ggfifirn05

Nursing is my 2nd career, after working in accounting/finance for 29 years. I started my pre-reqs for my ADN program at 45 years old, and graduated at age 48...30 years after graduating high school! I went back to get my RN to BSN in 2011 and graduated in 2013 at age 57. I turned 60 this past April and will be starting my MSN in Leadership in Nursing in October. Fortunately I now work in Quality so things aren't as physical as they used to be when I worked at the bedside in the SICU. By the way, I really love school and learning, and am a member of Sigma Theta Tau. I'm very much looking forward to starting my 22 month Masters program. And I fully intend to work until I'm 70, or maybe longer as long as I am still physically and mentally up to it. My mom was a paralegal, retired at age 62, was bored to death by age 65, and went back to work until well into her 70s. And she still did real estate closing up until age 80, so I think I have a fine example to live up to!

I've always been an anxious person, and even though I've been an RN for over 6 years, I still have butterflies in my stomach on my way to work if I've been off for a few days. But I used to have horrible IBS symptoms (cramping, gas, diarrhea...I knew every place with a bathroom between my house and work that was open at 6 am!) and even saw a GI doc about it...he put me on a few meds that did nothing but give me more unpleasant side effects, and then told me maybe I should consider another career (I was a year into my nursing career; so much for therapeutic communication!). I've tried all the holistic remedies for IBS: restrictive diet, peppermint tea, acacia and fennel, etc. but they didn't really help either. It wasn't until my PCP started me on 75 mg Effexor XR for my hot flashes (can't do HRT due to BP med issues) that I finally got some relief. And the 75 mg dose is just right for me. I've been on that dose for several years, and its just enough to control the anxiety and GI symptoms I used to experience, without making me feel like a robot. Plus my hot flashes aren't nearly as bad as they used to be! I will tell you that experience makes the anxiety less; I've been working in the SICU for over 3 years now, and I'm actually pretty comfortable there...now. But it took awhile to get to that place of confidence, which I think might be part of your problem. Nursing is such a huge responsibility, and you obviously care about your patients. Otherwise you wouldn't be feeling this way! Talk to your PCP, and your friends and co-workers, and see what they suggest. It will get better, one way or another, I promise! Hang in there!:redpinkhe

We are really feeling the economic crunch right now. Hiring freeze in place; no overtime at all; really watching our pennies and making sure supplies are charged to the patient, etc. Just got our annual raise, but basically just cost-of-living increase. Of course, it doesn't help that we just moved into a brand new state-of-the-art gazillion dollar facility six months ago. Oops, they went WAY over budget to build the new hospital...didn't anticipate this kind of economy within 6 months of opening. But we've got beautiful flat screen TVs in every room and lovely signed artwork in all the corridors... I'm in SICU now, and we aren't working short, and the census stays pretty high, but we've done away with the extra RN per shift, and the PRN staff has only been working 1 shift every other week. Rumor has it that they may start laying off PRN next. And from what I've heard, all the hospitals in our area are in the same boat. Only time will tell...Thank God gas has gotten a little cheaper though.

Just want to update and thank everyone that was kind enough to reply to my original post. Yesterday was my 1st day "on my own". I was assigned a POD #2 liver transplant pt. with CVVH running too. I actually had this same pt. on Monday with my preceptor - we were in the OR with him during the surgery running the CVVH, so I'm sure that is why they assigned him to me yesterday. I was VERY anxious when I found out he was my pt. but I pulled it together and made it through a very hectic day. My Team Leader (charge)was a huge help, especially when they trach'd the patient and placed a new HVA at the bedside. Unfortunately the CVVH machine kept malfunctioning but several other nurses came to my rescue to troubleshoot and we all decided it was the filter that was problem. There were many moments during the crazy day that I kept thinking, "I'm ready to give my notice" but by around 1600 I realized my charting was all caught up, the pt. was stable and resting quietly, and I could actually take a little break! I have started the Effexor XR, but I think its still too soon to see any real change. My husband has been very supportive of me, as have all my coworkers. I really feel I can depend on them, especially after yesterday. I still feel like there is SO MUCH to learn, but I'm just taking it day-by-day. And I'm trying to cut myself a little slack too. Thank you all again for your advise and best wishes.

I'm having some issues and felt I just needed to "vent" and maybe solicit some guidance from all my worthy colleagues here at AllNurses. I transferred to SICU on November 1st after 3 years in Med/Surg, where I started immediately after graduating nursing school. Becoming an ICU RN was not a burning desire I had; in fact, it was one of the last places I would have thought I'd be working. But late this summer my NM approached me and asked if I'd ever thought of working ICU. I asked her point blank why she was recruiting for SICU when we worked the medical floor. She just smiled vaguely and never really answered. Two weeks later there was a huge manager "shuffle" and she ended up as the SICU mgr. I was flattered that she thought enough of me to ask me to follow her to SICU, and I was ready for a change after 3 yrs. on med/surg anyway, so I agreed to transfer. Two other nurses from our med/surg floor also transferred about 4 weeks after me. The first six weeks of my 12 week orientation were fine. My preceptor has been there for four years, is a relief team leader, and quite knowledgable, and has been supportive of me. She is very laid back, which is good for me, because I am an anxious person by nature. However, the week before Christmas I had some health issues (I have arthritis and experienced a severe flare up) and eventually ended up in the ED thinking I was either having an MI or throwing a clot. Fortunately, I was just diagnosed with "myalgia" and sent home to rest for a few days with Percoset. When I returned to work the next week, I was a nervous wreck. I felt as if any confidence I might have developed in the previous 6 weeks had evaporated. I don't remember being this anxious except during nursing school clinicals and check-offs. I've been in my NM's office twice in the last two weeks basically "throwing in the towel" and telling her I don't know if this is really the best place for me. She responded by saying she will support whatever decision I make, but she really thinks I need to give myself some time to adjust to the new unit, accept the fact that I DON'T KNOW IT ALL (and probably won't ever!) and give myself a break. During my 2nd breakdown in her office we discussed things going on in my personal life, and she advised me to get some "help". I'm going to be 52 in April, and find that I am probably 20 years older than most of my coworkers. I am also a relatively "young" nurse with only 3 years med/surg experience. I am going through the typical "middle age life changes": my older son is gettng married March 1st, and my youngest daughter is graduating college at the end of April. I'm also in menopause (a good thing) and experiencing all the usual stuff that goes along it: hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, etc. I'm not a good candidate for HRT due to controlled hypertension (which started when I started nursing school - imagine that!). I did go to my MD today, told her of my anxiety issues and she's prescribed Effexor XR (37.5 mg at night to start). I was excited about that until I looked up all threads about Effexor and now I'm anxious about all the side effects! On the plus side, I feel I AM a great nurse; In addition to being a relief team leader on my old unit, I too was in the preceptor role. I oriented both GNs and students, and was always being complimented on how well I did. I know I am intelligent and hard working and can eventually warm to this new position, but right now, I just don't know that I want to work as hard as I feel I have to in order to "master" this new role. I know my clinical skills are sufficient and feel that I have learned A LOT in the time I've been in SICU. I just don't know if I can cope with this anxiety. I have trouble sleeping the night before I have to work, and my guts are literally in an uproar as I leave for work (I know where every bathroom is between home and work that is open at 0600!) The timing of changing jobs was probably not the best, but I'm nearing the end of my orientation (they did give me 3 extra weeks). My first day on my own is Feb. 13. Thanks for listening. If anyone has any words of wisdom, please let me know!

I, too, have just transferred to SICU after 3 years on a med/surg floor. I was pretty confident of my skills and knowledge prior to transferring (I even had been orienting GNs and students on my former unit), but I've been overwhelmed by the vast amount of information I feel I need to absorb in order to function as a competent SICU nurse. I've been given 3 months orientation, but my NM and preceptor feel I still am not quite ready to go it alone (they say I am still too "anxious") so I am being given an additional few weeks with my preceptor. I also have the problem that most of my new coworkers assume I am more experienced because I'm older (I'll be 52 in April) but this is my 2nd career; I've only been a nurse for 3 years. I'm so impressed by the other nurses on the unit: most of them are young twentysomethings (my own children's ages), already BSNs and working on advanced degrees, and extremely knowledgable and confident. Overall they are friendly for the most part, and they never hesitate to jump in and help out if a patient is having problems. I know they've "got my back". I want to be like them when I grow up! I know a year from now I will look back and wonder "what was I so worried about?" just like I did after my 1st year as a nurse, but right now I'm wondering I've made the right move. Its all just so new and overwhelming!

I'm in Florida, so we are used to bugs, all year round. Just in the last month I've seen gnats flying around a dietary cart that was desperately in need of emptying on my med/surg unit, and I saw the same kind of gnat down in SICU (in the breakroom) the next week. I also remember a patient that brought in his CPAP from home and the staff kept finding german roaches in his room. Apparently the CPAP was a roach motel, so it was sent back home! I also remember taking my daughter in for outpatient surgery (this was about 20 years ago) and finding ants swarming on the window sill of her third floor room. When I went to work for this same facility in 2004 the ants were still there! We had problems with them all the time. Occasionally they would get into a patients bed and create real problems there until we could get the exterminator to come take care of them.

NO! I started my prerqs at 45, and graduated with my ADN at 48. I've worked MedSurg for the last 3 years, and I am transferring to SICU next week. I was worried after sitting at a desk for nearly 30 years prior to becoming an RN that the 12 hour shifts were going to kill me, but I've adapted ok. I have learned to invest in good nursing shoes (currently wearing Dansko clogs, but have tried them all!) and try to keep myself fit and healthy. I raise the beds to provide care to my patients, and almost always get help to move/turn the larger patients. So far, no injuries or back pain. Plus, those years of work in the business world really helped me with the "customer service" end of things...I have great skills in that area. Probably the only bad thing is that sometimes the residents and younger docs assume that "older" = "experienced" and come to me for guidance! I usually defer to them or send to the Charge RN. I firmly believe in the adage: "its never too late to be what you always wanted to be!" I'm very happy that I decided to switch careers and become an RN.

Yes, changing careers in my late 40s was one of the best decisions I ever made. While nursing is extremely frustrating at times (like yesterday!), I am happy I made the change. I'm so proud to be able to say "Oh, I'm a nurse" when people ask what I do for a living. I still meet my former coworkers for lunch or dinner every few months, and when I hear their "horror" stories about how things are going in that business, I just smile and agree with them that I "got out at the right time." Interestingly enough, their complaints are pretty much the same ones that I have: short staffing, administration or management with unrealistic expectations, demanding or obnoxious "clients" and/or family members, attempting to do one's job with inferior or no supplies, etc. So, no regrets with the change.

My former employer had the nursing techs do the blood sugar checks, and then notify the RN with the number. However, the meal trays were delivered to everyone on the floor at the same time, so everyone got their insulin at the same time too. At my current employer, the RNs do the blood sugar checks, but that is mainly because trays are served "Room Service" style (the patient orders their meal whenever they are ready for it, between the hours of 0630 and 1830). You never know when you will have to cover them with insulin, since they do the ordering. I usually ask them to let me know if they've ordered, and do their Accucheck then; the trays are usually delivered with 45 mins to an hour after they call. I cover them when they receive their tray.

We self-schedule in 6 week blocks; the "draft" for the upcoming 6 weeks usually comes out several weeks before the current schedule ends. For instance, our current schedule goes from 6/27 thru 8/7; the draft out now is for 8/8 thru 9/18. It will be collected July 12 and then the "Final draft" will be posted about a week before it goes into effect. We mark the draft with the days we want to work, noting any time off we need to schedule and submit a PTO request form to substantiate that day(s) off (vacation, Dr. appts, etc.) We have a scheduling committee (a couple of our unit's RNs) that balances the days with the number of nurses needed to work, submit that to our NM, and then its pretty much carved in stone. However, our NM is usually flexible if you can get another full time (not PRN) RN to do a 1 to 1 switch of days. The self scheduling has seemed to work, and we usually have enough PRN RNs to balance it out. However, its seems as if the last few weeks we've worked short; but I think its just because its summer vacation time. I hope so! We work every 3rd weekend, so those days are automatically filled in on the draft. We also rotate the winter holidays (Thanksgiving day 1st yr, Christmas day the 2nd yr, New Years day the 3rd year, etc. Our hospital doesn't recognize Easter as holiday.) The bad thing about every 3rd weekend is that this last Christmas was my year to work, and since Christmas fell on the Monday after MY weekend, I was there (as well as my regular weekend co-workers) 3 days in a row. None of us had much of a "Christmas" holiday, and I know it was especially hard on those with younger children at home. Plus, it seems like every 3 day weekend or other holiday falls on my weekend - I worked MLK, Jr. weekend, St. Patrick's day weekend, Easter weekend, Memorial day weekend, and am scheduled for Labor Day weekend too. Plus I ended up working 4th of July too (I didn't sign up for that day, but I guess no one else did either; and I didn't specifically request if off)! I work on a 39 bed MedSurg unit; not sure how many actual RNs we have, since alot of them are PRN. We are split between 2 floors so when we are full (almost always!) we usually have 9 or 10 nurses total and one Team Leader (charge RN - she doesn't take patients). The last hospital I worked at used self-scheduling also, but we had to work every other weekend, and the NM did the November & December schedules since they had a problem with the holidays in years past, and many of the RNs on that unit had been there for 15 or 20 years and felt none of them should have to work Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years! I like the every 3rd weekend much better.

I made the change from accounting to nursing, and graduated with my ADN in 12/04. I wouldn't go back to that old life (the last 10 yrs of a 29 yr career spent at a well known brokerage firm) for anything. But it took the death of my brother and the events of 9/11 to challenge me to get started on my prereqs; I had been thinking about going into nursing for the previous 5 or 6 years. I figured I'd start the prereqs, see how I did and how I liked the content, and go from there. I was hooked after the 1st class, even though I hadn't been in school in 25 years! It took me 5 semesters (part time) to finish the prereqs and I started the "core" nursing classes full time in 09/03. I took my boards in 01/05, and have been working as a MedSurg floor RN ever since. Nursing school was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Since most of the the teachers at my ADN program are educated as NURSES, not as TEACHERS, they were lacking in some actual "teaching" skills. I also think some of them were intimidated by the fact that I was an older student (I was 45 when I started my prereqs) and that I'd already had one successful career; several of my teachers went out of their way to make things difficult for me, but I made it through. It is hard being the neophyte again, rather than the mentor. Plus, we had to get by on my husband's income only while I finished up the last 16 months of school full time. However, it was all worth it. I work 3-12 hr shifts a week, and really like having those other 4 days off, especially after doing the Mon-Fri grind for so many years. Although there are some days (like yesterday) when you will question why you ever wanted to do this, many days are emotionally rewarding. Even if only 1 of my 4 or 5 patients says "thank you for helping me today", it does make me feel as if I've made a difference in someone's life. I've "been there" for them, even if all I did was hold their hand while a MD does a bedside procedure. I also act as a mentor for nursing students and graduate nurses, and it is so rewarding to me to share my experiences (both good and bad) with these newcomers to the field - we need them so desperately! And your strong people skills are an advantage; you will use them every day. Good luck to you in your decision making. Take a few of the prereqs and see how you like it. Feel free to PM if you have more questions.

One of my frequent flyers, who is blind, always asks who it is that is taking care of him that day. My name is Susan, but when I told him that the 1st time I was his nurse, he kept calling me, "Susie Homemaker". I finally laughed and said I wasn't much of a homemaker, so he started calling me "Susie Homewrecker" instead. And it stuck; so now whenever he's my patient, I always introduce myself as "Susie Homewrecker." It kind of freaked out my orientee the other day, until I explained...

Up until this year, my hospital gave across the board annual raises every July. Starting 01/01/07, they are now giving raises based on your employment anniversary date. Not really sure if they are now going to be merit based, but I doubt it, especially since we are building a brand new "state of the art" facility attached to the clinic; so it seems that all the money is going for that project. My anniversary date is July, so time will tell.

I was 48 when I graduated in 12/04 with my ADN. Most of my classmates were between mid 30s - mid 40s; although there were a handful of 20 somethings, as well a few older than me. I am working on my BSN now and hope to finish before I'm 53.