humerusRN

What is your child care for when you are on days? I am just thinking any 12 hour shift for a single mother would be hard!!! Unfortunately, night shift is usually the only shift open to so many new grads. Experience leads to days. It's not as easy as "creating a job" for you on day shift, as FTE hours are finicky, and are approved thru lots of hoops and hurdles. Good luck!

I wish we had a cool handshake. ? I work bedside, inpatient pediatrics. I do all of the above.

This would never fly at my facility because while we self schedule, we also have to balance.... so you get moved around. It would be unrealistic to expect everyone else to shuffle their schedule *except* for you because you work nights somewhere else. Nope nope nope.

We have hired many adult RNs into my unit over the years - I hear from them that it almost feels like they are back to new grad status because, like another poster pointed out - kiddos ARE NOT little adults. They compensate differently. Get sick differently. Code differently. But this is why you have orientation! ? You have the basic skills, you just have to learn to apply those to kiddos and you'll be set. Good luck on your new position!

# of times I have used chemistry in nursing = 0. I honestly think that so many programs make it a requirement just because it is another lab science! I wouldn't sit this one out, you'll be fine!!!! I never used my chemistry requirement in nursing school. Anatomy and Physiology? Definitely. Math? 100%. Chemistry - not really. You'll be fine.

IMO, 4 hours without the RN rounding is inexcusable and definitely would be grounds for disciplinary action for the RN (and the CNA).

This is our set up as well - inpatient pediatrics. If you've ever needed suction and not had it ready (and working) - you'd understand the rationale in this set up. We do throw them away (as well as our opened and connected to the wall bag/mask) after each patient is discharged.... and replace with new equipment. Each patient gets their own suction and ambu bag. ?

Family is usually present in pediatrics, and I can't imagine not rounding on a patient for 5 hours! Our policy is every hour, and PRN. You see my face every hour - even if you are an "easy" kid with a great family. Even if my round is just ducking my head in, seeing the kid is asleep, and I mime you a thumbs up sign. ? It is easy to overlook the stable kids when you have a busy assignment, and I can't speak for the hospital where you were at OP - but I work inpatient peds at a Children's hospital, and my patient load is usually 3/4 kids, 5 on a bad day. If I am busy with a super sick kid, I will have a charge RN or a teammate check in on my other kids. It's just the right thing to do. Never hesitate to call out when you need something, even if it's just to see the RN's face and get the thumbs up that everything is OK!

Did you take a sudafed? Will one of those suckers make you test + for amphetamines? (or do they just make me feel like I could clean my whole house and run a marathon, and I'm alone in this.... lol.... )

I am seriously shocked someone can be upright on 75mg on benadryl. 25mg puts me into a coma. ?

I work for a non profit. Everything is still about the bottom line. It's depressing, but not unexpected. ?

I am just impressed you could start one on yourself. That being said, I work in a "right to work" state, which means they can fire you for absolutely nothing. But it seems to be IMPOSSIBLE to get fired through my hospital. We have some people that should have been terminated eons ago, but yet.... they still stick around. No idea what the heck it takes to really lose your job, but I can promise you it wouldn't be starting an IV on myself. I can't start an IV on anything other than a well hydrated adolescent kid.... so I am not at risk for this problem. ?

I take care of a chronic population - and when they are admitted thru the ED, they always come to us with PIVs. We always discontinue them and access their ports on arrival to the floor. Why? Because they will be with us for 2-3 weeks. They require daily, sometimes more frequently, lab draws. They require some nasty antibiotics that I'm not about to infiltrate an IV with. I think ED RNs should have this training....it's insane to cause unnecessary harm to a patient because an entire department doesn't have what I feel is a pretty basic skill for inpatient RNs. Why is this not required training? You can access a port just as quickly as starting an IV in most instances. We do have some floors who don't get ports often, and when they do they call one of the floors that do get them often, and we go down and access for them. Team work makes the dream work. Don't start unnecessary lines.

I was told by a TBI kid recently that he knew I didn't care about him, I was only in it for the money. Does anyone get into nursing for the money? Maybe I live in the wrong part of the country, but I do not make bank. If I was picking a career based on potential income, this would not be it. My benefits suck, my schedule sucks, the work is HARD, and the pay is below average. So no, I don't do it for the money. That would just be stupid. I think I could get better benefits and less stress working for Starbucks. They even get free spotify! Those of you who are in it for the money, send me your details so I know where I need to move to find some of this "money". LOL!

Sometimes the only way the suits will really see our needs, is if we let the system buckle under it's own weight and quit digging them out. Definitely turn off your phone. I know exactly how you feel about letting down your fellow team mates - I always hate the thought of my friends struggling. But at the same time, I know that on my shifts... I'm not really going to expect anything differently. They can't fire you for NOT working about your required hours.

Also, HR in all hospitals moves at a glacial pace. It's very frustrating. Hang in there and good luck!

I really do think practice makes perfect in this case -- but I'll be honest. I have IV PTSD, and with all the resources available in my hospital (skill coworkers, a dedicated IV team, etc), it's easy not to FORCE myself out of that comfort zone TO practice. I should just bite the bullet and start sticking babies..... lol..... or maybe I will just start with hydrated teenagers.

And honestly, nurse managers answer to the suits.... I know our manager would love to be able to make things better for us, but there is only so much she can do without approval from the higher ups. I know for a fact our hospital admins are working our nurse managers to the bone.... turnover for management is HIGH. Very high.

I actually have a wonderful nurse manager that has done that. On a WEEKEND. But she is only one body, and her hands are tied from admin re: staffing. It's a never ending circle of UGH.

Better to not give enough insulin than to give too much insulin!!! Don't beat yourself up. You CAUGHT your error, you fixed your error, you did everything right.

My IV skills are black and white. I either poke and poke and get nothing.... OR.... I poke once, and get in so good that the entire room ends up having to be pressure washed afterwards and the patient borderline needs a transfusion. I will drop NG tubes all day. I love them. But please don't make me start an IV. PLEASE.

I have gotten very proficient at simply hitting "decline" on my phone when the all call number pops up on my phone. Which it does. About twice a day. There is no amount of incentive that makes it worth it for me, honestly. And I get the guilt - I used to feel that guilt - I am leaving my teammates in a bind, it's going to be a bad day for my friends, its not going to be a safe place to work..... I could go on. But honestly, until management really sees that WE NEED HELP, nothing is ever going to get done. That being said, when I am working on the short days - I would appreciate it if one of ya'll could pick up for incentive. Thanks. ?

Do we work at the same hospital? I feel like we are always adding new technology and what we really need to be adding is new nurses and support staff.

Good luck! I was hired into gen peds right out of nursing school and have been here ever since. Anything is possible. :) We train probably 2-4 new grads a year! I will say that the most of our hires come from local programs, and many have either worked for us as a CNA or did their preceptorships with us.

Do you have access to work email outside of work? - Yes, we have secure remote access. It does require set up with our IT department, but it's easy to get it accomplished, and it's a one time deal. What are the stipulations (if any)? None outside of protecting patient privacy as per usual. How many beds are in your hospital/or are you part of a large system? - we are part of a very large system in the southeast. What state are you in? NC Pros and cons of getting email (in your opinion). I like keeping up with things, and sometimes things are short notice and I would miss them if I did not routinely check my email at home. I only work part time, so I am sometimes out of the hospital for over a week at a time, depending on how my schedule lines up. I have heard people say that it makes them feel like they never can "escape" work, but no one is FORCING me to check my email. I do not work from home, I am not getting paid to read my email... lol... so therefore I skim everything every other day or so and leave it at that.