TouchstoneRN

I have been a nurse for five years. My first four years were spent in med/surg, tele/pcu, did some psych and NH/Rehab parttime. I am so glad I did that prior to specializing in the ER. I have such a well rounded background and can perform under pressure without losing it because I have lot's to draw from. I will tell you like I have told other new nurses do a year to two in Med/surg/tele. You will be glad you did

All time fav "Exotic attack"...I think they meant anxiety attack:monkeydance:

I worked at Einstein for about three months...hated it!. There are so many other Philly hospitals that are much better work at...The education dept totally let me down. The orientation was not much better. Why not try Thomas Jeff, HUP, Temple? I would avoid St. Joes in the city also...

After the night I had last night "There is an "I" in TEAM!!!

Alright everybody...let's have some fun In the ED I work in we try to come up with a daily theme..something humerous, apathetic...a little cynicsm helps. like: "we can't cure what you can't spell"... get the idea?

Many times at work we joke about "goody bag checklists" to be handed out by security prior to triage. The patient could select options such as: 1. vicodin or percocet (depending on pt preference) x2 tabs po 2. Phenergan 12.5mg po (in case the pt feels the extra needed drama to impress enterouge of supporters by puking at the guards feet) 3. Emesis basin (again for that extra dramatic effect) 4. work note (the patient could specify amt. of days off) 5. ______________(the pt could fill in whatever else they feel they need. i.e. ace wrap, crutches, sling.....)

Update....If any of you are wondering what has happened to the Nurses involved - here is an update...the first nurse was promptly fired after it was determined that she never had a license to practice nursing...the state licensing division has opened a full investigation and charges will be filed. The second nurse with the expired license is currently being investigated after there was definitive proof that she also did not ever have a license to practice and has also been terminated from her position with our institution. The third nurse was able to finally provide proof but because she was working with an expired license for three months her licensed has been suspended for undetermined amount of time (she won't say) and she has been heavily fined.

I have an ADN and as a prereq for A&P and micro we had to take chemistry. Chemistry was not a requirement for my nursing degree but without Chemistry credits I could not have taken A&P and micro which were prereqs..

A nurse's time is extremely valuable...I do not and will not round with Doc's unless my presence is explicitly requested. I let them know from the start, I'm here if you need me but I am not your personal servant (in a tactful way of course). Sometimes if they are rounding on my patient I try to do the VS/Vent checks etc while they are in the room also listening for gleems of info in their discussion. Rounding is a great teaching tool and you gain the respect of alot of Docs and Residents if you display some knowledge but don't offer too much. Being a new nurse on a specialty unit is extremely stressful. I tried it for seven months, would leave tearful every day. I felt so distraught I wanted to quit nursing all together but a wise nurse pulled me aside and said " you are a bright, energetic nurse, I can't stand to see you so upset, I think you need to feel confident again...why not go back to MS for a year, get your basic skills intact and then come back to ICU" long story short in the end that is what I did....now I feel confident and I have worked in several different scenarios of CC..don't give up and don't let the Doc's blow your day...that one doctor probably was intimidated by your presence...do what you need to do for your patient and if you don't know ask another nurse what they would do. Goodluck!

I once watched an experienced nurse drop an open end of an IV on the floor, pick it up, put it in her mouth stating "kiss it to God" then hooking it up to the site and opening it wide. Another time I walked in a room and watched another nurse rubbing Holy cards on a pt. she quickly ran out of the room when she saw me standing there....

I love everything the reply above states plus I get to use everyone of my nursing skills from dropping a NGT to administering CC meds during a code. I feel more autonomous in the ER but I am never alone...it is never boring

Hi Lauren, I too work in a small community ER. We get a wide variety of emergencies too....from a hang nail to Gun shot wounds. The variety is interesting and in a weird way fun!!! Have a great one

I LOVE the ER. I have worked MS, Tele, ICU and PCU...I hear ya', the ER is the only place to be. I was so bored with the mountain of flow sheets, skin sheets, careplan sheets...discharge planning, family phone calls, needy visitors...it's great in the ER, if a patient's visitor gets a bit needy, demanding or verbally abusive then a Security guard is right there to boot them out to the lounge...and having a Doc right there....how many hours I wasted waiting for the Attending, the Resident or the Surgeon to call me back? There is always someone right there to assist you... Again I will say...I LOVE THE ER!!!

We have a moral and legal responsiblity as Nurses to our patients. When I started this thread I was just looking for the answers but I see I opened a pandora's box of opinions. Sure if a nurse has nicknames you could make a mistake but in the end the suspected nurse is vindicated. What if any of you worked side by side everyday with a nurse who you grew to trust with your patients only to find out they never passed their boards after three attempts then lied to your employer? What if one day while busily caring for your patients, you receive a subpeona to appear before a judge because a patient's family is now sueing you in a wrongful death suit? only to find out their only cause of action is because of information they received about this unlicensed nurse? Bet anyone reading this didn't know that the BON and the employers involved now have to notify every patient the unlicensed nurse cared for....imagine the Lawyer's feast...even if the the unlicensed nurse gave the most appropriate care because that nurse is unlicensed and if the patient passed.... guess who's fault it's going to be? And any of us licensed nurses who worked side by side, charted the same charts are now in question? Yeah, I guess because we hold licenses in the end we couldn't be held responsible but imagine the time and money wasted on someone else's irresponsibility.... I still says it's a criminal act and anyone working without a license (putting aside the newly expired license) has antisocial tendencies. It's against the law to drive without a license, plain and simple, it's also againt the law to practice nursing without a license..

hey Brad, I say go for option #3, Let the wife get her degree, also if you are working at one of the major city hospitals then you can get family members education for reduced rate or in some cases free. You are wondering if you are CRNA material and the only way to know is to work in the environment, see what it really takes and then you will know. No matter what you decide you sound like you have the true heart of a real nurse...good luck...keep us updated

besides using the "pillow" while in lab, I would use hot dogs and citrus fruits to practice on at home...but honestly nothing can quite replicate a human body part.

First of all, License verification sites are public record and can be viewed by anyone. In each case the name and SS# of the nurse was on the Verification site. Second the nurse who discovered it brought the findings to the unit manager's attention who then called the nurses at home and discussed the situation with them. The one nurse never had a license because she was hired as a GN and then took the boards three times and failed all three times. She failed to mention this fact to our unit manager and continued to work under the presumption that she was still a nurse. The other two nurses admitted to having expired licenses and are currently trying to clear things up. I know that when my license was up for renewal I received a paper with my paycheck reminding me to get it renewed two months prior.

because the person never had a license, apparently failed the boards three times and continued to work under the assumption noone would find out. Very irresponsible and dangerous. the other two nurses had expired licenses and are working with the state to get it straightened out...that I can live with.

sometime during my 12 hour shift I usually make my way back to the ladies room and sit for 2 minutes...I think that is considered a break, ususally I eat when I chart at the computer.

Update on the imposters at least one of them has been fired and advised to seek legal council. I am not sure what is happening with the others. The thing that makes me the most mad is that management (below the CNO) stated to coworkers "give this nurse a call, she needs alot of friends right now" .

After receiving report while working med surg I had a nursing student come to me because the RN who was with her gave Morphine 10mg IV instead of the IM route it was ordered. thinking that the student might have been mistaken and wanting to use the situation as a learning experience for the student I grabbed the MAR and the original order sheet only to find out that the Student was correct. I immediately went into the room to check the status of the pt. she was a small women approx 110 lbs. I asked my cna to check her vitals and I called the supervisor and the covering physcian. The supervisor called the RN at home who replied "Oh, I didn't even notice" and laughed. she never even asked about the condition of the patient. Luckily the patient survived, thanks to narcan and a transfer to the ICU. I praised the student for intervening. The other RN eventually left and is now doing a desk job...how much safer for our patients!

I have worked both. I personally like 12 hour shifts better. 12 hour days are great. 3 on 4 off or if you are motivated anything extra is OT. I like the fact that you keep the same pt assignment. You can get more done for your patients in 12 hours vs 8. Plus think about the travel time, gas for your car, less scrubs to wash and the two extra days at home. The way I feel about it is...if I am already there I might as well stay for 12 and have extra time off in full days. When I worked 8 hour shifts, I was usually there for 9 1/2 hours trying to finish my paperwork, treatments etc. then of course I would get reprimanded for not getting everything done in 8 hours and creating OT. Since switching to 12 hours I am able to get everything done in a timely mannner and rarely do I stay passed my time. Hope this helps

If you are comfortable with the manager and staff of the floor you are on then consider one of the other shifts offered. I took a night shift job for a whole year (yeah, It's hard to get sleep, social life changes, blah, blah, blah) and waited for my turn at day shift. I let my manager know when I accepted the position that I was interested in Day shift but would be happy to work nights until a position opened. The benefits of working nights blew me away. First off there are less staff to get in the way. Most of the time the chart stays where you last put it. Next you develop a tight working team with the other nurses because there is less staff you learn to work together and help each other out when things get crazy (and they do at night). Mostly though, because it is at night there is not as much pt acitivity...no one is leaving the floor to go to xray, ct, visitors and family are not asking the same questions 12 different ways, etc... therefore no one is monkeying with the IV lines and monitors or stimulating the patients needlessly. Hopefully your patients will stay put and maybe one or two will actually sleep some of the shift. Don't get me wrong, there is alot more paperwork and responsibility at night...but the time and quietness helps the new nurse get more organized and confident for when a day shift becomes available. Hope this helps

Yes, the bosses do know. Apparently there is suppose to be some big meeting with the CNO to determine the fate of the nurses...to me their should be no question regarding their jobs...and only two words need to be spoken during the meeting "you're fired". I know I had to hand over my orignal license when I was hired. I think they were GN's (grad nurses) at hire and maybe failed the boards or never took the boards...either way it's totally criminal

I'm not sure why they were checking...maybe just the general behavior or poor nursing skills of the nurse involved...I'll have to ask tomorrow when I go in to work. I do know that after we heard we all went online to see for ourselves. Some of us are still in shock but mostly just pissed off because of the betrayal