Flashsomefang

Just some background, I'm a new nurse, been on my own for about 1.5 months on a Med/Surg Tele Unit. I've been floated to the Covid unit several times, and this particular night one pt I had was there more for renal failure than covid but was positive. He's on RA when I arrive, satting in low-mid 90's. I bump him up at bedtime to 2L because he's desatting a little during sleep (like 88-90) but comes back up to baseline. 3am he calls out saying his sugar's low - 54 - so I go to give him a snack and juice because he's A&O and on a regular diet (no thickened liquids, etc.). First sip of juice he takes he starts coughing, continues for like 15 mins, bumped him up to 4L because he desatted a little but comes back up with the 4l. I feel terrible after this thinking, "great, I gave this poor guy aspiration pneumonia". After I let the doc know, he's made NPO, swallow eval, cxr, all that. I go to hang some fluids on him around 0630 and he's satting in the mid 90's again, no more cough, says he's fine. I was off for 4 days and when I come back in see he's in the ICU now, he was transferred the morning I left because he was in resp distress. Then when I went to work last night after 2 more days found out he had died. I feel like it's all my fault he died, like I should've done more, and I set off this chain reaction all because I gave him a sip of juice.

Congratulations on becoming a new nurse! I'm right there with you! I graduated May 1st and in my state we were given a temporary RN license due to Covid so we could technically practice prior to taking the NCLEX - I had applied to numerous jobs at the hospitals in my area to no avail, so I took an RN position at the LTC facility I was an aide at. I finally heard back from them just yesterday after applying back in May - so my advice to you would be to not give up on getting a hospital job. Good luck!

Hello everyone, I recently graduated in May and (kind of) reluctantly took a position as an RN at the LTC facility I was working at as an aide. I never heard anything back from the two local hospitals and wanted to start working ASAP. I don't mind my job, I get along with my co-workers, I already know the residents, and it's not super stressful - but I know LTC isn't what I want to do. I'm worried I won't be able to get hired in at hospitals in the future if I only have LTC experience; my facility has a handful of skilled residents but we've never had things like trachs, vents, PEG tubes, etc. just the occasional IV. I've heard several times that LTC nurses have an awful time going from LTC to acute care ? Have any of you gone from LTC to acute care? Thanks!

Hi everyone, I know this is probably something most new nurses say, but right now I'm conflicted about my job as a new nurse. I worked at this facility (small 50 bed LTC) as an aide for 4 years and was offered a job as a nurse once I graduated, which was May 1st of this year. It wasn't what I really wanted to do, but I didn't have any luck with the hospitals in my area, so I accepted the job there and started working back in mid May. My issue isn't the job itself - I love that I know all the residents and staff already - but what I was offered was a full time position. I got three weeks of full time training (72 hours/pay) but now that I'm on my own I'm only getting 48 hours/pay. I talked to my scheduler and she said she would work on it, but I'm so frustrated I'm not for sure getting full-time experience (and pay!). Another thing was that I know RNs make 29/hr, even when they first start out. Since COVID is going on, my state is allowing nurses to practice without taking the NCLEX for a time, so I have my RN license, but I'm only getting paid 25/hr until I pass NCLEX - something else I wasn't aware of until I got my first check. I'm not scheduled to take the NCLEX til august so that's two months from now. Part of me wants to find another job that's guaranteed full time hours, but I would feel awful leaving a facility after they trained me for three weeks. I know this is long but I don't know if I should stick it out at my current job and hope things get better or look for something else. I appreciate anyone's help!