badtz143

As much as I think I often have "crazy" days at the VA, I love our computerized med card system. ALL orders and progress notes are to be typed up my MDs, RNs, PTs, everyone so we are not going crazy trying to understand handwritings. Where I went to nursing school in the Southeast, all hospitals we did rotations in used paper systems....from writing orders, progress notes, signing out meds when you gave it to the pt, etc. We don't even take verbal orders, only in emergency situations we would. I am a new grad (2 months in orientation) and still think nursing is difficult but I'm afraid if I leave the VA and go to a different hospital, they won't have computerized system. This is one of the biggest reasons I stay where I work. Nursing is hard enough; they need to make our other nursing tasks easier for us. I hope your hospital gets converted to computerized system soon. I think you'll like it better =)

Hi AEGIRL, Never been in military but my co workers at the VA who have say years served in military are carried over retirement. I am a new grad RN working for the VA and I really hated it at first: crying when I get home, staying 1/2 hour past my shift to finish charting, looking for a different job left and right, you name it. Then I got off day shift training and into my permanent evening shift and no more staying past my shift; I got charting done on time. Just 3 days ago, my 2nd month at the VA, I accepted a job at a SNF despite over $5 paycut and 3 weeks less annual leave time. See i was always afraid of leaving the VA only to find out other hospitals are just as bad and less pay and benefits. Like you, my family and friends think I am crazy for wanting to leave the VA. Pay and benefits are really good, but boy it is crazy at the VA! But then again what nursing job isn't??? Nursing shortage is pandemic but it seems it's not necessarily that we don't have enough people going in to nursing.....I think it is more that they cannot afford to have enough nurses on the floor. Anyway, so I worked 1 day at the SNF and on my 1st hour there I realized I've been spoiled at the hospital with all the ameneties, supplies and equipment we have and easily waste when not needed. Then there's the luxury of having lots of really smart RNs and MDs who are a desk away or phone call away from you when you don't know what to do about something. Good thing I didn't formally quit at the VA to start at the SNF that one day; I simply called in sick to check out how it was at the SNF. I think if you like LTC, you might like it at the VA too because LPNs at hospitals have a routine job such as passing meds (they;re like married to their med carts!), and other txs. But when you become an RN at the hospital, your job would not be so routine and it can become really overwhelming at times......you have to be constantly assessing directly and indirectly your pts for any changes, report those changes to MDs as necessary, pass meds and do txs, educate pts, delegate tasks and others. At the VA, it seems RNs are constantly on the phone with MDs or pharmacists. I begin to wonder if that's just at the VA. I hope this helps. Bottomline is I think that nursing has its ups and downs and not all days are like the others. Some day I feel I went into the wrong profession, some days I feel great and proud to be a nurse. I hope this helps!!

Hi! Very curious new grad here......so in L&D, ratio is 1:1???? Do you know anything about the L&D ratio at the Valley Medical Center or Evergreen Health Care in Kirkland???? Thanks!!

hi ruby. i mean western wa; particulary in the seattle-bellevue area. thank you!

CandyLPH2be, and RNKay: So I take it you both are in LTC or SNF. I too was given that deal, 2 weeks orientation and then I would be on my own passing meds and doing txs for 25 pts on my team. I have been working at a federal hospital for 2 months now; you know how it is: new grad, overwhelmed.....criticized, scrutinized...not only by the veteran nurses but by myself as well. That's why I started looking into SNFs even with a 5-11 dollar paycut ; so I started yesterday and boy......I can imagine that kind of work can be monotonous....pass meds, obtain urine sample, change dressings, some has IV drugs, check blood sugar, etc. So I didn't come back today and stayed at my hospital. It sounds horrible but I loved the patients I met at the SNF but I also don't want to be the unsafe nurse for these 25 fragile elderly pts. It seems horrible, you only assess if there's an MD alert and if they're on Medicaid....so they get paid. I think as new grads, we need more than 2-3 weeks orientation, SNF or hospital. I would suggest finding a new job. As for me, I think I'll stick it out at my hospital until I get more experience. goodluck to both of you

12 weeks for me on a busy med/oncology unit at the VA. I still have 1 month but I feel like I need more.

that is a lot of pts for 1 new grad RN. I am also a new grad on a very busy med/oncology unit. On weekdays the RNs get 8 pts each, on weekends, it is 12 each because there's only 2 RNs. But there's always LPNs to pass PO meds, 2 usually but people call in sick all the time that we're left with 1 so the other nurse have to do their own meds and everything else. The nursing profession is set up for burnouts and unrealistic expectations. Everyday I realize more and more how much work we do as nurses and how little respect we get from everyone, the MDs, the patients...and sometimes our nurse managers forget what it's like to have a huge pt load. We are still expected to remember every little details and to work as quickly but as efficiently. Oh and we're not supposed to feel hungry either because it's not an excuse to have to leave an order you're supposed to carry out. This sounds like I'm just venting but that's just part of it. What I mean to say is that I hear you and understand your pain. I'm right there with you. Good luck to both of us. I'm sure you are doing the best job you can just as all other new grad nurses out there.

Thank you all for your reply and thoughts. I am set to start at the SNF on Nov 8th but haven't told my current workplace that I'm leaving. There are 3 things I am sure about right now: 1, I don't want to clean up anymore, 2, I like the benefits and good pay that this fed job gives me, and 3, I really want to gain more clinical skills. But lately I haven't had to clean much at all and I am starting to get more comfortable at work. But I know things will pick up one day and I"m gonna be really stressed out. I don't want to regret quitting this job, but I also don't want to regret taking the SNF job either. I just am not sure what to do anymore. Thank you all again for the thoughts. I will keep you posted on what I decide on doing.

I don't think bedside nursing is for me. I have been working for almost 2 months now on a med/oncology unit and I didn't really think this was my niche but I couldn't find a place that hire new grad RN/BSN for an Occ health nurse position. Any ideas, please???

Hi, I'm a new grad RN, given flu shots before. It's IM so deltoid for those with well-developed muscles and gluteal for the skinny patients. Point, dart, steady the needle, aspirate to make sure you're not in a vessel, inject when clear, retract needle or activate whatever safety mechanisms your needle/syringe has. Is that what you were looking for? I know you'll do fine :)

I really need your advises, please! I work for the veteran's hospital and our unit is not nearly half "oncology" as I thought it would be. We get more of the "med" part of it plus a lot of psych nursing and long term nursing for those denied placement or awaiting placement; some of them have been on our unit for months awaiting for some place to accept them. Most of them are total care and on eve shift, we get 1 aide who is on "light duty" and does nothing but VS. Each nurses have 8-12 pts on their team plus 2 LPNs to split the 24beds we have. Some of the staff are absolutely great, some not so great, there are some bossy LPNs and great ones as well. I clean up at least twice every shift because more than half of our pts are total care. I hate the cleaning part and some of you will say "well you went into the wrong profession" but I love everything else about nursing that I do except the dirty part. I don't mind running around carrying out orders here and there, or having to call the MD for this and that, talking to a pt to teach or help them calm down when a situation calls for it, but it's the cleaning part. I don't mind doing it once in a while but is it right for a 24bed unit to have an aide who only does VS? For about 3 weeks now, our aide's only job is to sit our confused patients, been there about 2 months now. So we do our own VS while the LPNs pass the meds, RNs do IVs. Our staff meeting doesn't indicate that things are going to get any better. We are not hiring any more aides or LPNs or RNs. "We've got all the staff we need" says our nurse manager. Pay and benefits are great but somehow it doesn't seem worth all the stress. I have a job offer from a Skilled Nursing Facility; will be a $5 paycut on weekdays, $11 on weekends, and will get 3 weeks less annual leave. Somehow I think I'll be able to get pass all the paycut for a less stressful job. But what if it's the same? The SNF DNS who interviewed me says RNs only pass meds and assess 25 pts on their teams, and 2-3 aides on each RNs team do everything else. I'm thinking I wouldn't mind having 25 pts to pass meds to as long as I don't have to clean up. I am so scared that I might be making a big mistake. Plus I know my clinical skills would go down the drain when I move to the SNF but I don't think I can ever get past the cleaning part. I know it's part of helping them get better but I just can't get past it. I would really appreciate all the thoughts and advices.

>>>>> I felt the exact same way about orientation on day shift. I was on day shift for 3 weeks, but I am now on evening shift, my permanent shift, since the beginning of this week. Days are different. My nurse manager isn't there to watch over my shoulder, but there are a lot of other older RNs who were constantly breathing down my neck, even the LPNs do it. I do not mind if they are constructive criticisms but if all they say is "you should know this already" or "you're an RN, you should know this" or "you're an RN, you should be thinking critically" or "you have to move faster or you'll never get out of here on time" then I'd rather not hear it. It did feel like on days, everyone is watching over your shoulder. Eve shift is more laidback and everyone is so helpful. The other orientee felt the same way about day shift and we're now both on eves, still orientees though at least until end of November. Eves are just about as busy as days but there is a different feel to it. Maybe it's the setting of the sun that calms people on eve shift, or maybe it's just the people. WHo knows??? Goodluck to you and all the other new grad RNs like ourselves out there.

Hi everyone. I am a new grad currently on a medical/oncology unit for 3 weeks now. I am finding that it is not the right fit for me and to make a long story short, I got a call from a nurse recruiter saying there is a position available on the medical-neuro unit. My current unit handles chemo patients and we are also a "float" unit meaning we get everything else. Would you all be so kind to tell me what kind of medical-neuro unit is? Is that just like med/surg? What would be the approximate nurse/patient ratio? I do know that this is not an neuro ICU though. Please give me some input. I don't want to start another job at another hospital only to realize this isn't the righ fit for me either. I would really be so grateful for your thoughts!

What do you guys think are the best hospitals to work in as an RN here in Washington?

If a hospital is willing to hire new grad for home health, do you think it is suited for new grad RNs especially for someone with no nursing background and went to a 1-year accelerated BSN program? Currently though i am on my 3rd week of orientation on a med/oncology floor at the VA. I realize that I don't like floor nursing. I don't like the gossip, nurses eat their young instead of nurturing and guiding them, and i don't like the overwhelming patient load. Please advice. What is it like to be a home health nurse? What skills are necessary?