NYRN08

On my unit it's been 1 RN and 1 MHA for census of 18. Acuity is high on this unit and staffing has been horrible the past few months. I've been putting 5 to 6 days (12 hr shifts) a week. Sunday night into Monday morning, I was the only nurse with 2 pts on 1:1's and a MHA doing the safety checks, etc. I spent time from 1:30 till 5:30 relieving the MHA for breaks, etc but no one to come and relieve me for a break or time to catch up on my nursing duties. I finally called the charge nurse because I had an admission that I barely completed paperwork on didn't call the doctor for orders and needed to do f/s and give out 6 am meds. I finally broke down and filed a grievance report. I worked 5 days this week, I'm tired and stressed out. I wake up this afternoon to my phone ringing, it was staffing asking it I would come in yet again tonight..they tried to bribe me with an incentive..ha yeah right! just when I thought I was in the clear, I get a text from my clinical director asking if I can work a shift for tuesday night as well. Enough is enough!!

I no longer have forms to fill out. My admission database is on the computer and it's called EPIC. I hope that you find what you are looking for.

@ 2nd careerchange - hmmm...I wonder if you work at the same facility that I do. :) We use to call them COWS but a nurse asked another nurse where the COW was and the patient thought that the nurse was referring to her. I think she wanted to sue so now they make us call it a WOW...even though on my floor, some of the nurses will still say COWS. Anyhow...to the OP. We have a posting listed in our med room, showing us how to clean and disinfect the WOWS.

My condolences to you and your friends family. It's sad to hear when such a young life is taken away to early in life.

Yeah, FB won't tell her that you "denied" her request. I agree with above poster. You should block her so that she cannot find your FB. To request you as a "friend" and she doesn't know you, sounds fishy to me. Something is "off" here, at least that what I think. Just use caution and good luck in your new position!!

@ jr west - we are able to see new orders under the proper tabs or on the patient summary. As for the tele-strips, I won't be doing tele-strips. So I can't answer that question for you. Maybe someone here can offer insight on the tele-strips and scanning them.

My facility is going through the process of training all employees to use EPIC. It's a new system that is on the computer and is replacing all the patients paper charts. They say this new system is suppose to be easier and that it will make the Doctors be more responsible and their orders more legible. Along with that instead of running around looking for "who" has the chart. I can now be in the chart, when radiology, dietician, social worker, doctor, etc is also in it. Also, I think it has something to do JCAHO. This is all new to me, for I was just hired at this facility and I am going through the hospital orientation part which includes EPIC training. I'm not even sure what EPIC stands for.(I think it's something like Electronic Patient, Information, C (not sure) I'm sure that they have said it in class a few times but I'm so into learning each module and studying for the test they have at the end. I wasn't paying attention. I am very nervous for EPIC, is going live this Sunday, at my facility. There is alot of information to learn and grasp. I hear or what I'm being told is that eventually that it will be used all over the United States. I just wanted to know what states use them now? Does anyone use EPIC in there facility? Is anyone currently training to use the system? If so, 1. How do you like it? 2. Is it just a time consuming as paper charts? 3. How did your doctors adjust to using it? 4. How did you and your fellow nurses adjust? Any input would be great to hear from you!!

I work in a facility wear we have to wear a collared blue shirt and beige khaki pants. I do not like it at all. I would just rather wear what I wore in my psych rotation in nursing school. I feel out of place when I have to float to med-surg, peds/surgical floor and those nurses are all in white. All the patients ask me, who are you?? Even though my badge is on and above my waist. (we are not allowed to have the badge on your belt or bottom shirt area. It must be displayed at eye view. My other facility(which I start on Monday) they have a choice to wear either scrubs or pants and a nice shirt. Just as long as it is appropriate.

Everyone at the facility I work at also has a FB even the chief nursing officer! I don't see a problem with it as long as you don't discuss your personal life or talk about the facility or the co-workers.

Thank-You, Pop! I find it very useful. In fact I noticed that you put the name of the book, I believe you got the information from. I've been meaning to find some pysch books to read. This is one that I will be looking into. :)

I would be interested in gettin the documentation. I too, am new to psych. I only have a year under my belt (but in corrections) and only 6 mths in mental health and bio-chemical dependency. I have alot to learn and would love to see what you have. I could always learn to do better charting. At my facility we do SOAP notes in the day and narrative notes at night. I do way better with my narrative note than I do with my SOAP note. I feel like I am writing the samething over and over and over....lol

Love it!!

LOVE IT!!!!

I would of loved the opportunity to have a nurse such as yourself want to teach nursing students. In my clinicals, our instructors would of been disappointed to hear that we acted that way. I feel that you had every right to bring it to the attention of the instructor..only thing is that it seem to only make you look like the bad guy. I totally disagree with what the nursing students, and the instructor did. They(nursing students) should leave the program and look for another profession. They don't belong in the program and truly don't deserve to be taught from such a wonderful nurse! Joanna

actually it is already in a sticky...you can find it above in the "anyone up for random fact throwing."