juicyjake

You did nothingwrong, in my opinion, that is going above and beyond "the call" and your manager should thank you for it.

I've heard nothing about nurse salary changes. I do agree that the healthcare system would crumble if we did not have nurses (obviously). If the salary was dropped even a little, I imagine we would lose many nurses...

If you don't get at least teary eyed at one point in your career as a nurse, then you went into the profession for the wrong reasons, IMO. I guess it depends upon where you work. Not ALL floors/areas see tragedy on a regular basis. I've gotten teary eyed several times. I've never broken down and wept with anyone, but only because I've never been that upset....yet. I would have no problem crying in front of people. It's not natural to hold it all of your emotions in.

I pray that my landlord will change his mind and let me get a dog.... I'm so lonely! haha.

sounds like their laziness is creating unsafe environment for the patients. That is definitely something to be angry about. I would report them to whoever is above you..to someone who can fire them/replace them if need be.

Hmm...Interesting. Very nice plan BTW. Nice to see such a business oriented woman. Now you can imagine running your apartment complex with your current stress free job, but life may be a lot different supervising that complex and working 3 hellish 12 hour shifts.. Just a little something to think about. It would probably be no big deal, though. I was wondering if this project was some sort of unnecessary amenity. Now that I see it's a business prospect, I say do whatever you can to make that money and get started! Good luck to you! What is your home country?

I think you'll NEVER find a job that is as cozy as the one you're in right now. i would stay. What sort of project are you talking about? Maybe you could finance differently? Or maybe you could just live life on the wild side and pack up and leave :) I'm sometimes a little skeptical that 8,000 a month is possible with the traveling nurses option. I'd have to speak to someone face to face and hear them tell me that they made 100,000 dollars as an RN... I dunno. Money doesn't make the world go round. I'd have to know what sort of project you're talking about to really give my whole 2 cents. )

I would just swallow my pride and thank them for doing the job of two people (even if you're not sure of it), and tell them that you will keep an eye on the other aide. Tell them that if you notice that trend, you will alert higher management, or maybe even write her up for not answering the lights. That's the worst part about being a Charge RN. Dealing with the "he said/ she said".

everyone asks me why I'm in college, and I always respond with a chuckle as I tell them that I'm going to be a nurse. They say "why are you laughing? That's awesome"! I was dragged out to a bar the other night for the first time in a while, and some girl asked me what I was going to school for. When I said I was going to be a nurse, I thought she was propose to me on the spot. Apparently male nurses are "hot". I told her that I thought the misconception was that they were gay; not "hot". But there was no talking her out of it, haha. She later asked me to go home with her. It was terribly slutty, and of course I didn't accept the offer because I'm just not like that. But...my point is that I've been halfway embarrassed to tell people about it, but the more and more I tell people, the more proud I am that I have chosen nursing. I have never taken any "guff" about being a "male nurse". Yeah, my friends may call me "gaylord" sometimes, but it's all in good fun. I've talked two of my friends into nursing school already. congrats on the job! I hope to be a CRNA after I practice for a few years as well.

That's just what happens when places are understaffed. The aides are overworked and so are you. You need their help, but they are already overloaded, and have probably been mistreated by about 75 percent of the nurse that they are HELPING. I have some absolutely outrageous stories about lazy lazy lazy/ignorant nurses. Let me go into just one. the CHARGE nurse on our floor was up at the desk. The desk is right next to "room X". In room X is a little old lady with sundowners and a bed alarm and a severe fall precaution. I'm in the break room halfway down the hall eating my "lunch" and sitting down for the first time in 7 hours. So...The bed alarm goes off, and what does the CHARGE nurse do? She walks her butt right past room X and down the hall to tell me that her alarm is going off. I was in disbelief. I had already heard the alarm and was running out the door to meet her halfway. "Room X's bed alarm is going off." she says. My jaw just dropped to the floor. This poor old lady could have been on the floor with a broken hip that could have possibly ended her life, but GOD forbid this nurse would step in there to intervene because that is MY job as a care tech. It's ashame that we have to be at such a battle with each other (RN's and PCT's) because we are supposed to be on a TEAM. I have even had nurses call me from the room and ask me to come get a set of vitals on that patient. DID YOU FORGET HOW TO TAKE A _______'IN BLOOD PRESSURE? phweew...I feel a little better. My point being that tech's/aides have been mistreated by so many RN's that every time someone asks them to do something, they feel like they're being pushed around/taken advantage of/unappreciated. We have a computer in every room at my hospital and we chart the vitals as we go. Maybe you could pull the tech aside and tell her that all of her hard work is being wasted if you can't see the vital signs that she has taken when you need them. Tell her that you appreciate her help, but maybe you could both modify the system when you work as a team, so you're both happy. Good luck!

Wow...That is new information to me... That's terrible... People get in over their heads with stupid loans for corvettes, sports cars, excessively large homes, and they are "forgiven". But the student who was most likely misled into a career that isn't paying what was promised gets screwed by high interest and it's pegged to him/her forever?! Ugh....I just don't get it sometimes..:angryfire

She's right. A private loan is more than double the interest of a gov't loan. If you are only looking for eight thousand a year, you should try gov't loans. They will allow for a certain amount depending upon your level in school and your current income. (yours is zero, so you should be good to go :) Private loans should be your LAST resort. Paying back an 11 percent APR is not fun on a big loan. A gov't loan would be more like a 7 percent or less. I work part time and go to school full time (BSN student) and I make it allright. That includes paying for an apartment, car, groceries. Hospitals around here (Missouri) offer tuition reimbursment. That with my part time money and maybe a small loan should be plenty. So my advice would be to get a PCT or nurse aid job at a hospital first, then start up school and use THEIR money :) Either way, good luck!

Nancy...You didn't make a bad decision, you made a GOOD decision. You were prioritizing. I am sure the other things you were taking care of would have affected those patients more than just having a new IV placement! Don't be so hard on yourself!

spend "that much time?" You have the rest of your life to work. 1 more year of school now will be the difference of you getting that job or department switch that you want (at the VERY least). Not to mention that you may want to specialize or become a PA or WHATEVER. Having your BSN will give you many many more options for the rest of your life. Yes, I am a BSN student, but I would give this same advice even if I wasn't.

I don't think a BSN should be a MUST. I do think that a BSN nurse should be paid more than someone with an associates or a diploma. Don't you agree? This could be some of the problem concerning the lack of unity among nurses. If I went to school for four years, and paid 10 times as much as someone who went to school for 2 years, but we are both getting paid the same; wouldn't that cause some desension amongst each other? p.s. We have strayed way off topic.... There are soooo many problems with nursing. We are all aware of them. Now what can we do to fix them?! Can anyone give a definite solution to one of the 15 problems posted by the OP?