chartnurse

1) Worked in nursing 30 yrs 2) Currently in QM, previous MICU, CCU, SICU, ER, OR. 3) Ohio 4) BSN 5) I think as professionals, nurses should have a "uniform" and it should be white. I wore white for years with no problem - very easy to keep clean because it can be bleached. I love the crispness of nice white clothes and don't find them at all intimidating. 6) Caps have gone the way of the dinosaur. They were uncomfortable and unsanitary - nurses would wear them daily even if soiled and yellow. I agree with name tags clearly stating "RN', and nurses wearing their school pins.

P_RN, I'd love to work in your fantasy hospital. I fantasize of enough time to really spend with your patient, listening to their stories and getting to know them. An endless supply of pillows and blankets (without snatching from another unit). More money. Christmas bonuses. Thanksgiving turkeys. Profit sharing. If nurses help reduce length of stay, give the nurse a bonus. Good outcome? Reward the nurse financially. It is done for physicians, why not nurses? We are the ones with the most impact on LOS and outcomes.

Personal experience makes me a firm believer in Tyelenol to help sleep. If I am still awake at midnight after a busy day, and just can't settle down to sleep, I get up and take one tylenol. Within minutes of returning to bed, I am sound asleep until the alarm clock wakens me. I don't think this is psychological, we all react differently to medications. And as others have said, it may be the the pain relieving effects which help - although I never feel achey. The important part is if it works for you, go with it - and don't discount your patients reports of 'non-traditional' methods.

Last year the nurses each recieved a limp carnation. A bagel + juice breakfast was offered one day for those who worked and were able to leave their stations (guaranteed poor turnout, no provisions for off-shifts). This year we all recieved one miniature snickers bar, with a note it was to remind us to laugh more often. They just don't get it - we need respect and improved working conditions year round.