inna

I guess that will always be the scenario for a floor nurse anywhere you go. If I were you, since you just started in nursing, I would just wait until I had a whole year experience in that unit then I'll go and try my luck in other nursing specialty area.

I work 12 hr shift and we usually have 30 mins break (breakfast) and 1 hr lunchbreak. The facility were I work is pretty good about it. I always take those breaks because it's deducted on my pay sheet anyway. There's no way that I can manage to work 12 hr straight without a break..it's inhumane. I did it a few times when I was still a new nurse and it made me dizzy and weak.... realizing also at the end of the shift that I didn't even manage to have a toilet break even once. Now, I make sure that I make use of those breaks. No one could ever tell me that I can't take my break because there's no one to cover for me. If I have to call my nurse manager or supervisor to relieve me, I will. I'm a human being and I need to eat and drink and take care of myself first before I can take care of others.

You just have to choose the lesser evil.... the aggravating stress in an understaffed Med/Surg floor but when your shift is done, you're done. Homecare Nursing is interesting, you see how people live, you take care of them until they fully recover. But your 8hr duty becomes really 16 because of that paperworks. You'll end up working overnight and even on your 2 precious weekend off. At the start you feel that paperworks has been the focus of your life. You can't even read magazines or watch the TV...'though you're working at home with your family. IT'S JUST A MATTER OF PERSONAL CHOICE WHICHEVER WE COULD TOLERATE.

Kona2; I think if you're not happy with your work you should leave it. I don't think that a vacation (no matter how long) is what you need.. yes, you'll be refreshed but when you go back to your floor..it's still the same. Floor Nursing Craps will always be the same, either you hate it or you love it. I hated it and I can't take it anymore. I've had enough of the overwork/underpaid dramas. Life is too short to be miserable. Now I'm heading towards the last days of my floor nursing and I'm so happy and can't wait to leave my unit.

The reason these unfair treatment are going on and on is because we also let it happen. Imagine working a 12 hr shift working like a dog, running here and there, taking care of pt's beyond your safety load, assuming the responsibilities of CNA's, Secretary, Housekeeper.. and being the shock absorber of all the complaints from the family member, doctors and other departments... and in the end we are being perceived as the irresponsible one because we failed to do things that in reality shouldn't be our job. And oh yes.. a lot of times I would realize that I haven't eaten since breakfast because my head is already spinning and only to realize at the end of the shift that I haven't had the chance to go to the bathroom at all. Not mentioning that I always stay more than an hour or 2 beyond my shift with no break at all without being paid. And it's okay!!!! Because we're all tolerating it. Floor Nursing will never change because the only way for the nurses to get out of all these crap is to quit and work in the other field of nursing where they can find respect and dignity for themselves.

As you said the position you're applying for doesn't have vacancies quite often, so I would take my chances and give it a try. If you didn't get the position, then at least you know you've tried. And I strongly agree with the previous post.. life is too short to be miserable. You don't deserve to sulk it up. Your 3 yrs med-surg experience is not a bad one in your resume. And one more thing...they should be thankful that despite your being unhappy with your current position you still didn't think of leaving the establishment.

I would prefer to have an all RN staff and just keep the ratio1:4 or 1:5, I could give more care, assess my pts. better, keep track of their I&O's V/S, etc..etc.. rather than have auxilliary help and take care of 10-12 pts. Anyway with a heavier load I still end up most of the time doing almost what the CNA's supposed to do as it's impossible for them to help all the nurses.

I am working in a unit with only one regular tech in our shift who is efficient and hardworking, but she has a hell of an attitude. I am barely new to the unit but I think I can't take it anymore. I've discussed about it with my other colleagues who has been working with her for a long time and they would just say that "she's just like that but she's a very efficient one" or "she has a very sad personal life that's why she became like that, but she's a hardworking one". I saw how she treated the old timer nurses, if they asked her to do something and she's in a bad mood, she would just say "NO, that's not my job!" or she would just give them a blank stare as if she heard nothing. I even learned that there was one nurse who left the unit and she's one of the reason. They even told me the reason why she always gets away with that is because the previous NM is her buddy and she has also a great shoe polishing ability skills, which she's starting to do to our new NM now. Imagine how worst she can be with the new nurses. I could've barely tolerated her attitude since she's been a big help to me with my heavy pt's. Everytime she's helping me with my pt's she would always brag about her technical ability skills like, "How come you nurses don't know how to take the pt's EKG?" Or when we were transferring pt's OOB to chair and I didn't do it the way she does it, she would say, "You don't know how to transfer pt?" One day while there was a volunteer student nurse observing us, we were cleaning my total care pt. when we noticed that her buttocks were red.. then she blatantly told the student.."Look the nurses don't know how to take care of the pt's skin. Then we have to transfer the pt to a medi-chair, as I was pulling my pt towards me from the sliding board, we noticed that the HOB was a little bit higher than the chair, with her sharp tongue, she sarcastically made a remark, "SMART, WHAT A SMART NURSE! Look the head of the bed is higher". Then she talked to the student in their own language. I was so furious at that time and I felt that if I confronted her I might loose my composure and that I might shout, cry or even curse her... it was almost the end of her shift. She was off the next day and I did gave ny NM my written report and told her everything this tech has been doing to me. She told me that we will discuss it with the tech the next time we are all on the unit. I don't know what's going to happen...That tech might retaliate to me by not helping me at all with my pt's. I don't know if my colleagues would support me. But I'm decided that I will give that tech a taste of her own medicine.. No more insulting side comments for me. I am no longer comfortable in my unit because of the fact that me and that tech would have already grudges with each other. I don't intend to work in my unit for long but I just don't want to leave there with them in mind that it's because of that tech. I want to give back that tech all the insults and sarcasm she had on me...I just don't care anymore. It's not right for my colleagues just to tolerate her. Not because she is the only tech in a certain shift and that's because she's very efficient and hardworking that she has the right to be the way she is. I know I will have to endure the days I will be working with her... If you were in my position what would you be doing?

I never left my unit on time. My shift ends at 19:30, I always finish my assignments on time but the thing that's holding us all to stay over past 8pm is the giving of report. Only the charge nurse will give report for the entire unit (24 beds) while all of us are waiting for her to finish... And we're never being paid for that.

VERY WELL SAID!!! MAYBE IF THE CITIZENS HERE ARE WILLING TO DO THE JOBS THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE, EMPLOYERS WOULDN'T HAVE TO HIRE THE UNDOCUMENTED ONES.

Our Pharmacy is very efficient. We usually send our missing meds by computer and we only call them when the missing meds did not arrive in the unit at all (which is seldom). They are reliable too, in sending the STAT meds.

When the Unit Secretary is sick and no Techs showed up for the day. And the supervisor can't give you one because "NO ONE'S SCHEDULED FOR THE DAY". And once you survived that day....Then that would be a clue to the management that it's okay ...the nurses made it... they will make it again next time.

I'm interested in working around the Manhattan area but my concern is the parkings. I heard that some nurses are just taking the train? Anyone reading this post have an idea how possible is that? I wonder how far away are the walks from the train station to apartment buildings from one patient to another. How many visits can they do in a day? Please give me a picture of the day's visit...Thanks!

After finishing my BSN I became an international flight attendant for 9 yrs.. before I even started working as a nurse. You can private e-mail me for more specific questions.

Although this matter has been discussed in this BB a lot of times, I would recommend you go where your heart and interest is. It's true that you'll benefit a lot from a year in Med Surg floor..but with the current short staffing, less orientation time, and a lot of craps going on in the floor, I'd rather go right away to a specialty area (if they are willing to train new grads) Look at the nursing vacancies all over the country.. Med Surg is always on demand..and mostly being staffed by agencies, per-diems, travellers... Ever wonder why can't they retain staff in M/S?

There would be days when I have 8 to 10 pts. to care of with only one CNA for 30 pts, when I have to pick-up the phone because everyone's turning deaf when there's no secretary...when I have to search for the pt's charts (because it has scattered all over the place after MD's wrote bunches of orders without even bothered flagging it and returning it to the rack) When I have to go crazy dividing my time between doing the actual care for my pts. and transcribing the MD's order that are STAT.. plus attending to a complaining family member because nobody has cleaned their mom! Now, adding more housekeeping works??? NO! NEVER!!! I am not a superwoman and I only have 2 hands. Let them complain if the trash can is full. And so sorry to the pts. if their sheets has not been changed. My priority is to keep my pts. alive and my license intact.

I do agree with DAYRAY'S comment 100%...I'd rather have my seasoned colleague perceive me as a new grad (I've only been a nurse for barely 2 yrs).. at least when I handled things efficiently, they'll think..she's a smart new grad.... rather than have them question my confidence when I become unable to handle things well when it goes beyond my competence.

TELEMETRY/CCU and to make things worst make it a Geriatric Unit....Yes!! our pt's average age is 80's. Imagine working with really sick old patients, where you often get a lot of TOTAL CARE pts. Where you have to be more watchful because a lot of them are confused, falling down the floors, needs to be fed... and do a lot of cleaning poops... cna's can't handle them all so we really have to help them.. and if you're lucky you could have a vent pt. who loves to pull it out and climb out of bed with his poopss all around his body after playing with it......aahhh can't wait to leave this unit!!!!

black,greenish discharges fron the NG Tube, pts with bad breaths who wouldn't even be bothered brushing their teeth even when you insist ... poops i can handle, but pt's private parts down there that smells like old urine or poops that sticked to their skin YAAAIIKKKKSSS!!!!

LINUS, It is you who best knows where your interest and heart of nursing is. It's really a torture to go on a med/surg floor when on the first place you hated it and just doing it for the sake of fulfilling the "1 yr base of nursing skills". I, too will soon leave my floor (I just had my 1yr M/S experience...what a relief!!!) after realizing that I've had enough of the stress of working like a slave in a jungle like atmosphere.. I don't blame the newly grads for feeling this way. As I noticed, too... most of the nurses working in this facilities nowadays are the travellers, per diems and agencies nurses who are really getting paid much, much better than the full-timers... I suggest you apply in other hospitals,too. There's a lot of specialty areas hiring new grads out there.. ALL THE BEST TO YOU!

I'm thinking of moving out of M/S after doing it for 1yr and thinking of doing OR or Maternity Nursing. I've read the OR threads and learned a lot about the stress and rewards of working in that area. I know that every nursing areas has different challenges and wherever area of Nursing I go there'll always be a good and bad days. I would like to know what are the common stress and challenges will I possibly be facing if I pursue this specialty. 'Would like to hear about your worst and best experience in this field, too. Thanks!

*I try to finish my pt's charting after I gave them their early meds and did my assessment. I found that when I'm done with my notes per pt. I'm more relaxed and able to carry out new orders. *Always jot down on my handy paper all the things I need to follow/check re:that pt. That way I won't be forgetting or missing something esp. missing meds, I&O's, dressing changes, critical V/S, calling MDs etc... And it's a lot easier when giving a report to the next shift. *I would let everyone know that I'm a new grad so that they could extend their patience on me whenever I keep on asking. *Be familiarized with the Md's faces so that when they're around I could ask them right away and check their orders and clarify their handwritings while they're still around.. that way I save my time calling them. *IT'S IMPT. TO REMEMBER NOT TO BE HARD ON YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU'RE A BRAND NEW NURSE,DON'T SET TOO HIGH STANDARD OTHERWISE YOU'LL FEEL BAD..TAKE IT EASY...FOR AS THE DAYS PASS-BY ... YOU'LL LOOK BACK AND YOU'LL BE AMAZED AT YOURSELF THAT YOU DID IT!

Shevalove, I understand how you feel.. If you find an institution that accepts new grads for OR position then by all means go for it! It's the same thing anyway... No matter how long you stayed in M/S floor you would still be trained as a brand new OR nurse. I just had my 1yr M/S experience last month and considering of moving to OR. I felt like I should've done it right away since I hated M/S from the start.. Anyway I have no regrets at all.. I DID IT! I learned a lot and I'll be happy to have that experience on my resume whatever field of nursing I want to pursue.

I do sympahatize with RNNC2003, I've only been a nurse for 1 year in M/S/Telemetry Floor. I always have that feeling of I can't take it anymore..I'm gon'na quit tomorrow.. and everyday that I work is like a hell of a stress. I know that one day I'm gon'na be out of my floor, too. It's just that only M/S has an openning for 12 hr shift days in almost all of the hospitals. If there's a vacancy in OB, most of the time it's evening or night shift ...If it's in OR, PACU they want at least some year of experience..SIGGGHHH!!! Forgive me for sounding pathetic...I'm just venting out. Nowadays, most of the new grads are trying to run as fast as they can not to work in M/S floors... I think M/S should be considered, too as a specialty area....management must offer higher rate of pay and retention bonuses for M/S nurses. Otherwise who will replace our devoted nurses in M/S floor when they retire? M/S floor has already earned it's reputation at its own right. This is not just a basic floor where most of the new grads are welcome to work...(yeaah right "welcome to the jungle!)

Dear enigma6394 I took my NCLEX 6 yrs after I graduated from college without practicing Nursing at all. I did the same thing as yours.. answered thousands of questions from Mosby's, Lippincott, etc... Then I attended KAPLAN's classes. As I remember that was 5 consecutive days (5 to 9pm class). I really set aside my 1 wk just for studying and utilizing all their review materials. I went to their library and watched their videos and did the practice tests before the classes starts. Then at home I have to be chapters ahead of the next topic. On the 6th day, I did the final practice test and took the NCLEX on the 7th day. It all worked well for me since everything was still fresh on my mind. Only I had to devote that whole week just for studying..(no work, no t.v., strict time management). I know you will make it, too... You just have to find out which way works best for you.. Good Luck!