mjs5312

I have full sleeves wrist to shoulder on both arms. I wear t-shirts only and never, ever had one problem. Course, it helps that they are all super heroes. Lots and lots of compliments.

This is going to sound a little strange and I really didn't know where else to turn to. I haven't been on these boards in a long time, but with the privacy available on the internet, not to mention the fact that people will be candid......I felt this was my best option. I have been an ICU nurse for almost ten years and a CVICU RN for 2, but lately I have really felt a lack of confidence. I feel like when I listen to other nurses "pick up" on something that maybe I missed, I feel like "I should have known that"....even if I get the theory or principal. I feel like I've gotten into this pattern of almost going "backwards"...like I used to know more. The weird thing is nothing dramatic happened that made me feel this way per se, it's been kind of building and I just feel like other nurses are much stronger clinically than I.... So, what can I do about it ? - How do I not only rebuild my confidence, but strengthen my practice ?

Hi Everyone, Ok, please bear with me with this long post. I just started working in the brand new Cardiac Surgery ICU at a large Boston hospital. I worked in another ICU for about 5 years. I have been a nurse about 10 yrs. Now, this is only my first week in the unit, but I am already overwhelmed by these nurses. They are brilliant !! - I mean, when I listen to them precepting me, I feel like I don't belong here. I am an experienced icu nurse, but I feel like a kindergarten child. I read, and reread and reread all the stuff they gave me. But it feels like as soon as I read it, it's gone. i can't recall what I've read. Putting it all into focus and being able to really comprehend how it all works is really difficult for me. I miss stuff that I feel like I should have caught and then there are things that get said by another nurse, just in conversation and I am like "I should have known that !" - No one wants to feel incompetent in this career, but I am starting to really feel that way. I want to do really well, improve as a nurse and improve the care I give. So, how does one make sense of it ? - How do these nurses really retain all this information and spit it out the way they do ? - Basically, how can I improve my understanding of this complicated profession, raise my confidence and become a better nurse ?

Well, thank you all for the replies. I got some more information regarding the incident and apparently this went on for several shifts. I only had the patient for one, but the other nurses didn't catch it either. So, we all have to be "spoken" to....Which may or may not result in displiniary action. I guess the patient weighed 75kg and was 69 inches tall, and she put in 69 as his weight.....So it was incorrect dose. It was FK 506 qtt for an organ transplant.

Well, I got a phone call yesterday from my nurse manager. She stated that the patient I took care of last week had an incident report filed. He was on a drug that while was programed correctly, his weight was incorrect...thus he was getting the wrong dose. Now, I didn't program the original dosage and I DID check that the mix was correct and was programed correctly, I didn't catch the incorrect body weight. I have been an ICU nurse for 10 yrs and this is the first time I've had to be called "into the principal's office" so to speak. I have to get a union rep since there will be two managers present. It's embarrassing, makes me question my competency and of course, there's the matter of the person who filed the incident report. Who did they share it with ? - Of course, I understand the mistake, take responsibilty for it and I will be more astute with my checks of the prior shift..... I just needed to vent.....cause it really, really bothers me on multiple levels.

I thought this was too funny not to share and even though it may have been posted before (first time poster, long time lurker) : 1) the front of your scrubs reads 'Nurses... here to save your ass, not kiss it!' 2) you occasionally park in the space with the 'physicians only' sign... and knock it over. 3) you believe some patients are alive only because it's illegal to kill them. 4) you recognize that you can't cure stupid. 5) you own at least three pens with the names of prescription medications on them. 6) you believe there's a special place for the inventor of the call light. 7) you believe that saying 'it can't get any worse' causes it to get worse just to show you it can. 8) you wash your hands BEFORE you go to the bathroom. 9) you believe that any job where you can drive to work in your pajamas is a cool one. 10) you consider a tongue depressor an eating utensil. 11) eating microwave popcorn out of a clean bedpan is perfectly natural. 12) you've been exposed to so many x-rays that you consider it a form of birth control. 13) you've ever heard a patient with a nose ring, a brow ring, and twelve earrings say 'I'm afraid of shots.' 14) you've ever placed a bet on someone's blood alcohol level. 15) you've told a confused patient that your name is that of a co worker and to call if they need help. 16) your bladder can expand to the size of a Winnebago's water tank. 17) you have seen more memberes than any prostitute could dream of. 18) you believe that not all patients are annoying... some are unconscious. 19) your family and friends refuse to watch medical sitcoms with you because you spend the whole time correcting everyone and pointing out upside down x-rays. 20) you don't get excited about blood, unless it's your own. 21) you've sworn to have 'do not resuscitate' tattooed on your chest. Soon. 22) discussing dismemberment over a gourmet meal is perfectly normal to you. 23) your idea of fine dining is anywhere you can sit down to eat. 24) your idea of a good time is a cardiac arrest at shift change. 25) you believe in the aerial spraying of Prozac. 26) you believe that 'shallow gene pool' should be a recognized diagnosis. 27) you believe that the government should require permits to reproduce. 28) you believe that unspeakable evils will befall anyone who utters the phrase 'Wow, it's really quiet, isn't it? 29) you have ever wanted to write a book entitled 'Suicide: getting it right the first time.' 30) you have ever had a patient look you straight in the eye and say 'I have no idea how that got stuck in there.' 31) you've had to leave a patient's room before you begin to laugh uncontrollably.