ericalynn

try looking on american cancer society's web page

at our hospital they have staff members who live nearby who can drive pick you up or they have security in rented 4x4's come to pick you up. Here weather is NO excuse for staying home. I think it's dumb personally, we are so worried about our patients safety but when it comes to our own it's out the window.:icon_roll

wow. that's all I can say. wow.

Here's my experiences with patients dying. Again these are just MY experiences, I have only been a RN for 9 months and only come across aprox. 7 deaths. Yes they do lose body fluids, however, most of them have foley's in, and most have not really eaten anything in the past few days. Typically when a person dies (not suddenly) their urine output has already decreased to next to nothing, so there is not much urine to deal with and there is some feces, but usually not much. As far as blood goes I am not sure where it is going to "release" from, so no I haven't seen alot of blood. The first time I had a patient die and I had to pronounce them I was really nervous that they weren't actually dead! I had to make 5 other nurses plus the charge and house supervisor check!! I think your feelings on each death you deal with will be different, you get to know certain patients in different ways, and some jsut come to you at the end of their lives so you don't really get a chance to know them much at all. I always feel sad, and say a little prayer for them but I am confident in knowing that I did everything I could to help them make a safe and peaceful transition to that "next place":redpinkhe

I often have dreams that a patient will code and I will forget every bit of CPR training I have ever received and the patient will die due to my dumbness!! ZOIKS!:icon_roll

I have the same problem, my veins and needles just don't mix. Whenever I have scans sone I head straight for Hematology/Oncology center in the hospital I go to. They usually are sticking people left and right, and alot of the people getting stuck are hard sticks. Every time I go that route, I get one poke and thats that. It is not unreasonable to ask for someone more experienced, and if someone acts like it is that's their own problem. Awhile ago, I had to go for a PET scan (this takes alot of prep work the entire day before, special diet, no exertion, drinking alot of nasty stuff) anyway, they guy stuck me 5 times and was finally like "well we will have to reschedule you because I can't get a vein":trout:. I told him he was out of his damn mind and he better find someone who could stick me or I would gladly stick myself. needless to say it got done that day.

I go between oncology/ortho/spine in my hospital and let me tell you those PT's are working their butts off! They are always really helpful and seem to enjoy their jobs.

here's how I got through nursing school. 1. Find a good study group, people you get along with, who have the same work ethic as you. Try to keep the group small, no more than 4 people is what I found works best. 2. While studying, each person in the group focuses more intensely on a specific part of the chapter/lecture. Then at study group (mind you the rest of the group member have also studied the material but not as intensley) the member who did the focus will "teach" the other members. Soemtimes it is earier to learn when it is someone on your own level teaching you the material and then you can ask the same stupid question 500 times and they won't get mad 3. Flash cards that I WROTE OUT MYSELF! I tried buying them and just reading them but actually writing them out and looking up different terms that I was unsure of really helped. Hope this helps some! Good luck!

It's stories like this and patients like you who make me PROUD to be a nurse. Thank you!

there are nights where i WISH i could just go back to school! No way was nursing school ever harder than being an RN!

I think it's annoying. My name is Erica, not honey, or sweetie, or whatever. And I find it demeaning when I hear other nurses calling patients honey, or sweetie. They also have names, use them, it shows respect.

I am a new grad and I always listen to heart & lungs, bowel sounds, assess pulses, check dressings, and depending what their dx is I go from there (neuro checks). Ask if they are having any problems and I try to let them know my plan for the shift. I personally think you need to do more than simply eyeball a patient to know where they stand, but as I said I am a new grad and still slower than most others so maybe I am doing too much..... Someday I'll figure it out!

shoes with holes just seem like a really bad idea in a hospital. just think of some of the stuff that "leaks" out of our patients. ewww...

I am in the same boat. I am consistantly working without any breaks and still staying late. I am a new grad too. I don't get pressure to take breaks but I just don't know what the heck I am doing wrong. I feel like I am busy all night but I am still behind. I feel like a complete loser half of the time, my manager says I am doing great and my patients are all satisfied. AARGH!!!!:trout:

Western Washington, RN, $23.23/hour