chuckz

I was just doing my job.

I've been a nurse for about 6 years. Like you when I started nursing school I was so excited to do something to help prepare. I wish I would have taken the advice of others and did nothing. That's a long 2 years. Enjoy time with family and friends. Watch Netflix. Do anything else because when you do get in school you will not have the time to do it.

I echo. It takes time. That was the hardest part of nursing for me. The time mgt and prioritizing. It takes a while and will come with time. Just learn more everyday. You will be fine. We all felt like you.

Nope!

Nice reference to Stuart McGill. I never thought I would see somebody reference him in here. Good stuff. Thank you for that. His vids are very good and he is wonderful on knees too. As a competitive powerlifting and also a Male nurse I am stronger relatively than most people. I don't mind helping people. I always take the side that pulls to turn a pt and allow the other person to stuff the pillow. I always will be there if a pt becomes abusive as I feel it's my job to protect the others who can't protect themselves in those situations. I always am asked to help lift Pts and get them up in aChair. I don't mind any of that. It's the same everyplace I go. I understand that. The problem I have is that there sometimes may be others that are capable of doing the lift but they will tell others "chucks the strong one, he will help." Or there will be another male sitting that is capable to help but they will come get me from another unit to help them move or turn or whatever. I don't mind helping but sometimes I feel that like anything it can be taken advantage of. I'm not the only guy nor just bc I am strong should I always be the first one asked. Move it around. Rotate who you ask. If there is something like a very hard Pt I'm ok with it and I will always be ok with being asked but please utilize all your resources as I am not the only resource you have.

I was 36. Best decision I have ever made. Unlimited overtime in er and icu. I work 5 12's because I need cash and get called or texted to work the days I don't. It's fantastic. My 7 yo looks up to me and that's the best thing of all. What a great choice I made.

Yep. Male nurse. Did MICU ER and now CVICU. I'm also a former competitive bodybuilder and currently a competitive power lifter. I think being a bit bigger and muscular has helped me out many-fold in nursing. I worked in the emergency department at a large urban trauma one hospital that is know to be on of the busiest ERs in the country. There were stabbings shootings drug usage and people that were not so friendly. It was to my benefit to be bigger and stronger because the sense of me being able to take care of myself by the patients had them give me less of a hassle than the small petite nurses that are also there. We have security that is armed with police authority and a holding cell in the basement. To walk through the ER you have to go through a metal detector. It's pretty rough. I enjoyed and the police enjoyed having another man who was larger and they could count on to help them. I am not saying its the end all be all. I am a really good and compassionate and caring nurse. I will do things to break the ice and make people feel comfortable and I work in the CViCU now and I will come to the bedside and will tell people sometimes, "no I'm not security, I'm actually your nurse." They usually laugh and it breaks the ice and its pretty cool. It's a part of who I am because I have been doing it for almost 24 years of my life and it has only helped my nursing career. The only thing that sucks s that people always ask me for help lifting the heavy Pts. That's a pain in the butt but one I will take gladly. Train hard my bruthas!

I was 35 and male when I started......still male. I had a son who at the time was 2 when I started. I had the time of my life. I enjoyed making friends. I did not feel I "stood out" or didn't fit it all. I would drink with my friends and would hang out them at the end of the semester. I worked full time and also did nursing school full time. It was doable and I really felt as if my class didn't make that destination of young or old. It was all about being a good person a good friend and a good student. Time of my life.

As a student instructor while I was in school.........learn the Mechanisms of action of all the classes of drugs and you can figure out anything you need to know. That is the key to learning forever as opposed to memorizing.

No increase and I had to pay for test out of pocket

Yes you can get an icu job as a new grad and yes it's doable. Worth it's weight is a good preceptor. A lot of new nurses will come into icu and there preceptor will expect them to know everything and will not be understanding. A new nurse does not have honed instincts yet but they can be cultivated by a good preceptor. It's subtle things such as how to fix an art line when the wave form becomes messed up or how to tell when a pt is crashing. All of that takes time but a good preceptor can help you with the changes and alert you to them. To get the job? I would try and extern in an icu. I would make myself marketable and always be friendly to everybody you meet or come into contact with in the hospital. Making it known that you are friendly and willing to work goes a long way in getting a job. The other thing is act confident but not over confident. Trust yourself but trust yourself to learn from others. As a new grad a couple years ago I had a wonderful preceptor who took the fact that I was a new nurse and helped mold me into the the template that I teach others. Don't let anybody discourage you. Do what you need to do in your career. Congrats on almost being done.

When I was a new grad I hired in at a MICU at a trauma 1 hospital. For nine months every day I thought I was gonna kill somebody. I would leave and just hate the thought of going into work because i didn't want to mess up or do anything wrong. I went without sleeping because I would be awake thinking of how I could have done better. It drove me and I became a damn good icu nurse. I then left there after 18 months and became a trauma nurse in the er at the same hospital. It is one of the busier ERs in the country and I was overwhelmed. Again the fear. Again the idea that i now had to start every iv somehow someway. The fear that in the resuscitation room I wouldn't be able to get the line or or do something wrong and kill somebody. Again that fear worked to my benefit because I think I am a damn good ER nurse. If you are a new grad and get a job in icu or ER it depends on you. If you can deal with stress and thrive under that environment I think you can do it. Let me tell you though it is a steep learning curve. I wish you all luck.

Trauma 1. Cat1...High acuity Usually 2-3, but have had 6 when busy Cat2...Pts don't need to be monitored, but can be sick. Usually 7, but have had as high as 20. Cat3/peds. Laceration, ob and peds. Usually 6 or so but can be as high as 20. MHT...Mental health....6 at the most. I am in one of the busiest ERs in the country. It's crazy but I love it.....most of the time.

No way.

When I worked in the MICU we didn't place them, only peripherally. I work in the ER now and yes, we do put in EJ's. Seriously, I'll place a line anywhere I can to get access in certain situations. I've placed them in toes, calves, upper chest, shoulders and just about anywhere else I can think of. EJ's are used as a last resort though. I just keep it in the back of my mind that I can get one in if I need it.