thoughtful21 BSN, RN

They will no longer allow us to discard meds in the sharps container. The regulations for our facility changed. But yes, we used to do that, and it was very quick and easy!

Just an extra perspective... I have trouble NOT carrying meds in my pocket. We are required to discard all partially used vials and pill halves in the black box in the med room. They don't have these boxes in patient rooms, because it wouldn't be safe. I don't like this, but the alternative is keeping the pill in my hand, and running back to the med room to discard the med right after every med pass, and sometimes I'm just too busy. Patient needs the bathroom before I go, the alarm in the next room is going off... So I end up with half a vial of Zofran or half a metoprolol pill, and I've come close to taking them home sometimes. (From a money/resources perspective, these are completely useless - that patient is only charged for what was administered to them, and pharmacy considers the rest waste and doesn't monitor it.) If it's an unused vial that needs to be returned, or a controlled med, then I'm a lot more antsy about it and take it back ASAP. It makes me uncomfortable to carry ANY meds in my pocket, but it's hard not to. Anyone else have this problem?

Ok, I was getting confused there! I was like, you do what...?

Yes, mine is all better now! Thanks!

Very true. My posts are observational musings as related to nursing. I enjoy your musings too, Emergent. They make me think. Here's my .02: Not trying to get worked up, just donating my $0.02 to the cause. Hey, maybe she's just a new nurse trying to fit it and be compassionate? Maybe she's 99% genuine, and really is seeing that patient through rose-colored glasses? Maybe is all gung-ho about her new job, and trying to be empathetic? I guess regardless of the motivations, I have found that demonstrating sympathy to a patient helps us work together better. They'll often be a little more compliant, a little less likely to complain, and some of their psychosomatic symptoms begin to resolve when they feel like they've "been heard." So regardless of my feelings, it does seem to make my job easier when I demonstrate compassion.

Congrats on your new baby, beeker! That's wonderful! It seems like this decision has been taken out of your hands. Sometimes this is 'karma's' way of pointing us in the right direction. A choice that pays your bills and keeps your career safe is also good for your family. We can't always plan perfectly for the future and answer all the what-ifs. All we can do is make the best decision at the time with the information that we have. If this job just doesn't work out for your family, you can quit later, and it wouldn't be the end of the world. No, it's not ideal, but it's not career suicide. People will understand and empathize with your situation. Have peace with whichever decision you make, knowing that you are doing what's best for your family! Things will work out. I wish you and your family the best!

Technicolor yawn!!! That's awesome, Davey! I've never heard that one before. I'm gonna be thinking of that next time I have a vomiting patient.

It worked! That's ok. A temper tantrum now and then is good for the soul, right? I had one recently too. I should get out and get some sun today too...sounds like a great idea!

Hi Davey! When I alert you, I just type @ and then begin to type your username. A list of "other" Davey's pops up, and I select your name from the list. Then it appears highlighted in blue, and I've tagged you, and you get a notification when I submit the post. I hope this answers your question and is helpful. You can practice with my username here if you want, and I'll let you know if it goes through!

Yes, please @Davey Do! Maybe a FLACC scale with little vomiting faces?

Yes, we are beginning to be dinged about charting f/u assessments for antiemetics. How do you rate nausea? We don't have an easy way in our system... Plus, nausea comes and goes, and is affected by many different things. Are they gonna come up with a 1-10 scale for nausea too? Puhlease... I definitely understand following up to see if the medication worked, to take good care of the patient! But.. The charting on our system has become so cumbersome, and it's not even patient-centered. We have scheduled pain checks, and reminders to check pain after every pain med, in several different places on the computer. They end up overlapping, and we double-chart, and we ask the patient about their pain so often that they're probably sick of it and/or over-focused on it. It becomes more about checking boxes than focusing on your patient. I'm already not a fan of the 1-10 pain scale...which is a whole 'nother discussion. Pain doesn't relate to numbers very well for me. And I can just image asking our nauseated patient to give us a "number" for their nausea. I'm rolling my eyes here, but if anyone has a good way to chart on assessing/reassessing nausea, I'd love to hear it.

C'mon, errybody knows Grumpy's pic is Andy Griffith! What DID they teach you in nursing school? I always enjoy your comics, DaveyDo!

You're going through a hard time right now, and you're asking for help, and I wish you the best. I also struggled with feeling like I was being treated like a child in nursing school. I also had a background of being a responsible, dedicated self-starter, and it was not my first time around the block in the working world. I'm not sure what the right answer/perspective is for this. I DO think that the culture of many nursing schools could be improved! (Perhaps some of the small, silly rules and actions that make us feel frustrated are designed to cover the school's butt? And maybe another reason they have to do these things is because not all nursing students are self-starters?) I often joke that perfectionism, anxiety and OCD can help you get straight A's in nursing school, but the truth is that you have to let the perfectionism go to a certain extent in order to be successful in nursing school. Please don't continue to let it go completely and just do the bare minimum...but you're right, it's impossible to do it all! Prioritize, find study habits that work best for you, and set yourself reasonable goals for grades. "Don't let perfect be the enemy of better." And don't let them get you down. Nursing school really is rough. You sound completely burned out. Please take some time for your mental health. I mean that compassionately, from one ex-nursing student to one who is currently in the trenches! I noticed that JKL33 liked your post but hasn't responded yet. C'mon @JKL33 ! We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Confession... sometimes I feel like since I took all the time and thought and to type up an answer :D ... even if they can't respond, they could at least just hit the 'like' button, right? That's weird that some only stay for a few minutes. Maybe they think of it more as a 'help hotline' or a live chat like Apple customer service.

Maybe "too much" has to do with the effect it is having on the people around you. Are you scaring, intimidating or upsetting anyone? That'd be a red flag. Some of our domestic violence patients have a problem with certain words - words they've heard in bad situations that trigger horrible memories or feelings.