City-Girl

I'm a nurse at a city hospital who has cared for Covid-19 patients since the first wave and have continued to do so. As nurses we usually take care of ourselves, but don't rush to the doctor for every little hangnail. I have rarely had acute visits...

Our hospital's policy for those with suspected and confirmed flu is droplet precautions. We educate our patients being placed on droplet precautions on how flu is spread, provide them with a box of masks to wear when they want to walk the halls and ...

For me the actual day of the holiday does not matter. What I have always found important is finding my own way to celebrate. For several years early in my career I worked Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in order to have several days off around the ...

Where I work the hospital is required to cancel at least 2 hrs before the shift starts, if they fail to do so you are guaranteed 4 hrs. The staffing office sometimes tries to get away with giving less notice than that, but will quickly recant when th...

Love it most days!

Sounds like a systems problem that everyone can learn from (many errors are). The ordering MD should have entered an order to d/c the blood. You did tell your charge nurse that the blood was no longer needed so maybe you thought that was the last t...

There are so many areas as an RN that you can work in that do no involve acute care. There are plenty of out patient settings that the pace is a lot less intense. In your post you stated that you loved your job doing laser hair removal. I am not s...

Sorry to hear you did not get the job. You mentioned seasonal work at Target. Have you considered looking into seasonal work giving flu shots, tis the season. I had a friend who was in a similar situation as you and the best she could find as a ne...

If you take public transportation most likely you've sat next to some people with MRSA and other unpleasant bugs. I find it funny when I discharge a person who has been on precautions, they go out the front door of the hospital just like everyone el...

Maybe there's other positions in the human services field where you could apply some of your previous course work so you would not have to start from square 1. If you truly know that your heart is not into it, it's okay to call it quits before you sp...

An orthopedic unit is an excellent place to start! Although the primary diagnosis may be similar, most of the patients will have other medical issues that you will be required to manage such as diabetes & HTN. You would have the opportunity to ...

At least 2 weeks and check your company's policy as some places require 4 weeks. Be careful not to burn bridges, the world of nursing is very small.

Finishing your degree is never a waste of time or money. It will increase your skill set, job security and give you the flexibility to work in the area you want. If you only have a few courses left to finish your degree, go for it. Even if take o...

Take a deep breath and remind yourself that you've only been off orientation a few weeks. It takes time to get your groove. As the previous poster said it can take a year before you feel comfortable. While I'm not sure what type of rapport you dev...

My Subaru Outback performs excellent in the Nor' Easters that are inevitable every winter.

Under FMLA there is a provision for intermittent leave to help care for spouse, child or parent. Not sure if this is helpful information for you individual circumstances, but here's a couple of links: FAQs: FMLA - Wage and Hour Division (WHD) - U.S...

With flu season upon us you should check with some of the companies that do flu clinics in your area. I'm not sure who this would be in your area, but where I live a couple of the home care companies run many of the flu clinics in the area. It's mi...

Depends on what part of the country you live in and if it is actually a rehab vs LTC. I had a friend who when she graduated she was pretty adamant about getting a hospital job, and avoided rehabs. After 6 months of not getting any calls from the ho...

While you're not considering moving, have you thought about how far you would be willing to commute. I am not sure what part of the country you live in, but sometimes stretching your commute a little may open more opportunities. You may also want t...

I keep a copy of the Wong Baker Face scale which also has a corresponding 1-10 pain scale to match the face (provided by the hospital I work in, but I am pretty sure you could also find it online). While I am all in favor of medicating the patient f...

I think we all know that going into nursing, there is a lot of sacrifice that comes with our schedules. In the beginning, seniority may seem unfair. At my hospital we sign up for holiday requests very year. We are required to sign up for a major a...

It may be beneficial to find out if your institution has an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) that may provide some guidance and a referral for additional help. You may also find a personal LOA to do some soul searching and regroup before deciding y...

Unfortunately it's not just about getting a passing grade in school, you'll need to be prepared to pass the boards. You should consider that if you're not able to achieve a grade of 80 or better, you may have a difficult time passing the NCLEX.

Your not alone, many new grad nurses feel the same way. Ask questions, listen, take in as much as you can and learn from your experiences. You'll get your groove in time. Welcome to the world of nursing!

Good news is you're only 15 and have a lot of time to figure this out. I found the math, especially statistics to be challenging, but doable. Study groups and tutors can be a great resource if there is an area of study you find particularly challen...