Terp/RN

Thanks! Yes, I have helped in the ER and on the floors when we have had Deaf pts. I do have to say, I love nursing (been doing it for 21 years) and interpreting (8years). I'm blessed to be able to do what I enjoy....Aloha! And wishing a wonderful weekend to you too.

I'm a licensed sign language inTERPreter and a nurse. (got the interpreter license 8 years ago when I was burning out with nursing.....then I found a great job in the PACU, and decided to stay in nursing So, now I do part time interpreting when I'm off....I gotta say, I love both jobs.)

I worked in the float pool for 3 years before transferring to the PACU. I did make a little bit more money than the nurses that didn't float, and I was full time staff so I had benefits. The one perk that our float pool had was that I could change my schedule anytime I wanted as long as I gave the office 24 hour notice. I could take time off, or move shifts around, it didn't matter I just had to give that 24 hour notice. I also only worked 1 minor and 1 major holiday a year (and since I was nights the float pool considered the eve of the holiday my holiday worked). I was only required to work 16 hours worth of weekend shifts per month. So my two 12 hour Friday night shifts counted toward that. Ahhh those were the good ole days :wink2:

The things you think are not as important are acutually very important. It takes time. You are only in your third week, and even learning how to properly give a bed bath or make a bed is just as important as passing meds or starting IV's. Sometimes I've found that a nice bath and some clean sheets can help a patient sleep better than a sleeping pill.

:) I for one will tell you that Psych. nurses are real nurses...and very much respected. I worked in psychiatric nursing for 8 years. The one benefit my experience as a psych nurse has given me is a deeper patience and understanding when dealing with difficult patients that a lot of my coworkers actually envy. Never ever feel down on yourself for choosing this career field. People require nursing care for their mental problems and their physical problems. Also, when I was in the military I found out that the psych nurse is one of the most respected nurses in the group. During wartime or wartime training someone (health care providers...officers and enlisted, and soldiers) will either suffer the effects of stress, anxiety, or depression, and maybe they just need someone who can listen and help them work through their problems. On a side note, the only reason I got out of psych. was I started suffering from burn out (which can happen in any clinical setting), and I needed a change. If you want to feel better look into taking some classes to help you enhance your physical assessment skills (even in psych, this is important). With your ER background and psych together, you will be a valuable commodity. Early on when I started working in psych, I made it a point to attend as many inservices on the med-surg units as I could. Also, I took ACLS,...which helped because I was the only ACLS certified nurse on my shift on the floor where I worked. I found out they needed at least 1 ACLS certified nurse per shift, so they reimbursed me for my class. It also came in handy too, because as you know codes do occur on psych. floors too.

Since I work nights, I do the same as someone posted earlier. I pack a cooler (I get teased alot because it looks like a construction worker cooler), and just pick away at what I pack all night. I'm not as healthier an eater as some of you other folks. I just pack 2 or 3 turkey or ham sandwiches, cup of soup, some chips, an apple or some grapes, a couple of sodas, and I also pack a pop tart or toaster struedel for breakfast. For variety, I'll sometimes take a couple of lean cuisines, or couple of pot pies, or a couple of red barons microwable frozen pizzas, along with some fruit, chips, etc. But my caloric intake is kind of high.....I do alot of competitive powerlifting, so my training keeps me constantly hungry. For a pick me up, other than coffee which I get free out of the coffee machine at work, I just take a multi vitamin. :)

Look into Human Resources (Nurse Recruiter), Occupational nursing, Operating Room, Recovery Room, Insurance Companies, or you can start your own nursing forum :)

^^^^ I agree with the above post. This makes all the negative stuff seems so small. I too have taken advantage of the flexibility, and job variety. Something I wouldn't be able to do in any other career field. Don't get me wrong, the helping patients and their families is important too.

I really can't add anything other than what's already been said. However, I will state this. People tend to forget that the beauty of a career in Nursing is that there is such a variety of job opportunities. Nursing is not just floor nursing. If you don't enjoy floor nursing and find it to stressful, try something in the OR, ER, schools, insurance companies, or take the administrative route (There is a VP where I currently work....nice as can be, but will tell you she knows nothing about floor nursing. She had a degree in business, then pursued nursing and has worked only in administration since finishing nursing school). I think the Post Office evens hires occupational nurses. You can even work as a CRNA, the list just goes on and on. I would just say, don't give up, instead focus your energy on finishing this career path, then look into finding that one nursing job that fits your goals and dreams. I can't promise that what ever you choose won't be without stress. I'll take nursing to a desk job (sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours/day) any day. I hope this helps.

where I work, we have lockers....but I don't trust keeping my wallet in there, so I keep my wallet, ink pens, some breath mints and my small cross in mines.