huggietoes

Had this woman insisted vehomently that her husband with hx of CVA that lives in nursing home, walk to BR. Can not even sit up in bed without assist, she tells me that she will speak to my manager because I was denying her husband his rights. So I say O.K. get help and try to perform a miracle, the guy gets just to the edge of the bed and his legs buckle like jello, me and the PCA end up having to do a total lift to stop him from falling. Wife is p&*sed and fuming as I am picking my uterus up off the floor. I ask her how they walk him at the nursing home and she says "they don't, they claim they have to use the hoyer, but I know they are lying that is why I wanted you to walk him so I could prove them wrong but you people can't do anything right either" so I gently reinforced he will be transferred by lift to chair and to bed no more walkies. What the???????????

Thanks so much for your heartfelt words of wisdom! They were desperately needed and much appreciated. You have more patience, intelligence and compassion than many of the people I work with. I can not for the life of me understand why as nurses we expect more out of ourselves than we ever would from family, friends, patients, we lessen our self-worth by doing this and you all reminded me of what I have not taken the time or priveledge to believe in quite sometime; that I am a human being, I am worthy and I deserve time and TLC, and if I can not demand that for myself than no one else will either. Thanks again and Happy Holidays.

I use about 2 sick days per year, this week alone I had to call in 3 times for vomiting and diarrhea. Like on the bathroom floor in a puddle of my own vomit, can't stand up because I am too dizzy from dehydration sickness, yet I feel guilty for calling in. I have had these symptoms for the past week and managed to work 4 days out of seven, but just could not go in for those other 3. I am racked with guilt, maybe because I was told if I showed for work they would hydrate me with IV fluid so that I could work. I have worked in other professions and have never been made to feel so guilty for being ill. What is it with nursing that makes management feel we are expendible, have no lives outside of work, live to serve administration? I am just so depressed and fed up, I feel trapped, like I am in a dead end profession where I get little respect from management and even less from the patients. Thanks for letting me vent.

I am an ER nurse and I definitely do not recommend going into the ER right out of school. You really need that year of Med/Surg to get your feet wet, acquire instincts, learn to provide care to multiple patients as well as assessment, hospital policy, etc. before being 'thrown to the wolves'. In my experience those that come to the unit right out of school do not always fare well, lack confidence and usually leave the unit before their orientation is over. All that being said there are those that jump in with both feet and do just fine, especially those that have training in emergency medical care (such as paramedic, EMT-III). Good luck to you. We are always looking for fresh recruits!

I do not think I completely understand the question. Do you mean after a code? I can not speak for the OR, but usually, if the family is present someone speaks to them and counselling is offered, then the Red Cross 1-800 number has to be called so that you can get your reference number as far as organ donation is concerned. The patient is shrouded and taken to the morgue for transport to the funeral home of their choice or for pick up by the coroner. Is this what you are looking for? Like I said can not speak for the OR, however, in other units you go right on to the next patient. Sometimes code(s), [plural] are happening at once so you can't just stop taking care of patients even immediately after someone expires.

Started in Med/Surg on a VERY busy floor. Great experience, learn how to juggle and multi-task. Could not have asked for a better staff to work, learn and grow with. Working nights out of school will not be a problem, trust me. They tend to hire new grads for the off shifts first. Still on evenings now actually. Nights is a great shift to start on, great autonomy, less ancillary staff, bond better with your crew since you will be dependant on one another so much. Even though many have had success going to a unit right out of school, I say you can never go wrong with a year on a Med/Surg tele floor, just my $0.02. Good luck!

Well said Pamela g c, my thoughts exactly. I am ER nurse but I also live by the Golden Rule. I have also worked in the units and on floors as a float, therefore, walking a mile in other's shoes, so to speak. I understand the unit's frustrations but they have to understand it is no cakewalk in the ER. And how about some appreciation for diluting the drunks before they get to floors, or the fact that we contend with many other beligerent patients that are not even admitted. It has been my experience at least at my facility, that ICU nurses are the Grand Pubbahs of the hospital, they very rarely get floated even if overstaffed and the supervisors generally tend to take their side. How about a little respect for us that are working on the 'front line' of healthcare. "Dorks" I think not!"

Life is too short to worry about a one liner on a resume. At an interview you can always justify your leaving, I do not feel it looks at all irresponsible. Instead it looks gracious, facilities do not appreciate a nurse "sticking" it out with the full intent to leave in a short period of time, they would much rather you made your feelings known so that they may fill the position and begin training a new staff member. I always think to myself when a dilemma like this comes along, at the end of my life what will I remember/regret, I mean really is leaving a job that you dislike going to prevent the world from turning on its axis, NO, and the sooner you leave the sooner you can begin looking for a job opportunity that will excite, educate and satisfy you. Good Luck.

Yes, love the "near syncope", or the syncope that fails the 'dropped arm test', the seizure patients that can open one eye to make sure that you are getting a preview of their academy award winning performance, the drug addicts that can sit calmly laughing and talking with their family while chowing down on a bag of chips and washing it down with a Coke but writhe in pain whenever a nurse is present, the parents that run in with their children wrapped in blankets demanding to be triaged right away because Little Johnny's fever is very high almost 100.5, the parents that say "I think she swallowed a penny" and what is the child playing with when you enter the room, a nickel, the people who OD on Tylenol to show their significant other how stressed they are over the break up, a liver transplant will be a lot less stressful, the parents that bring their children in and then will not allow you to do anything to the child not even examine them because it is too upsetting to the child, the mother who brings in her child with the 1 cm abrasion by ambulance and then has the nerve to tell the triage nurse "I came in by ambulance that means I get to go back first" sorry honey, CP trumps non-existent skin tear by a million miles, and my favorite taking an ambulance to the hospital each month for you guessed it, menstrual cramps. I really feel education is the key, but also some form of punishment for abuse of the system.

So know where you are coming from, I have even had nurse friends of mine lately tell me, "you weren't this bitter when you worked med/surg". As much as I hate to admit it they're right. When someone comes in with menstrual cramps via ambulance, when they bring in their children with temp and never think to give tylenol/motrin, when the person with 10/10 abd pain who is screaming for Demerol, yet sitting on the stretcher eating chips, candy bars and drinking soda then begin their oscar worthy performance when I enter the room call me many explitives when I request that they not eat until further evaluation is completed, or how about the family members who see you running to an EMERGENT situation and they go to the desk requesting you to come in and adjust grammy's blankets, when a drunk pees all over the floor and laughs about it, when the person on government assistance tells me "you will do it because that is what you get paid for", I feel a little burned out and used. I too am considering a change, was offered a position in another unit, but do not know if it will be a good fit. I too like running like my tail is on fire but I am afraid if I stay in the ER I may lose every ounce of humanity I have left in me. Some patients are just needy soul suckers and they are bleeding me dry. Keep us posted on your decision, good luck in whatever you choose.

Search is not working and I need some advice. How are night shifts to work? I am currently an evening person and it is reaking havoc with my life, or lack of one I should say. I am so wired when I get home that I don't get to sleep until 3am then I proceed to sleep up until it is almost time to go to work. I am really desperate for 10s or 12s but the only shifts available are on nights. Is it difficult to adjust. Also, at my facility, evenings are usually the busiest time and I am accustomed to the pace is it terribly slow on nights or am I being naive? TIA.

There are no protocols especially if you are a community/county hospital. Even though they wear your patience to the bone, I try to remember that even the drug seeker who is taking your time from the truly ill and is usually rude especially when they do not get what they request has an underlying illness, drug abuse, possibly some sort of psych issue going on and from what I have seen withdrawal apparently makes you feel as though you are dying and you will employ any technique to get your high even crowding a busy ER. I was becoming burnt from just this sort of thing, then I came to the realization, So they come and get their "fix" and go home, they sometimes smell, are rude, most likely abusive and do I give them the number to the nearest rehab facility, You betcha, but I can't stress about it anymore because in the end all it does is raise my blood pressure after all they will be back tomorrow and so will I.

Hmmm....ever meet up with that one particular coworker that is out to create discord and tension everywhere he/she goes, lives to undermine, and seems to only work when the NM is present. Well, I have met alot in my short time as a nurse but this one wins the Witch of the Millenium award. She is a total ego stroker, takes credit for others actions, literally tells people that she should receive credit for being "one of the few good nurses in this facility", tells anyone who will listen about how knowledgable, compassionate, nonspecifically wonderful, blah, blah, blah she is. I can not take anymore, especially since I have taken over care of her patients and found assessments were not done or that she failed to find blatantly obvious deviations from from pts baseline, failed to give pain meds and charted "voiced no complaints" p.s. this pt she charted this on was NONVERBAL. Even though others do not like her they fear her so they pretend to tolerate her behavior because she is the Queen of the Incident Reports and a major suck up to anyone with authority. How do you handle this Joan Collins wanna be?

I am currently an ER nurse and while I do not find it totally rewarding the excitement keeps me coming back for more, I am considering a part time position as a NICU nurse so that I can continue in ER but pursue an area I had considered since graduating nursing school. So, if you would be so kind tell me what area of nursing you were in before NICU, what makes a good NICU nurse, what you love about NICU and what you hate--any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Totally know where it is you are coming from. The person I am referring to is a 12 hour person so she screws two shifts not just one when she calls in. We ask around 5, did anyone receive a call from the supervisor, then "so and so" must be gracing us with her presence tonight. Not that when she comes in she does much more than make her presence known. Never works holidays, always goes out on some fraudulent disability claim that she begins working up about a week before. Whining is incessant and I actually prefer working short to her just being there wasting valuable oxygen that could be reserved for those of us panting for air because we are running our tails off!

I know nothing about postpartum, just wanted to lend my support. I just began a new area of nursing and it can be so overwhelming and discouraging at times, we become so comfortable with what is familiar. Remember that it can also be exciting, open yourself up to the experience learn from those around you and before you know it you will be a seasoned veteran. Best of luck to you.

Yep, some patients are like stray cats you feed them once and they keep on comin' back. Had an ICU nurse "over hear", (more like eavesdrop) a conversation myself and another ER coworker were having and said "I would not want to be in your ER, the way you talk about your pts" well sorry Miss Hoity-Toity, until you have been kicked in the chest, vomited on, had people hand you their stool in a baggy at triage, get on all fours and say "look at the size of that hemorrhoid", have a drunk try to land a punch in your face, have a drunk deliberately pee on your feet, have a pt undress in triage and say "can you tell me what this is" and point to their nether region, perform rape kits on teenagers, seen too many abused children and put up with tyrannical doctors you do not have the right to judge how I blow off some much needed steam!

Do I hate my job, YES, do I hate nursing, NO! There are many different areas of nursing so if one does not suit you there are many other options. Nursing in and of itself can be grueling, the hours are long, it means nights, weekends and holidays, management and physicians will treat you like a trained chimp, you have to have thick skin, many people you will work with will put a knife in your back and then step over your corpse on their way to a promotion, it can be emotionally and physically draining and debilitating but there are positive aspects as well. Every day is different, you will never be bored, you will meet many people of different backgrounds and cultures, you will learn something new each day, some patients are actually nice and dare I say grateful. My suggestion is to do some job shadowing or volunteer work in healthcare. The only way to experience war is to get in the trenches with the other soldiers so to speak. Good luck to you.

I also subscribe to the magazine and love it. Takes complex health scenarios and breaks them down in a format easily understood and remembered. I also love their CD roms, so fun!

Been there had it happen to me and know how infuriating it is. Especially the one RN who is notorious for it that says to the staff, "I'm not taking that assignment, screw it I will get diarrhea" and low and behold she is on the phone to the supervisor "I have diarrhea gotta go, buh, bye" and gets away with it every time. Do they honestly think that they are fooling anyone, it does seem to be a trend with NAs/Secretaries when they are asked to perform aid duties, where I work anyway.

Well, lets see I did Med/Surg out of school and loved it. The diversity the comraderie of the staff, tried ICU and enjoyed the intensiveness of the place hated the back biting and politics that come with a unit, tried Surgical and did not like working with, well Surgeons! Right now I am in the ER, I like the unexpected nature, never knowing what is coming through the doors, the sick humor, and team nursing aspect, but again it is a unit where you work or should I say slave closely with the physicians which I despise, and of course the politics and back biting that is going on. Areas of nursing are like beautiful shoes great in the box but you don't know if they fit until you try them on and walk around in them awhile. Good luck to you!

I also suffered from HA after consuming products with aspartame as well as palpitations. Maybe instead of consuming the soda with aspartame just cut down on the amount of regular soda you are drinking, if you are on Atkins then just do water, water and more water because not only is aspartame unhealthy you are doing yourself a disservice with the caffeine on top of the dehydrating effects of increased protein. Did you see the documentary on aspartame that interviewed airplane pilots that had syncopal episodes due to the diet soda they drank during flight, scary stuff!

Mattsmom, thank you so much for the supportive words. I love, love, love the Color Purple. One of my favorite movies and definitely amongst my favorite books, have you read Alice Walker's other novels? I also really enjoyed Possessing the Secret of Joy. Each of her books is so empowering to women. My faves from the book/movie Sofia's speech to Celie after Celie tells Harpo to beat her and ofcourse when Celie puts the knife to 'Misters' throat. I so know what you mean about relating, been feeling like a doormat lately and my job has ALOT to do with that. Your kind words have made my day, thanks again!

Thanks for the advice as far as the length of schooling goes that is not my primary concern, I would go 10 years to find a profession that I enjoy. I have a degree in Biology so I have a majority of upper division credits toward all degrees and meet admission requirements on all. As for staying in nursing, I do enjoy meeting new people and the occasional civil or dare I say 'nice' patient so I would like to stay in an area where I would be exposed to various people just not in the particular manner that I am now exposed to them. I am leaning towards PA. Thanks again for the advice. As far as my username, it is the name of my beloved pet and afterall you are only as old as you feel!

After much soul searching and too many sleepless nights I have decided that for better or worse I need to get out of nursing. Between feeling unappreciated, demeaned, having pts spit on me, physicians using the RNs as emotional punching bags, exposing myself to various diseases and to top it off I am now being stalked by an unbalanced at best member of the housekeeping staff, I have decided I tried my best but the physical and emotional toll is too great. When I decided today that I needed to move on a great weight was lifted and for the first time in months I am actually happy and optimistic about the future. Now where to go from here, I have narrowed it down to Physician's Asst., MRI tech, Ultrasound Tech or Physical Therapist, I really would like to stay in a health related yet less stressful area of practice. Any input or suggestions would be ever so appreciated. Thanks!