GraceNotes

I agree with klone. WIC is sedentary work that can become redundant. You do have to really like it. Stay PRN at the hospital for a few months. See which job feels right for you.

Is it considered libel? What's the reason for firing? I understand "at will" employment. If treatments are delayed because staff is out sick/fired/quit, it is obvious to everyone. Too bad the best "fix" is to quit.

County health departments, FQHCs, community & church-funded health clinics all hire PH nurses. Volunteering at a local health department may be a good way to see how the clinic runs. However, as a volunteer you may not be allowed to function as a nurse. Be very specific in letting the clinic know your needs. PH nursing runs the gamut from being painfully S-L-O-W and boring one day to performing every type of service the clinic offers multiple times throughout the day the next day. Most nursing experience--hospital, LTC, psych--will provide good base knowledge for PH nursing. Good luck in finding your niche!

I work in a pediatric clinic where patients and staff are routinely exposed to fecal matter and blood. We have expanded, and the "new" exam room has no sink. I've been vocal about the limitations of alcohol-based hand cleaners and the need for a sink to no avail; I've been told to stop talking about it. Any similar situations out there?

Strange ... words like harass, hostile, abuse are words found in personnel manuals to describe cause for employee reprimand or dismissal. Yet, that rarely happens. And, stranger still, if the bully isn't confronted immediately the target remains one until the target leaves. The personnel policy is written to protect the organization. This is a good article, but makes it sound hopeless for those who have been dealing with the bully for a while. Can we hear from someone who managed to turn the situation around (not giving up or giving in) after the bully/target roles were established?

Good question. I saw nursing as a recession-proof profession. Work has been steady since I graduated three years ago. It's hard, and not always as satisfying as I'd hoped. At the end of the workday, I still dream of doing something that I love. I recently saw a neon sign along the interstate advertising nursing degrees from a small private college. Cheap. School's tough. The breadth of what nurses are expected to know is vast. Yet, if you toss a stone in any direction you're bound to hit a nurse or an aspiring nurse. Programs of varying lengths are springing up everywhere. How (why) are these schools obtaining accreditation? There most certainly is no shortage. The surplus of nurses has resulted in a general lack of respect, lower wages, and job security. We are a dispensable lot.

Yeah, I do protect myself, and I'm not the only RN there--the others admitted to having problems with the same staff. One even expressed relief that I'm being targeted instead of her. I really try to focus on patient care; it's just hard to do my job without support. Thanks for responding. It's nice to know somebody's listening out there...

I need some encouragement. I am a 1 ½ years new RN in my second job and feel like I've made a terrible mistake in choosing this field--not because of the work, but because I'm just not thick-skinned enough. I work at a community clinic--my reason for going into nursing--and was happy to get this job. Turns out I am not so welcome; there is an LPN that seems determined to make my life miserable by pointing out every little thing I do wrong (behind my back, not to me) and by throwing weekly tantrums about something I did or said. And there's no talking to her to work things out--I tried a couple of times and the situation only escalated. She slings accusations and bullies the staff in front of others (including the director of nursing) and, yet, no one supports one another. And the MAs, no matter how nice I ask ("are you busy?" "when you have time would you..?"), absolutely refuse to treat me like a team member, giving me zero cooperation. It's so messed up and I want to leave so bad, but what do I say, "I'm leaving because you guys won't play nice?" I feel so screwed right now...

Feeling like I don't really fit in, as well. I'm a new older nurse and feel like my coworkers, though not younger than me, have little tolerance for my inexperience. When I'm thinking rationally I know I'm doing a good job & their problems are their problems, literally. I just wish they'd try to be a smidge nice! Why always so cranky?? I don't want to fit in by joining in the crab-fest, so I try to focus on my work and be pleasant, but I'm so lonely for some occasional "productive" shop talk & camaraderie.

Thanks, lupin. We have one MA who can do labs, so in order to rotate lab staff a nurse was taken off the floor. In total, we had designated lab staff for only 4 days out of a 2-week trial period. Sounds like your clinic has good organization.

I work with good people, I keep telling myself that. But I do get the head duck more frequently than I'd like when an unpleasant nursing task needs to be done. The head duck: can't hear, can't see anything because I'm just so engrossed in my computer, chart, telephone, conversation. Funny, they're all ears for office gossip. It does happen in every profession, but taking care of people seems more urgent. Some thing you can "shine on," some things you can't.

Do you draw your own labs in your community clinic, or do you have an MA or phlebotomist? As lab orders increase, our small clinic is considering appointing one nurse specifically for labs (no other nursing duties) for an entire day, rotating days between nurses.

It's been a few months since I posted this question and I'm now working in psych. I do like it, the pace and the approach is different; busy, yes, but somehow there's time to think about patients, unlike med-surg. Regarding PRNs, some nurses don't give them on request, but talk the patient down or flat-out refuse them. Is this common practice? I thought PRNs were to be given as indicated by the doctor.

A little more than a month ago, I started PRN at a psych hospital and have been experiencing much hostility from one nurse. I've been letting it ride, but today it became an issue. She's missed a lot of work for personal reasons, and today she marches in 3/4 of the way through my shift (which was scheduled a month ago) and tells me to give her report on my patients because she's taking them, because she's staff and I'm PRN and and that's the way it is. Just like that. No one had clued me in, although I figure the other nurses working knew she was coming. The DON came to make amends as I was entering my shift notes--asked if I wanted to finish the shift. "H*ll no!" I'm thinking. I have better places to be. I finished my work and left. I took PRN in hopes of a staff job. I don't get paid what other PRNs say they make. Now I can't wait to blow them off when they ask me to work the holidays! No remorse. The lack of civility I've seen in this profession is unprecedented. I don't get it.

Thanks for your post. I'll be working days & evenings PRN, and it sounds like I'll get frequent calls to work. I want to be prepared.