Peppermintmocha

I know what you mean. Patients seem to think they are at Club Med and you are their personal servant. I've had patients ask me to move their pillow 2 inches to the left! Are you kidding me??????? Our hospital has adopted the same policy as the Ritz Carlton. Unbelievable! I work in the ICU. It is not a 5 star hotel. I'm all about taking care of my patients but sometimes it is ridiculous. If you can do it yourself, then do it! I might as well go work in a 5 star resort, at least I'd get tips!

I work nights in an intensive care unit. At our hospital we have no visitation restrictions except for about an hour in the morning and evening when we are changing shifts and even that isn't really enforced. So we have families in and out of the pt rooms all hours of the night. It is insane. The families don't sleep they won't let the pt's sleep. If you move to nights make sure there are visitation restrictions or you'll be no better off.

I work in an ICU in a for profit hospital. I think we have the worst holiday pay. First of all we only get two paid holidays a year and those are Thanksgiving day and Christmas day. The pay is from 00:01 to 11:59 pm. I work night shift so for instance when I worked on Thanksgiving I only got paid until midnight, not my entire shift. Our pay is only $5 more per hour. Even Starbucks pays their employees time and a half on holidays and they get all the major holidays. I complained to our ceo about it and he gave me some bs about how the pay is comparable to other hospitals, etc. I really don't believe that. Plus we are required to sign up for holiday shifts even though they aren't paid holidays. So for instance I had to sign up to work either new years eve or new years day but I will not be paid holiday pay for it. Anyway, I was just wondering what every other hospital does because I don't believe my ceo for a minute that the holiday pay is comparable to other hospitals.

I have to respectfully disagree. I don't think it is at all patronizing. It is a cultural/regional thing. I am never offended by being called honey. Nor do I feel patronized. It's a southern thing. Of course I live in the south and it is very commonplace around here. Nobody called me honey when I lived in Southern California, but they did make fun of my accent all the time.

I know what you mean. I hear docs telling patients with high cholesterol to take this med or that med. Oh and if your calcium is low take another pill. I never hear docs talk to their patients about life style changes such as putting down the donut and picking up an apple. They never talk to them about exercise and healthy living. It makes me furious. Everything is solved with medicine. I even went to the doc for a check up. They tell me at your age you need to start taking a calcium supplement. No one ever asked me about my diet or my intake of calcium. While there are times when you do need medicine, I am not discounting that. If people would live healthier lives they wouldn't end up in the position they are when they come to the hospital and need all those meds! This is a soap box of mine!!

I totally agree. I'm from Tennessee. It is a southern thing. I don't get offended at all! I guess if you aren't from the south it would seem a little weird but here it is perfectly normal. Many of my patients call me honey, men and women.

When I was in nursing school they tried to warn us about the reality shock of transitioning from student nurse to RN. I blew it off thinking it would never happen to me. Then after coming off orientation at my hospital I was a nervous wreck. I was so nervous going to work wondering what if? I felt so unsure of myself and actually considered changing professions. I was ready to go do anything but nursing. Fortunately for me I work with a great bunch of nurses who definitely do not eat their young. I have had some great mentors who I can turn to with even the stupidest of questions. Now I have been nursing 2 years and I can tell you I actually like my job now. Sure it has its ups and downs and many times we are understaffed. But there are always things about any job you are not going to like. I say give it more time, hang in there, it will pass - all those feelings of inadequacy and the thoughts of what if I screw up, etc. Time and experience will heal all of that. Hang in there, stick with it, you will get over the hump!

You can have my crocs when you pry them off my cold, dead feet! I have never had shoes so awesome as my crocs. I have the kind without holes. My feet never hurt! I will never give them up. I have paid over $100 for nursing shoes that killed my feet after a few hours and I constantly turned my ankles in. Crocs rule!!!!! Sometimes my patients will ask me about my crocs and I always sing their praises. I tell them that I have crocs in almost every color and I wear them off work too. I always recommend they get themselves a pair. But lately the nursing supervisor has been telling me that crocs aren't in dress code (as she has hers on too, we work night shift). We both agree we aren't giving them up no matter what. :roll