good veins. I know when I don't feel confident with an IV but that wasn't the case here. So I got it and he proceeded to speak down on me, put me down, and then told me to NEVER start an IV without a tourniquet in HIS OR ever again. I could see if u didn't get it. But clearly that wasn't the case. Also, i even think, maybe that wasn't the best practice? I don't know. I've seen and heard nurses before tell me if you can see it, it's sometimes not necessary. I suppose this came in my mind at the time. But also, there's a way to communicate this to a person without being an *******. So stupid me approached God about it later and it was completely pointless. I said how I felt about it and that resulted in him getting angry and pissed off. I decided to walk away and said, I'm done with speaking to you about it and his response was, don't walk away from me and I'm giving you one more chance to get back here. Sometimes I just feel exhausted from all the bs. Had an issue with another nurse and just putting me down and not speaking in a helpful way the other day. I'm tired of nurses who have done this for 5+ years knowing everything. I know I don't know everything and I still won't in 20 years. So I just feel like maybe asking to switch to med surg would be better. But will it? Maybe I am the issue here. Maybe I'm too sensitive and can't take criticism well. But I have nurses tell me I'm doing something wrong and I correct it. I don't take offense and I learn from it. I just want to be a nurse, go to work, learn, help my patients, find things that might be going on, and then go home. I'm tired of these mind games of I'm better than you so I need to put you down. Also, I'll add the I did seek some guidance through another nurse who told me some of these nurses have some pretty heavy mental health issues. Who dosnt? But then how do I deal with this without crying my eyes out and getting so upset? Sorry for rhe long post. I appreciate your input. I really do feel that OR isn't for me anymore. Maybe even nursing if every unit is like this. It's so much easier to avoid people when you work in a large hospital. It's impossible here.

Should I even bother to do this if my HPSA score is 12? Seems like most people have higher. I live in a very rural area though so thought it would be higher. also how do you get your DTI?

I suppose ivr been so against it because at the first hospital I worked at they drilled it into my head, NEVER sign the consent as a circulator. I guess it just seemed obvious that it was better to have someone who was not in the room sign the consent. I know I'm just consenting to them understanding and given the right information.

Okay thanks for the info. Not sure why the other places I've worked at have rhe bands then when it's not a left or right procedure

So I moved from a city to a very rural area. A different state as well. In Chicago they are big on the operating room nurse never signing the consents. Where I moved, Colorado, they have a different way and the OR nurse does. Is this okay? I feel like a huge pain constantly asking the nurse to sign the consent, because nobody else does.. But I also just feel better doing that. Also for surgeries where you can't mark procedures. They don't have bands on the patient stating the procedure, like from were I was from. The policy does actually state that if you can't mark it then another identification needs to be used. So I made a fuss about it, yet the manager kind of blows it off. How does your OR do it? Maybe I am just being picky

I left for more experience. I was also averaging about 60 hours a pay period for a few months. I was so tired of doing outdates and cleaning!! I want to do nursing things! Get in there and learn! I want to do stuff like trauma and spinal cases... But I also want to feel capable and safe. I didn't go back because my charge nurse gave me a hard time after I gave them my three weeks notice and was very honest with my manager about applying for jobs and seeking other opportunities. The charge nurse went a bit power crazy my last week there. I came in for an emergency c section (never done one before) then the nurse I relieved didn't finish her charting. I was then bullied and ordered to finish another nurses charting by my charge nurse. She also criticized me for not knowing things. Soooo yeah, not going back there. Maybe it's me!! I don't know.