jadelee

I don't agree, while relaxing and not being at work is great, there are nursing jobs out there, where you can look forward to going to work. How easy they are too get, where you live is a different matter. I think the problem above isn't the work itself's but the balance between work and everything else. It would be nice, but ? utopia to live in a world where you could work 70% of the time,. etc and have 30 % off for example. but the world economy is built on needing full time work to just pay the bills.

Very interesting all posts, does the ANF have patient - ratio agreements in Oz states I wonder, I have done night ratios private hospital surg, 1:10, as routine

I have just had three months off, for a number of reasons, but I have always loved nursing, but once I made the call to leave the way others did, it took that long, to want to nurse again, (after ten years after fulltime nursing), I think it's important it is recognized, talked about, and nurses are supported to take time out, to recover,

Thank you for your compassion Talaxandra, I am slowly feeling like going back to work, (at least my body wants to having woken me up before 8 last two days, lol,) I think I will ease my way back. I used to always tell students and people, that I have never looked back after choosing nursing when I was 16, *half my lifetime ago!), I am sure once I am in a supportive environment, I will be fine,

I have never posted much here, worried I would be caught out! But could do with some advice, not from friends. After a difficult time in my last job, I left. Applied for three jobs, (two at same place) no luck, waiting about two. Have lost all my confidence, and after ten years I feel incapable of doing any nursing job, I am also finding the health questionnaires of same place, invasive and confronting. why should I have to declare any previous mental health history IN MY LIFETIME if they are old. and not current,. but if I don't am I lying? some days I am pro active , and I am seeking help with career counselling, and other days I just give up, I used to love being a nurse, and was some what good at it, but now I am stuck

I broke my wrist in my first year of nursing, the emergency I went to at the time, was on strike action, The nurse told me to quit my course, quite adamantly. I didn't listen, and ten years later I still love nursing, in all the areas I have worked, I wasn't going to let her life situation, stop me from following through, Maybe sometimes, you are just more aware of the nurses, that dislike their job, because they make it open,

I am not from Adelaide, but have you thought about applying for a Graduate program,. If you have less than 12 months experience than you would still be eligible. (I am curious, and they might be why u moved from the UK, than NZ, than Adelaide). If you can't get a job in the hospitals, have you thought about aged care? Or agency nursing, than once a particular knows you, you might have foot in the door, when they are hiring, hope this helps

I am doing post grad pall care at the moment, externally. Lot's of Australia uni offer post grad pall care. (cert level to masters). You can then keep working and study. But I would get a few years experience before specialising. But pall care is an amazing area of nursing to work in.

I hope I am not too late to help. If so how did you go? I imagine as hospice can be very emotionally challenging area, they will want to know your reasons for applying in that area. However can also be clinically challenging, as advanced disease can have many chronic areas for symptom management, as well as emergencies like bleeding, spinal cord compression etc, so I think expect to display knowledge on that. Also how you have dealt with difficult families and patients in the past. Good luck, it is a wonderful area of nursing to work in

Back again, When I was grad I had huge time management issues, even in my 2nd year, but the place I worked never let Nurses miss breaks, or go on breaks without the buddy nurse covering. If your buddy nurse got lunch, she should of covered for you. However if takes skill to stop the other demands on your time. even now I have to concentrate on finishing one thing at at time, not saying yes to other people, (i even u used to offer to help when i hadn'f finished my work!). and i often was one to two hours late leaving) So you need to be assertive with your patients because they may not care about the other patients , or your paperwork to cover your backside, or getting their meds and obs on time, Menus can wait. Toilet can be done by the AIN ( preemptively !) Explain that just in case toileting is bad for the bladder! :) Also learn to ignore the phone (if its badly needs to be answered its prob the co-ordinator/senior nurse of the shift phone call anyway and they will ring back) If you are polite (ie saying I would love to ...... for you BUT I have to.... to other staff, they should accept that with grace) To patients give them a time frame (double what you think that u will be back by), and ignore the next bell until u have finished what u are doing, you are prob doing better than you think, and will be better than u think day by day, time to time to go to the loo (no one will die in that time, even if they did call a code on my pt while I was in the loo!) make it a habit know before its too late! Also do as much as paperwork as u can while u go along, but also set aside a block of time at the end of the night. If a critical incident happened, i tried to document as soon as pt was stable to debrief, keep it fresh and ensure it wasn;t forgotten. It is hard to see the wood for the trees, in the midst of the crazy shift, but just breathe and keep them breathing and you will get there, It is totally worth it (even after ten years) Best wishes

Hi, Its been ten years since I was a grad, (and yes you are a new grad, please remember how much nurturing you need in the first year, don't feel like you should be able to do it all on day one) but reading your post makes me want to give you a big hug. Firstly do you have a preceptor? If so have you spoken to her? Are you working enough shifts with her? If not why not!!@.. In Australia most grads do a graduate program, where they don't work in critical care, have lesser pt loads (at least in first few months). Are you on a grad program? If you have no preceptor, and no grad program, then I suggest on your next days off, taking care of numero uno, to recover from your stressful start and regroup. As for tomorrow, can you come in early, and plan your day before handover? Ie find your allocation, and start to get a grip on their clinical needs (ie not the ordering of the food!),. Can you discuss with the nursing assistant that your will be doing obs, meds etc and assess how pro active she will be about ADL's and menu ordering etc. (which by the way don't really exist in Australia hospitals as we have lower pt ratios and therefore toileting and feeding are part of our role) I need to re read your post so I will get back to you, But remember, if your patients were still breathing at the end of your shift then you did well Take care:redpinkhe

thanks for the good explaination. everyone in australia is entitled to free medical care, including hospice, the doctors bill 'medicare' directly but all other services are free, not funded by the particular case. but maybe being smaller population, we can afford that. plus i forgot to say, that the inital referall must (by our hospice policy not law) already designate diagnosis and that it is terminal. lee

Thank you. On the job, i can be really emotionally present and emphatic (feedback from others) and can handle major bleeds and liver failures, etc or mental health crisis on my own (like my best friend self harming and I bandaged her up like it was 'normal') . but i although have been a nurse for eight years, i still sometimes practice at a junior level with other staff around and can lose my confidence and patient advocacy skills so easily. I also have put any effort into continuing education or actaully doing anything about my weakness (but i can spot them!) :heartbeatI am not assertive, like the other night when the "ward routine" is too turn and wash mid shift, but stood there while they did this for a patient, who should have had " breakthru" and was mildly to mod distressed. MY Normal practice is assess, need for breakthru BEFORE interventions, but i let that go out window. i think maybe it's related to guillt complex and low self esteem. (start my counselling next week). My patients are going to suffer, or i could lose my registration from my 'isssues' (one bout of depression but no current clinical or medical problem. I don't want to burn out thru beating myself on my bad days. I think my first point is to go with my gut feeling that this ward is nt good for me, and this hospital just certiifed as competent at cpr (for relatives only in my case) without actually assessing us. The ward has only been open two years, staffed from a place that was shut down, so i do feel for the staff there now). I am applying for radiation oncology and looking at post graduate study to help make and stand by clinical decisions. Thank you for any suggestions.

I am confused, how it works in Australia (well at least where i am) is once a doctor has made a referral to hospice at home, phone contact by the on duty RN is made, then admission time is planned and at that admission permission for the service comes from the client NOT the doctor. then that RN lets the hospice doctor now about the admission and how urgent it is, and they assess. but even in between that time the nurse can be called back and treat the client with over the phone orders if required. ? is an an evalationan and treat order the same, then as that initial doctor referrall. thanks Lee

Wow, i was looking to post about my dilemma, and the postings here as so eloquent, and emotionally intelligient. I have been a nurse for eight years, and have always liiked pall care in my general nursing, but have only started it as a speciality a year ago in hospice at home. Problem is a i can be very focused and clinically competent or very spaced out from day to day. NOT good when you practice on your own. so was enouraged to leave, work on it and come back. so i went to small (15 bed) place, but i am not settling in well. I am looking for a new job, but today my manager (who has been unhelpful and unwelcoming) asked me to do more buddy shifts. i don't want to do them, cause i don';t want to stay. i am not sure my concerns would be validated if i expressed them, should i just pretend the problem is all me when other people have intuiated that 'things could be done better' like i feel. Should i give speciifc examples to the forum here ie am just whinger?