siggie13

I was a nurse for 47 years and then, i retired. I retired because i was just tired of fighting management in order to maintain good nursing care for my patients and a safe, satisfying work place for my staff. The one rule i always worked by is "People treat you the way you let them". I told all my new nurses to stand up for themselves ( hard to do when you are new) and always respect yourself. My first day i was scared, unsure of my ability to care for others, alittle awe struck by older staff BUT i knew how i was going to be treated by others. I was not unsure of my worth as a person. I have had some bad times when i just turned and walked away from a yelling doctor, nurse, patient but i did walk away and loved myself more for it .

First, let me say that people will tell you not to take it personally BUT it is a situation that is being directed at you , SO it is personal. Now, everyone has a right to their own opinion and not everyone will like you or want you as their nurse. That's life but in the same vein, you can choose not to have a particular patient because of what ever reason. In my career, I have refused to care for many patients and did not always have a definite reason; I just didn't feel right with certain patients and did not want them. We all have a choice and have to live with those choices. Whenever I was "dismissed" by a patient, I told myself it was personal, not professional. It was me they didn't want, not my nursing abilities. It is a job, not a popularity contest. So, feel bad if you want but do it for only a short amount of time , then get back in the game. I tell myself frequently, "IT IS MY OPINION OF MYSELF THAT COUNTS, NOT SOMEONE ELSE'S.":D:D:loveya:

I found this post and all the answers very interesting. In my 40 years of nursing, I have seen IV theory come and go but one basic always remained: do as little harm to the vein as possible. When I start an IV, I have a few simple goals: choose a site that is comfortable for the patient and not in the way, anchor the IV well so it does not move and irritate the skin and vein, and use the smallest catheter I can get by with in order to prolong the time the site can be used and to cause as little damage to the vein. If I "need" a 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 or a 12, then I put one in. I do not just automatically use any size just because "that's the best and what we always do". I assess the patient, the purpose for the IV, etc. and then, I choose the size. I always think long term on any IV start. "

At work, it would have to be " JUST PRIORITIZE!" In real life, the two works would be: can't and should.

yes!!!!!:yeah:

i am so pleased that you are asking us nurses this question. i, who have been in the nursing profession for over 40 years, have worked in all areas and with many different doctors, feel i can give a good insight on what i appreciate. the best doctor i ever worked with has been a nurse before she went to med school. she always greeted the staff by name, got to know us personally, and was interested in our take on her patients. when she wrote orders, she asked the nurse if the orders made sense, if the nurse was able to carry out the orders and i never saw her order any frequent check that was not necessary. her patients that needed close watching got sent to the icu or imcu. she knew how many patients we had and knew we could not handle our load and a complicated patient. she was just nice. i personally have 10 years of school with many extra courses that took time. i know my stuff and appreciate a doctor who knows his also. we are a team and could not function without each other. please learn as much about pain control as you can. my biggest gripe with doctors is their lack of knowledge when it comes to giving the right amount and the right drug to control pain.

Like you, I am very glove conscious. I do remember one time when I was called to start an IV on an AIDS patient many years ago. I came in, intoduced myself, did all my prep work (checking for veins, checking old sites: all the time touching the patient with my hands. Then, I put on my gloves and started the IV. Took off my gloves, washed, shook his hand, thanked him and left. I received such a look from him of gratitude and now, I think I know why. Thanks for your story.:redbeathe

When asked this rude question, my reply always is, "NOT ENOUGHT!!" End of questions usually.

I am really good at drawing blood and starting IVs (worked IV therapy for years) and yet, this one return drug addict that I saw about 4 or 5 times a year was impossible for me. The first time I met him, I tried to draw his blood and start an IV and just could not. He asked if he could help, I handed him the cannula and in it went, no problem. He stuck a place that I would have never tried and I never saw a vein. From then on, when he came in, I just handed him the cannula. It's his body and I had no problem letting him lessen him painful sticks. My ego could handle it and I didn't have a problem with it. After all this time, I still don't know how he got those veins!!!!:yeah:

All I can say is if that had happened to me I would be living large because not only would I have called the police and pressed charges, I would also have sued him for all he was worth!!! Please, stand up for yourself and all the other nurses he will run into and report this to your manager and to the chief of staff. HOW DARE HIM STRIKE YOU! Do not let him get away with this and PLEASE, know that you are too worthy to be treated like that.:angryfire

Let me tell you why I quit; if these things had been changed, I would still be nursing today. No one in management seemed to listen to me and I knew, being a nurse with 40 years experience, that they needed to listen to my opinions. I was even in management and I got the usual "attentive" listening act and then, nothing was ever done. No "interesting idea but not plausable", no "we'll take that under advisement", nothing. Just a smile and "thank you". Too many patients with too few staff!!. Not the right mix of staff..needed RNs, LPNs and CNAs. Patients were too sick and not the right ratio of staff to patient. I was the floor charge nurse and I literally wore myself out, assisting my staff with their care and with emergencies. And dealing with patient complaints. Complaints usually stemming from too few staff. Fighting to get time off. Being told that my staff could not take their earned time off due to no replacements. Got sooo tired of this fight. Not being backed up by my manager when it came to doctor complaints, patient complaints, etc. I am very outspoken and stood up for myself and my staff and most of the time, I felt I was standing there by myself. Having to deal with changes that were not discussed first with the staff. I would come to work and find new equipment, new policy, new computer programs, etc. The hospital just stopped asking for our input and feedback. Seemed those in charge of making policy and buying new "stuff" were not nurses on the floor and could not remember the last time they actually worked as "real " nurses. In short, I just got tired of the same run around, the same "run my a__ off at work" every day, and never seeming to get anywhere. The patients were getting sicker, more complicated, more demanding, and I was toast!. Enough already and I quit. I truly miss nursing and do not miss all the stress I was putting on myself and having put on me.

you can make a difference for yourself if you remember several things: when you don't know something ask!! please find someone that you trust and is a good teacher, talk with her/him and ask for their help and advice. procedures that you need practice with: tell the staff at start of shift that you would like to do any of these procedures that come up. be very up front about what you know and what you don't know and keep in mind that no one knows everything and everyone has to ask for help sometimes. ask questions of doctors, patients, other staff. we all have been there and this is how we all learned. take deep breaths, and be kind to yourself. you will learn and soon you will return the favor by helping others. if you encounter those who do not have your best interest at heart, avoid them like the plague!! no on needs to be around bad vibes. admit mistakes and pat yourself on the back when you do well. floor nursing is difficult and oh, so rewarding. hang in there...you can do it!!:up:

:lol2:Thanks for the site....just sent mine in and do have good thoughts about the poll helping. Keep getting calls from nurses at my old work place, begging me to come back to help them out. It has been a year now since I worked as a nurse and I can't even imagine going back. My WHOLE life is different now and for once, I am placing myself above others. FEELS GOOD.:lol2:

Forgot to add a few thoughts: I never took meds simply because I just don't like to take anything that is not OTC for personal reasons. I did find that if I made myself throw up that my pain was decreased. Also, meditating seemed to help if I was able to concentrate enough but as you all know, that is hard when you have a migraine.:redbeathe:redbeathe To all of us in this boat.

i am 60 and cannot remember a time that i didn't have migraines. my mom called them "sick headaches" and she, too, suffered from them. i had all the symptoms: light sensitiviy, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, dizziness, etc. there even was a time when smelling a certain cheese triggered a migraine. mine would last for at least 5 days, if not longer, and i was literally house bound. getting into nursing only made them worse and i found that caffeine and advil were the only things that helped. like others, if i woke up with one, i was done for!! now, the good news!!!! as i got older, the frequency has lessened and i was only getting one every month or so. since i retired from nursing and my stress level has dropped drastically, i can't remember the last time i had a migraine. i have headaches but nothing compared to a migraine. i know that i was a very stressed kid and a stressed nurse and now with less stress, less migraines. hopefully, you will be like me and have a decrease in them as you get older. getting older has to have some perks!!!