sunneeRN

The interview went well. She said that she is going to offer me the position. She was trying to tell me how busy it is, and how I have to be able to do all this teaching, which is exactly what I expected...but she did manage to get me second guessing if I could handle it. I keep coming back to this...if I can take care of 8 sick, sick oncology patients with a ton of meds, I can probably manage my time on a busy post partum floor once I learn everything that I need to learn. What do you think? Also, I called my current manager to tell her about my interview but she hasn't called back yet. I am just so nervous to tell her that I am going to leave. I feel such a sense of loyalty to my current unit and I feel so bad for leaving them at a time when staffing is very low and the unit as a whole is just in bad shape. Any tips on how to make that phone call a little easier to bear? thanks!

OK so I have my post partum interview today. Why is it that I all of a sudden feel like a new grad? I'm all nervous and driving myself crazy! I feel like I did when I was brand new to med/surg....I feel like everything is so overwhelming and that I won't be able to handle learning a whole new world again.... In need of a pep talk!

Hi, I have posted before about possibly moving from my women's health/oncology position to antepartum, however, a few post partum positions have opened up and that is what I have ALWAYS wanted to do. I have applied, and we are setting up an interview (so nervous!) but before going into the interview I'd like to know a few things. 1. I've been in my current position for 2 years. how long do post partum units typically orient nurses that aren't brand new but are brand new to OB? (I will ask at the interview, but I'd like to know what is normal) 2. Will it be a really difficult transition for me, going from having 7-8 patients to having 7 pairs of moms and babies? 3. what is the normal nurse to patient/baby ratio? (again, I will ask what their's is, but I need something to compare it to) Thanks a lot!!!!! I sure hope I can be among the OB nurses soon!

thanks for the posts so far! my manager's response to our staffing concerns were " i guess it's time to be creative." i wanted to ring her neck. Hard to be "creative" when I am trying to assess, pass meds, walk patients, help them to the bathroom, chart, try to find a working computer, try to find supplies, do a million dressing changes, try to make patient's families happy, pass water pitchers and nourishments, and deal with cranky residents. just to name a few. day shift says that she leaves every day at 2:30 regardless of whats going on on the unit. takes 4-5 smoke breaks a day, and never asks to help anyone. one day, they did try to put her to work and it took her 45 minutes to straight cath someone and draw blood from a port. and she still doesn't have a clue. sorry about the vent haha

I feel like a clumsy fool in my dansko's. (great description by the other poster about walking on wooden blocks!) At the end of the shift, my arches and the top of my feet hurt so bad, i want to toss them in the river. i've tried wearing them several times because they were so expensive, but i had to admit defeat and give them to one of the nurses that loves them. I have a pair of K Swiss that I really like, however a lot of the nurses swear by those nike shocks (not sure if I spelled that right) Good Luck!

OK things are progessively getting much worse on my unit as far as staffing and staff morale. The attitude is "if my patients are still breathing, than it's ok." That is not OK with me. Last night, I cared for 9 sick oncology patients. One of them was a nun, and we talked for 20 minutes. When I walked out of that room, I cried. She told me that she felt we were failing her..(poor thing had actually been DROPPED off the OR table, and then proceeded to have a lot of unfortunate events happen post op). I did not become a nurse, only to hear my patients say that. Thankfully, I have stayed true to myself and give my whole heart, and 100% dedication to these wonderful people but my morale is going down the tubes as well. Nurses have tried talking with the manager and nothing is changing. budget, budget, budget. I can't sit back and let this happen. So I need some help. Please, if you are an oncology nurse, or even med surg, what is your nurse to patient ratio, or what do you feel is a managable patient assignment on oncology? And do you feel that the morale on your unit is the same? I keep hearing that it's worse at other places, but that really makes me sad. I'm considering taking an OB position now, so that I can feel like I'm making a difference. (They are better staffed in our hospital than we are.) Oh what to do! Thank you for listening and for your help!

i take care of A LOT of post ops and to be truthful, the only time I really look at the intraoperative notes is if I have concerns about something. If they get to the floor and have a sky high blood pressure, I will look at the trends and everything, but I'll tell you what I DO review everytime is the PACU notes. How much pain medication they required, their vitals, etc. Sometimes if they complain of weird pains, I will check out their positioning in the OR but the only things I am really concerned with are VS trends, intakes, outputs, and EBL. Don't really have time to look at much else!

Hi everyone! OK I've been a women's health/oncology nurse for 2 years now. I love the people I work with, and I love most of the patients, but I've always, ALWAYS wanted to be an OB nurse. I work in a women's hospital, so transferring would be very easy for me to do. However, something is holding me back and I'm not sure what it is. I don't know if I'm afraid to lose med/surg skills or what, but I'm having a hard time deciding what to do. Here is my question. When you decided to become an OB/Gyn nurse, did you feel like you were losing skills? I know I would have to learn an entire new area of nursing (which I would love) with an entire new area of skills to learn, but something in me wants to always keep up on whats new in the med/surg world. maybe i'm just afraid of specializing? I'd really love your input. There is a position open now in high risk antepartum. Should I go for it?! thanks!

I have to say that we hired a nurse that was 7 months pregnant and while I don't know the details, I do know that our manager had to let her go after she had the baby. The manager said, though, that when she was able to return to work, she could rehire her.

Pittsburgh, PA I started at 19.03 an hour. Now, it is 20.03/hr. 21.03/hr if you work night shift

You know what?! Those are wonderful suggestions. Thats what I needed, a kick in the behind to start LIVING my LIFE! Thank you!!! You are all great!

I am a young nurse (24 years old) and I work steady night shift. I was just wondering, if you are my age (or when you were my age), what do or did you do on your days off? Sometimes I feel like the entire universe is at work while I sit at home during the day and honestly, i get sorta bored. (married but have no kids) Would you recommend nights to someone my age? I realize the solution would be to work day shift, but the day shift is so busy, hectic, and crazy, that I'd really rather not. Those nurses don't end up leaving until 9:30 pm anyhow! So what do you do to occupy your time on your days off?! Thanks!

Glad you are considering Pittsburgh! There is the West Penn/Allegheny Health System, and West Penn has just become magnet, but I work for UPMC. So really, I can only tell you about what I know...UPMC has a TON of hospitals all over Pgh and surrounding areas. What type of nursing are you interested in? Magee Women's Hospital of UPMC specializes in womens health and OB, there is Children's Hospital of UPMC, Presby(lots of trauma and transplants), Montiefore, and a lot of other smaller UPMC hospitals all over. They also have Western Psych if you are interested in psych nursing. My starting pay as a new BSN grad was 20.03/hr and that was around 2 years ago. UPMC always hires new grads. Now the hospital that I work for has its problems, just like any other hospital...but I find that I work with a lot of supportive, smart nurses and that made starting as a GN very nice. I would suggest going to www.upmc.com for nursing info. I just got a list of all of the hospital's HR departments and started calling. It helps if you know someone, though. If you are ever in the area, the best thing to do is to just go to one of the hospitals and speak directly with nursing unit managers. a lot of times, HR says that they aren't hiring, but the unit managers beg to differ! As far as apartments, there are a ton everywhere. I'm sure you will have no problem at all finding one of those. Good Luck with your nursing career in pittsburgh! its a great place for research and learning! Here is a website for upmc that summerizes what each hospital specializes in: http://www.upmc.com/HospitalsFacilities/HFHome/Hospitals/

at my hospital, they want us to say upon discharge "thank you for choosing (our hospital), we know you have a choice as to where you want to receive your healthcare and we are glad that you chose us"....i'm sorry but if i say that, I will truly feel like I work at a hotel or something. I'd rather say have a safe trip home, feel better soon....or something heartfelt in my own words!

I have to agree with above poster. At our hospital, RN's wear all white. On weekends when my boss isn't around, I wear printed jackets and my onc patients love them. They always make a comment on how a bright jacket is so much nicer to look at than the white all of the time. To me, as long as you look clean and professional, it shouldn't matter what you choose to wear.

Our unit, like every other, is understaffed...leaving many of the nurses working voluntary overtime. I am one of a few nurses, though, that does not like to work overtime. I like spending that time at home with my husband and my family. Since I work nights, working an extra shift involves 2 days, not just one because I have to sleep. It seems though, that some of the night nurses that I work with are ticked because a few of us won't volunteer for overtime. I say that it's not my fault that we aren't staffed appropriately. I do feel bad when they report having a lousy night, but I enjoy my family time. How do you all feel about this? Do any of your coworkers give you a hard time about not doing voluntary overtime?

I have to be honest, as a newer nurse, none of this ever occured to me until I read this thread. in my assessment, i ask the patient if they've moved their bowels and if they have, i dont worry about it. if they haven't for awhile, i just bring it to the doctor's attention. we usually don't have prn orders for laxatives or supps. and when they are ordered, we just give them as they are ordered, without regard to what the other shift may think. i never thought about "dumping" the work on another shift. Then again, most of our patients are post op, and dont move their bowels for several days but still, thank you for opening my eyes to the world of the rules of supps!

I went to a bigger university and in nursing school, during our foundations of nursing labs, we did have to remove our shirts but it was only with one other person (the person doing the assessment) and an instructor watching. and of course, we wore bras so it was like being in a bathing suit. we never removed pants. to be honest, i cant remember whether it was for heart and lung sounds or what, but i do remember that we had to do it twice...once for when we were working on those particular areas and once for the head to toe exam. we had to be paired with a member of the same sex as well. i'm sure, though, that if someone had been opposed to removing their shirt, they would have not given them any problems. hope that helped!

I've been an RN for almost 2 years now. I was the most insecure nurse you'd ever meet at first (sometimes still am!), so here is my advice. 1. Trust your assessment. If family is in the room, ask them to step out for a moment so that you don't feel the need to hurry. Assess your patient, head to toe. Ask them questions. Tell them the plan for the shift (if you know). ex. "Today, will will help you wash at the sink, physical therapy will see you, and you have a scheduled MRI." That way, when the time comes for that MRI, they aren't asking you why the heck they are going! 2. IF you have downtime, even for 5 minutes, find another nurse to see if he/she has anything interesting going on with their patients, ex. inserting a foley, NG tube, starting a tube feed, etc. 3. When calling an MD, have information readily available. I always grab the bedside chart for most recent vitals, previous nurse's notes, their I/O sheet, and their chart. That way, the doctor isn't on hold while you are running to find info. They appreciate this and it helps you to gather your thoughts. 4. Find a nurse that you can trust with anything. When you are feeling overwhelmed and maybe insecure, talk with that one person. I still go to one particular nurse for ANYTHING and she loves that I trust her and she has helped me a great deal over the past 2 years. 5. Don't be afraid to ask questions. I still ask a ton of questions, and I find that some questions that I ask, even seasoned nurses do not know...so we we look up the info together. 6. When receiving report, have a system that is individual to you and use it every time. For example, I take report with a black pen and I highlight in pink things that need to be done first. Anything that happens on my shift that is new, (new orders, changes in physical assessment, etc) I write in red so that when I give report, I know this is a change and can pass it along. 7. Something that I started doing when I was brand new was having a space on my report sheet called "my assessment." and I find this EXTREMELY helpful. I have my report sheet in chart form, so I have the basic info first. Name, MD, hosptial day since admission, diagnosis, Past medial history, allergies, IV fluids, PCA settings, Diet/Activity, VS, I/O, Accu checks, labwork. Then, I have a box for "report" where I write down info that the previous nurse gives me, and the next box is entitled "My assessment." After leaving a pt's room, I dont always have time to chart, so I jot down my assessment on my repor sheet..i only write things that are abnormal so that when I chart, i know everything else was normal. for example i jot down, crackles at left base, abd inc with steris, pain 8/10 in LLQ and i will write med. with 2 perc at 2130. That makes charting so much easier later. Also remember, that if your facility charts by exception, then CHART BY EXCEPTION! You are taught to write a full note in school, but charting by exception will save loads of time, especially when you still have paper charting. They made it that way for a reason. That doesn't mean that you didn't do a full assessment. If you check off respiratory, that means that you assessed respiratory and it was within normal limits. 8. Finally, prioritizing is key but it TAKES TIME! I remember wanting to complete as many tasks as possible at first. Constantly running in and out of rooms wastes time. Before you start running off your behind, think ahead. Say to yourself "I have to give room 311 meds at 9. When I go in, I will take all the supplies for the 11 pm dressing change." That will save time later. My biggest advice, though, to a new nurse is this. If you have to go to the bathroom, GO! If you are thirsty and parched, get a drink! Take care of yourself. You don't want to hurry through administering medications because you can't hold your urine for another second...it is dangerous for you and for the patient. Take those 2 minutes for yourself. Even when I am so busy that I can't stop for a second, I take the time to pee....the 2 seconds away from the nursing world is needed to just stop, relax, and relieve yourself!!!!!

I work onc and med/surg night shift. we have 4 nurses on the floor total (thats usually 3 RN's and 1 LPN) for 28 patients, so we each get 7. For 28 patients we have 2 patient care techs at most. We (nurses) do all assessments, documentation on paper, dressing changes, all meds. The techs are usually very busy, so we do a lot of getting people up to the bathroom, ambulating them in the halls, etc as well. I dont mind it at all, only when i am so busy that i can't sit down or pee, or eat for 12 hours. We also do our own chart checks. The most time consuming task, though, is passing meds. we have computerized MAR and usually only 1-2 computers working on the floor so we have to share...takes me at least 2 hours to pass my 9pm meds!

Everyone, thank you so much for making me feel normal! Yes, it definately has gotten progressively better, but like I said, I do make it hard on myself. The other day, I found a mistake a doctor made and instead of saying to myself, "good job on finding that mistake" i said to myself "oh my gosh, i wonder if i would have found this any other day?" isn't that weird? Regardless, i'm glad that other semi-new nurses feel the same way as I do. our nurse to patient ratio in onc is usually 7-8 to one nurse on nights. until i came on allnurses, i was told that this was a very good ratio and that it was much worse at other hospitals. now i feel better because i know that on most nights, i can handle 7 onc patients without too much stress. thank you to all who responded. I really appreciate you taking the time to ease my mind!

i wish i had time to read all of these, they are funny!..here is my experience. had a pt who had a lumpectomy. her husband pressed the call light and said "i just called 5 minutes ago and no one's been in yet. all my wife needs is a pillow behind her head and you don't even have to bring one, there is one in here" i was furious especially since the lady was up walking around, turning herself in bed, etc, .........another nurse went in and said "sir, you don't need a nursing degree to put a pillow behind your wife's head" and the man said that he refused to do it because that was "our job." so he would rather sit there and do nothing rather than try to put a pillow under his wife's head to make her more comfortable...come on...geez!

The other night, my patient was an avid runner and the bp machine said that her heart rate was 200..when i rechecked myself, it was 48. Also (and this is funny) my friend at Children's hospital said that a CNA reported that all patients had high pressures one night. my friend put the bp cuff on a cabbage patch doll for laughs and the machine actually read a bp haha...so no, i usually do not rely on the machines!

This is probably going to sound odd being that i'm a nurse, but here goes. I am recently married, and was a virgin. My husband and I are having a very hard time having intercourse. it seems very painful once he is in approx. 3 inches. i've talked with my gyne who said that there was nothing wrong with my most recent gyne exam. as you may know from previous posts, i am a very anxious person and i believe that my anxiety may have something to do with it, but...can anyone think of anything else that may be causing this to happen? the gyne was able to use a reg. sized speculum on me as well. my husband has been patient with me, but he is starting to get frustrated. it feels like he is pushing up against a wall and it is so painful that i cry. I have to say that I am not very familiar with my own anatomy and so not only is this uncomfortable for me to talk about, but its driving me nuts that I don't know what could be wrong...any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

Hi, I am new to the board but have been a nurse for a year and a half. i work as an RN for inpatient gyne onc. Looking for some answers to the questions that always burn in my mind! the first is this...why after a year and a half do i still have major anxiety going into work? i still don't feel completely comfortable at my job and once i get there, the first few hours are crazy...i work the night shift and i feel very overwhelmed for a couple of hours. i am running around while everyone else is calm...and i even have good time management! Is it because i care too much? I feel like I need to see my patients all within the first hour. is that even possible? the second is this...i want to help my patients, i want them to be comfortable, i want to give them the best care possible. but i am too hard on myself and i put too much pressure on myself. are my feelings normal? i mean this far into the game, were all of you still feeling this way? seems like the people that i work with are very laid back. will i ever feel that way? or will i always be so high strung? finally, this one is simple and probably been asked on here a thousand times. what is the typical nurse to patient ratio on nights for oncology patients? thank you all for your time. its nice to have nursing professionals to lean on. i have no nurses in my family that can talk with me about all of my fears. have a great day!