ScrappyED

Thank you!

You are so welcome Corey. I come back to that article myself occasionally after a really bad trauma to reflect and remember all the wonderful people who feel the way I do. Glad my words touched you! Kellie By the way, I'm a nerdy RN too!!

You know I can't decide if this is hilarious or sad! Right now hilarious is winning.

Have you tried talking to management or HR about how you feel? Large corporations like hospitals have to have guidelines in place to protect their business but sometimes exceptions can be made for good reasons. If I were your manager I would try everything I could to get you into a better position for your situation if you've been an asset. If you have been a good employee with a good attitude and come to work on time and don't call in all the time then they might be willing to let you change in order to keep you. If you've been a good employee and they are not willing to help you then you need to find a different organization anyway. If you've not been a great employee than I would keep that in mind for next time and start looking for a new spot! Just be careful about the facility you choose. I have a friend who worked at a SNF right out of school and was able to get a hospital job 6 months later so it is possible--just make sure that you are not hung out to dry while there! Nursing homes have bad reps for placing RN's in positions they aren't ready for yet with way to much responsibility for their experience. Hope this helps and good luck on the baby!!

In TN you can work as a "nurse tech" after one semester of nursing school (where you learn how to take VS, do bed baths and other fundamentals). I would talk with HR at your local hospital(s) and get their opinion. Actually, you may be better working as a unit secretary--no certification required--less hard on the body, and you will learn a lot that will help in school about meds and labs and things. I did both before becoming an RN and the secretary position helped more than anything!

Thanks so much!!

I wanted to start something very similar to this in our ER and am in the process of gathering info. Would you be willing to share your protocol and any other info you have? We see so many miscarriages and occasional pediatric losses in our dept and was surprised to find out there was nothing official done for these families! Most of the info I find is just for miscarriages so anything specific for older kids would be great too! Thanks!

I just started as an RN last year at the same time my husband got back from Iraq. I have an awesome ER job that I worked my tail off to get at the only Level 1 Trauma center around but... we just got word that my dh is probably going to get deployed again this summer and I am freaking out because we have three children--only two of which are just now old enough to stay home alone during the day--let alone for my 12 hour 9a-9p shift where sometimes I don't get home until 10 or 11 pm. My youngest is NOT old enough to stay home alone. I am trying not to get too worried, I guess I could work in a doctor's office for a while but man I don't want to leave the ER. I am hoping that maybe they can work with me for the year that he is gone.

I was a compulsive nail biter until age 14 then moved on to food so I feel your pain. The underlying problem is not a fake nail or real nail issue--it is the chewing desire and the anxiety. Maybe the gum idea would work--I constantly keep a pack of gum with me or sometimes mints or something. (The pt's probably appreciate the good breath too :wink2: ) Try adjusting your meds also if the anxiety is not under control. It sounds like you have a lot going on in your life right now so I would have a talk with your doctor that is prescribing your Zoloft. And get a manicure, pedicure, massage on a regular basis! They help me tremendously!!

Wow! I have seen attendings sit back and let resident MD's jump in and help us control a combative pt but never seen it in that kind of situation! I would be writing a letter of complaint to someone higher up on the nursing and medical sides for sure!!

I have a problem with allowing pt's to act like this without saying anything. It is not acceptable to be rude just because you don't feel well--and I have taught my children that too. Yes, this child could be very sick and scared and the talk should not be confrontational but firm and loving. But...you can't just tolerate it and ignore it--that leads to more of the same and him/her thinking that that is the only way to get attention. When I have confrontational pt's like that I very calmly explain to them that it is hard for me to give them the best care if they are shouting and rude to me and that I would appreciate it if they would remember that I am a person too. Then I ask them what is wrong and why they feel so angry, upset, sad etc. that they have to yell and be rude. Many times it has calmed down a pt who felt they were being ignored or treated badly themselves. Then there are the times where it doesn't help at all and nothing anyone can do about it. There are just rude, mean people out there who are very selfish/self-centered and will never be kind to "just a nurse". Those are the ones you just have to set firm boundaries with and grin and bear it. Our security helps too if they get too badly behaved!! Regardless, you can't just ignore the behavior! It doesn't do the child any good because the next person they try that with may not be as understanding or professional!

All ER nurses are just fantastic Wow Jennyw, what a night. That definitely tops my worst so far! :bowingpur

Thanks so much for sharing your experience and your advice. I have never had to deal with a miscarriage and have had four wonderful children. So I have always felt very awkward and inadequate when dealing with pt's who are miscarrying. Thank goodness that I have not said much more than "I'm so sorry" because I didn't know what to say but hearing your advice will definitely help in the future. :icon_hug:

What an awesome recap of our "normal" workday! I love it!!! And to the question about do we love it....it really is a love/hate relationship. I can't imagine being anywhere else more than for the occasional float--but when my shift is over (or an hour past "over") you may see smoke rising in my footprints Especially the other night when I got to open a third fast-track in the EMS hall! We normally only have the one regular area, our back-up CDU had already opened a second one. Lucky me got to create my own zone, Yay! I had 5 chairs and two stretchers (only 2 left in the whole ED) lined up with taped up scraps of paper on the wall with "bed" #'s on them. Two hours before I was supposed to leave. I think we decided someone posted a neon sign up on the interstate that read "Free drugs at the ER" or something that night! OHH, and one bed with a mom and child in it ended up having a nice twin set of scabies. So my other pt's in my own little fast track mutinied about the bathroom back there and refused to do anything until housekeeping came and disinfected. Not to mention the fact that now I was down to only one stretcher!! Yeah, I love my job, again==closet ADHD I think! :hpygrp:

Do you WORK in an ER?? I find it hard to believe that you do. We all have infinite compassion for those who truly need to be there--otherwise we wouldn't do it! It is the ones who come in via ambulance for knee pain that they've had for literally one year and take up room and resources that the child in the lobby having an asthma attack, the little old lady with an acute GI Bleed needs and the gentleman with a STEMI need. And, we the tax payers are paying for that EMS ride.