Violetucf

I had to bump this thread because I'm 15 weeks pregnant and also work in the ER. I'm surprised that many nurses suggested to "get help" lifting. I was advised by my OB not to do ANY lifting or pushing of stretchers. It's just to much strain on the already delicate womb. Luckily, my manager and clinic leader have been understanding. I made sure to let them know about my pregnancy before I started showing and before I ran into any problems, including unknowingly giving me an assignment with a really infectious pt. Although, I did have one male CL tell me I shouldn't get any special treatment because I'm pregnant, including transporting pts on heavy stretchers through hallways and elevators. :icon_roll I promptly told him there will be things that I will NOT be doing, and that was the end of that conversation. I don't think it's fair to call any pregnant nurse "lazy" for any reason, no matter how lazy they may have been before. Being pregnant I feel is the ultimate responsibility. You are the sole provider and caregiver for your baby, and no job is worth risking having a miscarriage. It's a lot of pressure. So I say cut preggo nurses some slack. The majority of us want to do a good job and be a part of the team, but not at the expense of the baby. As ER nurses, we should be especially sympathic because how many bleeding, crying miscarrying women do we see on a regular basis and prep them for D&Cs and so forth. No woman wants that to happen to them and it's a scary reality. I agree with the poster who said even though pregnancy is not considered a disability, it's definatly a delicate physical condition. So far, I haven't had any major issues. Luckily, I haven't had any major problems besides getting drained from time to time. And when that happens, it's time to take a time out and eat something and drink a bunch of water. Sometimes the ER can get really busy and hectic and they will try to give you pt after pt. And sometimes you have to advocate for yourself and your baby and let your CL's know you need to slow down and get caught up or take your lunch. I'm not showing much yet, so I think sometimes they forget I'm pregnant. And I hope to take my last month of my pregnancy off if financially feasible. So for any other preggo nurses needing advise, just remember that it's important to be a good nurse, but nobody needs more TLC than your baby :)

Hello. I can completely sympathize with you. I went through the same thing you did in the beginning of my college career. I entered college as a premed/biology student and was immediately overwhelemed with the science classes. I've always loved science and had always excelled in it, so I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong. I ended up failing a few of my major science classes and my GPA went into the gutter. It was very depressing and I was disappointed with myself. I also had a lot of other personal issues going on at the same time, which didn't help my stress with school. I decided to change directions and thought about several different career paths. I've know forever that I wanted to help people in a direct way, so I thought of things along the lines of sociologist, psychologist, and teacher. While working in the hospital during school, it never really occured to me that I could have a career in nursing, even though I worked with them all the time. Till one day, I saw nurses respond to a code blue on the floor one day, and I was just awe struck. Then I realized that nursing could really be an option for me. So I did a lot of research, and started on my way to nursing school. And I don't regret it at all, I love my job. Nursing really has endless avenues and I think it is the most slept on careers. Becoming a nurse is by no means an easy feat. There's still lots of science, but if you have an interest for science, it's doable. Looking back now, I had zero study skills coming into school and I really just lacked real direction. Do lots of research and find out what it is that you really like and what your good at. If you think you might like nursing, get an entry level job in a hospital. See if you like the atmosphere. And its all about having confidence, find something you like and stick with it and tell yourself you're going to make it no matter what. Hope that helps and good luck.

Thanks for posting this. I've never heard of this either. And I work with lots of PEG tubes. Never heard of one coming out though, and what to do. Very valuable info.

LOL. That is genius! I'm definately trying that one!

Hello. I work on a PCU floor at night and we predominately elders patients, so I'm no stranger to yellers. If they have dementia, there isn't a whole lot that can be done outside of medication. Sometimes the yelling is a comfort thing for them because they know someone will come in the room if they yell long and loud enough, regardless to the misery they are putting their roommates through. Some of them feel abandoned and helpless in the hospital and yelling for a nurse is a way to gain some control. For the ones that aren't confused, remind them that they can reach the nurse by using the call light, and make sure that someone does go in the room promptly when they do. And make sure they can reach the call light or modify it so they can press the button. Also, sitting with the patient in the room when you're not busy or doing your charting in the room if possible will keep them from feeling abandoned. And make sure they have everything they need in reach (tissue, water, urinal, etc). I know it can be frustrating, but I think after a while it just becomes part of the background noise, much like the alarms and dings of pumps and monitors. But don't just ignore them, cause bringing the patient comfort is really part of the job.