IloveSnoopy

That sore throat thing is really hitting hard around here too. It's not influenza, not strep throat.....it's just some kind of cruddy virus...uggghhh. Half of our facility has been out with it so far. I thought I was escaping from it...but unfortunately came down with it Monday night. It's now Friday and I'm still feeling the wrath of it... Our symptoms around here are sore throat, cough, fever, body aches....ugggghhhhh. I had a strep test run because I have the white spots on my tonsils...both the rapid and culture have come up negative. I can't wait for Summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Hope everyone else that's feeling poorly gets well soon... luv, snoop'

I think I'm fairly lucky....I work in a rural hospital in WI.....I've been there a little over 6 years and have a base pay of 28.27/hour....add on the night diff: weeknights: 2.25 and weekend nights 3.00...... I bring home roughly 45,000 per year....(this is working 32 hours/week with not a lot of overtime). An average home around here sells for 110,000 to 120,000. I guess I feel I make a good living and best of all....our units are not understaffed...we always have plenty of help and if we don't.....co-workers are always willing to come in extra....it's nice!!! hugs, snoop'

I agree that the original poster probably wasn't referring to ALL patients...just some. I know the feeling though....I do feel abused at times. I have been trying to get better at telling patients politely that they can do it themselves...and now I'm talking about the crazy stuff like..putting the call light on to have you reach a tissue for them when it's two inches away...stuff like that. It seems like those types of patients come in streaks...I don't just have one like that....it's all of them. It's funny how I look in the charts of these people and don't see any diagnosis of bilateral fractured arms or anything..lol. Then there is the other extreme...the patient that never rings...."oh I've been having crushing chest pain for the last hour...but I knew you were busy and didn't want to bother you"...yeeeek. Anyways...I do try to gather all the things I may possibly need before going into the room...but I know...sometimes you just can't get away....and Tweety's right...it always seems to be right before your lunch break..when you so desperately want to get away. It seems like we've had a lot of "needy" little folks lately. I've even been starting my morning meds, checks,etc a little early lately...because it just seems like I get stuck in every room soooo long and then don't get all my work done and have been stuck staying into the next shift. Anywho...just wanted to relay that I know where you are coming from. I do feel that it is our job to take care of the needs of our patients....but...some people take it to an extreme...big time!!!

I'm kind of confused about the original post...anyone else??? Are you trying to say that being a nurse/midwife is not what you thought it would be errrr??? And why are you a "cursed idiot".....I'm not understanding...??? Snoop

Thanks everyone for your insightful responses...I really appreciate it!!!! I have talked to the nurse manager in OB and I am in the process of setting up some days/nights to shadow. I am really interested in it...but really want to make sure it's for me before I dive in. Thanks so much... hugs snoop

I'm a "med/surg'er"...and have been have been for 6 years now. Gosh..I don't know...many days..I just want to leave it all together...but other days..I really do enjoy it. It does have it's problems.....like someone above said...the med/surg patients have progressively gotten sicker but yet the staffing ratios a lot of times don't reflect this. We are very lucky where I work...our managers understand that we need adequate staff on to care for these patients....when there isn't enough...they call someone in extra. I enjoy the wide variety of diagnoses we get in this area...it makes the job fun. We do get a lot of "frequent flyers" though..and that gets very old...some of these people come to their doctors appt. with their suitcase already packed. Once they get to the floor....they assume they are the only patient on the floor or something. Their arms also become broken and they suddenly can't reach two inches for their own glass of water. I've been getting braver these days and i inform them nicely..that they do have the ability to do some things for themselves. It can be stressful...like someone said...you have blood going on one patient, a fresh surgical, two little ladies that need to go to the bathroom constantly, a confused guy...crawling out of bed. You really do need to be organized and have the ability to prioritize and delegate...I learned all these things really fast!!! I do feel it's a great place for learning....you learn a lot about many different conditions, surgical procedures,etc. The skills...both technical and organizational(sp?).....that you walk away with are beyond compare. As much as I complain about my job on here and in real life..lol...I do think it's a great job and overall...I like it. I have to learn that there isn't a perfect job and not everyday is going to be a wonderful one. I would suggest finding a med/surg unit with decent staffing ratios though.....that's made a big difference for me. I hear in a neighboring large city....the staffing ratios are horrible and nurses are becoming burnt out and walking off the job left and right. Good luck to you.....I wouldn't hesitate to give med/surg a try..for awhile at least. hugs, snoop

Glad to hear I'm not the only one.....yeeek. I should just talk my husband into taking me away somewhere fun!!! We haven't gone on a trip for three years now.....I suppose right now isn't the best time though.....we have those lovely property taxes due next week.....uggghhh...it's always something. Thanks for sharing everyone... hugs, snoop'

I don't know if this really applies...but last week I had to put oxygen on a guy and he said "oh that must be because of my sleep acne" ...he obviously meant sleep apnea......It was really cute and kind of funny at the time..lol hugs, snoop'

Anyone feeling stressed????....I am..big time!!!!!!!! January always seems to be a stressful time for me. The floors are packed with pneumonias, RSV's, etc.....I always seem to dislike my job this time of the year for some reason...I looked back at my previous posts...and many of the negative ones were written in January..lol. Maybe I just suffer from that seasonal depressive thing..... Anyways.....let's all go on a trip.....k? I"m thinking somewhere warm and sunny.....Jamaica?? Bermuda???...where do you guys want to go??? I do really need a vacation though...seriously!!!! All my patients rang their call lights non stop all night...this one guy would put on his light and say "I need to cough but it hurts"..he proceeded to do this about 30 times...it's like..what in the heck do you want me to do about it..cough for you??? I gave him a pillow to splint himself...he had pain meds on board,etc...geesh.....I was feeling the internal rage burning inside....anyone know the internal rage feeling????? I have pms big time this week too...which isn't helping matters any...uggggghhhh. Lastnight was one of those nights where you feel like you are just a glorified waitress, maid, or something. I should just go work at McDonalds....at least I'd probably get free food there. Ok...enough ranting...lol.....just wanted to see if anyone else is feeling stress and/or internal rage..lol..which ever you prefer.... hugs, snoop'

Oh....perhaps I get it now...if you look way back to my "original post"...I did mention that house sup. refer to me as "the best nurse on med/surg"...maybe that's what you are getting at. That's not what I'm saying about myself though.....I just mentioned that because for some reason....that's how skewed things are for me.....if I"m the best nurse on med/surg, self-righteous, and coy....why do I feel this way about things constantly...why do I think about and threaten to leave nursing all together because I don't think I'm cut out for it. I can see where you are getting that from...but believe me...that was in no way my intention!!

This is kind of funny actually....apparently you must be cranky..lol. Anyways....thanks for your "humble" opinion....but everything you said is sooooooooooooooo far from the way I feel...it's almost laughable!! If you'd read my original post...you would know that I was upset about the case study because it failed to show the whole story...which yes...does make me upset. It showed the ladies vital signs basically, her LOC, and the fact that she was shipped out. It failed to show ANY interventions at all....therefore it makes it look like I sat on it and did absolutely nothing all night....yes..that does peeve me because it fails to show what I did do. As far as "her status as best nurse"....that is absolutely the funniest thing I've ever heard.......you must be completely off your rocker..i have no idea where that's coming from. I have been mulling this case over and over in my head from the beginning because 'yes'....'I feel like I could have done something more and didn't'.....oh yeah....that's a true sign of being self-righteous...don't you all think? I am not solely blaming the ED or doc....did I ever say that??? No...I don't agree with that fact that they ever should have let her roll down to med/surg...BUT....what did I do about it to get her transferred out of there..not as much as I should have...and that's partly what I"m upset about. I'm just glad that the true veteran nurses here understand this whole situation and have helped me to feel better about this all. Yes...I do think I did an ok job....yes..I do think I could have done better....no...I'm not trying to push all the blame away from myself....no ...I am by no means "best nurse"...quite the opposite...I've been struggling for so long with self esteem/anxiety issues...I think I am a good nurse...but believe me...it's taken years to finally get to that point....yes..I am upset about the case study because it failed to show the WHOLE story and yes I was upset about the cause and effect analysis because they failed to include me....but now they are including me and I realize it is to improve patient care and I'm happy about that....and yes..I do feel bad about the whole thing in general..not because I'm "best nurse' and looking for a pity party on snoop and tell snoop how wonderful she is....BUT...because it makes me question myself and wonder about what I did and didn't do.... I came here looking for support because I know many veteran nurses have been thru similar event and feelings. Oh yeah.....I DO think I am "best nurse" when it comes to being compassionate,caring, and understanding of others feelings....that is something Typical Fish....you apparently know nothing about...if you did....you wouldn't have posted such a mean and uncalled for response...although..it was good for a laugh because it was "so out there"...thanks for that. Snoop :)

Oh yeah...I failed to tell y'all about that in the initial "story".....the lady had been on 10 liters of o2 via simple mask for hours.....they put it on in the ER..or maybe even in the ambulance. Anyways.....that's what ended up as her main problem. She was a COPDer and that was never mentioned or thought of by the ER doc, ER staff,etc. Orders read "o2 by mask to maintain sats greater than 93% or something like that. This lady was basically unresponsive...anyways....toward morning..I got a quick chance to peek at her charts..(you know how that goes...especially when you are one on one with someone and have other patients too). Anyways..I find somewhere that she's a COPDer and then thought oh my gosh.....what if she's a retainer?That's when I called her usual doc and told him the story and I mentioned the possible retaining thing...right away he's like "oh yeah...she's a retainer"....after all...he sees her all the time..he just knows this. Anyways...once they got her on bi-pap,etc and were able to blow off some of that CO2....she came around. Ok..I just wanted to add that to clarify my above post. snoop :)

Oh my gosh...thanks again everyone...it really means a lot to me!!! Now tonight..I had a great night at work....(i even got to come home early on call..yeahhhhh). Anyways....yeah...I have been talking to a few people about the incident...including you guys of course...which actually has helped me to feel a lot better. I am still wondering about some depression and anxiety issues though...seriously. I think I may make an appt. and talk to my doctor(the one that I think thinks I'm stupid..lol). I may mention the lady to him and the whole episode and say that it has been really stressful for me...along with my pain, infertility,etc. He's so sweet...I'm sure that he will re-affirm that I did a good job too....but maybe I need to actually hear that from him...it sounds dumb..but that's just where I"m at right now. I am feeling better about the whole thing though...and as time goes by I"m sure it will get even better and soon I'll forget all about it...(which is what I want to do). I must just keep focusing on the things I did right...I monitored closely, called two MDs, involved the house supervisor, was actually the one that discovered this lady was a COPDer and used my critical thinking skills to realize maybe she's in CO2 narcosis versus 'must be the morphine',etc. Anyways..... Tonight..I had this sweet little man (I had him a few nights last week)...I walked into the room and he grabbed my hand , squeezed it tightly, and said "i'm so glad you're back tonight"...that makes it all worth it to me. Ok....thanks again everyone....you are all great!!!! hugs, snoop;

Gosh...thanks again everyone!!!! You guys have a way of always making me feel better about things!!!!! I guess I need to unload things here more often...lol...j/k. Yeah...in the 6 years I've worked on this floor....this has really been the only thing that has "really stuck with me". I am seriously starting to wonder if I have other problems like depression and anxiety...that are hindering my ability to cope with things. I looked up symptoms of depression and anxiety and I matched every one of them....eeeeek. The "taking blame or feeling guilty much of the time" is me to a tee. I have also noticed myself losing interest in things, sleeping all the time,etc. I am also battling some other problems like trying to work with chronic pain from endometriosis and we're dealing with infertility as well. Oh yeah..then I passed out at work the other week and hit my head and needed nine stitches to sew my ear back together..lol. Overall...I'm just feeling sad and worn out...but I don't really think it is work that is wearing me out....it's just a combination of everything. We have very decent nurse to patient staffing ratios..which is great. I may talk to my doctor about getting some treatment for depression and anxiety issues...what do you guys think? I just want to be the healthiest and best nurse I can be...and when things don't go exactly right....somehow i need to learn to let it go....and just go on. Anyways..thanks again everyone...I really appreciate everything.. luv, snoop'

"hate" feeling like that. Sorry :)

Thanks Cardiac.... I know deep down that yeah....they are just trying to improve patient care...and that's a good thing...but man...I'm just the type of person that automatically thinks it's all me...u know? I suppose if they thought I was being incompetant or something...they would have let me know about it right away. I don't know why it all bothers me so much....but it does. I am questioning myself as a nurse..and I feeling like that.

HI everyone...long time no see.... Anywho..I'm a nurse on a med/surg unit in a fairly rural area. I have gained a lot of confidence and the house supervisors actually refer to me as "the best nurse on med/surg"...which boosts my confidence even more...BUT...I am still finding though...(after 6 years now..eeek)...that I tend to let isolated incidents stick with me. Without giving too much info....I had a patient that never should have been admitted to med/surg in the first place. She was a trauma patient...elderly..enough said. Anyways...I walked into her room and she did not look good..I called the on call doctor..got a few orders..and monitored...by am...still wasn't feeling right about her...called her regular doc(he was to take over in the am)..he came to see her and immediately had her copter'd out. I felt soooo bad after this whole thing...like I should have called again, been more aggressive, called again sooner,etc. I guess everything turned out ok but I still think about the whole thing everyday. Her doc..(who is also my family doc)..didn't appear mad at me or anything...but i'm just wondering if he thinks I'm a big dummy or something. I haven't even been in to see him because I feel like he thinks I'm a horrible nurse. I did call two physicians, monitored the patient closely, and she didn't ever change the whole night..it was just that she was down the tubes from the get go. I think my doc was more upset over the fact that she was admitted to med/surg to begin with. I feel so stupid that I let things like that stick with me. I guess I just want to be super nurse or something and when things don't go right or if I kick myself for the "should have done that' thing...I get anxious, depressed...even to the point of wanting to quit nursing. I'm seriously starting to wonder if I need Xanax or something? Anyone feel like this every...or am i the only one? I guess maybe I don't have as much confidence in myself as I thought.....I know stuff happens and we need to just go on...but for some reason..I can't..I think about this night all the time and sometimes it makes me not even want to be a nurse anymore....does anyone know what I'm talking about? Of course..I was super worried about the patient...but now...two months out..I'm worrying about what others...i.e. my doctor thinks of me...is that crazy or what? Ok..I guess I'm done rambling...I think I needed to vent more than anything....any comments or similar feelings anyone could share might make me feel better.......??? Ok..thanks everyone.... UPDATE: Ok..here's a little update on this whole situation. Ok...apparently..I wasn't feeling bad enough about this patient....SO...I come to work last Wed., check my e-mail and find an e-mail and powerpoint regarding the new SBAR and rapid response team our facility is implementing...well..guess what the case study on the first part of the power point is...??????? This lady that I had...errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. The only problem is that they only picked out the bad things about the story....they didnt mention that two seperate physicians were called, that house supervision was involved, that the patient was monitored..basically one on one all night...I was soooo peeved!!!! There's a lot of people that know that whole story with that lady and it was easy to pick out the fact that it was her by the case study. I was so irrate that I went to our DON and she whole-heartingly apologized saying "that she never thought to ask me my opinion before letting one of our internal med doc's use the case study in his power point for all the facility to see. I talked with the DON for a long time and she knows that I am very upset about the whole thing. Then she decides to tell me that our quality control lady and others have been meeting and are doing a "cause and effect analysis" on this case. She said don't think it is just you they are zeroing out....they are looking at the whole case from ER til the time she was flown out. I told her..."how can I not think about it"...I told her that I was just now finally mentally forgetting about it and going on with things and then I find the whole episode in a case study and find out they are studying it for some darn cause and analysis". I'm all like "so when am I going to be a part of this"...since thus far..they've been doing everything behind my back. She was like: "oh..they will be contacting you for an interview shortly"....I'm like oh great...now I can think about it some more...uggggggghhhhhh. She said they are really looking at the doctors too....cause' i guess a lot of people are really wondering why the lady was admitted to med/surg in the first place....so..she's right...it's not just me they are looking at...it's the whole process. But someone like me...that stresses big time anyway....can't help but think they are looking at me. But I guess...if you think about it.....I actually did follow the rapid response...I contacted md's, contacted house supervisor, monitored closely,etc....but I still can't help think that I should have called back more when the doc wasn't really listening to me. I'm wishing I would have called back and said "this lady is too critical, may I move her to CCU" or "come in and see her"....etc. Good news is...the lady did turn out ok an is at a local nursing home now...still recovering from her fractures. I told my DON that I was going to start ultrasound school...lol..cause I was so upset. (actually I have been thinking about it). I told her that I get stressed out easily and that this whole thing is making my life hell. She apologized again and said that she thinks I am an excellent nurse...one of the best we have..she goes. She says she's heard numerous times from house supervision that I should transfer to CCU or supervision. My nurse manager on med/surg also sent me a little poem and wrote that "there is no other nurse I'd want caring for patients on nights"......I know they are just trying to be nice because they know I'm feeling so bad....but I do think there's some truth to it...I am a good nurse. I just have to start believing it more....i'ts just so hard for me when this case where things didn't go exactly right....comes back to bite me in the butt. Why me???? There's been other cases...some with worse outcomes than mine...my lady survived. Why can't they do cause and effect carp' on some of these cases....uggggggggggggggghhhh. Ok..I just wanted to update. Sorry it got so long. I'm just feeling really bad about it all and needed to vent and look to you guys for some help. Thanks... Luv, Snoop

Oh...I just wanted to add....I do believe that med/surg is a specialty in it's own right and it didn't really come out right in my original post. I'm just refering to the way the med/surg nurses are treated at our facility. I think med/surg is a wonderful specialty of it's own....I just wanted to clear that up before I got flamed...eeek. Thanks :)

Hi all, Some of you may know me...I've been around allnurses for awhile. Anywho..I have been a med/surg nurse for 6 years now and I am really looking for somewhat of a change. I find myself being depressed about my job much of the time. I know it's time to move on and I'm just not sure what to do. There is currently a part time opening in our OB/Womens Health department and I am seriously thinking about enquiring about it. I never thought I would actually want to do OB nursing...but lately..it's sounding kind of appealing to me. I feel I am a fairly experienced nurse now and I would really like to specialize in something.....I must admit....I'm very rusty on anything ob related, I don't have children, don't even hold infants very often..lol...but it's something I'd like to try. Our facility has hired two new grads recently and they are both ob nurses...I figure if they can learn...I can too..right? I'd love to learn something new and consider myself specialized. On med/surg, we are treated like we have no critical thinking skills at all...it drives me crazy. We have a few bad nurses there and so everyone is grouped as being stupid and unable to do anything. The ob nurses always tell me that "the doctors are so different with us"...and i"ve seen it personally.....they act totally different with them than they do with us. Our facility is also expanding.....building a new women's health wing..and hiring another ob/gyn. I consider myself an expert on endometriosis...(because I have it)..and I would love to start up a support group for fellow sufferers. I just see the whole thing as exciting and challenging...and I am soooo ready for a change. The job is only part time..so I would have to continue working on med/surg part time as well. That would be ok with me...then if I decided I really love ob...I could go full time when a job opened up...which may be happening with them expanding. I am sick of all the suffering that goes on..(on med/surg)...we have sooo many elderly folks that just want to die...and we won't let them...we make them better and prolong their lives a few months or whatever. I think overall...the vibe on ob is soooo much better....I mean..sure you have the m/c's and stillborns,etc....but I'm saying overall...it's a much happier place. I think I need that in my life right now....I have been battling anxiety and depression lately and i think a lot of it is job related. So...do you think I should go for it??? I am considering just asking to shadow for awhile first....just to get a feel for some of it. Like I said..I"ve been out of school so long..I don't remember a lot about ob. I know I would have a lot of work and learning to do ...but I love learning..so that's ok with me. Plus...me working both med/surg and ob...would make me very versatile as far as floating..etc. Our ob nurses often float to med/surg when their census is low or non-exsistant. I've had a lot of people asking me about going to ccu or house supervision...but I just don't want to do that for some reason. Ok..I better go..sorry this got so long...all you experienced ob nurses...tell me what you think...k? Oh...BTW...we are a rural hospital and the ob nurses are responsible for labor and delivery and postpartum and nursery care. Ok...thanks again... Luv, Snoop';

Thanks so much everyone for sharing your stories...it makes me not feel so bad now!! I am making an appt. with my regular doc this week....I'm still not feeling up to par?? But anywho...thanks everyone :) hugs, snoop'

Hi folks... Well..I started off lastnight at work feeling great. I was just finishing up an admit...we had been chatting a little bit...she was a really nice lady. Then..as I"m asking her the last few questions...I felt extremely nauseated..my first thought was "oh I'm getting that darn stomach flu back again"..you know how that hits you kinda fast. Anyways..next thing I know..I'm in a complete dripping cold sweat. I'm thinking...I'm getting really sick..I need to get out of this room. Well...I made it out of the room...across the hall....then apparently...(via eye witnesses)...hit the wall and then went smack to the ground flat faced. My co-workers came running and I vaguely remember them saying "are you ok" and "Oh my god, she's white as a ghost". Anyways..I got a free ride to the ER..they did labs, ekg, etc...and decided it was either a vaso-vagal syncope or (found out today)..perhaps another ruptured ovarian cyst. They asked me if I hurt anywhere and I'm like "yeah..my ear stings..I think I scraped it'....they looked and were like no honey...you split it wide open. I needed nine stitches to put my darn ear back together...uggggghhh. It was soooooo scary!!! I've never actually completely passed out like that...it is the ickiest feeling in the world!!!!!! Luckily my friends/co-workers were right there and were really concerned about me....I felt so loved!!! Anyways..I guess if your going to pass out..the hospital is the best place to do it at. But it was way scary!!! I'm doing ok now....very sore and many bruises showing up everywhere. They made me take tonight off too but hopefully I'll be ready for the weekend(I work). Anyways..just wanted to share.....gosh did i feel stupid..the patient I was trying to get away from ended up seeing the whole thing...I felt bad for her. Good rule of thumb...sit down!!! :) hugs, snoop

OH my gosh...thank you soooooooooo much you guys....that seriously instantly makes me feel better!!!!! I just wish I could let things go a little easier....ugggggghh...that's always been hard for me for some reason. I do feel that I am caring and I do usually have a good gut instinct..lol..I guess I should be proud of that. hugs, snoop

HI everyone...long time no see.... Anywho..I'm a nurse on a med/surg unit in a fairly rural area. I have gained a lot of confidence and the house supervisors actually refer to me as "the best nurse on med/surg"...which boosts my confidence even more...BUT...I am still finding though...(after 6 years now..eeek)...that I tend to let isolated incidents stick with me. Without giving too much info....I had a patient that never should have been admitted to med/surg in the first place. She was a trauma patient...elderly..enough said. Anyways...I walked into her room and she did not look good..I called the on call doctor..got a few orders..and monitored...by am...still wasn't feeling right about her...called her regular doc(he was to take over in the am)..he came to see her and immediately had her copter'd out. I felt soooo bad after this whole thing...like I should have called again, been more aggressive, called again sooner,etc. I guess everything turned out ok but I still think about the whole thing everyday. Her doc..(who is also my family doc)..didn't appear mad at me or anything...but i'm just wondering if he thinks I'm a big dummy or something. I haven't even been in to see him because I feel like he thinks I'm a horrible nurse. I did call two physicians, monitored the patient closely, and she didn't ever change the whole night..it was just that she was down the tubes from the get go. I think my doc was more upset over the fact that she was admitted to med/surg to begin with. I feel so stupid that I let things like that stick with me. I guess I just want to be super nurse or something and when things don't go right or if I kick myself for the "should have done that' thing...I get anxious, depressed...even to the point of wanting to quit nursing. I'm seriously starting to wonder if I need Xanax or something? Anyone feel like this every...or am i the only one? I guess maybe I don't have as much confidence in myself as I thought.....I know stuff happens and we need to just go on...but for some reason..I can't..I think about this night all the time and sometimes it makes me not even want to be a nurse anymore....does anyone know what I'm talking about? Of course..I was super worried about the patient...but now...two months out..I'm worrying about what others...i.e. my doctor thinks of me...is that crazy or what? Ok..I guess I'm done rambling...I think I needed to vent more than anything....any comments or similar feelings anyone could share might make me feel better.......??? Ok..thanks everyone.... Luv, snoop'

Hmmm...we use a lot too. Some of the most common ones would be Lasix, Metoprolol, Vicodin, Morphine, Ancef, and Tylenol

How about polycystic ovarian syndrome? I have pcos and I've never had a problem with a "disappearing period" but i know many other women that actually stopped getting their period due to failed ovulation and hormone issues,etc. PCOS is actually a very common metabolic/endocrine disorder and maybe it wouldn't hurt to be checked for it....just a thought. I hope things work out for you... luv, snoop'