returningnurse2006

Absolutely not. I returned to work as a nurse after being away from nursing for 10 years with only 3 years experience. If I can do it you can do it.

Haven't posted in awhile. I am currently working at Kaiser in a temporary position doing admission discharge and transfers in the med surg dept. The position was to be reevaluated every 90 days. Well unfortunately it is approaching the 90 day mark next month. I was told last week that my position was ending. I am able to bid on open jobs within the Kaiser system. I am really not sure if I want to go back to bedside nursing, as my experience returning to nursing after an 18 year break was kind of brutal. Although I have developed very good people skills, Great at doing admissions and patient teaching. Great computer skills. I feel my weakness is time management in regards to patient care. I had a conversation with someone who happened to be in Case Management, discharge planner and told me I should consider trying Case Management. I am very teachable but kind of worried by lack of recent experience. I have been back in the hospital for 1yr 8 months. The last 9 months I have been doing the Admissions and discharges. I do have IV skills, which are improving the more I start IV's. I really just want to be successful in the next position I choose and I don't want to jump into a position that might overwhelm me. I would appreciate any suggestions. Sorry for such a long post. Thank you.

I have been happily married 23 years to my police officer husband. When we were dating he just finished college and soon started police academy. I started nursing school. We married after i finished the LVN part of a career ladder program. I went to work as an LVN part time while attending school. My husband finished one year as a police officer and was off probation when we got married. So he was very secure in his job at the time we married. At the time, 23 years ago... nursing was different, I worked only an 8 hour shift 3-11pm and he was working 4-12pm.. worked out real well... had my first kid 4 years later... i became a stay at home mom... his schedule still worked out real well... and he went to 10 hour pm shifts.. had a second kid 2 years later... I am probably a minority, but i like the 8 hour shifts better.. and feel it worked out best in my situation. I don't like the fact that in nursing, mostly hospital, they make you work every other weekend... which is fine if your police officer husband doesn't work weekends, but after many years they get seniority and are able to get every weekend off. After many years of nursing most floor nurses don't earn that privilege. I returned to med-surg a year ago april after staying at home with my 2 kids. What's incredible about nursing is you can opt to raise a family ( I kept my license active) and I was able to get back into the profession. It was somewhat difficult coming back at first...but it's like riding a bicycle....

I thought the site was great.. a good one to share as a teaching tool for patients. Thank you

Our hospital is relying heavily on travel nurses and registry nurses.. and I know we were training the travelers similar to the way you discussed. They gave her a folder but it looked like she didn't fill it out until late in the shift. So looking back she probably could have been anticipating what was going to happen later in the shift and asking questions about paperwork and routines.. well before I got there. When their hallway was slow.

What are the expectations of Registry RN's when they come to a hospital for the first time in the med-surg setting? How do you judge a registry person as able to return? Is it too much to expect a registry person new to particular hospital to receive various new admits... post ops and transfers...unfamiliar equipment etc? (this seems like a stupid question) I really enjoy mentoring people, but what should my expectations be when assisting. I have witnessed people after a registry person asks a question.... for the person to answer "You should know this, you are an RN" Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you

I had been an orthopedic nurse almost 18 years out of the hospital before deciding to dive back in to med-surg. I took a refresher course at a community college. Was very helpful in getting my brain back in gear. I had the option of going through a preceptorship, but I decided against it, mainly because the hospital wasn't local to me. I was fortunate to get hired interviewing at two different hospitals. I received an 8 week orientation with a preceptor. Med-surg was alot different now than when I left. Pt's sicker. More paperwork, We didn't even do pulse 02 back then..12 hour shifts...I personally had a hard time adjusting in the beginning... after 8 weeks I wanted to quit. I was encouraged to stick it out... that my feelings were normal and it takes a few years for a new grad to adjust.. and basically that's what it was.... again... well I made it to 9 months, doing a bit better but not really liking it...I was offered a new position that they were experimenting with..6 hour shift 5 days a week. as an admission nurse. This has been a blessing to me. I really like it.. I am able to help the other nurses on the floor. My stress level went way down... My health got better. I think OB probably hasn't changed as much as med-surg... alot less variety, but I am sure none the less challenging in it's own way. If you loved it before, you will love it again. I have to admit.. I hated med surg when I left... and I swore I would never do it again... oh well.. I am actually liking what I do now. Sometimes it's just finding the right fit. Best wishes on your decision. (sorry for the lengthy post)

Thank you again for your reply. It sounds as though your hospital is computerized which probably helps speed things up a bit. I don't know how swamped your floor nurses are, it seems as though our hospital is clammoring for open beds as soon as a pt is discharged. ED and OR are looking for bed placements. The turn around time on the floor for pts is very fast. So taking away the initial assessment from the primary nurse helps alot in the documentation time for them. Alot of the time they are with me during the assessment so they can see what's going on and they don't have to double my work. They make an initial note if they see the pt before me, and once I am done or before... I tell them anything pertinent.

Thank you for your information. How much paperwork does the actual admit/discharge nurse do at your hospital?.... I have been responsible for Nursing history, Nursing flow sheet, Care plan and initial pt teaching. Med Reconcilitation. I let the primary nurse handle med issues, Doctor issues, unless she happens to be on break... and pt needs pain med at the time..I also make an initial nurses note when I receive pt... am I doing too much... I than report any pertinent finding to primary nurse when I am done. When I am limited on time... as in close to my clocking out... I just do pt history, and med reconcilliation and handover assessment to primary nurse or oncoming shift..I don't have much time for discharges.. too busy with admissions in a 6 hour shift. I can really use more nurses input on this. Thank you for your reply.

I need some advice. I have been the admission nurse for almost 3 months. It was a newly developed position. Mainly my duties are to do the admission assessment, nursing hx, care plan, flow sheet. On a real good day I can get 5 admissions done... lately I have been able to only get 3-4 admissions completed. I come in at 12pm and leave at 6pm. I am hoping someone reading this forum can give me some suggestions complete admissions in more timely manner. Post op pts seem to be the easiest to admit...unless they are having alot of pain...but most of their hx info is already in the chart when they arrive to the floor. The longest admits are usually pts with multiple wounds that need to be measured and photographed and printed. Pts with multiple issues that have alot of info to talk about. I am the only admission nurse that covers approx 90 beds....The staff is very positive about what I do, but I feel bad because I can't help everyone. When I am not busy I help with discharges...blood draws if needed...so far not too many IV starts...chart audits.. I am looking for suggestions on how I should prioritize admissions.... I tend to stay in the halls that have been bombarded with admits.. Thank you for your assist :)

pt fever 101 first thing..2 patients addicted to pain meds another pt with CBI and foley leaking...pt with 101 fever gave tylenol as ordered. Checked BP before giving meds to pt who had fever... BP 82/45...Raised legs of the bed.. Called doctors, started NS bolus by 1130 sent to ICU.Medicated addicted pts..and found out my 3 of my pts needed blood transfusions. More than 50 words. My day fell apart..only was able to start one blood transfusion.. and 1.5 hours overtime charting...missed some meds...ugh bad day someone took my stethoscope i had set down and i stepped in gum.(this was a 12 hour shift)

Thank you for your reply, I appreciate the response. Right now I am in sort of a brain fog with all this adjustment.

I am currently working in Med-Surg after being away from hospital nursing almost 18 years. I am struggling since I finished my orientation. Overwhelmed is the best word to describe it. The busier I get the more anxiety I have. I don't get my charting done in a timely manner and have trouble finding time to open charts until the end of my shift. It's obvious I have a time management problem. I also find I am having to ask alot of questions of the other RN's sometimes just to make sure that I am making the right decisions.... so I guess I would say I am lacking in confidence. I am working 12 hour shifts, no more than two consecutive days...the time flies by. This is my dilemma... I almost quit today... I have my resignation letter on my computer. I decided to call the nursing supervisor today... just to let her know what I am feeling in regards to being overwhelmed. I am sure she sensed that I was thinking about giving up. She told me, I don't want you to give up. One obvious reason is they have spent money training me... the other reason is she liked my values. She said that I can have more training and utilize a preceptor again. She thinks I just need more time... mainly because I am a returning nurse that left when I was pretty much a new grad still. Now the obstacle is that the education part that I did as a new grad happened so long ago. I did take a refresher course... but it's not the same thing as all the science classes I had to do when I first entered school..... 10 years ago I worked in a clinic setting that was a lot less stressful and I really would like to go back to that setting. I don't think it's fair of me to continue at the hospital when I know it's going to take probably more than a year to feel comfortable....So the bottom line is I am holding on to the letter of resignation I wrote... I am going meet with the Supervisor and Nurse Educator in regards to what I need to succeed in hospital nursing...sorry for the rambling.. but this has really kind of depressed me.....I guess I will do my best until something actually comes up with a clinic position. The nurse recruitor at the clinic I worked before wants to meet with me... No positions available as yet... but I am sure something will come up eventually. I plan on doing the best I can with the hospital... and hopefully I will be less anxious....right now I don't see it that way......it's not easy coming back after so many years.