Spiker

You're so right. I'm an RN since 1979. Responsibility and honesty were definitely drummed into our heads, along with teamwork. Things have changed over the years....

While I would encourage any of our colleagues to continue their education, I'd say "why now" to someone in their late 60's & already drawing Social Security. As previously mentioned by John above, by the time you finish, will you be able to continue working in order to afford that NP degree? I was 64 when the pace & hours of the OR started to catch up to me! And don't forget about the Social Security income limit, since you're already drawing yours. Unless you've reached your full retirement age, you'll be limited to $24,480 annual income (2026 rate). Your benefit is reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn over that amount. It happened to me when I was 65, went part time in the OR, & started drawing my SS to supplement my lower income. Again, you may not have to worry about it if you're full retirement age. I wish you all the best, whatever decision you arrive at!

Thanks for the support; I'm afraid it probably happens more than ever now though. So many units are short-staffed. Even the OR has changed significantly. When I started in the early 80's, we had 2 RN's & 1 ST for each room. This helped with quicker turnovers, as well as help for more difficult cases. We also gave each other meal breaks (I'm a scrubbing RN, loved it!). Then as people left, so did the positions, for "budget" needs. Be strong, everyone. Do your best to learn as much as you can for each unit you may find yourself sent to!

I'm retired after 40 years now, but as an evening shift OR RN, & a Paramedic, I often helped out in the PACU, ER, & ICU during "quiet" times.....so much so that I completed unit competencies for all 3 units. However, I rarely had to actually work a full shift with a patient assignment in either of those units, mostly helping with VS, meds, starting IV's, helping with procedures, etc. One afternoon I was greeted by our OR supervisor in the locker room as I changed into my scrubs: she told me I was taking a 12 hr shift in ICU instead!! Not thrilled, but off I went. Only to find out I had a 3 patient assignment! A young kid, OD on a vent (pavulon!); a 55 yr old man, extending his MI (dopamine & NTG drips to seesaw back & forth), & a guy being discharged in the AM (mostly q2h assessments, & he slept all night). I'm thankful the CNA's were awesome, but I still ran my butt off all night. Don't get me started on charting. Anyway, while I didn't feel too "over my head", I felt pretty frustrated to have the patients I was given! I told my supervisor to never do that to me again..... I'll help where needed, but such an assignment for a 12 hr shift wasn't really appropriate, imo. Anybody else have thoughts about this? Am I wrong?

DNP for APN's is an option I can agree with, but just that: an option. For clinical practices, BSN/MSN-prepared RN's are fully capable of everything within our scope of nursing. As was previously mentioned, there are areas that already are pressed to find adequate staffing; there's no need to make it more difficult to meet those needs.

Bug Out is correct. Flushing the heparin with saline negates the reason for using the heparin in the first place.

Well, you've tried talking to your department managers to no avail, Maybe it's time to move up the chain of command and voice your concerns to your DON, patient safety advocate/ethics department. Your patients aren't only compromised, but your license could be on the line. Good luck, be strong!

Yes! I remember that formula! I always had a pad in my pocket to do bedside calculations.... Then I bought a watch that had a calculator below the dial! You just had to use a pen cap to push the tiny buttons! As for pharmacology classes now - I think my head would explode with the numbers of new drugs coming out these days!! We thought we had a lot then: aminophyllin drips, NTG, Isuprel, Dopamine drips calculated to patient weight & what effect was needed (dopaminergic, alpha, or beta effects). I ended my 35 of 40 year career in the Operating Room. My colleagues & I were approximately the same age group, & always said we'd go to the same nursing home, sit in rocking chairs on the porch together, & work on putting instruments sets together like doing puzzles ?

LOL! The most we used after I graduated college in the late 70's was grains: Morphine & ASA were grains, as you say, the "old" docs used it??

Does anyone else remember minims, drams, grains, gtts, etc?? ?

Right!! After using butterflies to start IV's, angiocaths took a few tries to get used to!

As an OR RN at a Regional Medical Center in NY, I worked 3-11, M-F. We were also on 11-7 call once weekly, & a full 24hr weekend call every 6 weeks. When hubby had an opportunity to move to Albany for his job as a Neuropsychologist, off we went. I got a job at an Ortho Ambulatory Surgery Center, & what a joy it was! M-F, 7-3:30: no nights, weekends, or holidays!! There were many times 1 or 2 surgery cases ran over, but I always took the OT for anyone who couldn't stay with their assigned OR - we had no kids at home anymore, & hubby was always late, anyway. So to answer your simple query: take the M-F straight hours! No-brainer!! ?

As an OR RN, I wear solid clogs (Merrell's are my favorites) that I can quickly & easily wipe down. If you're worried about stains & germs, sneakers are the worst shoes to wear, being permeable. And we leave our work shoes at work, so they don't bring blood & germs home. Get yourself a solid shoe.

This is the state of healthcare, thanks to insurance companies who dictate our care, & big Pharma who charge outrages prices for meds. It's sad when we're operating, & a surgeon has to choose a lesser implant, repair method, fixation method, etc based on the patient's insurance! I seriously have had to check the patient's chart mid-surgery for that!! Insurance also pushes patients out the door asap.....there's no "care" anymore, just $$$

I agree with all of my other well-experienced colleagues. It makes no sense to change where you work, especially if you'd barely be off Orientation. Be smart. Stay where you are, learn whatever else you can there; keep up with various online journals to further expand your knowledge base. In other words, keep learning, and when you move to the new state you can apply for a job then.

I knew during my 6 weeks OR rotation in college (not just 1 day observing, as is common now)that I wanted to be an OR nurse. However, starting out as a new GN at a community hospital, I took the job I could, just to get my foot in the door. It was on a surgical floor, 3-11 shift. It was great as far as getting to know the surgeons (& they got to know me) for the 1st 5 years of my 40+ year career. Inpatient surgical care in the 70’s & 80’s was different, as patients were admitted the night before surgery for pre-op care & preps, & stayed several days post-op. Same day outpatient surgery wasn’t a thing yet. My 5 years were full of many challenges, all types of specialties, & many emergencies. My skills were well-honed, I was able to prioritize & organize quickly. I had a great rapport with our docs: they knew if I called, it was for good reason, & they listened to my thoughts & suggestions. I was ACLS certified & could run a code with the best ET or ICU nurse. When I switched to the OR, all of those skills still came into play, especially still working the 3-11 shift, with fewer staff available for help on a bad trauma, ruptured aneurysm, brain bleed, etc. Those basic skills that I built upon starting on a surgical floor stayed with me iver 35 years of OR nursing. Technology changes, but fundamental tenets don’t. Getting some basic principles & training on a med-surg unit will give you a good foundation on which to improve your nursing practice.

Definitely Pre-Op or ER. I was an OR RN for most of my 40 years, & started a ton of IV’s there (evening shift - lots of trauma & acute/emergent patients needing extra IV access), as well as throughout the hospital. The Nursing Supervisor often called on me to start a tough stick. Maybe your facility has an IV Team? I was also a Medic for 10 years (concurrently while OR RN) so I got a lot of experience starting IV’s in pretty extenuating circumstances out in the field. Wishing you the best of luck! ?

Key words: LPN, RN, didn’t “let” her call MD. First of all, I have never worked in a system that allows LPN’s to outrank RN’s! Of course, I’ve never worked anywhere except an acute care hospital, & only the 1st 5 (of 40) years on a surgical floor. The remaining 35 yrs in the OR. But still, my training, my degree, state law, all say I’m responsible for that patient & it’s my duty to advocate for him/her! Read up on the premise of Negligence: you have a duty to act (care for) that patient; you failed to act to your level of training; the patient suffered (in this case, for 2 days until transferred to a hospital!!??); and your not calling the MD resulted in that suffering. mom not one to “pull rank” often, but come on……if an LPN doesn’t agree with my judgement, I’m still reaching for that phone!

I started working 3-11PM back in 1980, on a Surgical floor, then moved to the OR in 1982. We took night call (11P-7A) once weekly, & 48-hr Sat-Sun call once every 6 weeks. My dear friend & neighbor was called back to surgery so many times, that she fell asleep & slammed into a utility pole, dying immediately. We only lived 10 minutes from the hospital. That was a wake-up call to Administration; we were then limited to 24 hr call on weekends. That didn't help my ST & I once, as we worked straight through from 7AM to 3AM. I barely remember the drive home, & turned off my pager &took my phone off the hook (this was the late 80's), knowing I'd never make it back safely if I got called back. There were other times I don't remember the actual drive to or from surgery. And did I mention, we still had to work our regular shift the following day?? So I often stayed well past 11pm for my colleagues who were actually on call, because they would've had to finish up whatever we were doing past 11pm, & be back @ 7AM. My ST & I didn’t have to be back till 3PM, so why not stay.... There are still too many exhausted nurses, even more so these days, with the advent of 12-hr shifts, a more acutely ill patient population, staff shortages, etc. As I aged, & developed Graves disease, I switched to part-time, & then PRN. It's basically what has saved me; sadly, it's not a "luxury" many of my colleagues can afford. Be safe out there, my friends. Of you need to take a 20 minute "power nap" prior to driving home....please do.

While I'm sure you were tired, had a stressful shift, & just wanted peace & quiet, I simply don't understand how saying a few kind words was beyond you. We're nurses, we should have each others' backs, even just for a few minutes! I wouldn't have said you bullied that poor girl, but I do believe your lack of compassion toward a colleague is sad.

Is there a House Nursing Supervisor on duty for all shifts? That is usually the 1st call any of us would make, for immediate assistance! That's what THEY'RE paid for, to put out fires on duty, not you! It's admirable that you want to help your colleagues, but at what cost? As you said, you aren't compensated for weekends, & you already are putting in more than the normal hours during the week. As an OR RN, I know how 20-hour days can quickly lead to exhaustion, even after 40 years experience. You're still "new" compared to that, & I'd hate to see you heading towards early burnout. Please, advise your staff to utilize the house staff already in place! As I said, Supervisors are there for that very reason! If it's truly something that needs your personal attention despite the Supervisor's attention, then she or he (my hubby is a Supervisor) can call you. You deserve your time off; God knows our days are stressful enough.

I am so sorry this happened to you! Were you treated in the ER for your injuries? That would have gotten the ball rolling as far as reporting, both with a facility incident report, & the police report. Then worker's comp would be the next step. Please, advocate for yourself! I know our patients are important, but NOT at a cost to your physical - & mental - health! Where was the Nursing Supervisor during all of this? He (my hubby was a Supervisor) or she should have been there, giving assistance, making phone calls for security help, & most importantly, sending you for treatment! What normal manager leaves an injured RN in the same area, to finish a shift? You have some reasons to call a lawyer! And PLEASE! After my 40 years in the OR, I want to pass on to any other nurses who are in an unsafe situation, that you owe it to yourself to advocate for your own health & safety. Find out how to put out a facility-wide call for help in an emergency. We have a "code blue" cardiac arrest hospital code; we also have a "Y'ALL COME" ("response team, room 123") code that means security, any male staff, supervisors, etc respond stat. Please, take care of yourselves. ?

Hi! When I was in college, (late 70's) we had 6 weeks of OR clinical - scrubbing & circulating! I knew that was what I wanted to do! Unfortunately, getting into the OR as a grad nurse was not done in the hospital I applied at. I did get full-time evenings on the Surgical floor (before Ambulatory surgery was introduced, everyone was on the surgical floor pre- & post-op). I at least got to know the surgeons in the 5 years I worked the floor! I finally got into the OR, full-time evenings, & eventually became 3-11 charge nurse. Having spent all those years on the floor, gave me a lot of perspective as to effects of surgery on patients. It was fascinating to actually be in the OR, seeing the "workings" of the human body. My organizational & prioritizing skills had been finely honed after 5 years, & were a great help in the OR. If you can't get right into an OR, fear not! You will be learning many skills to bring with you! It makes you more marketable that way, having experience, than another fresh GN. Good Luck!

Twin boys, were named "Sir" & "Mister". Sadly, as they became teenagers, both ended up periodically on the news as juvenile offenders......

My heart goes out to you & your co-workers. I know your pain: we lost a fellow RN who fell asleep at the wheel driving back to the hospital on a 48-hour OR call weekend. Sadly, that's what it took for the hospital to change our call shifts to 24 hours after that, so we prayed Sue somehow would know this. We all had very subdued days in the OR, & hugged/cried often. The hospital Chaplain made frequent visits to us at all times of day. The break room had lots of tissue boxes those days. I hope you & your colleagues have some professional post-incident counseling. I found it to be VERY helpful, especially when I was also a Medic & had a terribly traumatic call (like 5 little kids killed in a fire). Please take time for your grief & healing - we"re Nurses, but we're also Human! Kubler-Ross comes to mind. Don't be afraid to let your tears & emotions show. 40 years ago as a GN, I tried not to cry when I lost my 1st patient - an 18 year old girl - to cancer. I apologized to her family for crying with them. The Mom told me never to apologize for having emotions; it shows you're human, too. This is my advice to you as well. God bless you.