dontbetachy90 BSN, RN

From March - May, my 20 bed acute care unit closed down and our staff merged with another unit in the hospital. Census dropped big time due to lack of elective procedures and people wanting to stay home. We were cancelling staff like crazy for first ...

The last time my floor hired a seasoned OR nurse, her orientation was not that long; I want to say just a few shifts. Her preceptor essentially showed her "how our unit operates" but honestly, I was surprised they didn't give her a couple of weeks to...

In the grand scheme of things, two years is still pretty "fresh." From what you have described here, it sounds like your co-workers may be a little hard on each other, and also sounds like you could potentially be a little hard on yourself. In a dem...

I recently encountered a situation in which a 60-something male with no PMH aside from 30 pack-year smoker was admitted for unstable angina, troponins negative x3. Probable large inferior infarct on Lexiscan, cardiac cath showed severe 3 vessel dise...

I did misunderstand! Looking for trouble where none exists No worries!

I judge each situation differently. When I am in report with the other charge nurse going over 24 patients and Miss True tells me "she kind of don't got time to run and get a boxed lunch," I tell her that I am in report, I ask her if she knows the pr...

I agree with you that being quiet and being shy are not mutually exclusive traits! I think if you start small, as others are saying, you will slowly grow more and more confident. Achieving this may not necessarily make you more talkative (unless your...

I wrote this from memory so forgive me for lack of accuracy but this was written in the impression on the stress test: "large fixed defect at the inferior posterior wall highly suspicious for underlying infarct "

As a step-down/progressive RN, I agree here. Interventional cardiology is a nice place to be (pre/post cath, PPM/AICD, post-TAVR, etc, though every one is slightly different) but in my opinion, you would benefit more from cardiac step down if your pl...

I agree, which is why I am scratching my head. Isn't unstable angina considered ACS? And how can we be sure he was not having an acute MI if we neglected to investigate further with additional trops and repeat EKG? The patient had no interventions p...

I agree with the other two comments, here. Acute care nursing is a tough gig; our patients have acute and chronic diseases that need managed, we are micromanaged like no other to meet certain standards, we are not only nurses but social workers, phar...

Manipulation is key here. I work with a nurse (call her Miss True, because nothing she says is true) who TELLS ME what I will do to help her, especially when I am charge nurse. "I'm gonna need you to do this ultrasound IV." "My patient needs a boxed ...

I agree with the previous comment, and I would like to add a few things as well! There is nothing wrong with being a quiet, introverted person, so personally I believe it is worth asking yourself why you wish to change this about yourself? You said...

Cardiac intermediate/progressive care RN here! I am sorry to hear this diagnosis has been sprung upon you; as a nurse you know that ANY new diagnosis can be troublesome and overwhelming, and as you mentioned you "aren't stressed," I'm sure you have ...

Shame on me, indeed. I misinterpreted the message and thought brownbook was calling the OP dumb for asking such questions, and was attempting to stick up for OP. Shame on you for shaming me and shame on me for shaming you! No worries, here.

I'm a little late to the party. @brownbook , I apologize for making bad assumptions on this forum. That is the trouble with the internet, JKL33. I don't necessarily think my response that you find so unflattering, which I believe I had rectified by e...

Hi, all! I have been working in a 24 bed step-down cardiac unit for the past 4 years on night shift, 4:1 patient ratio, and I am finding myself dreading work more often than not. I was looking to get some advice from nurses who have transitioned from...

Perhaps just a different perception. The "voice" in my head as I was reading was not a pleasant one especially when she said the bit about these being dumb questions. To each their own, but yes, maybe I was being a bit sensitive

( in response to brownbook ) Why so hateful? These are valid questions from someone who perhaps needs a little boost of confidence or reassurance, not for you to be confounded and invalidate these concerns merely because you did not have access to s...

Your feelings of apprehension are SO normal, and even welcomed! Trust me. I was an aid/tech in an ER and then precepted in that same ER, and I had the exact same feelings -- "they expect me to know 'nurse things' because I worked here, but I don't!"...

Hello, all! I am looking to hear some of your real life accounts regarding either your own transition to a charge nurse/clinical leader position, or your experiences WITH your charge nurses/clinical leaders. What have been your biggest struggles, how...

I have a general question in regards to fall prevention and am looking for some ideas to bring to my unit! Our unit (as most units do) takes fall prevention very seriously. We do safety audits every two weeks, we safety huddle each shift to notify th...

Nursing school will test you and fill your head so full of knowledge, data, lab values, questions, comments, concerns, and therapeutic phrases... that you will hit the floor for the first time and feel all of that information fly out of your skull wh...

Nursing school was only majorly difficult up until the moment I began to reflect back upon how simple it was compared to real-life nursing. The first year of being a new nurse... phew, buckle up! Some people glide by with ease, others ride the strug...

Congrats! Cardiac/telemetry will give you an AWESOME skill set that you can take with you anywhere you go. Similar to above... - Become familiar with common cardiac medications; their uses, adverse reactions, parameters for HR/BP, and when to conside...