NurseCurtis

You're preceptor should be written up as well-- ow DARE she gossip about this incident and almost GLOAT while she did NOTHING?? What a loser she is. Just as guilty as the MD IMO.

This is JUST like agency! But I surprise them when they pull that when I did LTC/. I kept asking and asking, before long, I had all the help I needed.

Hello all! I just started working the night shift-- and let me preface this by saying how much I love it-- less family, no admin, less Docs-- mainly just the patients and "the team". But, to all good things some rain must fall, I suppose. And I'm not talking about the dreaded 0400 phone calls to the Doc, either. (though that fear is subsiding). I'm exhausted after three 12 hr shifts, plus one 8 stuck in per pay pd. It's as if I have to spend a whole day staying awake at the end of the three, in order to be able to fall asleep at a "normal" time for my days off! Then, if I'm not scheduled for my shifts in a row, I have a really hard time with the old circadian rhythms. This seems to leave little time for a social life. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!:zzzzz:zzzzz:zzzzz

Pay wise- There's no comparison. Florida is one of the lowest paying states in the country, and the COL here is almost as high as CA. New Grads making less than 22.00/hr, and agency paying 25-27.00/hr for experienced RN's. OTOH, I understand CA is one of the best paying states.

while some cna's are golden, there seem to be an increasing number of just plain mean people entering the field. try to remember, however, that a cna's workload is tremendous, and they are bound to vent once in awhile. all out abusive behaviour is, however, untolerable and if admin wont do anything about it, remember there are many many nursing jobs out there. the real problem, imho, is lazy admin who turn a blind eye to this behavior. i even had a housekeeper diss me once, and nothing was done. i was agency, and made it clear why i wouldnt return to that place.

This is an ethical dilemma, and THE reason I left CVICU back in '05. In the state where I worked, it was common knowledge amongst the Nurses that during low census, one (or two) of our cardiac surgeons would do CABGs on patients who were otherwise poor surgical candidates. (Failed PFT's, over 90 y/o, many co-morbidities, etc..) Not so common knowledge, if the surgeons can keep a pt alive for at least 30 days post-op, it doesnt count against them. (AMA or some other boards) So we're getting fresh hearts who come out needing pressors just to maintain a BP, can't wean from the vent, end up on CVVH, diprivan gtts, feeding tubes, etc...never regain consciosness--you know the drill. SO we, the nurses--in the name of continuity of care--- are with the pt's family all day long for a month---all the while the Doc's are reasurring the family that things are promising. But come day 31, almost w/o fail, The Doc's take the families aside, and sadly inform them there;s nothing more to be done. Hospice comes in. Orders gtts, CVVH, vent d/c'd, as the family breaks down. Me, as the nurse they've come to trust, is finally able to agree with the Doc. Sadlly, after the vent's removed, one of my final tasks is to administer enough MS04 to make them comfortable (actually causing resp. depression) while trying to reassure the surviving widow of 50 years that she is doing the best thing. When in all actuality, this should have happened the first week. Emotionally, it almost made me quit nursing altogether, Instead, I went into the OR. :redbeathe

Why not see if you can work as a rep for a drug agency-- or as a sales rep for some other kind of medical equiptment? It's worth a shot, although I wouldn't know where to tell you to begin-- Good luck!

You are correct. I recently worked in a facility (for all of 2 weeks) and teh surgeon was a BULLY! Cussed everyone, threw instruments, and get this-- threatened to choke a CST, and to punch another. He called me a B-word, and I reported and documented everything. NOTHING was done-- in fact, I was called in and "Talked to" by my supervisor explaining that this creep "brings in alot of revenue for the hospital" and that "He's just that way-- Ignore it." To heck with them. I quit.

Not true. I have an ADN, and worked via agency for a year at a VA from 2006-2007. Many LPN's are employed by the VA too. As a matter of fact, there were NO BSN's on the floor where I worked, although all their ads say BSN preferred. A good thing about the VA, is that they will help you get your BSN. :typing

Just a thought-- Have you thought about Home Health Nursing? The interruptions that you mention on day shift in Hospitals is a fact of life-- and has run off more nurses than you know-- many to third shift for just that reason. But at least in home health, the patient's are expecting you-- and the interruptions should be minimal. Good luck in whatever you decide!

Hello fellow nurses! This is my first post here, although I have enjoyed reading your threads for several years now. I need some career advice. In the past 4 years since I have been an RN, I have been in the OR, (loved it) then transitioned to CVICU when the opportunity presented itself because I had plans of moving on to CRNA school. I spent my required year and a half there, when a family tragedy struck, and I had to move to another state. I spent 6 months caring for a sick family member (teenaged quad) and then it became neccesary to return to hospital nursing (which I missed greatly!) However, after having been out of the CVICU so long, I was not able to get a job in that specialty, and the pay rates for other areas were dismal-- so I took a job in a LTC facility. After 6 months, I was finally able to return to hospital nursing-- working for an agency that staffed a VA hospital on a post-surgical acute floor (med-surg). I stayed there a year and adoredd it! Then, family circumstances required I move back to my home state, and in less than 1 and 1/2 years I have bounced from rehab (agency) to Ambulatory surgery (only epidural steriod injections and the like) and really felt as though I was not realizing my full potential, nor being challenged as much as I'd like. I feel I have lost many clinical skills-- can't start an IV for the life of me--(thanks IV teams--although we love ya!) and l try to keep some of my ICU/OR knowlege fresh by continuing my memberships with their professional groups-- but reading is nowhere NEAR practicing. I do like med-surg, but face it-- with the lack of CNA's or PCT's, it's one helluva hard job on a person's body. FINALLY, after searching high and low for someone to give me a break and re-orinet/precept me, I have been offered TWO positions in a Level II Trauma center close to home. Position #1: CCU. WIth my previous cardiac experience, I am drawn to this one, although I understand its quite different from recovering fresh hearts. 12hr. Nights. Position #2: TICU. Now, I have worked OR before, but have NEVER worked with Trauma patients-- as any OR nurse will tell me, elective surgery is quite different from trauma, and I wonder how I will fare seeing young people disfigured from MVA's and GSW's, as opposed to nice clean cuts from say-- a TKR. Also 12 hr. nights. Both positions are VERY appealing to me, and require an 18 month commitment. I do plan to travel in the next 5 years, and know that almost alll hospitals have a CCU, although not all have Trauma ICU, so if I got with the TICU, I may be less marketable for a travel position. In all honesty, I think I'm drawn to TICU because of the "Hero-Nurse" complex, although we are all heroes to someone everyday. I'd also love to branch into Trauma Flight Nursing-- which is an even deeper sub-specialty. If none of this pans out, I am considering joining the Air Force. I'll get my traveling one way or the other! Thanks for reading this far, and any advice would be greatly appreciated!

As others have posted, w/o PPE, I would have to refuse. My family comes first--Although I would feel conflicted by my responsibilities as a nurse, the mother instinct in me would override. I live in Florida, BTW.