JacelRN

Thank you Aimee, :) Please people, the horse is dead. I've been at hospice now for almost 5 months and now I'm switching to full time, I love it that much. As I posted earlier, I understand now where I couldn't before. My background was in medicating Med-Surg patients. Thanks to all who posted, negative or positive, but I would truly like to let this issue drop now that its no longer relevant. JacelRN

Wow! Awesome stories. :) You know its funny, but I've been in two other situations that worked out completely different for me. So I guess it always varies on how much you intervene. My friend is becoming a professional wrestler and my hubby and I went to his last match. Of course it was a stupid cage match (I cringe at normal matches) and he ended up messing his finger up. His wife came out afterwards and said, "Hey you're a nurse!" I said, "yes, yes I am." I quickly helped him by assessing the finger, which was pretty bad off, the fingernail more or less saved him from severing the tip. We splinted the finger and he went to the hospital for treatment as I prompted him to do. It all ended well. Another occurence where I would have intervened was at the grocery store and while I was in the checkout lane caught behind my cart. A lady entered the front door and promptly fell to the floor in a full-blown seizure. My feet didn't even move yet and four people rushed to her. They quickly protected her head and neck and called for an ambulance. Most of them were the employees. I was proud to be a customer. It seems to me that people are brighter than what they appear. Or like in some of your posts, always able to point out the one and only professional in the bunch and say "Hey, its a nurse! Get 'em!" Thanks for the great replies, JacelRN

We saw "Assault on Precinct 13", a decent movie and I enjoyed myself without a second thought. Thanks for asking. And thanks for the stories and support. This was the first time my hubby has seen me in inaction and I guess some misconceptions surfaced. It was hard at first since I was certain he understood how I felt being a nurse in a "nurses are perfect" world, but I too had misconceptions. If you're not a nurse, you don't get it, even if you've married one. Thanks all, JacelRN

Hi everyone, I'm more or less writing to see if anyone else here has had a similar situation. When out with my hubby last weekend, we went to the movies and when we walked through the side hallway, a girl was sitting on the stairway with her head between her knees and leaning over. There was a young man there beside her and a security guard crouching in front of her with a walkietalkie. My first instinct was to see if she needed help but at the exact time I thought this, the security guard said "The ambulance is on its way." I later realized that what I did was a visual assessment. She was not bleeding profusely or anywhere I could see, she was not convulsing on the floor, nor was she unconscious or not breathing. If I was to take a stab at what the problem was, I would guess nausea or diabetic problems. Heck, she may have even been pregnant and had some bad popcorn! Overall, her condition was stable in my eyes. Anywho, I walked by slowly to be sure I was sound in my decision and said to my hubby, "she'll be ok." We walked up the stairs and I noticed him look back again over his shoulder. Later in the weekend, he told me that he was weirded out by me not stopping to help. I logically explained everything as I did above but he still didn't get it. To his credit, he did say later "I can understand how you wouldn't want to be a nurse that night." Congratulations! :balloons: Bingo. Now if any of the above criteria was present, I would have been there in an instant, assessing and intervening. Anyone else been thought of as a superhero on duty 24/7? As always, looking for another nurse to lean on. JacelRN

That's too funny ..."laundry list of jobs I carry with me." I can only see you as a more well-rounded person. But hey, that's just me. Unfortunately in this aspect, I will have been an RN for 1 year come February. I have stuck it out in an optional position on my Med-Surg floor for that time period and work Hospice part-time. I guess my time as a new grad is long gone. Even if my hospital offered it, I'm sure I wouldn't be considered. I just wish, in hind sight, that I would have had the opportunity. I think some personalities are better suited to search around. Oh well, maybe someone reading this will benefit from my story. Listen up new grads, if you have the chance to intern...jump. You'll have the rest of your lives to work in one place. Have a good day guys and gals, JacelRN

Hi everyone, I'm not yet a parent but I'm considering going into L&D. When I was graduating, I believed I would be better suited for this specialty once having kids myself. I wanted to hear from those of you who are experienced nurses. Do you feel that a woman who has had the experience of childbirth, or a man who has been there during a birth has any effect on the type of L&D nurse he or she makes? Is it important to be the patient first so that you can relate more easily and therefore be a more empathetic L&D nurse? Any opinions? JacelRN

Hello everyone, I haven't been here for a few months; thankfully I have been quite fulfilled in my new specialty. I recently switched from Med-Surg nursing to Hospice nursing. I love the work I do, my co-workers are awesome and if only one teeny, tiny aspect of my job were changed, I would be happier...I need to get off night shifts. Unfortunately, that change is not available to me in my present specialty. We work 8 hour shifts and it is a small unit so not many nurses are needed for every shift. The shift I want and need is evening shift and they are full! Working night shift is seriously affecting my personal life unlike anything I have experienced before: I see my husband rarely, 2 days a week if he's lucky to get those nights off from work; I miss my church every other weekend because of sleep (believe me I've tried going without sleep...it ain't pretty) and I feel like a zombie most days when I wake up after sleeping my full 8 hours. I guess it's time to be honest with myself. I can't do it anymore without going insane. So with that rant said, I'm looking into another specialty I have been interested in from college: Labor and Delivery. The manager of the unit is already on my side and there is a perfect job awaiting me: 11a-11p 3 days a week (12 hour shifts). My hubby works evening shift at his job so he gets home most nights at 12:30 or 1 am. This would work out perfectly and we'd be able to go to bed together every night (something I have seriously missed out on since working my 4 nights a week.) I guess my question is this: I'm worried that my employer will frown upon my switching so soon. It really has nothing to do with the job, just what the job is doing to my personal life and the inopportunity in my current specialty. Does anyone have an opinion on this, or advice to me regarding the best way I can go about explaining why I need to make this change? I appreciate anything you guys and gals have to offer. Thanks in advance, JacelRN

Thanks everyone for the great replies, It's nice to know I'm not alone in the world of nursing. :) I can't see how some nurses stay in jobs they HATE. They complain about it all shift long and then do nothing to change their situations. I can however, understand how switching jobs can be scary. But I actually find it exciting to start fresh somewhere else, learn new skills and meet new co-workers and patients. If that is frowned upon, I don't see why. I do wish there were some type of internship for new grads. Perhaps to try on different departments-much like a real-life clinical. That way, a new nurse wouldn't be penalized or even looked down upon for trying new areas. I bet it would help in retention as well. Anyone know of a program like this? JacelRN

Hellllo Nurse, I wrote that oddly, I am working as a nurse now; what I meant to say was that while in school I worked as a PCA for 3 years and some of that was with hospice patients. I had 7 months experience as a PCA on my med-surg floor before passing the NCLEX. I already had my RN job lined up. Hope that clarifies :chuckle Also, I think that working there as a PCA was both helpful and hurtful; helful to me to see what the nurse went through and I would soon be going through, and hurtful to my employer for that exact reason I chalk it up to experience and I'm thankful that I have those skills under my belt, even if it isn't for the full 1 year that everyone and their mother suggests to new nurses. Overall, I believe I will be a nurse who LIKES to change jobs; I like learning new things and overcoming challenges. Any new skill is welcome to me and I don't think it should be looked down upon that a nurse likes trying new areas. Heck, isn't that one of the perks of being a nurse: opportunity? Thanks for the replies, I'd love to hear more people's experiences, JacelRN

Hello fellow graduates, I'm just curious to see if anyone else has taken a similar path as I. I started working on my med-surg floor during NCLEX testing and stayed there about 7 months before getting my license. Then, after 6 months on the job as an RN, I have moved into a specialty area that always interested me during school and work as a PCA...hospice. Is there anyone else out there that either left for want of a specialty or because Med-surg just was too much to take for full time? Other reasons are certainly welcome Interested to know, JacelRN

Hello everyone, I tried doing a search of this topic, and I realize it is individualized to each hospital and state, but as a newer nurse, I would like to know how much pay rates increase with years of experience under one's belt. If possible, I'd like to hear replies of hospital-based, bed-side nursing, pay rate increases for varying years applied, for example 5 years, 10 years, 15 years and so on. Just a bit of a survey I suppose to know where I'm headed. Thanks again and please point out the thread if this has already been covered. JacelRN

Thank you everyone, It does help to know others out there have gone through this. It's what makes this BB so great! Since then, I have forgiven myself of the mistakes and promised I would do my best when dealing with this particular nurse. Afterall, she is only human too (like you all pointed out.) I also realized that my mistakes were most probably due to my recent change in jobs and this happened due to that transition. My primary job dosen't deal with scheduled meds all that much (hospice), and I work Med-Surg optional only once a week so my focus is altered. So I have since given myself some slack and noticed that I must pay closer attention to my scheduled meds and tasks at Med-Surg since that is what seemed to suffer most from learning a new job. The good thing however, is that my patient care truly became better attuned, it was worth the mistakes in my original post. Thanks again for the virtual ears! You guys and gals are great! JacelRN

I'm actually talking about myself! I just came home from an exhausting Med-Surg day. I forgot to tape report on one of my patients (that's how tired I am) and I forgot to give 2, 7am meds. And to top it off, I had to call and tell about the meds to the same nurse who stopped me from leaving about the report. She had all three of my patients I messed up on! Argghh :imbar For some reason, this nurse knows exactly how to look at me or talk to me to make me feel like a toddler at her feet. She's never outright rude or mean, but she just acts superior. I can never do any good by her. I guess I just needed to get this off my chest and vent to others before I fell into my pillow. Some of you must have experienced this type of shift and coworker, unfortunately. It just makes you feel like the worse nurse in the world. :angryfire What I keep telling myself however is all the good I did this shift. I sat with a scared and lonely patient and prayed, gave her reassurance and just listened. I explained a surgery to another patient and gave her details on the time for surgery so she could call her concerned family asap. I cleaned my other patient's incontinence despite being bit and swung at. I attempted an IV stick for an MRI at shift change when they called out of the blue and said "Oh yeah can you get an IV in him?" And I fnished my night by giving a complete bed bath to my little lady going to HDU and fed her breakfast. Thanks for the virtual ear, JacelRN

Hi Karen, I agree with kona2, a nurse aide position or PCA/CNA as they may be termed, could be right up your alley. When I worked as a PCA during nursing school, my hospital paid me $2 more on the hour just for being a future nurse, added to the $2 shift diff I made for working evening shift on the weekends, I made about $13/hour. It was wondeful money for me while I lived at home with mom and pop. I was able to afford all my bills except for food/board that my parents graceously provided. Check with your local hospitals, I suggest a teaching hospital if available, and also with your school. Either may provide you with great resources to start applying. JacelRN

Hi Betsy, First off welcome to the board. This is a great way to ask questions and also read about important topics to nursing. Return here often WHEN you go into nursing. As always, this is an independent choice and I wish you every blessing in choosing the right path for you. I chose nursing after working at an answering service taking after hour calls for several different businesses. My favorite calls were always the doctors offices. I loved the medical terminology and talking with the patients, nurses and doctors. Most of them were very kind and compassionate. I decided after several months of soul-searching and praying to look into nursing. It truly was the best decision I've made other than marrying my husband. I love where I have come in nursing. I won't lie, it was a very difficult, and still is, road to travel, but the outcomes are wonderfully fulfilling if you're willing to go through the trials. As with any job, you deal with management, financial troubles, stubborn personalities and overworked schedules, those are some of my least favorite aspects of my job. But you know what, I dealt with those in several of my other jobs as well. It is still a business making money. Despite that however, I have never found another job where I can truly help another human being as I have in nursing. I wish you the best and good luck with your decision, JacelRN

I think this is a situation you will need to consider in full, as you seem to be doing. I just transfered to another unit and I've only had about 7 months under my belt but they accept new grads so it wasn't a problem. It isn't just about waiting the year out for experience, as others have listed; consider your relationship and the strength or weakness of going ahead with it in another location. Will it benefit you to wait considering job, experience, pay, your relationship, your family, your HAPPINESS etc or is it best to just wait it out and then move when things are better suited? Your boyfriend seems to be getting things organized in his own life as well. Only you can answer the prominent question of what is best but as far as transfering, it is not unheard of to transfer before 1 year's experience. Just be sure you take care of you first and foremost. JacelRN

Could you trade with anyone? I just traded to work Christmas Day instead of Christmas Eve? Hope you work it out for you and your family... JacelRN

Don't be so hard on yourself Rose, I've been out 7 months and I just made my first med error over a misread (scribbled) doctors note regarding lantus. I even caught it on myself, freaked out miserably, double checked, trippled checked the patient's blood sugar until my shift was over and you know what? nothing happened to the patient, he was safe and snug as a bug over night shift. The only thing that happened was a meeting with my boss telling me "you know I just had to go over this, everyone makes a mistake and you're doing great, no problems from you." So take a breather and know it happens to everyone, you're a good nurse to admitt any mistakes. JacelRN

I actually had something very similar to this. I had pain in my left chest, just as you described. Without self diagnosing myself, I went to the doctor over the concern, they did an EKG and asked me tons of questions (I do have a family hx of heart problems) and found that it was most probably due to the stress of starting work as a new graduate nurse, too much stress and not enough alleviation of the tension. She recommended no caffeine, loose some weight, try not to take anything so seriously (yeah right, on a med-surg floor?) and exercise more regularly. So far I have done all the above, including transfering to another unit. I have not felt any more chest pains in about two months. Definitely go check it out, everyone's individual in their problems and you don't want to overlook a serious problem, but also, try to relax and not take things so seriously (I know, refer to my sarcasm above but it really does work!) by remembering we're all human and no one is perfect, even though they want us to be. Good luck and hope all is well with your heart! JacelRN

That is a very interesting idea. :wink2: I would agree that we as nursing students are taught to just jump through the hoops until graduation and bear through any difficulties with the upper management of instructors and department heads. I found in being assertive and advocating for myself and my ongoing learning, that my nursing instructors themselves would alienate me or look less favorably on me, and we know that there are those instructors who plainly go on personality to whether you will make a suitable nurse. I can agree with the OP that I feel nursing school instills some "don't fight it now, you'll have a chance latter" attitudes when it comes to being advocates for our own rights and needs. This might be due to the fact that they are afraid of confrontational nurses but instead, it tends to limit the true strength of a good argument to deal with tough issues that nurses will face once they graduate. I also agree with plumrn. Once graduated, I felt a lack of support systems to fend for myself and a concern over what my job may suffer. I did argue important ideas that were being missed by my management, but to no avail. Nothing was done about them. On the other hand, sadly when I made my first ever med error, she was quick to have a talk with me about my mistake and how the doctor was involved and angry over the situation. Without anything going wrong, it seems we as nurses don't have any head way. If and when we try and fight for something proactively, it appears to fall on deaf ears. I again think it is due to lack of support systems for nursing. Wonderful topic. JacelRN

Hello everyone, I have started orienting in my hospice unit and I have to tell you, I'm loving my new job so far. I love what I can do for a patient and for a family during the dying process and it seems I have a certain insight into this, don't ask me how, it just came with the transition. I take it as a sign of making the right move. Plus, I listen well to those experienced nurses around me and soak up all the info possible. My question is regarding SL Roxanol. I was warned by my preceptor on the subject of teaching how morphine decreases respirations. For those of you who have dealt with this, what are some suggestions you can give me to steer clear of the idea of the morphine "killing" their loved one? I understand this is an education area and I just need to know the best way to approach/explain it. Are there certain phrases you have used that have been successful? Easing respirations, helping them relax, etc? Thanks again for your weath of knowledge, JacelRN

Cardio Trans, Here are a few things that have helped me decide to stay in the hospital chain I am currently working, and the reason I will never go back to the hospital I worked for during nursing school (it lacks all I list). I agree with the other posters regarding orientation, it is highly individualized and can change from day to day, and also I believe you learn the most AFTER orientation. I plan to stay in my current hospital setting because: -It allows for growth and is able to support it by having many different areas to transfer to (as I have already done.) -It gives nice bonuses to remind us how in need and in demand nurses are (some are open to experienced nurses as well as new grads.) -Management tends to work for the individual, not in every way it should but when it really counts. -Benefits and pay raises are slow but at least steady and worthwhile. I hope these help and they're not too late. JacelRN

Hello again friends, Well, I have since begun orientation for Hospice. I really feel like it's exactly what I've been praying for. Don't get me wrong, I expect this to be a very challenging area of nursing, but you know what, I'm up for the challenge! RuthG, I do appreciate you telling me your story, it helps to know we're not alone out there. I think you're smart to hang in there, Med-surg is a valuable core knowledge I agree every nurse should experience. God-love the nurses that remain in Med-Surg, I don't think I've got what it takes but for those who do...please know that you are appreciated, at least by me. SunStreak...THANK YOU so much for what you said. I've got a huge smile on my face I think I'll print it out so when I have a particularly crappy day, I can say "Hey at least Sunstreak likes me!" And Fizzgig (love the name btw) I think this happens to the best of us. Some new grads may not express it, but I'm the type of person who can't hold things like this in for long...when I tried I actually made myself sick. That's why this board, and my virtual friends are so important to me. It's an outlet for venting the best and worst we nurses have to deal with. I'm gonna hang in there, even just in an optional position on my Med-surg floor so that one day I can look back on it and tell myself I got through it. I just think personally, full time was too much. Look around and find what will make you happy. Thanks again all, you guys and gals are God-sent! :kiss JacelRN

(((((HUG)))))) So sorry you're feeling this down. Perhaps take a good, LONG vaccation before making any permanent changes. Get yourself organized and then go away, anywhere, but don't stay home. Do something relaxing and rejuvinating. Perhaps write a list of things that make you feel depressed. Have a good cry while you're doing it and then consider if the majority are nursing related. Then you can make your decision knowing you really thought and FELT things through. Overall, take care of you first. You cannot love others until you truly love yourself. I will say a prayer for you today! JacelRN

Hi Jen, I can feel what you're going through is terrible for you. I cannot relate in my own experiences as a new nurse but I do have a close friend who's story sounds a lot like yours. I think the previous posters have given you great advice. I would also suggest to see how the meeting goes and just be honest with your manager. If she's a good manager, she'll listen to you and help you decide the best route for your career. As for another side of the coin, my friend started in a really intense unit and found herself overwhelmed. She couldn't think straight and she became really unhappy there. She decided she had bitten off more than she could chew. So she left the unit and went to another unit where she is much happier and feels like she makes a difference in her patients' care. Either way you chose it, make the decision for what you feel is best. You are a good nurse, keep reminding yourself that. If you weren't a good nurse, you wouldn't care enough to cry. Praying for you, JacelRN