RedcarRN

Nanacarol, Would it be possible for you to also coach people via email so your reach would be limitless? I believe that if you are doing something that you have a true passion for, then things will fall into place, you just have to keep moving forward. What would you advise someone in your situation? I suspect you already have all the answers you need, or know how to get them:-) I wish you sucsess:-)

I have worked ER for years, just got my certification as clinical hypnotherapist and I'm going to start my own business. I also want to teach meditation. If people could just have the opportunity to get in touch with who they REALLY are, they'd see how totally amazing they are. Can't beat that:-) Good luck to all of you!

I'm so sorry to hear that this has happened to you. I was stuck by a needle after drawing blood from an AIDS/Hep C patient. It is very scarey, I know. Hang in there, my tests came back negative. I truly hope that yours will too. Sending you a big hug and a prayer

I think 99% of people that go into nursing, do so, because they truly care about people. We understand the human body and we know it cannot perform optimally if it doesn't get fuel. This is just a simple fact. When the ER staff are 'hammered' shift after shift after shift, it gets very dissheartening. We can't really 'care' for the patients, because we may have an additional 4 patients, each, that are on hallway beds. We end up rushing from one patient to another 'doing' things to/for them, but rarely having the time to actually connect with them. If you don't have any kind of break, then you don't even have time to re-connect with your self. One of the best things about ER nursing, and one of the main things, I believe, that keeps nurses in this situation, is that you have the opportunity to actually help people with your knowledge, but also, to be able to BE THERE for the patient and family, in, what may be a life-shattering event, for them. ER nurses will handle whatever situation comes up, because that is what we can also do. But, if we don't ever have the time (lunch-break) to even connect with ourselves, and we don't feel that we have been able to 'be there' for the patient/family that we know, really needed us. Or for our fellow nurses who may need some warm-fuzzies too. Then the whole 12 hours just seems like a meaningless marathon, one that we failed, because we didn't get to do what we know we should do, the things we do best. Be there and care. We can face any challenge and we can see as many patients as are thrown at us, but they're not going to get the care they deserve, or the care that we want to give, and if we don't get to feel like we've done a good job at the end of the day, we're going to burn out.

Hey Joshuaha, I hope you have a good experience. I'll watch out for you in the ER, if you have clinicals there. Good luck! If you have ER clinicals and you're name isn't Joshua, I will be happy to watch out for you if you send me a private email with your real name.

Follow your passion, that's where you will be the best nurse you can be.

I am so upset One of our docs is working with a 19yo female who is a pre-med student. She has completed 1 year of pre-med studies. I looked it up, it's just a bunch of basic studies. She goes with the doc into all the patient rooms and discusses the cases with him. Her badge says "med-student" To me, I believe the patients will think that she is almost a Dr. when actually, she is just a kid with one year of college being privvy to all their personal details. I made my feelings known to the charge nurse, who is going to be bringing it up with the ER manager. Luckily, it was close to the end of my shift because I felt totally outraged that the hospital would condone something like this. Am I over-reacting?

I wouldn't do it. It seems like a simple thing, but I wouldn't risk it. They should have set up some means of getting her this shot. Perhaps you could advise her to go to the family Dr to get it done.

Ha! I work with some wonderful doc's but really... just because they're a doctor doesn't mean they are wonderful. I would say that if you find someone that you think you could really love, then you need to go for it. No matter what. If it's a doc you work with... well.. Anyone who is in a position above you can be sticky. I've seen nurses do this and some have handles it well and others, not so well. I think it's a very individual thing. Ultimately, love is everything and nothing should hold anyone back.

I think that this probalem is never going to go away. We fax report to the floor and then take the patient up 20 mins later.. okay, we actually take them up as soon as we can... lets be real. I work in the ER and I have a really hard time, when the nurse is too busy on the floor to take my patient, but I have all my ooms full and we can't stop the ambulances coming in and I have a guy on a nitro drip in the hallway! I have a hard time believing that she is busier than me Ha! I also know that I really don't know what's going on up there.. it's hard to care about more than what's going on with me at that point. They've started doing a quick rotation in the ER for new nurses who are going to work on the floor so they will have some understaning... and some of the floor nurses have actually come to work full-time in the ER and have come to understand some of the things that we do (AC IV lines) that they always used to complain about. I can only thank God that we don't have to work on the floor because I couldn't stomach it. For the most part, I think that we are really all in this together and we each have out own problems.. it's just hard to see the other side of things when things are going crazy where you are. Nurses have a very difficult job at times and that goes for wherever you work. I would like to complain about the OR nurses though, they expect that your patient will have all the copies and be ready for OR whenever THEY are ready.. really.. what's with that! Ha! Don't they know I have a chest pain that's just come in???? Nurses are amazing and we all think that what we do is the most important thing, because we give a ****!

I think the average age of nurses today is in the 40's so you're about right. You will bring everything you have learned, to the job. If you have a passion for it, then you have no choice but to do it. Good luck!

Analee23, It sounds like you really wanted to help these people. It doesn't matter how nice you are, or how much you want to do a good job and you understand where they're coming from. It is sometimes SO hard to not get frustrated with them. Ha! I hope you managed to leave the room for long enough to complain and say a few choice words Ha! It's so nice to know everyone else has been through all this stuff. It helps you have others to compare to these people..well, at least they're not as bad as ..... or.. these people are worse than..... I don't think it matters how much you can "understand" them sometimes.. there's only so much a person can take... lets be real! We all want to be the understanding, nice nurse, but some nights it just seems like the patients are out to get you. Ha! I'm sure you've recovered by now and are your usual wonderful, Florence Nightingale self... :-)

Wow! I just joined tonight and here are people talking about my hospital Ha! I've worked in the MCP ER for a few years now and I enjoy the work and I love the people I work with. There's a lot of CE and just about everyone is a CEN and has every certification known to man. I think there are a lot of good hospitals in the area, perhaps you might want to just go walking through the halls of some and see if the employees seem happy/friendly and what kind of feeling the place gives you. You might want to consider the employee benefits package, including educational reimbursement/adoption benefits/retirement benefits/ profit sharing etc., Check out their websites and see what they offer in the way of community services... classes/support groups etc Usually there is a trickle-down effect. If the management supports the community and encourages and supports the staff, then the staff tend to support each other. Everywhere you go, you'll be taking yourself and you'll attract whatever you give out. So good luck with the job hunt, try to stay optimistic and happy and I'm sure you'll find enough wonderful people.. wherever you decide to go.