momthenRN

There are so many avenues to nursing. There are some areas that require more intuition than others. But for the most part, you learn so many skills in school that help you anticipate mentally "what to ask" the patients and family you have to deal with. You will be fine. Trust yourself and your passion to help others.

Ours actually not only emphasized clinical skill and knowledge but the teamwork that needs to be present. It also concentrated on timeliness, communication and professionalism. Our peer reviews are tough.

extra 2 bucks per hr regardless of experience, temperment or attitude! Sometimes it seems like peanuts,...but at least it is something,...

How can people comment on things they no NOTHING about? Tell her that this job is demanding and youat are making all your money in 3 days that most people need 5 for. She needs to butt out and get a life,...

I like to think that what I do is a little less stressful in ICU. I fill in for charge and work staff nurse 3 12 hr shifts per week. I might pull an occasional extra shift for desperate shifts. I like to leave my job there once I leave. The more I do charge, the less it feels like I am doing that. Changing modes is good, very good. Do it now before burnout,....

I just took ACLS today. They were re-emphasizing high quality CPR in all non perfusing rhythms. Also, the drugs are secondary in a sense to the CPR and the shocking for Vtach/Vfib. I think we need to slow down and see if shocking and CPR works first then go to the drugs. We do too much too fast at time,...

We ONLY do weight based IV drips now with the exception of a few (Diltiazem, Vasopressin, Amniodarone). It is policy now,....

The highest temperature you have seen and did they survive? How long can a person sustained a high core temp say at 105 or higher?

Change your cell and be done with it,...do NOT post your new one in the general view of anyone. It would creep me out too and is probably just bad manners.

Hey all you CCRN people out there! How did you prepare for the test? I have talk about this for years and really want to obtain my Certification. I am just wondering how you approach the preparation and actual test. Thanks!!

Creepy!!!

Hey all, I was working this week and was in an awkward position trying to recycle a monitor for a blood pressure and holding my patients arm still when I pulled something in my neck that traveled down my arm. Needless to say, I have had pain ever since. My coworkers knew of the incident but I did not report it officially for 2 days because I just thought I had a "crick" in my neck and it would resolve with rest/ice/anit-inflammatories etc. I did see the institutions selected clinic for treatment and now am on work restrictions until further notice. My question is this,...I am already getting phone calls from the workman's comp division and they are implying that this action that preceded my neck incident is "expected with my job." They basically were telling me that unless my patient was combative that this is not covered under the state's workman's comp laws etc. They were very rude and short with me when I described the incident. Do I have a fight coming my way?? I need to continue treatment which is helping but my fear is I wll be left with my personal insurance company arguing with the employee health division about who is covering the bills. I just want to get back to work. I am not looking for compensation just relief so I can get back to what I love to do. Anybody have words of wisdom in this area? Any stories of success or advice to get through this frustration,....Thanks,....

open visiting 0830 to 1800. open again 2030 to 2300. two at a time....lucky night shift......

Heck no!!!

I was recently told the Lateral abd "love handle areas" were best. It is accepted however to give in the lateral thigh for pt's that cannot have it in the abd. (ex. a peritoneal diaylsis pt or abd. pt or even a very very thin pt.),....

Excellent,....I kind of figured out again on my own but you helped confirmed my answer. Thanks so much!!!

Help!! I have lost my kfactor calculation card. You know the one,....it helps me plug in my conversion factor to figure out my mcg/kg/min and ml/hour :no:for my gtts. I have become so reliant on it that I cannot function with out it. Help from the mathmatical brains out there so I can make another one!!! Thanks......

Thanks all This whole thing started with her BECAUSE I reported her and her behavior as a charge nurse. I will cont to do what I do and you are right,...the less I talk about it, the more she will seal her own fate. If I don't play the victim, she will have to thrive somewhere or on someone else. It's quite sad really that we are still reliving high school and getting paid for it. I am encouraged by all of your responses,....thanks so much,.... PS I have not been bullied since high school and those bullies ended up in a bad way,.......there is hope,....

Let me first say, I am an ICU nurse with 8 years of experience that returned to ICU nursing after several years of a break. I am learning a new hospital and new ways of treating diagnosis but the nursing part has come back fairly easily. I fill "holes" in the staffing needs for both the weekday crew and the weekend crew. My problem has been on weekends,...it was very cliquey and there were times that they were talking, surfing the web or I had a obviously more loaded assignment in comparison. My problem has been with one RN who I reported for not helping me with specific questions when she was charge. When I was forced to have to enter my own lab for a pt (it was extensive very unusual lab on a difficult pt) because we had no secretary, I told her that I have alot of lab on both my patients and some of the tests are things I have not entered before,....her response was less than supportive,...she was talking on the phone and had NO PATIENTS for eight of twelve hours and when she did,...she had one easy tele overflow pt while I had 2 complex pts all day. She would not help me enter lab and I felt like she never jumped in to help me all day unless I asked even though I was running my *** off. The point of the charge RN to have a light to no assignment so that she can assist those who need it. Needless to say, I went to management with this lack of support from our weekend leader and it has gotten so much worse. She is no longer allowed to be in charge but she makes a point to not do anything but the bare minimum in contact with me. She overly talks to everyone on the unit that day and his very excluding of me and my attempts at teamwork with her pts. I am the type of person that hops in and helps without being asked if there is a need in the unit. She is literally looking for things to find me doing wrong to report me as incompetent. She throws that word around to other staff members that have not worked with me although I have never been present when she says this, it has gotten back with me. Working weekends are **LL, when we are on the same side of the unit. I do not trust her to be professional and back my narc witnesses or even bounce info off of her and others. Unfortunately, she sees this as a chance to comment of my lack of knowledge. We had a sit down "conference" with our new nurse manager because others in the unit noticed that she avoids me and will not assist or associate with me on the unit. It literally felt like we were in the principle's office and the whole class was being punished. "you all need to find a way to get along,..blah blah blah,... I am trying to move on and cont my team approach with WHOEVER I work with and it is squashed by this bully of the unit on weekends. There have been other nurses that have had issues with her and have left for greener pastures. Managers are afraid to address this bullying behavior and lack of team effort. She did not deny her "dislike" for me in conference and admitted to not responding to my greetings or needs. Why are people like this allowed to stay? Sorry so long,.....

Hi all, Do any of you use a teaching checklist or coumadin education teaching protocol at your hospital? I am looking for effective and streamline ways of teaching the coumadin therapy information to patients upon initiation and throughout their hospitalizaiton and even outpatient and after discharge followup. Any info of what works and what does not would be helpful! Thank you in advance!!

Hi, I stumble across your post looking for something here,...it caught my eye due to the fact that, I too have experienced things similar in my ICU. The only difference is that I am experiencing it with other RN's. Let me first say that most of the people pointing out yours and everyone else's deficits or mistakes are insecure. The PM's could go further their education if they would like to advance their careers. Perhaps they are a bit unsure if they can do that so they sit there and home in on things to make themselves feel better. I have realized that there are people who are team players and people who are not. I am big on setting examples of what that team concept is. When someone points out a mistake or if I don't know something, that is NOT weakness nor imcompetence. I too can be hard on myself. But these are things that enable us to learn. When someone makes a rude comment or points out a mistake, I usually tell them, and you have never made a mistake have you? Shuts them right up or they stammer and say,....Not one like that! And I say,...there will be a day when you do if you think you know everything,.... It's sounds like you are doing fine. Anytime you get a group of people together, there will be drama. The hope is to come together for the patient. When that compromises pt. care, it needs to be reported (as you did.) Hang in there, and continue being the example.....

Okay, I will probably get flogged by saying this but here it goes,... I am working at Duke Raleigh and I love it for the most part. They are a small (150 bed) hospital in near Wake Forest and it seems to be personable and sincere to it's nursing staff. My manager is great, the assignments are fair and the charge nurses have a light load to support the staff with full loads and in my experience, they do. The pay is everybit as comparable to UNC and WAke med. I have heard the same things mentioned in this thread about UNC and Wake Med hospitals! I think it is based on what you want, what your job satisfaction priorities are and how you view the management. I have worked at non magnet and magnet hospitals and I do agree that this is a little hyped up. I think you have to keep your options open for all the hospitals and not base your judgement totally on how others view it. You will know if you ask enough questions and see how things operate.....

Explain the N peptide test and what causes the elevation. Any info would be helpful....Thanks

Starting IV's has never been an easy skill for me. I took off for 5 years to raise my family and am now working again. I am finding everything else fairly easy but starting IV's are such a challenge for me still. I have not started one successfully yet! Any suggestions or key points would really help me...thanks,....

When I read your post, it was as if I was writing it!! I too took 5 years off to raise my family and when I left nursing, I was a bit burned out from ICU for 7 years and 20 years in hospital jobs in general. The break was what I needed. I moved cross country with my husband's job and got the "bug" to go back to nursing now that my kiddo's were in school. I started out applying for my license which I never let go inactive but I had to get my license active in another state and that could take up to 4 months. I also went ahead and checked into a RN refresher course approved by the State's nursing board. I found one that offered correspondence courses with an optional clinical program. I took my CPR while I was waiting for my courses to start. I complete my courses in 5 months (you can take up to a year.) I revamped my resume and posted it online with several hospitals. Many hospitals are now only taking resumes online! To be honest, I was frustrated with the online process. I did not get a response at all! I finally started applying for some new grad preceptorship jobs that were posted for several ICU's here in a large hospital system. The looked at my resume and saw that I had SEVEN years experience in ICU and finally, I got several interviews and accepted a job in October at a smaller hospital. I am now off orientation and working on my own and I really enjoy it. Nursing has changed alot but the skills came back rather quickly. The biggest change I have seen is the fact that patients are alot sicker, the documentation has INCREASED big time, and the new meds and treatments for conditions have evolved. Overall, I like what I do and am back in ICU. You can do it. I have a bad day now and then, but so does anyone else in many professions. Good Luck and sell yourself and your desire to do what you love....