Duckman_97

If you are at a hospital that has its own gym, why not work out during your lunch break. That is what a lot of us do where I am from. Or I sometimes fit in a workout before work....helps to wake me up, gets the blood flowing, increases energy for night to come.

Another piece of advice is to make sure that you have a block schedule. Working every other day will burn you out and you will never get into a good routine of sleep.

It can be a long and hard road but it is well worth it. Congratulations!!!!

Thank you to everyone who reads this letter. I encourage everyone to read it and send it to friends, family, and fellow co-workers. The more this message is sent, more people will realize how easy it is to change.

I would say leave. If you are already in a stressful environment with no backing from management, why stay? Your CNA's may be angry with you for a while. You were once one of them and now you are higher up on the food chain and they can resent you for that. I have went through the same thing. Either way, good luck with whatever you decide.

Don't Ignore Family Concerns Recently my father passed away and I feel it necessary to write this letter to remind my fellow nurses around the nation that family members should not be ignored or blown off when they have a concern regarding their love ones. We, as nurses, must remember that not everyone has medical knowledge. Family members come to us and say "something is wrong with my mom or dad" or "He/she is not acting right." These are our clues to investigate what could be wrong. My father was at a rehab unit after having his knee replaced. First week of rehab was great. His knee was healing perfectly, no signs of infection. The second week, my mother and my in-laws were visiting quite frequently. Each time they left, they would tell the nursing staff, "something is not right with him, he is not himself." The nursing staff came back with the typical response of, "Don't worry, we will watch him." Nothing ever happened. The third week, my mother calls in a panic, "they are taking your father to the hospital." Since I am in Arizona, I cannot do anything. I call my in-laws and have them go to the hospital. I tell my father in-law to tell me what he sees on the monitor. He calls back and tells me that my dad's blood pressure is low, 60-70 systolic low. Terrific, my father is now septic from an unknown infection. I get an emergency flight back to Idaho April 18, 2008. Over the next three days, I work off of the sepsis protocol from my hospital. The medical staff at the hospital and I shared information to better care for my father. The official diagnosis was sepsis due to C-diff colitis. Unfortunately, April 21, 2008, my father passed away. Infections are preventable. Sepsis is preventable. You may not see the outward signs like a change in vitals or lab results. Family members will see the most subtle changes with their loved ones. Please do not ignore the family's concerns. We have all done it at one time or another whether you admit it or not. I hope that my story will help to change that, for I have changed.