soontoretire2020

Well, I guess I am retired, after 51 years of nursing. My last 5 years being in private duty. I worked hospitals, a correctional facility, LTCs, an LTAC, a WFH insurance gig, public health. I retired because I became too ill to work. I worked for my last agency for 5 years. Did they care? They did not send me a get well card or a happy retirement card or call or text goodbye, NOTHING! I mean they could have said something! Well I said goodbye to my PD family at least and they said thank you. I was with them for 2 years. Nursing is so thankless, it just boggles my mind. Last year I, and I mean just me, celebrated 50 years of nursing, my husband said "nobody gives a f**k"! But I whined until he finally caved and gave me a gift. I didn't even want a gift, I wanted him to be proud. So here I am, in the Twilight zone. And you young uns don't know what that even means. I worked the first 43 years of my career in Indianapolis. I miss my former co workers, well, some of them. Then I moved to NC. It was a wild ride believe me. And from what I hear the job is even wilder now. Good luck to all of you who are still in the trenches. I just wish somebody could have said ""thanks, Pat, we appreciated you,"

If management cared about staffing they would fix it. They don't care what you think. Either deal with it or quit. No management in the history of nursing cares what anyone thinks, so don't waste your time trying to bring anything to their attention.

Go ahead and add your hospital experience. Your experience is invaluable. Agencies will hire anyone with a license. Do you know Advanced Home care in High Point is offering a 10,000 bonus for full time RNs?

If all the retired nurses would pick up say 1 or 2 days a week private duty, there would be plenty of coverage. With Covid, what is there to do anyway? I should be retired, at my age, but who wants to do nothing all day? Not me. It's 2022 and I am still working!

Well they never called me, so, whatever.

They want you to volunteer your time? Your answer is NO. What if something happens? I don't think your insurance or your employer's insurance would cover that. No is a perfectly adequate answer. So what if they fire you, there are plenty of other jobs out there.

I just filled out an application to be a school nurse. In the job description it said required knowledge includes Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, Power Point. Do you really need these skills to be a school nurse? I have never done a power point in my life. Thanks

PD can be a cakewalk. Not always, but usually. If you get fed up there are plenty more cases waiting for you. Some nurses stay on cases for years.

My patient says "I have a headache". So I say "I will see if you can have some Tylenol". I then remembered that he was in the hospital because he took an overdose of Tylenol.

No one ever said anything in life was fair.

Well, some people probably won't question that.

Yes but...people who don't believe in Covid are the people who will walk around with the mask over their chin and not their mouth and nose.

If your client is on Medicaid, which they usually are, Medicaid pays nurses to do nursing, not housework. Management needs to explain that to the clients. You are in the wrong forum.

My experience is different than most nurses, as I will be retiring soon. I am not sure when, but probably this year. I graduated from nursing school in 1971. I have worked in hospitals, LTCs, LTAC, corrections, public health, private duty. In 1971 I worked in a large hospital. I would have 2-4 patients. Usually maybe 3 of them were ambulatory, and maybe one need assistance to get up. Patients needing surgery would be admitted say, on Sunday afternoon, wander around bored, get an enema, (from me), get a backrub, (from me), take a Betadine shower. The the next morning, they would be awakened, take another Betadine shower, and go off to surgery. Then return to the floor maybe 10 hours later, require vital signs, and observation, then go home maybe 5-6 days later. They would be polite, and say please and thank you, and bring candy for the nurses. I am talking cholecystectomies, hysterectomies, etc. We worked 8 hour shifts. However, now, you might have 5-6 patients, none of which are really ambulatory, everyone has IVs and an assortment of meds, and cardiac monitoring, and SCDs, and O2, and they may be confused, or have Covid, and have angry family members, you know the score. You spend 12 hours running up and down and hallways. After 12 hours you are so tired you feel sick. I get it. Frankly, I don't think I would want to be a nurse nowadays. You basically need the strenght and fortitude of a Marine.

Two items. One, an antibacterial Foley cath that kills bacteria, so having an indwelling Foley doesn't mean getting a UTI. A doorway that mists a Lysol type product on everyone who walks through the door. So you enter a patient's room, you are clean. When you exit the room, you are clean. No carrying germs from room to room. Of course it has to be safe for your lungs, eyes, etc. How about vitamin infused, high protein beer?

You have had some bad experiences. Usually when I get a new case I just show up and start working. Occasionally, if it's a complicated case, or a newborn, I will get a couple hours orientation. Only once have I had an actual interview. Once I showed up for a meet n greet and nobody answered the door, and it looked like a rough neighborhood so I just left and did not reschedule. Once I showed up for a meet n greet, and nobody was home but parents had one of those camera things so they could see me on the porch and asked me to reschedule because they "forgot". I refused to reschedule.

I had a private duty job once, twins, so they had 2 nurses per shift. Mom was psycho, she would verbally abuse the nurses, so nurses came and went, I tried to stick it out, but I got tired of the abuse so I left. I quit a correctional job once, partly because one of the nurses there was a psycho bully, plus other stresses. In both cases, I wound up with much better jobs.

I cared for a corrections patient once who was running from a police dog, and the dog grabbed him by the scrotum. Not a pretty sight.

I have worked in corrections, and for some reason, I met a lot of dysfunctional personality types , which is the main reason I didn't stick around too long. Yes, correctional nursing can be very interesting, but you feel like you're working in a 3 ring circus. Try to find a better job.

Silver Bells, As nurses, because of our jobs, we learn to be fixers, we see a problem and we try to fix it. So we meet a guy, who has issues, and we think "I can fix that". But we can't. People can't fix other people. So the nurse spends years trying to fix the partner before she realizes that won't happen. So she gets a divorce, and looks for another fixer upper. We need to realize that we deserve more.

I have been an RN for 50 years, and I have worked probably at least 25 jobs. I don't think I could even list them. I, like Davey Do, have been fired a few times, and I have quit jobs. The thing I love about nursing is the variety. I have worked hospitals, LTCs, LTACs, corrections, insurance, public health, private duty. I have met so many amazing people. I will continue working until I can't. Sitting at home is boring.

Let me give you a warning. Men love nurses. They see us as substitute moms. Some guys have trouble succeeding in life, and they look at a nurse and think, oh, she's smart, and educated, and she has a steady job, we'll get married then she can support me. So beware of helpless types that can't seem to support themselves. I'm not saying don't date, I'm saying have standards.

Davey Do; your story shows that a person can be fired from a nursing job, andstill be able to obtain another job. Even though you do seem to be a little dysfunctional, you still managed to have a career, and you're funnier than heck.

How about maybe the clean pots and pans shouldn't be in the sink? Or the nurse could go to the bathroom to wash her hands. Of course some people's bathrooms can be gross. Depends on the home.

I got my vaccine 2 days ago and I am so happy. I know it doesn;t give me 100% protection, but I feel MUCH safer.