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!!!

As soon as I found out that I could start to collect on my TSA (IRA) without paying a penalty at the age of 59.6, I quit at that age. I could have continued my health benefits at my hospital under COBRA for 18 months at the cost of almost $600 a month which I gratiously declinged, being as I am not a millionaire!. I can start to collect SS at 62 and can get medicare at 65. So, if I stay healthy for the next 5 years, I am all set. I quit at 59 due to total and complete burnout and have not regretted it one second. I have always been frugal and still am. Seems to me, that if one has spent their working life in medical service, then some sort of health coverage would be nice. But, then again, I do not live at the end of the yellow brick road!!:chuckle:chuckle

"I think understaffing will get corrected. And I think every nurse should stand up even if it is only by signing a petition or some other act. It is our duty to address it. We all know it is a problem, it has affected many of us and still is affecting many. As nurses we should address it. Convincing people not to bother because it is not going to happen is a guarantee that it won't. Probably a common feeling for those who left the field. I'm thinking of leaving but still want to stand up and say something." Actually, even tho I have quit, I am still very outspoken about nursing conditions and still counsel some of the nurses at my old hospital. I see myself as being realistic and clear about what would have to happen to get change in nursing and I just don't see it happening any time soon. Nurses, for the most part, are the primary earners of their families and feel they can't threaten their jobs by being outspoken. Some even see their jobs as a "calling" and will do anything for the good of humanity. Some just don't want to be bothered and have their own private problems to deal with away from nursing. If we ever have a nurses' revolt, believe me, I will be standing at the front of the line carrying my sign. :yeahthat::sasq:

It was a CRUEL, INSENSITIVE thing to say and I doubt if it was thoughtless; I think that person put a lot of thought into her "put-downs" and undoubtedly, has said other slurs to other nurses. She has probably been ignored, thought of as being funny, or just not taken seriously. :stoneShe needs to be confronted and told that her remarks are inappropriate and have to stop now. If she can't seem to get why you would be upset and tries to slough it off, report her. Bet others will come up to you and share about what she has said about others. People continue to act this way because those around her allow it.

The union at my hospital is so deep in the hospital's pocket it can't see!!! The union members and hospital managers play golf together, go to Hawaion "union" business together. Our union is just for show, it's all politics and money and power. I tried to get the nurses at my hospital to hire a lawyer and negotiate our own contract but most just didn't want to bother. They had too much else to do and wanted someone else to do all the work.

Forty years ago I thought the same way you do; I was very outspoken, stood up for my self and ALWAYS faced nursing problems head on and worked hard for change. WELL, after 40 years of butting my head :banghead:against this unchangeable institution of nursing, I have given up. I was on the front lines for 40 years, working & talking& and counselling other nurses to stand up for themselves, confronting doctors/managers/CEOs. The only change I ever saw was in me: I got more worn, more stressed, older, and more discouraged. Yes, we can make a change but this would mean that EVERY nurse would have to stand up as one and say NO to understaffing, poor pay, no retirement, etc. and that, my dear newbie, is just not going to happen in my life time or yours. I feel you are in for a rude awakening as to the real nursing world and I only hope you are going in with your eyes wide open and with realistic expectations. I fully KNOW what BrokeRN is talking about and I empathize with her and every nurse in her shoes. Only nurses who truly care feel this way; there are lots of nurses out there who have no problem with nursing because they don't care about nursing. Sad that only those of us who care experience burn out and leave. My advice to you: listen to what others have to say about their experiences without judging. Sometimes all we need is an ear, not advice.:redbeathe:redpinkhe

Would I hesitate at giving 25 of REG insulin IV: no, I wouldn't. I would question why he was giving it IV with a BS of 400 which really is not all that high or dangerous. We give insulin drips on our med-surg floor all the time and titrate it as necessary to maintain an ordered BS level. Always a good idea to know as much about why a doctor writes an order before giving it.

:icon_rolloh, please!!! with all the serious stuff going on in a hospital, someone had the nerve to complain about "butt". i would complain about her and her total "stupidity"!!! what a waste of time and effort!!!:yawn::yawn:

think of this as just one of those "growing"experiences in nursing and make it possible to learn from this "special opportunity" for you. if you enjoy the floor and are able to ignore all the bickering from only certain staff, then i would advise you to talk with the manager and get more specifics from her about your "alloofness" and get exactly what she expects from her staff. i would keep the talk only about you and would bring up your opinions of the staff only if she asks. then, work, do your job, and join in the staff talks only if you choose to do so. give it some time and see how you feel later. if, on the other hand, you are not wild about the floor, then talk with the manager, tell her how you are feeling (be honest), put all this in writing for the manager and hr, and then figure out where you would like to go. always leave a position on open and positive terms if possible. your attitudeis what makes it positive and you will be able to grow from this experience. it will happen again and you will know what to do. that's just all the ends and outs of having a job. good luck and i know you will make the right choice for you.:icon_hug:

My worse experience with a JW patient was a mother of 5 children, all under the age of 7, who came in bleeding from an ectopic pregnancy and had to have surgery. Her hematocrit dropped to 6 and she refused any blood products. She was with us for over 3 weeks, lying in bed, getting total care since she was too weak to do anything on her own. When her crit got to over 12, we send her home with her family and I hope she did well. The staff, although having trouble understanding why she would risk leaving her children, were very supportive of her choice and faith and worked hard to help her survive. I can't fault someone who has that much faith and conviction.

I'm with CAREBEAR on this one. The dextrose concent. has to be less than 10%, otherwise, it will thrombose vein and cause BIG problems. You can run lipids through a peripheral line without problems since it has a low dextrose content. I am interested in learning more about your TPN in Canada...could you please fill me in. Thanks.