carluvscats

I sympathize with time constraints but I also do not understand why a skin assessment (at the place where the alleged surgery took place) would take more than a minute or so. You don't have to assess every square inch, just the "surgical" site.

Bedside reporting would actually solve all of that; you can do a quick assessment with the nurse who is handing off to you = no surprises.

Man in a hospital bed with a Bipap mask on. Calls his nurse, and as best as she can make out, asks, "Are my testicles black?" She pulls back his gown, lifts up his scrotum, and gives it a thorough inspection. "Your testicles look fine, sir." He pulls off the Bipap and says, "Well, thanks for the compliment, but are my test results back?" :) Just wanted to add a little much-needed humor.

I wear 10 1/2 (4E width!!!!) mens and have very flat feet as well. I've found Asics GT-2160 to be quite comfortable; they are a little pricey but well worth it. I don't have pain after an 8 hr shift but my feet will hurt a little after a 12.... just the nature of the beast, I suppose. I bought mine from Scheel's and quizzed them on their return policy. At the time I was working in surgery and told them straight up that I would possibly be walking through guts/blood/etc (not to be dramatic, but I wanted them to understand!) and that I wanted to be able to return them if necessary. They assured me I could. Another thing that has helped is to work out regularly. Seems to build up a little resistance as far as being on my feet all the time. Best of luck!

I think we nurses could all just do ourselves a favor and throw "the calling" thinking out the window. I mean, garbage men (people?) probably don't even consider if they are "called" to their job or not; they just wake up and do it and get it done. Their job is no less important than ours; I cannot imagine the stinking mess our neighborhoods would be if the garbage isn't picked up. But we nurses time and time again torture ourselves if we don't "feel passion" in our careers. I for one do not think it's realistic to expect passion in something that is so damned draining. I guess I am trying to give you permission to just collect a paycheck. It's ok. You earned it. Your kitties love that you buy them cat food and cat toys and keep their boxes free of poo and pee. p.s....... I work on a medical floor.... probably couldn't guess that, eh?

I wear progressives as well, and have had no problems with them. $700 seems exorbitant for glasses; do shop around and find out who sells what brands... I used to sell eyeglasses in my former life and the upcharge on lenses is beyond belief! You have to give them a bit of time to get adjusted; point your nose and adjust your chin and you will be fine. I also wear a contact lens (one good eye, one bad eye) and I don't have problems with that, either. A good fit is crucial with the glasses.... don't be afraid to go back and get them adjusted, more than once if you need to.

"hungry headless chickens with full bladders"..... ahahahahahaha..... almost spit coffee on my keyboard.

"In some ways while my internship is making me more confident in other ways it's making me less confident. I just feel like I'm a slow learner, like I need to do things 3-4 times before it imprints in my brain and even then I'm slow for some things, like filling up a syringe from a vial. Did anyone else feel this way?" (raises hand) Yes. I'm about 9 months into working a surgical floor, and it seems like it took a long time before anything "came naturally". I did great in nursing school, but the hands on stuff seemed to come slowly for me. I dunno, maybe it's just that everyone around me was so seasoned and smooth! :) Even now, I will panic a bit inside if I have to do something that I haven't done for a few weeks. I guess the best advice I could give you is to not berate yourself over what is truly just a natural learning process. Everybody learns at a different pace. The important thing is to learn to do it the *safe* way... the clunkiness of it all will go away with time. So no worries. Best of luck in your future career!

I got angry when I read your post. Not at you, Risa, but at the system....time and time again I read posts like yours...nurses who put heart and soul into their jobs, day in and day out, and still walk away feeling like they haven't done enough. I'm angered by this system that can chew up and spit out nurses like you in just a short period of time. It's not fair. I also get upset at all the suffering in the world, which your corner seems to have more than a fair share of. No answers for that, either. I IMPLORE you to flush those feelings of inadequacy right this minute. You DO NOT deserve them. You deserve to be hugged and admired and compensated for what you do. Most people could not, would not, DARE NOT do what you do, day in and day out. To say that it is heroic does not even touch it. You are a hero every day to those little ones. They cannot thank you. Their parents might not even thank you. But I'm glad you came here and shared your story, because it gives me an opportunity to say THANK YOU. I just want you to know that what you do makes a big difference.

justashooter, you make a great point. Sometimes we tend to "over share" about things that scare people (esp. future employers) off. Keep it light!

I have a weird schedule in that it is a combination of 8's and 12's. It is true what some of the other posters say; it is much easier to get all the charting done on my 12's. But, you HAVE to be able to decompress quickly after a 12, if you are going to have to get up and do it all over the next day, as there is simply no time to mull over every little thing you did or didn't do. Gotta be able to flush it quickly or you will be a zombie the next day. During my stretch of 12's, I pretty much resign myself to knowing my life will be only about work. The benefit is the 4 days off in a row, of course. It's like having a mini-vacation every 2 weeks. Woot!

Beth, sounds like you already would be an asset to any employer. Just be yourself during your interview. People pick up on phoniness pretty quickly, so no need to be anything other than what you already are, especially if you know what you are and what you have to offer is greatness! ha! No, seriously, just simple things like making sure you shake their hands and get their names straight; make good eye contact and really listen during the interview. As far as after getting the job, I would encourage you to not get sucked into any floor politics or gossip. It will drain you emotionally and eventually might affect your ability to do your job well. Also, there are still nurses from the dark ages who will treat you as "something less" because you are a CNA. Do not take it personally and continue to hold your head high and do your job well. Best of luck to you!

I also have a great manager. I'm pretty new on the floor and work weird shifts, but she always asks me how I'm doing, whenever she sees me, without fail. Just the simple act of checking in somehow makes a world of difference to me. I also have very excellent charge nurses. I feel like I ask about a billion questions during some shifts and they never belittle me. As a newer nurse, I just appreciate their patience so much!

Insulin, coumadin, metoprolol, omeprazole, hydrocodone.

I want to thank each of you for taking the time to post your thoughts. The general consensus is what I know I need to do, just be a big girl and talk to my manager. I haven't done that yet because I'm just so happy to have a job, and as I said, I'm the newest on the floor. Plus, the position I took was one specifically designed to "fill in the gaps" on the floor, and when we discussed it initially, I really thought it wouldn't be a problem. I guess I feel a little guilty that I haven't adjusted like I think I should. I know for certain there are no other shifts available, but what I plan on offering is to exchange my 7a-7p shifts for 3-11s, and give up one of my days off. Right now I get 4 days off in a row, which is pretty sweet, but it would be worth relinquishing one of those in order to feel better the rest of the time. Again, thank you for the kindness and wisdom, and best wishes to those who are struggling as I am.