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We chart them every 30 minutes. I am not certain, but I think that our educator said we actually chart a little too often, that as long as there aren't any problems, you can do "summary" charting on them every hour.

Our orders are pretty lengthy, but basically they state : begin at 2milliunits per minute and increase by 1-2 milliunits every 15 to 30 minutes. Starting in May, though, we will go to new orders that state : begin at 0.5 to 1 milliunit per minute and increase by .5 to 1 every 30-45 minutes. Which to me is awesome :) We are also stopping all elective inductions before 39 weeks. There must be a documented medical reason (not just subjective) to schedule.

You absolutely did the right thing. Everyone makes mistakes. Now, you have learned from it and will be hypervigilant. If someone else learns from your mistake, then that's a good thing :)

I was a charge nurse for three years at an inpatient psych unit based in a regional hospital. We had pt's with medical/surgical issues all of the time, along with their medical problems, we were dealing with psych issues such as detox, psychosis, etc. That does take lots of critical thinking...lol. I did IV's, recovery from procedures, etc., along with keeping an eye out for sign/symptoms of withdrawal, contraband... I may not have done cardiac drips, or tons of medical procedures, but it keeps you on your toes. I now work in a labor and delivery department of the same hospital. I've been there for about a month. Didn't actually hit the floor until the middle of March. I have used tons of my psych training, along with learning all sorts of new procedures. I LOVE it :) Best of both worlds. I was a little concerned about the whole psych to floor nurse transition, but if someone has the ability and desire to learn, it can be picked up fairly quickly. I juggle one labor pt, as opposed to 25 psych patients, but that one takes every bit of my concentration. It's nice to be able to do so much bedside nursing. I spend the majority of my time in the pt's room, which I think is very therapeutic (sorry about spelling...it's not yet 5 a.m. and my brain is still foggy). One of my pt's family member asked if I was a doctor (we have to wear white coats). It was so funny because the pt said "If she was a doctor, she wouldn't be in the room all of the time. I've only seen him twice." l

YES!!!

The very first SVE that I did was actually not at the best time, and things weren't going so well. The baby was having late decels, and mom was in tremendous amount of pain even with epidural. I listened to my preceptor, did the exam as she was getting other things ready, and I know I looked at her with an odd expression on my face. I was totally trying to be cool about it, and finally told her "Hey, check this for me will you?" I couldn't feel anything except for the baby's head. I felt and felt trying to find the cervix. I felt so inadequate that I couldn't find it. Then, lo and behold, my preceptor did a SVE and said the pt was complete...lol. That's why I couldn't find the cervix. The severe pain was caused by the baby being ROP. FYI...the very next pt that I checked was complete as well!

I enjoy teaching new students, and sharing information with them just as I share information/education with my patients. Teaching is GOOD. If you help one person, you may in turn help many. I am always nice to students, and remember what it was like to be one. I will give opportunities, and help as much as possible. It's also nice to have an extra pair of hands. I want every student to have a good experience, and be a good nurse. It doesn't have to be an awful experience to go to clinicals, or to be a new nurse on the floor, but more often than not, it is. It can be the most difficult experience of your life.

You are really just setting yourself up for an impossible ideal. I remember when I tried and tried to get done as early as some of the nurses that I worked with. They seemed to have everything done on time, have time to chat...etc. While I worked my tail off and never had a moment to take a pee break, much less eat or chat. Come to find out later, "shortcuts" were being used, that I would never consider. You will notice that usually, those folks that seem to be able to sit around a lot, aren't going to share their tips with you because they are not doing what they should be. Too much is expected of nurses. We can safely do only so much, and they always want more. That's why I now work in labor and delivery. Safety is much more valued there :)

You are never too old. When I was in school, I had several classmates over the age of 50 and one that was in his 60's :)

Dave, I swear you work at the same place that I do...LOL. It sounds EXACTLY the same.

I'm a charge nurse on a hospital based acute psych unit. You are exactly correct in your concern. I see it all the time. Fortunately, my hospital has addressed this concern to some degree. We have two floors now. One floor is seperated into depression/geriatric psych...the other floor is general acute psych with all of the acutely psychotic patients, violent behaviors, etc. I work both floors routinely. The problem is that when you seperate the population, you end up with an entire floor of acting out psychotic patients which isn't safe for anyone either. With money issues the way that they are, I don't see this problem getting fixed anytime soon.

Don't rely on the telemetry monitors too much...lol. I remember when I was new, I thought they were wonderful (still do), but once, they removed a monitor when a pt left the floor and telemetry called an hour later to state they weren't getting a reading (we couldn't view the monitor readings on the floor). No system is full proof. Like someone else said, anyone can code anytime. Just try to be prepared and do your best. Sometimes, it's just a matter of it's someone's time to go and nothing is going to stop it.

I think that it is different for each person. Some of the nurses where I work come in 45 minutes early to orient themselves to the pt's. Some breeze in and clock in on time or a couple of minutes late. Either way, the pt care is about the same from all...lol. I just think it is a personal preference. I don't come in early because I'm not going to work extra without being paid for it. I don't think we need to encourage a culture where nurses work without pay. Having said that, if a certain nurse wants to come in early and it makes them feel better, and they aren't actually working on the floor...why stop them? Just don't expect it from everyone.

Try new balance 622. They are the only shoes that have helped my feet and I've just about tried them all. I tried the sketcher shape-ups, but when you are tired, I have trouble balancing and looking like I'm not drunk...lol. They are cushy...but can't see wearing them for a double. Good luck!

I work as a charge nurse on day shift for a psych unit in a hospital. I frequently interview prospective nurses, and the previous posts pretty much covered the important points. Just let the interviewer know how excited you are at the prospect, and that you are eager to learn. Have an answer ready as to why you want to work in the psych field. Also, being a team player is critical as we all have to watch each other's back :) You never know what to expect, and there's usually never a dull moment! Good luck to you.

I completely disliked my first three jobs as a nurse. I started out on a cardiac step-down unit with pt's of an incredibly high acuity level that were truly beyond a new nurse's scope of knowledge. I know that some nights (I worked 11-7 or 7p-7a) I would carry up to 12 patients. So, switching to nights, might not truly be the answer. I dreaded going to work, and was truly hating life in general. I didn't get suicidal, but was very depressed. I thought that I "had" to do everything just so...and that it sure seemed like I was never going to get it all together. The other nurse's seemed to be more organized, get it all done, and didn't seem to be stressing as hard as I was. It wasn't that I was not an intelligent person. I graduated with a 4.0, and trust me, I know that doesn't mean anything when it comes to how good a nurse you are going to be, but I knew I had the ability to learn and the desire to do well. I eventually moved on to a job in an ER...then to my current job where I have been for 2 years. I love it. I actually do not dread going to work and look forward to it. I didn't think that I'd ever be able to say that. I just KNEW I had picked the wrong career. I now charge on the 7-3 shift on an acute behavioral medicine/medical floor at a hospital. Never would have guess that this would have been the area for me. I'm still incredibly busy and feel like everyone needs my attention at once, but somehow, I am just better at this area. Keep your options open, and don't force yourself to do something that you aren't enjoying at all to meet a standard you have set for yourself. Good luck and don't give up on yourself!

Do exactly what you said. It is on you to do the right thing, even when you are being rushed. Once they see that you are going to check things and be thorough, they'll drop it and just let you do it the way you need to. Sometimes it just takes a little standing up for what you know is safe, whether others like it or not. Hang in there :)

Oh my gosh. I haven't read anything on this site in a while...and I just had to read the post after getting the headline in my e-mail. That was TOO funny. They all are. Hey, it's just a way to deal with the stuff we see everyday that would freak out the normal public. I work as a behavioral med charge nurse in an acute care hospital. I also have patients that have acute medical problems along with whatever mental illness they may have. Some days...if you told what happened to anyone other than another nurse that did the same thing...no one would ever believe you. So, really, those that find this stuff offensive, get over it, get a life. No one is harmed in the telling, several of us can relate, and that's what it is about. No one is going to show up at the little ladie's door and harass or laugh at her. You know, just when I think I have heard or seen it all...someone surprises me. Keeps life interesting. Keep posting those stories!!

Thank you all so much for your input. I had made up my mind before going back in to work that I would refuse to accept that type of assignment again. I was told that I would have at least 6-10 weeks with a preceptor, and that during that time I would have patients on my own, but they would serve as a resource...etc. Then, after the 6-10 weeks, I would receive 3 patients of my own...then gradually take more as I was ready. I'm going to hold them to that agreement. I know that my hospital is very short staffed, and will most likely try to get away with what they can...but I will not let them pull that with me again. The charge nurse probably should have told the coordinator that she would not give me that assignment, but in the end, I'm going to have to look out for myself. Again, thanks so much!!

I'm a brand new graduate (graduated on May 8th). I just started working at this hospital in June, and I haven't even had two weeks on the floor yet. Our floor has cardiac patients...such as fresh CABG patients, other med-surg patients, and anything else you could possibly think of. I oriented on day shift for a week and two days, and then went to nights (7p-7a). During all of this, I have had a different preceptor on every day. Last night the clinical coordinator (over all nurses on the shift), decided I should take 5 of my own patients. It was terrible. I had a pt with an epidural, TPN, lipids, IV antibiotics, and Narcan going on top of all of that because of the "itching" caused by the epidural. Oh, she also had an NG tube, Then another pt with an NG tube, PCA, and several IV antibiotics, a CABG pt with chest tubes still in place an an external pacer, a fresh heart cath patient, and a patient that was being monitored due to afib. The charge nurse was also running behind and asked me to do several pushes for her. It was just way too much and I can't believe I was stuck in that situation with less than two weeks on the floor. I think it was very unsafe to say the least and I was incredibly stressed. I didn't eat, or take any sort of break and ended up working about 15 hours total. I need some advice from experienced nurses on how to deal with this situation.

Hey there! Many of my classmates failed the Hesi more than once. Don't give up! They have all now passed and are doing well. READ the book is the advice that once person gave (that had failed 3 times). Especially read the areas that were your weak points. Once she did this...she passed with flying colors. Good luck!

I just had my first interview this past Monday. I hadn't even taken the NCLEX yet. I just took it today (don't ask...lol). Anyway, she only asked me a couple of questions that required nursing knowledge. They are mostly happy to have someone apply these days I think. It's the first interview that I've ever been to in my life where I felt like they were trying to impress ME! Before I left, I was offered the job and I accepted (cardiac step-down unit). It was exactly what I was looking for. So, don't worry. Especially as an LPN, you are ready for that job :)