TXRN

The more you worry about it, the worse it will get. Anxiety is your worst enemy. Take some deep breaths & go for it. I always tell the patient I will try twice & if I can’t get it, I’ll get someone else to do it. That way both you & the pt aren’t stressed about about continuous sticks.

As an RN & a chronic pain pt, I want pain relief yesterday. I have used all other treatment modalities. Give me my meds. I want quality of life.

Her You Tube posts are lacking since she started on TV & now I won’t be watching her stupid show !

When I started in nursing, your job was where you were assigned. My first job was in the peds burn unit & then I was transferred the the Infectious disease unit & although I didn’t love it, it would never have occurred to me to ask for a transfer because it just wasn’t done. I even caught something from one of the patients in spite of vigorous handwashing & strict isolation technique. I can easily understand why nurses are afraid because the possibility of catching something from the patients is very real. It happened to me. And if anxiety is interfering with the ability to do quality nursing, then if you can transfer out, do so. I went straight back to my infectious disease unit without a second thought. When I was offered the opportunity to cross train to different units, I took it. Because I hated being pulled to a another unit where I was unsure about what was going on. The cross training came in handy during job searches with even an increase in starting pay. But I can relate to nurses being forced to take on critical patients if they not comfortable doing so. And with the way things are, with poor ppe availability, & huge patient influx, I don’t blame nurses being frightened. I can’t encourage cross training enough. But nurses should not be made to put their licenses in jeopardy to do a job. And to all my sisters on the frontline, we were anointed to take care of God’s children. We will do our very best !

We are in crisis mode. Every pair of hands are needed !

You are concerned for your life. That’s no sin. I am disabled but feel guilty because I am not on the front lines. It is our nature as nurses. You are fortunate that you have leave. We owe it to ourselves to do what we can to care for our own selves. Our jobs & government sure won’t ! Stay well !

My brother & I had placed our dearly loved aunt in a small home facility. She had severe dementia. When she called me screaming one night, saying that the aids were hitting her, I was close to going down there & committing mayhem. The aid tore the phone away from her & told me that my aunt was hitting them. I told her if anyone even gave her a dirty look, they would have to deal with me personally. We moved her to another facility in the next few hours. We had put her under supervision because she roamed & even living with family, she would get away from us. I had already lost an uncle who had left his nursing home, saying he was going home. We found his body 2 weeks later broiling in the hot August sun & I was not going through that again. I made it my business to tell each facility who I was, what I was, & what kind of care I expected. The first facility was chosen by my brother against my better judgement. When we placed her in the second facility, I was much more confident in the quality of care. This is what bothers me. We place our loved ones because we can’t care for them ourselves, their care is overwhelming & we feel extremely guilty doing it. It was for her safety & our peace of mind. Do not place your elderly anywhere that your gut tells you not to. I agreed the first time to avoid family BS & to this day, I regret it. The second place was lovely & she was happy there. I’m just sad that she went through that. She didn’t remember but I do !