weekend warrior

I hated it at first, and there was resistance to it when it first came, like anything else but I love it now. We're on the CIMS system and it's pretty easy to find things. When I get consults writing their notes in the paper chart ( because they don't use CIMS outside the ICU and NICU ) I find it really hard to read their writing!

Hey, you are not alone. The ER in my opinion is one of the most challenging places to work in terms of conflict and confrontation. I worked there for 6 yrs, and yes like another poster said, the sense of entitlement is there. Yes, I realize the waits are frustrating, not getting the answer you wanted is frustrating, but getting being used as the punching bag for all their frustrations got to me after a while , and I left. And your problems that you took the day off work to be here, or you have to go pick up your child at daycare soon is NOT my problem. Use your own resources to sort out your problems outside of what is going on with your health! That is not in my job description. I'm sorry to tell you , that kind of thing doesn't get better. You either have to find some other way of dealing with your stress level or leave to keep yourself happy. I left. I now work in the ICU. I still miss some things about the ER, but I now come home without headaches and without frustration on a daily basis. I hope you find something that works for you!

hello I was diagnosed recently after having 2 m/c and an ectopic with a unicornuate uterus. I went on to have another ectopic in the rudimentary horn and had that side taken out . I am ttcing no 2, (I already have a healthy 2 yr old son ) who went to 37 wks, though I was already fully effaced and 3-4 cm dilated when my water broke. I was wondering if a midwife would take me on as a patient if I do become pregnant again. Mmy understanding is, it all depends on where it implants regarding blood supply and there is not much medical management that can be done to prevent a m/c in my case. Is this true? They would just monitor me closely for premature cervix opening. Though I like my OB, I want a closer relationship with my care giver in my next pregnancy. I find the system is so over burdened and I constantly had to do my own follow up and requests for u/s' etc.. it was stressful for me, to feel that I had to responsible for my own care like that. Being a nurse myself, I didn't want to push, knowing how busy they are,and how some things didn't matter in the long run anyways . Then when I did call again , and got booked for an u/s, after my betas were not followed up after my first test 11 days prior ( even though I had a history of ectopic ) they found I had another ectopic, and it was already 3.5 cm and my betas were over 21 000 and I went into surgery that day. I'd like to use a midwife but wasn't sure if my history would be appropriate . thanks for any responses!

I recently was a pt when I had to have emergency abdominal surgery. I can tell you the things that went RIGHT in which being exposed was not a concern of mine. I was given a gown and blanket to keep warm while waiting to be taken into the operating room, which was gladly appreciated, as by then I had no underwear or anything on. Everyone came and introduced themselves to me before hand, even the ones that were observing. ( apparently I have a rare uterine abnormality that even the fellow has never really seen ). Everyone was careful to keep me covered and warm on the table while they were doing things like IVs, putting on leads etc until I was asleep. When I woke up I was all clean ( no betadine etc ) , had a gown on and tied , with warm blankets. I think if I would have woken up and felt I was in a disarray I would have felt violated, but I felt like I was cared for and respected.

We don't get a bonus. Sometimes they give you a christmas meal if you happen to be working on christmas.

OMG, I am so sorry for you loss nd deb.. My heart breaks for you. I wish you strength to get you through this. After the loss of a child at work, it certainly is difficult. Especially I find, if the pt is close in age to my own son. Many times, my own feelings of fear, and sadness come out as I imagine what if it were me? my son? I think having empathy for my pts and their families is a good thing. Death is something that I consider just as important a process for my pts and their families that as a nurse I can affect , just like my nursing care in their recovery . My main concern is to make that process as easy and comforting to each individual family . My job is not over, and it is in this process that nursing can make a huge impact. On a personal level, since I became a parent myself , I do find it harder for myself . Talking to my coworkers helps. take care of yourself.

I too think that working in 10 different ERs and having the same terrible experience with nursing in general is too much of a coincidence. Sure there are crotchety nurses out there at least one really bad one in every unit. But on a whole? Not likely just bad luck. Honestly, I've worked as a nurse for over 13 yrs and over 6 of those in the ER, on the whole we are a pretty laid back social group, it's the team atmostphere of the ER that draws us. We dont' have PAs where I work, ( don't even think we have them in Canada ) but when we get interns/residents/NPs that come off with an 'us against them" mentality, or are arrogant and condescending, our backs get up pretty quick! It shouldn't come before the pt though, but if some intern of the month keeps asking me to do a urine dipstick , when I have 30 other more urgent matters to do with an attitude that " MY ORDER IS MORE IMPORTANT" , and doesn't respect that within my own discipline I have the expertise and experience to prioritize my own work as well then he would get some straightening out too. I'd have to ask myself if I were you, have I been working as a team member as well, and not expecting the nurses to be on MY team?

No, not a great idea to do this, but yes it can be done. But most of the time I find it doesn't work. If the s/l is fairly new and hasn't had anything running in it , sometimes you will get blood return back using a tourniquet. But if there is difficulty in getting blood back then the results may be scewed too. You also have to take a waste, which ( if you get that much ) is all you get! Sometimes if we are desperate, we try this .. usually if there are no central lines, and if the pt is a hard poke. But I also work in peds so this is a little more understandable than in adults who in general are easier to get bloodwork on.

I am in Toronto and I don't see any racial discrimination and have many filipino coworkers. In the countries that do not have the same employee/human rights as we do in North America , you may want to do some research. I know that my friend has worked in Saudi Arabia for 6 yrs now, and she says that the filipino nurses are discriminated against and they even get paid less than north american nurses.

That is an excellent reference for PICU nursing! Good Luck !!!!!

I wholeheartedly agree! I worked in the ER for 6 yrs and am now in the ICU. I know that in the ER you get critically ill pts, of course you do as well as everything else the cat dragged in. But it is not an ICU, It is not meant to care for critical care nursing where many potent and dangerous drug infusions are infusing, are on ventilators, where they have the nursing staffing and experience to monitor these pts closely, drugs, status, lab values etc. Pts, that require one to one nursing. Yeah, I've been in many situations where pts require one to one, but of course because they were in the ER , were not. This isn't about who is smarter... the care /focus is different. That's all. Why do we as nurses always have to put down /compete with ourselves? When an ICU floated down to the ER, I have to say , they were the least useful, it was so different, more task oriented and they couldn't comprehend the whole revolving door system/care in the ER. But if an ER nurse were to go up to the ICU, we couldn't do what they do either. I have to say, I get pissed when I tell people I work in the ICU, and they're first reaction is " Oh! So you're a real REAL nurse then! " *** does that mean? I was a real nurse and took care of plenty of sick pts when I was on the ward, the ER and the ICU. We dont' need to do the same crap to ourselves!

I'm sorry about your neice's son, I'm glad he is recovering! That does seem strange, I've been in peds for over 13 yrs and I've only seen 2 cases myself. Granted both very severe cases needing to be in the ICU for months while on the vent until the paralysis wore off. But it is very rare. It usually has to do with babies being fed honey, or honey in home made baby food. Those cases in California would make me suspicious that there is some source that the public has access to, like a food processing plant?

These are all so freaking funny! LMAO here! I worked in a pediatric ER for over 6 yrs and I had to leave eventually because it got to the point where all this stuff would happen in one shift on a regular basis! Funny to read but not funny to go through over and over again! My hats off to you! Stay strong..... GOD! I wanted to say some of this stuff so bad! One that I wanted to say every shift to at least 5 of them were I don't give a rat's ass that you have to go to work or you have another child in daycare to pick up ! Why do you think that is my problem? And that I have to find a solution for you? Everyone here has something better to do... DEAL! I didn't subpoena you down here! FIGURE OUT YOUR OWN DAMN LIFE! Oh and the "what's your name?" You think that's going to scare us? Or give you faster care? Think again Go sit your ass down! How many times have you heard that one? or " I know so and so " He's a doctor in this hospital, or on the foundation.. or a lawyer..." Yeah ok buddy..... that's nice. Or people complaining they're hungry from being NPO , how much longer is it going to be? I know it sucks, but I'm not your mother.. I don't know! And parents that complain about us not feeding their kids pre op. Ok.. do you want your kid to have a hot dog? Or would you like us to put his leg back together as it looks like a chicken wing right now....

There is no way that I would be able to work fulltime that's for sure. So I work part time, do every other weekend and the nights that I do work throughout the week , my husband can stay home in the morning while I sleep for a few hours . Sometimes he has a meeting and has to go in, and I suffer. It sucks. But that's how we're doing it, it's not that bad though. But I wish I had my weekends free all the time though to be with the family. It's interesting to read that everyone is having the same problem, I am from Canada and I wondered if the US hospitals were a bit more progressive with day care for their staff.. .It looks like not. You know, if they really want to help the nursing shortage, they need to address this issue and stop being so cheap! Other companies have daycare for their employees. We are expected to give family centered care but their staff's families are not respected . Sometimes it seems it's all about the bottom line for management.. ( $$$$)

Hope someone can shed some light on this. I was given a shot of meth for an ectopic pregnancy, my OB suggested 6 months, but all the literature I've read says 3 months to wait to try to get pregnant again. What are your patients being told and why? confused...

OMG! How old are those wound care nurses? They sound like immature spoiled brats to me! Good riddance for sure! Who cares what they say, they are just showing their immaturity, and they dont' deserve to be allowed to use your office. At least you don't have to worry about your stuff anymore.. who knows where it would have stopped?

I agree it probably is from coughing while he was vented. They will go away on their own. Glad your son is better!

Hello! I've worked in pediatrics for 13 yrs now, since I graduated. I love working with kids, and the one thing any nurse will say is.. I can't work with adults, and visa versa... I can't work with kids! I've never worked with adults, other than in my training in school. The one thing that I do consider a negative is that I have solely worked with children my whole career, that I don't have as much choice as to WHERE I want to work. If you want to work with kids, there aren't as many pediatric speciality hospitals as adults. I would be so nervous to work with big people now! That I find myself at the mercy of staying where I am, which is a major pediatric center. I could work in a ped ward in a general hospital but I would not have the same specialties or acuity. So in that way, I wish that I kept my hand in general nursing as well. Peds nursing is different in that you have to deal with families obviously. It is very rewarding but also can be very challenging, as some families are very stressed. Nursing is difficult.... so you HAVE to work in an area that you love, with a patient population you love I think to offset the discouraging things about nursing, the hours, sometimes the pay, the politics etc... The thing that I love about pediatrics is that you can't just get away with 'doing your job' , doing your tasks, meds, assessments. These little patients won't let you! You need to give of yourself or you wont' get anywhere with them! You have to set up a repore, and when you do and they trust you, it makes you feel like you're the best nurse ever!

I worked in the ER of a major pediatric hospital for 6 yrs, and quite frankly, that's why I left. Abusive, irrational, rude parents, worse than these in the OP . Yes, I have children, and yes, my level of empathy is different post children, but that kind of behaviour on any level is frustrating , and unacceptable whether you have children or not. I didn't want to take it anymore, so I left. And the ER is always severely short because they can't keep people there, I do beleive this issue is a factor in nurses dissatisfaction there.

I think this post gives a little taste of this alpha male " I am paramedic hear me roar " attitude ... I appreciate that there are medics out there that would do this kind of thing, I also appreciate the nurses and doctors that use their skills to keep them alive once they get to the hospital. I wouldn't accept someone who has an attitude and is 'rough around the edges' if that means rude and feels entitled to be because of what they do in any circumstance. None of us superheroes. We all have jobs and do the best to our ability ( hopefully ) , we are also coworkers and just because we are in the business of saving lives doesn't mean we are exempt from fostering good coworker relationships and working environments.

;) From time to time, I do get this too, though I am hardly 22 ! I'm 36 and have been at my hospital for 13 yrs! But I get the half scared, half exasperated " oh great, I've got a newbie " look sometimes. They too usually start with some probing questions, like how long have you been a nurse etc... Reassuring them that you are confidant puts them at ease. You can't help that yes you are young, and yes you are new. But you can make them feel that you will give the best care you can. I find it helps to zone in on something that they feel is important to them and advocate for them or at least make them feel you recognize their concern. They may ask questions you are not sure about, if you don't know then say you will find out for them. You will do fine! In another 6 months, you will feel just as burnt out as the rest of us oldies ! hahaha!

If there are people that don't understand the benefits of breastfeeding then focus on educating, not making those that chose to formula feed for valid reasons like they are abusing their child. Why don't they put their efforts into making breast feeding easier by having more support out there for new moms? How about making public places more breastfeeding friendly? There is all this pressure, but I found that from the general public, it still was an 'uncomfortable ' thing for them in many cases. Very few restaurants , and public places have adequate BF areas, unless you want to go into a bathroom stall with your baby, or you are one of those women that can whip it out anywhere . I think it's insensitive, and inaccurate to say that formula feeding is that much of a poor substitute or actually harmful to warrant such a campaign. Educate and let parents make an informed decision for their own child, their own body. It's nobody's business but mine whether I BF or FF my children.

You have to take your temp after at least 4 consecutive hours of uninterrupted sleep. So when you work nights, after you wake up in the afternoon take your temp, I found it was pretty similar to when I would take it in the mornings after a night's sleep.

Interesting thread... :) I work in an all RN hospital, for some reason they decided that it would be better because of the acuity of our pts that an all RN staff would be better over 15 yrs ago or so. I believe that RNAs ( that's what they were called at the time in Canada ) have a valuable role in the healthcare team and there are many days that I and my patients would benefit from having them with us. Personally, I enjoy for the most part taking care of my patient's hygenic needs, it is an opportunity for me to interact with my pt an a different level. It is part of nursing that ensures that my pts have their dignity and respect to be taken care of . I get very upset when I get patients that because they are unable to complain or don't have family advocating for them that are in a mess and have not been bathed or groomed. I had a poor little 12 yr old who was unresponsive following a cardiac arrest suddenly after receiving anethesia a the dentist . His family lived far away and after the child being in the hospital for weeks at that time had to go home as they were in the process of selling their home. Anyways, I received this poor boy, and when I went to lift him up, he had sticky fluids that stuck from his back to the bed linens! People were basically washing his face and his front. I hate lazy nurses! Anyways, that said, when we are so busy doing the medical side of things, esp in the ICU ( where I work now) I feel badly when the physical 'cares' cannot get done. I feel the best when I leave work feeling that I made the pt and their families were given complete care.

They are clueless on how to carry it out. I don't know why the health minister said that, or even if he KNEW he was going to say that. I can make a true guarantee... that is not going to happen. I have a friend that works for the mnistry of Health. She told me they were all so pissed off he said that . ( They being anyone who is NOT a politician and has anything to do with the healthcare system). The jobs are not there and it would be a complicated mess to implement it. ONA is really pissed off that he said that. What an irresponsible thing to say!