RNrural

Living in a rural area prevents the patients from getting to an ER very quickly. Although many farmers in this area will use duct tape on lacerations and finish the job they are working on prior to coming to the hospital ! Our Doc's use the 6 hour rule in the decision to suture or not.

After graduating in May my loans have become due as well. To make extra money I also work extr shifts at the hospital I am employed at. I also take call for the Hospice in our area and sometimes see their pts. These all help pay the bills.

Have you tried a night shift? I, as a new graduate had to move to night shift in the hospital I had worked for for 10 years as an CNA. I knew I would hate it but I had no choice and I hoped I would get on days quickly. Well suprise....I actually like the night shift! As long as I protect my time to sleep I do great. We really work as a team on nights and I really enjoy that aspect. You might try the shift out and see how you do.:heartbeat

I also work Hospice and I truly believe that the human spirit will many times prolong death until the moment the family leaves the room. I think they do not want to have their family see them die. I have also seen people hang on until a loved one arrives and die shortly thereafter. I do not find it necessary to inform the family of a difficult passing. My compassion for the family would prevent me from doing that.

I have been on the night shift for almost a year and I will be working Christmas Eve of course!

Way to Go!!! :ancong!: Welcome to the wonderful world of Nursing!

I used to wear nothing but Nike Shox but I switched to Danskos last year and I love them!

In the rural areas such as the one I work in the RN's mix everything. We do not have a pharmacist 24 hours a day. If it needs mixed, no matter what it is, we get it out of the pyxis and mix it.

I agree, nights are really great for a new nurse. My best advice to you is to make your sleep very important. You need your sleep and you need to let everyone know that you will not be available during that time...no exceptions! I do great on the night shift because I make sure to get my rest. I became an RN in July but have worked the night shift since last January after working the day shift as a CNA for 10 years. I like the atmosphere of the night shift. Best of Luck!

Flatbelly, I can completely symathize with you as I was a CNA for 10 years. I became an LPN last year and an RN last July and I work in the same hospital. Please remember that there are good nurses and bad nurses wherever you are in your career. The nurses that treated me poorly as a CNA still treat me the same as an RN. This made me realize that it has nothing to do with you but everything to do with them. Continue to do your job with only your patients in mind and you will always be great at what you do! Do not let the bad apples ruin how you view your job or your future! As long as your goal is to give the best care you can to your patient, it will all work out in the end. Things became easier when I listened to my patient rather than the other staff members.:wink2:

Just hang in there it will get better! I am also a new RN although I started the night shift as an LPN last January. It takes a few months for your body to adjust to working nights. Like me, you are probably a little nervous about your skill level and this causes us to be a bit slower...oh well. As your skill increases your comfort level will improve as well. As you become more comfortable you will not be so stressed and you will probably rest better. Make sure you allow yourself enough sleep and hydrate well. When you are rested you will feel much better. Give it all time you will do great. I have actually decided that I like the night shift!:redpinkhe

It is a wonderful feeling isn't it! :ancong!::clpty:

In our rural hospital the RN's are required to have ACLS, TNCC, PALS, NRP and STABLE. When I graduated in May I stated these right away. Got my last certification in October Whew! We work all areas, med/surg, er, labor and delivery and special care. We all have to have up to date certifications.

At our small rural hospital we have been self scheduling for a few years and it works great! We are divided in 2 groups. The empty schedule is put out on the first. The first group has 5 days to get their 3 shifts a week and 4 call shifts written in. Then it is the second groups turn to do the same. On the 11th the schedule is put out with revisions needed and everyone has a chance to pick up extra shifts if there are any. The next month the groups switch and the other group schedules first. This has really worked great for us...:wink2:

When my son was 13 he fractured his femur and was in pinned skeletal traction for 31 days and then a spica cast for 8 weeks. When we moved him up in bed one nurse stood at the foot of the bed and lightly supported the weights as we moved my son up in bed. The weights were never removed. The support by the nurse at the weights kept them from pulling hard on the pin sites. Worked great!

Sorry you had such a rough day! It is just a fact that things like this happen when you work OB. There is no way to know exactly how a delivery will proceed. The secret is to be ready for anything. Because of the stress of the day, you are feeling defeated. Shake it off and go on because the mistakes you might have made today will stick in your mind and it won't happen again. Experience (whether good or bad) is the best teacher. Do not let anyone elses opinion affect how you feel about yourself or your skill level. Truth be known, they have all probably made the same mistakes! After you get through another delivery it will be easier to leave it all behind you!:heartbeat

I graduated with my RN last May at the ripe age of 49. I work in a rural hospital where I do everything..ER, med/surg, tele, OB and Special Care. I plan on working forever! It has made me feel younger..Go for it, never say never!:heartbeat

Many times as an RN I have done things I might not have thought I would be doing(such as cleaning poop off of the floor). The first mistake we make is thinking it is not our job. We are in this together. Of course I work in a 15 bed rural hospital where on the night shift there are a total of 2 RN's on staff and NO ONE else! I never think twice about whether something is my job or not, I just get it done. The patients need to be respected, and poop left on the floor is very disrespectful. The patients are everyones job.

I live in farm country USA which generally votes republican. I am a registered independent because I cannot agree with the entire philosophy of either party. I choose who I vote for by the person and what they stand for as well as how their policies will affect me. This farm girl RN will cast my vote tommorrow morning for OBAMA!

You are not too old! Don't they say that 40 is the new 30?(ha) Actually I just graduated last May at 48 and I have now worked as an RN for 4 months! BEST thing I have ever done....I had a wonderful time in school. Never say never and shoot for the stars. We are never too old to achieve our dreams!! I love being an RN..:heartbeat

At our hospital we all contribute $20 to the fund. I have found I actually pay less per year this way than when we collected each time we sent flowers etc. It works great in my opinion!

My son is quadriplegic from an MVC and has a suprapubic cath. He uses a large bag at night and a leg bag during the day. We were taught at Craig Hospital to use alcohol pads on the connections, wash the bags out with water and then wash them out with bleach and water (1:10). Then you hang them to dry until the next change. This has worked great for the last eight years. He very rarely has UTI's. This must be done with each bag change without fail.

Very, very good! It made me think back to my pinning...:wink2: And congratulations on your achievment, the best is yet to come!

I thought TNCC was one of the best classes I could have taken to enable me to be a competent RN. Pay great attention to the nursing process and work on your skills for a head to toe assessment and you will do great. Get your book early if you can and learn the ABCDEFGHI modes of assessment. Enjoy the class! :wink2:

After working days for 10 years as a CNA I became an RN and in our hospital new RN's start on night shift. I really dreaded the change! I began nights in Jan. as an LPN and became an RN in July. After 8 months on the shift I have been suprised at how well I actually like it. I like everyone else, like not having all of the outside influences and spending time with my patients. Because there are only 2 nurses on at night we work much more as a team than the days do. Of course when it is busy we are really busy! There are times that I miss the interactions of the day shift. All in all I like the night shift and I have really enjoyed being an RN.:wink2: