Sassybottom

Hey, Does anyone here wear some sort of pack around their waist to keep things organized? I was thinking about either ordering: http://shop.advanceweb.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=2825#MoreImages or http://nursepropack.easystorecreator.net/items/...

Is overtime based on 40+ hours/ week or 80+ hours/ 2 weeks? And, how does the Minnesota Nursing Union calculate overtime pay? Is it 1.5 or double? Thanks :)

I am a new nurse and this concept kind of worries me ... What can you be written up for? What are the consequences? Who usually writes you up? Thanks. I get knots in my stomach thinking about this.

Do you remember the first time you were verbally abused by a patient? I am a fairly new nurse and the majority of my patients have been very sweet and cooperative. I have had the odd uncooperative or grumpy patient but that is to be expected. Unfort...

Although nursing can be a physical job it seems to have messed with my eating habits. I haven't been nursing for very long - a couple of months and I already have started to gain a little weigh. Is there such a thing as the "freshman 15" for new nu...

Seems like many nurses are graduates from St. Catherine's. Is St. Catherine's considered one of the top nursing schools in the twin cities? What is the University of Minnesota's reputation? In your opinion, which is the best nursing school in the t...

I enjoy being a nurse but on some nights I am totally envious of the nursing assistants assigned to be sitters. I see them reading their books, magazines, surfing the web. I don't know what the process is but I would love to come in and work as a ...

Strong leaders on the floor. Having a supportive, competent, and hard working charge nurse does so much for the morale of the nurses and support staff on the floor. The difference between an excellent charge nurse and horrible charge is like night a...

I don't know what is wrong with me but it is often a struggle for me to get all my work done efficiently. It really sucks. I always feel like the slowest person on the floor. Everyone else is able to take breaks and have time to socialize except me...

NVM - Incorrect

I don't know what is wrong with me but it is often a struggle for me to get all my work done efficiently. It really sucks. I always feel like the slowest person on the floor. Everyone else is able to take breaks and have time to socialize except me....

Just to clarify, this is what I have "heard" from surgeons who work at this hospital. Who knows if their sources are reliable but what they describe makes sense to me. Hospitals will try to cut back on costs wherever they can. Why hire a RN to do ...

Keep things professional ... just remember you are there to work not to make friends. If you do happen to make friends with your co-workers, great. But, if you don't become friends with your co-workers, that is okay too. It is their problem not yo...

I don't know but I feel less rushed when I know I will have that extra hour that would otherwise be spent on a forced break. During the break the only thing that will be on my mind is what needs to be done or what might be happening to my patients w...

I don't mean completely phased out but the only positions for RNs in the OR will be as a circulator. RNs will not be hired to do the same work that can be done by an OR tech. If an OR tech can competently do the job at a lower price, the hospital is...

I also hear that they are phasing out OR nurses ... the jobs are being replaced by scrub techs. The only position for nurses will be as a circulator and openings for those positions are rare.

Honestly, the lure of $$, benefits like subsidized gym memberships, and meeting friendly nurses who actually work on the floor and love their job.

OR seems harder to get into ... most OR nurses never seem to want to leave.

Hey, I am a fairly new grad but am totally enjoying my nursing experience. I work on a steady busy medical floor - nothing too crazy usually happens. I am a very hard worker with a pretty good bedside manner. In terms of the attitude I have toward...

I am a new grad and still fairly green but the more I think about my long term goals, the more I see myself working a shift or two in the ICU. I know I have a long ways to go - everything still makes me nervous and I am unfamiliar with so many thi...

As a new grad, nights are an excellent place to start. On nights, you will have more patients thus you have legitimate access to more charts. You will come across more diagnoses and more personalities. You will definitely grow as a nurse on the ni...

Oh, and when it comes to which department is the best to work for, it all depends on your manager, your charge nurse, and your co-workers. Working with a supportive and understanding manager who is invested in helping you is key. A good charge nurs...

It almost seems like a universal occurrence that the night team is usually the nicer group who is more willing to help each other out whereas the day team is the snarky team always looking to "eat" each other. I am really sorry for your horrible ex...

I hate it when scheduling schedules me for more than 3 days in a row. I prefer having a shift here and a shift there. I don't like working shifts in a row. I start feeling exhausted and burnt out that way.

"grossest" would be units where the patients are very dependent, sick, and unable to ambulate - probably units like rehab, neuro, medicine, oncology "cleanest" units would be psych (but, you can get some pretty gross patients who like to smear feces ...