JuliaSN

Any suggestions for when patients WILL NOT get off the telephone and will not listen to you while on the phone. I have 'assessed patients completely while on the telephone and I am not pleased with the situation. (After checking back every 15 minutes for 3 * to see if they were yet off). What is the proper, assertive nurse thing to do?

Please tell me how you are assertive when your super-assertive patient or family *is constantly on the call light *get me out of bed, get me into bed, get me out, up, over, in *fix my sweater *get me a blanket, juice, new slippers, fresh ice, bottled water (not on our floor), boxed lunch at 3am... *you need to MOVE and your patient needs to talk about their medical history intertwined with non-pertinent information *put my footrest up, put it down, put a blanket on it, put it up again... I'm referring to persons much senior to one's self, and perhaps at times accustomed to life as a CEO of their electronics company, or as grown-up ownly child used to personal maid service at home. What are your best assertive lines without seeming uncaring or unsympathetic?:confused: I would love to give every patient million-dollar care and all of the time, attention and listening they wish, as we know tlc can help someone ill, but frankly, our hospital does not staff nurses in this manner, EVER. I'm going to a new job next week. In my present job I have been a kind, hard-working 'doormat'. Any tips on becoming assertive with other staff and patients while not being offensive?

Please tell me how you are assertive when your super-assertive patient or family *is constantly on the call light *get me out of bed, get me into bed, get me out, up, over, in *fix my sweater *get me a blanket, juice, new slippers, fresh ice, bottled water (not on our floor), boxed lunch at 3am... *you need to MOVE and your patient needs to talk about their medical history intertwined with non-pertinent information *put my footrest up, put it down, put a blanket on it, put it up again... I'm referring to persons much senior to one's self, and perhaps at times accustomed to life as a CEO of their electronics company, or as grown-up ownly child used to personal maid service at home. What are your best assertive lines without seeming uncaring or unsympathetic?:confused: I would love to give every patient million-dollar care and all of the time, attention and listening they wish, as we know tlc can help someone ill, but frankly, our hospital does not staff nurses in this manner, EVER.

12 hour shifts and sore legs are something I'm having difficulty with. I have patellar tendonitis plus a bakers' cyst on my left knee secondary to running. I find it extremely hard on my knees to stand the 12 hour shifts. I spoke with a personal trainer at the Y who told me to avoid weighted lunges and squats, any free weight training with weights and knee bends. I am about dying to get back to running, but my podiatrist has said no. So I'm biking, rollerblading with wrapped knees and aqua jogging in the meantime. However, after a 12 hour shift on my feet it is super hard to work out in a way I am accustomed to. Any workout tips for building strength and cardio while decreasing knee, calf, foot pain? (I ordered some masai balance tech shoes for work, as my friend assures me these will help) Also, I've switched from nights to days because I found nights really made me feel yucky. I'd like to plan a mid-day workout for my break, but don't want to do in my knees.:confused::)

I'm changing nursing jobs and am going to a small hospital ICU. I'm looking for tips on having a great orientation experience, developing organizational skills and becoming more assertive as an RN> I've been on a super busy tele unit for just under a year -- at times with 15 patients, including CABG's. (I've survived!) I'm going to a smaller community hospital SICU, and expecting to have 2 pts each. I feel that my preceptors in the past, instead of wanting to help me understand as much as possible about the unit, wish me to carry the patient load while they have cigarette breaks or chat with friends. When work is divied up during shifts, senior nurses choose the orders while the juniors assess and medicate admits. This leads to a continued cycle of incompetence...juniors are slow at the orders, so seniors take the desk, juniors have no opportunity to practice putting in orders, so seniors continue to take the desk because juniors are slow. I don't want this with my new orientation coming up, and I am hoping for the best. Does anyone have any tips on how to maximize one's orientation experience? Is there a good way one can ask lots of questions without being irritating? I still ask a lot of questions, and probably a lot I could answer, but if there's time I do like to make sure my nursing judgement is correct. Also, I'm not very assertive with my patients who believe RN's = personal maids...juice, crackers, blankets, tuck me in, boost me up, to the chair, back to bed, to the chair, back to bed, and listen to my life story because it is very important. While I am definitely improving, I believe I need to be more assertive for time management reasons. However, I do not want to be rude, and some patients can be extremely needy. (I do have compassion, I realize patients are stressed and ill and need TLC, however, on my current floor, I need to assess and medicate a number of patients in a reasonable amount of time) I have checked out some of the icu websites and report forms on allnurses.com, but if any experienced ICU nurses/educators or preceptors have any tips for me, that would be great.:typing:wink2:Thanks.

Okay, I'm looking into this also! Thanks!

permalink advice for adn to bsn, online, good and inexpensivei completed by associate's degree in nursing and am currently an rn in new york state, although i live in canada. i very much want to complete my bsn at a reasonable pace (probably more than one year) from an online school that is organized, good and preferably a good deal also. i've checked out jacksonville, liberty and drexel and feel that they all seem quite expensive to me? any recommendations? i'd prefer, also, a place that doesn't require a clinical component, or someplace that has a clinical component that is not community nursing. i'm interested in acute care nursing, not vaccinations, parent teaching and school nursing and have done enough community nursing for the rest of my life! i'd love some advice, please! if you have experience and recommendations, please post or email me. i did post this thread on the online student section, but i'm thinking that if i post to this forum, perhaps, as there are so many of you reading this that already have bachelors degrees, you can comment with experience? i have been advised to check out excelsior and suny at stoneybrook, which i am doing, however, i will be paying out-of-state rates for both, presumably, as i live in canada, so these may well be rather cost prohibitive. any advice or experience you can share that would help me with my research and decision making would be greatly appreciated! thank you very much! thanks!:typing:nurse:

I'm looking at the classes involved and am impressed. These are precisely the classes I want to take and am interested in - the pathology, and pharmacology. Thanks!

I realize that I didn't specify -- I live in Canada and commute to Buffalo, NY for work. So I believe I would be paying out of state fees which are pricey. However, I will check it out. Thank you.

I will today! Thanks for the suggestion.

I completed by Associate's degree in nursing and am currently an RN in New York State. I very much want to complete my BSN at a reasonable pace (probably more than one year) from an online school that is organized, good and preferably a good deal also. I've checked out Jacksonville, Liberty and Drexel and feel that they all seem quite expensive to me? Any recommendations? I'd prefer, also, a place that doesn't require a clinical component, or someplace that has a clinical component that is not community nursing. I'm interested in acute care nursing, not vaccinations, parent teaching and school nursing and have done enough community nursing for the rest of my life! I'd love some advice, please! If you have experience and recommendations, please post or email me. Thanks!:typing:nurse: