seekthenew

Personally, I enjoy Oprah's magazine, and occasionally her show, tho am usually working. BUT I do agree that I don't see anyone on TV wanting to tackle this..they couldn't handle the truth!!! Besides, this is complex, not something that can be fixed overnite or easily. The only people who really understand what we go thru are other bedside nurses!!! It only takes one day in a suit ,behind a desk, and nurse exec's soon forget what its like in the trenches

We are lucky if we get lunch, much less breaks!! We usually do get a lull in the afternoon, so I break then. I usually eat my lunch in the unit breakroom, as do most of my fellow nurses on 7a-7 p shift. We are constantly jumping up to meet patient needs so we take bites between interventions!!!!

I was sad to see that the nurse who began this thread sees Med Surg as a stepping stone!!!!! Iam have been certified for the past 2 years, as a CMSRN, and very proud of that and my nursing knowledge, much of which is hard-won. Its not perfect, and its not for wimps. There are days when I hate it and days when I love it, but mostly I try to prioritize and take it as it comes. We should command/demand respect as much as other specialties do....Stepping stone??? I say you must have a solid background in the generalities of nursing, find out what your true nurse calling is, and then enter another specialty. We have the hardest job in nursing and the least recognition.

Depends on what has been accepted historically at a given facility.. the psych nurses here do not start IV's , empty foleys, feed their patients!!!! They don't even take patients with a saline loc in!!! They say it is not in their skill set!!!! Doesn't sound like a real nurse to me... but then, you couldn't pay me enough to run a group therapy session, or be in a locked unit with surly sociopathic teens....