BlearnRN

So, I took a weekender job at hospital B but still work at hospital A per diem. Hospital A had a weekender job but did not offer it to me/ did not exist until I took hospital B job. B is great but now is becoming somewhat dangerous and is in a state of flux. A filled the weekender job - damn. So I am stuck with B for the primary job. The problem with B is that the floor I am on did not have a manager and now is in debt - so they are cutting staff - dangerously cutting staff. Like mixing the acute side of the floor with the regular side of the floor for assignments. Someone with have 2 acutes and 3 regular patients. The acutes are q2hr vs and checks-on tele- may have drains that a reg floor cannot have- drips. The reg floor may be people up and walking but also may be total cares. There is a lot of people that are upset and leaving - but I have to stick it out because I just got there and left a place ( still per diem) because I thought A was getting a little crazy. A does not have the job I want, but I want to go back---but I can't because I want to go back to school and I just have to wait a bit longer for tuition reimbursment. - So another thing about hosp B - some of the docs are really ignorant and talk down to me - which I give it right back but in a way that is professional- Also there is this one nurse that is completely nuts and is in charge- She notice that I did not give a flu shot before the pt left - but in my defense I found out about an hour before that the pt was suppose to go. So she stopped the transfer. The patient ended up having to sit in a wheelchair for a hour and a half before pharmacy sent up the shot. The patient was crying and was in pain from sitting so long- I could not give her any pain meds because I had just given her some not too long ago. ---- Also I had a pt getting blood and the infusion stopped- so this nurse tells me after she had gone into the room that the infusion had stopped and I needed to flush the line before the line clotted off ( thanks captn obvious). She just keeps doing these wacky things but she is still a real good resource- any advice?

"I should be able to do this. "- I have been telling myself this the last few days on the floor. I realize I am new to the floor, but shouldn't I be picking this up fast. The floor is in the same area that I have been working in, so why am I having time management issues. I have been a nurse for over 2 years. I know how to manage my time. But why am I having trouble? Why, am I late on my tasks? I am so frustrated! I don't like feeling stupid and I feel stupid. I shouldn't have to ask for help but I have to. It is so hard to do this. I thought I would be fine with 3 weeks orientation but I have requested to have the full 7 weeks. New grads usually get the full 7 weeks but, I am not a new grad. The new grads on the floor seem to be flourishing. I could come up with all sorts of excuses as to why this or that is pushed off time - but I shouldn't have excuses. My last preceptor was asking why I did not give a vitamin on time. The basic reason was because I was so busy and it had become hard to focus and it was not given. But that had happened the other days I had worked also. I just feel so bogged down with a new computer system and new skill set. I work per diem at my old place and I told the director a bit of what was going on and she said that there is still a place for me there. But, I wanted to go to this new place because this position gives me more experience within this field than what I am use to. I just don't know. Learning is hard especially when you feel stupid.

So I have worked with a lot of epilepsy patients. Unfortunately there is no common time for an episode or how long the person is postictal. I think you should ask the doctor what you should do if the person has a seizure. Usually they tell patient if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes they should go to the hospital. If it is a violent one where the patient is combative and hitting people - to people turning blue in the face and going into respitory distress - to bones breaking while seizing ---code it. FYI Most people that I have taken care of who go into seizures we are giving them IVP ativan per doc order to stop the seizure or to keep the person from having another.

So I took on a new job. The biggest thing that I am having a problem with is powerchart. It seems like the system is not as friendly as epic. I have been struggling for the past 3 days with powerchart while working on the floor with a preceptor. The system seems so scattered to me. Sometimes things are not on the to do list that are suppose to be or labs are taken off but never sent. Orders are hard to figure out when they pop up. I am just having a problem organizing my day with this program. Not only did I use epic but also had some written charting also. Powerchart is a lot of clicking and then some more clicking of the boxes. It seems to almost take the personal connection out of charting - if that can happen-. I don't know maybe I just need to relax and realize I will get use to this sort of charting. Anyway the big thing is that powerchart makes me feel stupid as a nurse because I feel that I am spending more time charting than with the patients. I didn't become a nurse to become a paper pusher or a box clicker.

Thanks all for replying -So my manager sat me down the other day and asked if i would stay if she offered me a position. - I said I would have to see something in writing - she said that she would have the paperwork on monday and asked if i would reconsider quitting - it is a little more money than I would get at the other hospital - but is it really about the money - no. I have learned the last few days that nurses on the unit are cutting down on there hours and others are considering leaving. A lot of nurses are mad with the short staffing and the ignorance of the manager. The unit I am on really should be a stepdown unit and be staffed appropriately. But it seems like when we say that to the manager, it falls on deaf ears. The ICU has many times sent us a patient that in an hour or so have had to send right back up. This team has accepted people from outside hospitals that are inappropriate - basically dump offs and I heard that they even accepted a pt who arrived dead. It seems like there is no system of checks and balances across the board (in our unit or for this service). I love the experience of hard pts but come on....with this much dissatisfaction and dangerous staffing at times....grrrrr its time to leave

Tell them you were hired on as an cardiac ICU nurse and was excited to get an ICU job but however upon arrival for training you realized that it was not a ICU anymore but a tele unit and they were no longer doing cardiac surgeries at the moment because the cardiology team had left. So you decided that you would give this a try but after 3 months you realized that cardiac ICU was where you wanted to be. - say something like that- hope it helps-

I have been an RN for about 2 years. I left my last job because I could not do overnights. My current job, which I really like and have been there a year, decided that they would not work with me with getting set hours. the reason why I wanted set hours is because I just had a baby. It would be easier for childcare to have set hours or something predictable. I even asked for a weekender position - work sat and sunday- I have sent e-mails and have talked to them several times. I just kept getting a "we will see" or recently e-mail and no reply back. So I put myself back on the market. I did not want to do this but, I want to have my baby looked after by people he knows and plus daycare is crazy expensive. -And I got an interview and even told them the story and how I really like my job but they could not accomodate my needs. To make a long story short - the new place offered me a job and I jumped on it. The same day, I told my current supervisor and it seemed like she brushed it off and really did not have to much to say to me. - That was upsetting-. So today my supervisor called and said she was willing to work with me on getting a weekender position and I should call her back. I really do not know what to do. I like my job but I said yes to the other job. But my current job, it went this far to make them notice I was serious. Another thing is that the new job, a friend recommended me and I don't want to make her look bad if I were to decline. Plus this new job is a really good opportunity to learn new skills and will be easier for me to get to when I move. --- Any suggestions?

Ooooo I am sooo mad! I am on FMLA and I had to take some extra time because I got sick. The diagnosis I am going to keep to myself. However, I told my supervisors that needed extra time off and the reason is because of this certain diagnosis. Come to find out one of them has told and Joe Shmoe ( who I do not directly work with) randomly made a comment to me about my diagnosis. NOW HOW THE HECK AND WHY DOES HE KNOW! I am so MAD! VERY UNPROFESSIONAL of my supervisor to leak MY PRIVATE BUSINESS! :angryfiregrrrrrr! - on top of it all Joe Shmoe's comment was some flip remark/ joke about it to me - which made very upset.

There is this doctor at my hospital that is anti-foley. A person will only have it two to three days. That would be okay if it were a person who could actually get out of bed to the BR or ask to go to the bathroom. But, he will even dc it on a person who has multiple decubs, needs to be turned every two hours and is incontinent of stool. I am all for preventing infection and getting a foley out of someone as soon as possible but, come on! When they are on fluids, confused and aphasic related to a recent stroke they have had. It is not like we have the staff available to be changing these people every 15 to 30 minutes ( most of them also being over or close to 200lbs). - and i don't like the idea of people sitting in a urine soaked diaper so it will get done because it has to-. More times than not, we have had to put the foley back in. So what do you think?

That is so annoying. I hate that. It just goes to show that you need to start checking up on the docs and ask them why the pt is getting the med. It sounds like the doc/pharmacist put the order in for the wrong pt. Plus the chart is not always reliable to do a med check on. I have seen different doses and recommendations for meds in the chart. On top of it all, I have seen residents carrying their notes from that day around with them,of course, with the new order on them. Just start checking up on the orders and ask them why the pt is getting that if you don't know why or if it is a new med. They should be able to explain why. I have even had a resident say " oh , I put the wrong order in on the wrong pt" and then go and change the order. ---Don't feel bad, the pt did not get hurt .

correction 38 weeks about 9 months - no not on maternity leave yet. working up to the last minute, we do not get paid maternity leave.

For the last couple of weeks our pt census on our floor has been low. It sucks, not much to do, low acuity. I did in the beginning welcome the extra day at home and the longer bouts of down time. But now, I am 19 hours short on my next paycheck!!!. I have been called off 2 shifts and then today called off for 3 hours ---This sucks. I would ask to be floated to another dept but, I am 9 mo pregnant. I don't think another unit would welcome me right now. So I am stuck with short hours.

A lot of hospitals will pay a certain amount toward your continuing education. Some hospitals that are connected to a University usually will pay all. But you have to work a certain amount of hours, have been there for at least a yr, and at least carry a C ( i think) average. I think this also goes with the ones that only pay a certain amount toward your education too. However, after you finish your degree there may be a stipulation where you have to work at that hospital for a certain amount of time. I am not sure. But if you like where you work, that won't be a problem.

I already have a BS. I don't have a BSN but an ADN. My thought was I would get a ADN, get a job at a hospital, then when and if I wanted my BSN the hospital I was working at would pay for it - not me. ---4 yr schools are a lot more expensive than community college. Plus, I am still paying off a student loan and on top of it all I didn't want to go through another 4 years of school at that point in my life. By the way, the hospital I work at (which is a big city hospital) everyone who is a new nurse starts out at the same payrate.

Is any other hospital out there doing this? We have just been told that if you do not have a BSN, your pay will be capped and you cannot be promoted past a certain point. Oh and also the nurses that have been there a million year--they are making them either take a demotion in title or go back for a certification/BSN in order to stay at their payrate and title. There is talk about having the million year nurses being "granfathered" in ...... But about this whole thing ---I don't think this is really a smart thing to do especially in a recession and shortage. People are considering leaving and going to a hospital that does not do this. What do you think?