butterfly7

@ Virgo_RN Sorry if you received it that way, not my intention. Just giving you a smile in a positive light. I thought that's what smile did, was encourage positivity. :)

Very true! I' m just sitting here remembering back to when I was a new grad, whew! If you have questions honey, you just ask! And don't let anyone try and make you feel bad for asking them. In the PICU we always say, I would rather you ask a question than to not ask. Some people get a little "holier than thou". But I promise you there is no best nurse award or best nurse of the world award. We are all human, we all want to provide excellent care to our patients. And one thing to always remember. Know what you know, know what you don't know, and know when to ask. Don't let people try and make you feel bad for advocating for yourself. Some can only feel better when they are "downing" others.

She has come to a forum to express herself, and say some things that maybe she didn't get to say or thought about as an after thought. You may consider your tone, although maybe not intentional feels a bit demeaning, sometimes it can make people feel defensive. Although I do agree with you 100%, on having a positive/open attitude when receiving constructive input/critsisim, it important on the deliverer to deliver it constructively:)

It's OK to say I haven't done this. You do not stop learning after nursing school. Furthermore, you have to learn BASIC foundation nursing skills and learn how to critically think concurrently when going to a floor other that Med/Surg. Whenever you hire a new grad, it's rare to find one who is competent in all off the basic nursing skills. I would EXPECT to demonstrate FIRST and then you demonstrate under my supervision, that is part of teaching.

I'm really sorry to hear that this has happened to you. I have to tell you, I have been a nurse for 8 years. I started off in a PICU as a new grad and have been a PICU nurse for 8 years now, and a travel nurse for 6 years. Do NOT let the lack of professionalisim and support of some nurses make you feel discouraged ( easier said than done, I know). I consider myself quite fortunate to have had an EXCELLENT preceptor. Make no mistakes, no nurse comes out of the womb knowing how to practice nursing, NO ONE does. It's takes time to learn to adequately, safely, compassionately, competently, and confidently care for our patients. Unfortunately, some nurses have gotten into a very destructive habit of what I call "eating their young" and treating the new nurse very poorly. I have seen it first hand, and have made it a point to encourage the new nurses and remind the other nurse that we were all there before, how quickly some forget. It is OK to say, can we talk about IM sites, the viscosity of the medication, in relation to the site, the length of the needle, The size of the patient, all OK questions, and good to talk about before you go to the patients bedside, so that you feel confident before you walk in the room and most importantly be prepared. Sounds like you needed to switch the correct side of the stethescope on to take that patients BP ( bet you won't forget that again , it would have been a good opportunity for your preceptor to teach the importance of making sure your equipment is working correctly and teach the importance of timeliness and how quickly our patients can decompensate and how important it is to be "on point" because our patients depend on it. My preceptor told me years ago, "i'm gonna make you a great PICU nurse". And that was her attitude, it was positive, and patient. You can be a successful tele nurse! As more experienced nurses, it is our responsibility to ourselves, our patients and new nurses to make sure that you are armed with all the information, resources and support that you need,:clown: so you can learn to be a great critical thinker, and hone in on cues that your patient will give you, as well as protocol and proper practice. It is not professional or appropriate to belitte each other, nor is it supportive. It sounds like that Nurse manager and that preceptor did you a HUGE favor. If you are going to be a successful RN you need the support of your peers, period! One RN ( or any healthcare provider for that matter) cannnot run the whole show, I repeat, it takes a team. It takes people sharing information, sharing skills, sharing resources and teaching. She was not a good teacher for you. Furthermore it speaks VOLUMES about your nurse manager. Not assessing wether or not you all were a proper fit, and ensuring that you were in situations that were conducive to your learning. When I started out in the PICU as a new grad I had 3 months orientation and at the end of my orientation my preceptor said, you're ready, but I was asked if I felt ready to start or if I wanted more orientation time. My preceptor was always by my side encouraging me to critically think and teaching me how to provide patient care and how to get organized. My suggestion to you is to chose another job you want to do, and go for it. Ask A LOT of questions when you get your next interview like, how long is the orientation, what steps does the hospital take to encourage and support my learning, is there a formal orientation program, does it have a module that the preceptor and orientee will follow, and things of that nature. It's VERY important for you to have a strong foundation on which to build your nursing practice on, so you can move forward into the future in a positive way, and deliver the best possible care to your patients. I wish you well in all of your nursing endeavors:clown:

Hello all, I'm an RN with 8 years PICU experience ( 6 years as a PICU traveler) looking to transition to PACU ( adult or pedi ). I have found some positions at some hospitals in the Bay Area. I' am wondering are most hospitals in the Bay Area union? I'm looking at Oakland Kids, Kaiser, Packard, Alta Bates and CPMC. Also, what is the pay rate like? I know that the cost of living is higher than a lot of US cities. Have these hospitals had an recent hiring freezes? And do you know if any have relocation assistance? I have not been permanent staff for years so any answers to the above question would be great!