BlueBug

I have never heard of anything like that before! Start checking with some outside sources, Nursing board, Joint Commission, American Heart Association, ACLS instructors. Have you talked to your director about this, or is it a rumor on the grapevine?

On evenings where I am, we almost never have a CNA or any help, so that means total patient care for all patients. I have had from 4-6 patients, usually 4 patients and 2 empty beds which leaves me praying for no new admits. After 11pm we have no unit secretaty so we have to put our own orders in the computer. We are pretty much on our own, no in-house Dr or pharmacy. The kitchen is closed. We do 24 hour chart checks and make sure that ALL orders/med changes made in the past 24 hours have been entered into the computer. We put mars, labs, and physcian rounds into the charts. We do our I&Os. We are also the lucky ones who get to call the Drs early in the AM when the 0300 labs start coming back as critical values. One of the biggest differences that I have noticed is that we have a limited amount of time to get our meds and assessments done because people want to go to sleep. I always try to get them done asap, but when the lady in room 4 is incontinent and has c-diff, the patient in room 2 had their IV go bad and they don't have the ordered PICC in yet and you are supposed to hang IV meds(The PICC guy is only there on days), and room 3 is getting IV Morphine every hour to control cancer pain(which the day shift should have had changed to a drip...) It can be crazy to do it all yourself and get your assessments in so people can settle in and go to sleep. One more... some patients have completely different personalities at night. That patient who was A&OX3 for days and able to get to the toilet no prob may become confused and unable to walk at night. Not fun... Days and Nights are both crazy in their own different ways. ~BlueBug

When I was at a major children's hospital it was common for parents to sleep in the hospital beds with the kids. Why are you so offended that some moms want to cuddle and have their husbands very close? Just because the way dad curls up around mom reminds YOU of a sexual position, doesn't mean that anything sexual is happening. Your hang-ups shouldn't interfere with the bonding of a new family. Really, why are you so bothered by how some new families choose to bond? Families are all different, and if you are the only uncomfortable one, then where is the harm? ~BlueBug

Breast feeding works on a supply-and-demand system, which means you can't just not pump or go longer between pumping without messing up your supply. If a mom needs to pump every 4 hours, she can't stretch it to 6, it just doesn't work that way. The body KNOWS when it is time... regardless of what ever else is going on. I can put off peeing, but when my breasts said it was time, they ment NOW. It can be fustrating, but that is how it works... It is awful that we -nurses- can be so closed minded and unsupportive of something which is a natural process and bodily function. If you care so little about the health and well being of your coworkers, how can you say that you care about anyone? This line of work is hard enough without having to put up with backstabbing, immature, simple-minded coworkers. Just because someone else wishes to throw a pity-party because they can't/don't/won't figure out how to work in their breaks doesn't mean I have to give up mine for any reason. Perhaps if you didn't have such a toxic attitude, others would help to make sure you did get your breaks. The decision to breastfeed is made harder because of the general lack of support the new mom gets. It is a shame that a natural process gets so little support and so much scorn, even after the benefits have been proven over and over again. I agree about the smoking comment. Nobody at my hospital says anything about a person going outside to smoke, and they take lots of long breaks. I don't know of anyone who is pumping, so I am curious to see how it goes for me. Baby is due in Sept... ~BlueBug

I did it. I had my GED, now I also have my BSN,RN... Good Luck! ~BlueBug

See if your place has a standardized form to use, at least to organize yourself. My place has one, but nobody uses it. I think I might start using it to give myself an outline so I can be organized. I will either use theirs or make one myself that I can fill out fast before shift change so I can give an organized report and not jump around so much. And try not to talk 100mph. I hate that, but everyone seems to do that... Everyone is different. I had a LONG day and my mind was gone when I tried to give report the other night. The nurse I was reporting off to got fustrated and gently tried to help by giving me advice and telling me what was important to him, vitals, A&O, IVs, ambulation, diet, changes in status, ect. I took it all in stride because I was really awful. The next week I had to take report from him and was expecting the organized report that he has instructed me to do, ummm, not what I got!. He rambled on, missed the all so important infor, and sounded gossipy. I thought it was kinda funny and goes to show that everyone can be really different on how they give report and what their expectations are. If you use a brain during the day, a sheet of paper you make notes on and keep sorta organized, you can use that for report too. You will be fine. ~BlueBug

Keep at it, advancing your education and becoming an RN will be worth it. Nurses do provide care, even if it is at a different level than what you are used to as a CNA. I have my BSN and work in a med/tele unit and provide alot of the 1 on 1 patient care you describe. Sometimes I don't have a CNA to help and do total patient care; thus I provide ALL the care to the patient. When I do have a CNA to help out, I always make sure they know I will help with anything they need. Helping to bathe or toilet a patient is an excellent opportunity to asses the patients skin condition. How are they tolerating movement/activity? Is there a change in the mental status of the patient? I help to pull them up in bed, prop them with pillows, and bring ice water. I talk with the patients and get to know them when I can. I talk to them while assessing them, I can learn all sorts of things while I inspect a person's feet and legs, and not just the condition of those feet and legs. I learn about the patient's family, life, hopes, and fears. I know that many nurses do not do this, and it is a shame. Not all the working environments are the same, and there is a lot of varience for the same type of nursing in different hospitals, or within the same hospital and different shifts. One med/surge floor at hospital A may be worlds different from hospital B. Day shift and night shift can be totally different in their attitudes. You might have to look around and try a few different areas/hospitals, but I think you will be able to find a position that lets you do all that you want. Remember, everyone who works in the hospital provides care, we just all fill different little aspects of that care. Becoming a nurse is a big change and is moving you out of your comfort zone. I think that if you follow through with this you will be happy and see that you will have more ways to show you care in addition to the things you do a CNA. Nobody says you can't help arrange pillows or get a blanket, you just have to be the nurse that still sees that as being part of her job... I do. :) ~BlueBug

I agree with the above posts. Getting some rest should help alot. When other people freak out like the patient's daughter and the doctor did, it usually has very little to do with you and alot to do with something else the person cannot deal with. When yelled at like that by a doctor stay calm and tell them that when they can handle themselves in a professional manner you would be more than willing to discuss the patient's care, and then leave the area if the bad behavior doesn't stop. You are not there to be abused by doctors. Get yourself some insurance regardless of what happened today... it is fairly cheap and covers YOUR butt. Not having it is NOT WORTH IT!! You also need to have it before anything bad happens as it will not cover what happened before you had the insurance. (you cannot wreck your car, go get insurance a few days later, and then expect the insurance to fix your wrecked car... ). Hope you feel better soon, and that things improve for you. Make sure that you document problems like you were having with the leads staying on, and everything that you did to fix the problem. If it means that you write a little blurp in the nursing notes every 1/2 hour because the leads will not stay on, then do it because it shows that the problem was being addressed and what steps you took to try to fix it. Anyone can pull the file and see that you were addressing the problems with the leads, and not ignoring them. They can accuse you of what ever they want, but you have documented that you were providing adequate care and trying to resolve the problem. ~BlueBug

Hey there, practicing, often, really does make a difference. No matter how good you get, you won't get all of them, and then the ones you miss are not always the hardest looking all the time. What looks like a sure thing can turn into mission impossible. Some days you are the one who finally gets lucky on that hard to start patient. I always wiggle/spin the cath loose before inserting because sometimes they seem stubborn once inserted. I pull up a chair and position my self so I am as comfortable as possible. I avoid using a tourniquet if possible, especially in older patients. If I have to use one, I remove it as soon as possible, always before flushing. Be gentle when you flush the vein, some nurses bury the plunger and blow an otherwise good IV start. If the vein suddenly disappears on you, make sure you haven't accidently blocked the vein with your fingers and cut off the blood supply. Seems obvious but it can happen by accident and is one of my personal stupid tricks to pull when starting an IV. Just move your offending hand and the vein should reappear. If you are easing the cath in and it stops, sometimes gently twisting it while trying to advance it will help. This will sometimes help if you are running into a valve. Sometimes you can find large veins close to the surface on a person's upper arm. Good luck, and remember that no one is successful all the time. ~BlueBug * OH yeah, Sometimes you see little "bumps" or slightly enlarged spots on a vein, those are valves. Sometimes you can see them, sometimes you can't. Try to avoid placing an IV where you can see that the cath would pass through a valve. Sometimes you can't see them to avoid them.

I don't know anything about Concorde, but make sure they are accreditated and that you will be able to sit for boards after you graduate. I have seen funky programs which promise the world, but don't deliver. I also remember when I took my Kaplan review class that Concorde students would not be covered by their guarantee, or something along those lines. Also, have you compared their cost to the cost of other programs or schools? I am not saying anything about the program because I don't know about it, I just want for you guys to be successful and happy. Good Luck! ~BlueBug

If Stepmom comes back again... You sounded pretty upset about what the kids mother had done, and seeing that you were informed by the kids about the injections, they probably picked up on your feelings of anger and distrust about their mother. Maybe you should tell them that at first you were upset, but now that you have looked into the issue, their mother did nothing wrong. Swallow your pride, set a good example, and let them feel good about their bio mom, no matter how you feel about her. And yes, nurses give injections all the time, in the hospital, at clinincs, and at home. (Doctors do not really give many injections.) I give vitamin b shots to several people on a regular basis. Their Dr told them if they had a nurse willing to do the injections at home, he would write out the script and they wouldn't have to drag into the office just for an injection. What part did you consider to be unethical? Her injecting her kids, not telling you, Not asking you??? And to be quite honest, what harm did come from her actions? Other than your concern and a couple of sore arms, what was so awful? If you go looking for trouble, you will no doubt always be able to dig something up. You said that she has done all sorts of "illegal" things... and yet she is on this side of the law and has her new license. Find a new hobby, maybe one that is actually productive and causes no harm to anyone, least of all your stepkids. ~BlueBug

I was trying to be nice the first time I posted, but I have to agree with what the other posters have said, your grammar really is awful. And no, nobody said a word about LPNs being lazy except for you. I am wondering if English is not your first language, and I'm not being mean about it. Your language usage and written grammar need improvement. If you can't see this, I have to wonder about your actual education and experience. Please consider this as you continue your job hunt. What hospitals have you tried? ~BlueBug

The above post sounds like my unit, and all beds are med/tele. We have no med/surg beds, all are up for tele if needed. We all are required to have ACLS within a certain time frame of being hired, and all are required to have basic rhythms classes. ~BlueBug

A friend of mine was yelled at and humiliated for asking a doctor a question. Chairs flung across the nurses station, calling pharmacy and declaring the "stupid nurse" had a question, throwing everything in his pockets across the romm while attempting to find a pen.. really bad deal. She wrote him up, and he was ordered to go to anger management classes or lose his position with the hospital. I guess he has been nothing but polite and helpful since then...:chuckle ~BlueBug

Yeah... I was offended by that above comment to. The idea that children can only be well taken care of by a stay at home parent is just not true. Babysitters and daycare are not mindless, cold, heartless, warehouseing of children. I also think the idea that you cannot better yourself by having a career or getting an education while you have children is irresponsible. Putting kids in daycare is not irresponsible, not being able to take care of your kids is irresponsible, not setting a good example is irresponsible. And don't tell me that one shouldn't have kids unless they can take care of them, circumstances change. I was a stay at home mom until I was widowed at 25... and had no way to care for my family because I had bought into that whole daycare is awful theory and had not furthered my education. I had a husband who supported us, so of course I needed to stay home. Turns out the kids liked daycare and wanted to go even when I was home... Rant over:devil: sorry. You can have another baby, but of course it will be harder than not having the baby. (but we all know that our babies are SOOO worth it:loveya:) Like so many other situations in life that deal with parenting, you will figure out how to make it work. My best friend had a baby 2 weeks before our nursing program started, and my kids were 6 and 4. It was hard, but we got through, what choice do you have? Those of us who were school + kids wondered how those who were school + work managed, and it turns out that they were wondering how WE managed, LOL. One girl had a baby at the start of our last semester, and she also managed. We all had help from family and friends to get us through. The better the support system you have, the better it will work for you. I had several people that I could call on to watch the kids if needed. Many of us had young kids. All of us made it. (We did lose a coulple of girls who were younger and didn't have kids, but all moms made it.) Did I get to spend as much time around the kids as I would have without being in school? Of course not, but we got enough time in. My friend with the newborn bonded well with her son, that little boy adored his mommy, and yes, he spent time with a babysitter. If you have a baby you will figure out how to make things work. That window to have a baby will close eventually, make sure you don't have any regrets when it does. Good Luck, ~BlueBug Oh yeah... our program was a full-time BSN program. I waited 6 months after graduation to find employment, and it was a little tricky. During one interview I was asked if I had had a difficult time passing the NCLEX, and if this was why I had waited so long to find employment. I told them that I had passed the NCLEX first try a month post graduation and that I had chosen to take the summer off to be with my kids. I got the job, but hadn't thought that my summer off might look like NCLEX trouble. Another local hospital was reserving it's Graduate Nurse opening for students who were going to graduate this December and were doing their last rotations with them... yeah, I had done my last clinical rotation there to and been offered a job, the offer didn't hold. So yes, waiting a year after graduation to seek employment might make job hunting a little more difficult.

Ease up on yourself. I am 31 and graduated in May with my BSN... and I still wonder what I want to do with my life sometimes. Give yourself time. Nothing says you have to pick now and carve it in stone. Parents can be a pain sometimes, my daughters will tell you that I am a pain often.:wink2: They are both smart, one has been tested and has an incredible IQ, and I have to balance pushing her with letting her be a goofy kid. Your dad prolly sees potential and just doesn't want you waste it. Parents sometimes are not good at telling kids that they are proud of them, (some parents are also just plain dysfunctional.) Those classes sound way harder than what I took in highschool. College was awesome compared to highschool. Give yourself a break and some time. Eventually you will figure out what you want to do, or you won't, but you eill have an interesting time plugging through life. Go for higher education, and if you still find Nursing interesting, go for it. You don't have to be a perfect student, just a hard working one. ~BlueBug

Can your dose be altered or changed at all? You didn't mention the dose or scheduling. I take wellbutrin in the winter to fight SAD and keep me going through the winter, without it I would be curled up under the bed with the dust bunnies... I start gradually, at 100mg in the morning, and after a few weeks increase to 100mg BID, then again after a few more weeks to 100mg TID. Easing into the medication has helped tone down the heart issues. I also take generic, so no SR or XR, just straight meds. The first time I was on the meds I had the shakes and heart palps, but now things have pretty much subsided. I think that being aware of your heart beat can be really uncomfortable and makes things seem worse than they really are. Also, do you take anything else that could increase your cardiac issues, such as caffine or other meds, my albuterol really gets things thumping... ~BlueBug

How are you doing agency work just out of school. I looked for jobs listed as "graduate nurse" when job hunting. I applied at many hospitals, but only got a handful of responses. The hospitals know that the RNs that apply to these positions are limited, or have no experience, and are willing to train. Also... Some hospitals prefer the BSN to ADN, I don't know what you have. Keep looking, and good luck. ~BlueBug

I have the attention span of a chicken, so I can only study in about 20 min blocks. Then I get up and walk around, get a drink of water then start again. Breaking it up in small blocks worked for me, but not for my room mate who sat and studied for hours... than again, I did get better grades than her soo.... Good Luck. ~BlueBug

Some people do "work their way up" because they take little steps. A lot of the time these people need to get to work faster or did not originally plan to become RNs. I graduated last May with a BSN, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I went to the local university and attended school for 4 years. Locally we have an LPN program at the Vo-Tech, as Associate Degree Nurse (ADN) program at the community college, and the BSN program at the university. Each program takes a little longer than the one before, and the more schooling you have, the more opportunities are avaliable to you. ADNs have more authority than LPNs, and BSNs have the opportunity to go into management. You can also go on and get your Masters or Nurse Practioner easier from a BSN, however I think there are some programs that will bridge an ADN to Masters. If you get your 2year ADN, there are bridge programs to get your BSN, these are sometimes refered to as RN to BSN programs. Hope I got it all down right... One of my classmates was an LPN for 15 years before going on to get her BSN. As far as your high school work goes, just try to get good grades. If you have open electives math or science classes are good. Because my program was 4 years, I had 2 years of general college classes before I applied to the nursing program. Those grades are important. Community service work, Church stuff, volunteer, do things to show you think of others. The programs look beyond just grades and try to find people who are service oriented and think of others. You don't have to volunteer at nursing homes, (it would be good though!) just get out there and be a part of your community. Good Luck!! ~BlueBug Ps. A 4 year program would also allow you time to go to school and explore if you really want to go into nursing.

Where in the midwest are you? I had a difficult time finding places that are hiring graduate nurses in the kansas city area. ~BlueBug

I use antifungus cream at night, and cover with socks. I don't have itchy feet, nothing that screams Athlete's Foot, but this has helped ALOT. I also use a lava stone, can't remember what it's called, in the shower or after a soak in the tub. Pedicures once in a while also help, let someone else scrub my feet. I also hate shoes... ~BlueBug

This is what I was going to say:yeahthat: You need to go to your management so the issue is out in the open and they know what is going on. This goes beyond snide, it could ruin your career. You don't want to be accused and try to defend yourself from this woman. Bringing up these comments after the fact won't be as effective for your defense than if management already knows of the problem. The patients also need to be protected from her. I don't know how many kids come through your floor, but God forbid a loving father shows affection or concern for his daughter, and she reports him as being "too friendly." ~BlueBug

Double or triple glove...

It isn't that the elderly are just bodies that need to be wiped and fed and are denied interaction, you have to get the interaction in when you can. While the services you offer are great, the others are vital. Also, you are used to seeing communication through your filter as a massage therapist, but you can fit in meaningful interaction as a CNA, you just gotta work at it. If you want to get extra points to put on your application to nursing schools, work as a CNA, and volunteer 1-2 times a month to go in and give the residents a massage. ~BlueBug