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Smelly co-worker
Your floor manager should really be the one to talk to her, in private her being the brunt of jokes is hardly appropriate. On a floor that I use work on we had a US who smelled like cat urine, as if her cats were not altered-ugh, no one told her, just suffered through it, between her and the nurse who had to dip herself in baby phat perfume-I had a god awful headache before even getting out onto the floor, the new floor manager talked to both of them thank goodness.
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Things you'd LOVE to be able to tell patients, and get away with it.
Oh you want me to put in a 22g IV-its smaller yes but you have IV VANC it will burn-but that might feel good to you seeing that mural of a tatoo on the right side of chest that you have. Oh stop having your mama, grandmama, and daddy call the floor asking to talk to me your nurse, and stop telling them you have 'a huge needle' in your side- again that is a chest tube. And tell your mama its not our fault we can't find a rehab facility for you- the same reason she doesn't want your crackhead a** at her house-you and your drug addict friends up to no good.
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Nurses eat anybody young old and indifferent
I agree 100% I hate nursing! Just for all of the above, I could deal with the stress taking care of pts, the hateful family members, and lousy pay, if coworkers back you up, helped out when they see someone struggling vs watching and wanting to see someone to fail, conveying all the negative energy-if I knew it was like this before entering nursing I would have never become a nurse. Oprah or somebody ought to do a show on how awful the nursing profession has become, she recently did a show with a neuroscientist who had a stroke, that it effected her right side of the brain, and she was unable to understand speech or speak herself-but she said she could still understand a person's energy positive or negative when they came into her room-when negative energy entered she said it frightened her. It made me think of all the times I entered pt's room after being belittled or berated by a coworker-I know I probably passed on that negative energy. That energy isn't healthy for our pts or ourselves-when I look at some of these energy suckers I know it's not healthy for them either-some of them look like time has marched acrossed their faces frowns and all and-even though they are younger then I am, they look older.
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Multiple Sclerosis
It is not my intention to dx- MS affects everyone differently. My intent is only to convey my experience as many in the medical community have little or no understanding of the disease ie doctots-and when going through such an experience and random sx being dismissed you start to feel as if you are going nuts, and in the mean time time is being wasted when you could be on meds if you choose to be. My doctor kept asking me for months if I had loss of bladder function no I didn't but DUH not everybody does-in the mean time I thought I was going crazy forgetting things, stumbling over my own feet, feel hot all time. I am not diagnosing just trying to save someone the agony I went though.
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Multiple Sclerosis
What you are describing with your vision sounds very much like optic neuritist-you need to call your PCP and let him/her know and get a referral to a neuro opthalamologist(sp). ON was my first sx, my eye doctor told me that lesions can be too small on the optic nerve even for an MRI-he is very good well respected at Washington University-I would insist on having another MRI with contrast too brain and spine, get a referral to a neurologist if you have to, the other sx your describing sound cognitive which can come and go-the typing and thinking you described. I hope I'm wrong because this disease sucks-wish you well keep us posted.
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Is it too much to ask for your coworkers to be considerate?
This LPN has a problem alright-her low self esteem! The fact that she considers herself just an lpn a stupid one, says volumes, she obviously feels inadequate, again her problem. The fact that you stood up to her good for you-the fact that she cornered you during lunch to berate you like that was very unprofessional, immature, and catty. Unfortunately you still have to work with her, so all you can do is state that you value the experience of those nurses on the floor her included-that you hope to learn, and provide the best care, when asking for help or legitmate questions that is your goal. Be polite, but don't take any crap, she is the way she is like she said her problem.
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Need Advice, please help! (HIPAA)
Some of these NM get As for passing the buck don't they? If you were speaking in generalities I can't see the problem-but its your word against that of a family member-since you were in your home, and then that of the NM since she talked to family already-and she's already hub you out to dry, the NM that is. Lesson learned, all you can do is tell your side-hopefully she has cooled off a bit by then. Hope it works out for you.
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NM and respect issues - need advice!
I learned the hard way not to expect validation/appreciation from charge and nurse managers, it sounds like you are ready to move on save your energy, do your job knowing what you are worth and offer it to your patients, when you leave it is their lost (management).
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Why do some CNAs make our jobs so hard?
I think some are just miserable in their jobs, spiteful, hateful. Some are truely wonderful I worked on a floor where unfortunately the bad out numbered the good, and management was oblivious, or just wanted everyone to likle her and did nothing to address techs being off the floor for 2/3 of a shift to smoke, or gossip, just not doing their job at all and giving attitude when asked to do things. I would go to work and be grateful if I had a tech from another floor floating to work with.
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Requesting to not have a certain patient
Let your charge nurse know, I have only done it twice once in the middle of shift, the patient was cussing yelling at me in the hallway wanting to know why I was helping another pt before him-mind you this man was a CHFer, 90 years old and trying to walk to his bed. I had just had it with him-day 3 of his ****. She was aware of this difficult pt-who later asked me why I wasn't spending more time with him? WHAT??? She gave him a different nurse.
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Where is the money at?
That's pretty good, here in st.louis they start at 18.00 I think, with bonuses every quarter, which are almost impossible sometimes to get with pts complaining about everything under creation.
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Child Vaccinations
As a former peds clinic nurse expense is probably one reason, newborn to early childhood vaccinations are very expensive, and not covered by alot of insurance policies. About ten years ago state immunization programs covered all children for vaccinations regardless of coverage or not- now most programs require that the child have no insurance at all- that covers the vaccine but not the actual administration of the vaccine, one office I worked at charged 35.00 per injection, plus the vaccine that can be 300-550.00 per visit just for vaccinations. Parents that came in were really upset and in shock that vaccinations were't covered, alot of these parents worked for Walmart/Sams Club management positions-everytime I see one of those commercials about how great they take care of their employee family members- NOT! They would be blown away that the doctor's visit alone was 110.00, and the vaccinations upwards of 500.00. We would direct them to a university clinic that only charged for administration, but that was 60 miles away only available twice a month.
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New job now vs. move soon
With the economy the way it is now-take the job. Keep your mouth closed about the move-since it sounds like it is not for sure anyway, and it's easier to look for a job while you have one then to be stressed trying to find one, and having to settle for a less desireable one.
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Most memorable thing patient has said to me...
I had a pt, a young woman with scleroderma (sp?) in who was a sweet as she could be, her family was really nice, had family portraits in her room which were hard to look at because you could see how disfiguring the disease had been for her-it had only been two yrs since her dx. Anyway I was covering her nurse for lunch this day-Halloween,she had been off the floor for a test, kids had been coming and going all day in custumes. Well she came back unto the floor, I helped to get back into bed with other staff and there was a note from a family member-they had come by with her kids but had to leave, as it was getting late-she just started crying and venting saying all 'I wanted was to see them!' The sadness in her voice had me tearing up, I told her how sorry I was-if I had known I would've gotten a pic or something, so we both are crying and she says "My legs are hurting" so I ask her what can I do? She says "I don't know, but you gotta do something!" The way she said it we both just started cracking up while still crying. All the pain she was in I think the fact that she missed her childrens visit that day hurt much more.
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Does your supervisor give a crap?
Nope. I’ve worked a few jobs in my time, and some not so glamorous. Never have I felt as disposable as I do in my new profession (that is by management … not by my co-workers or my patients). I felt far more valued and had greater autonomy when I was working at the local BBQ place, or even the summer I cleaned rooms at a motel! Well said! I've felt the same way since working as an RN, even though frequently working for callins and coworkers who wanted off etc. When they call now they get answer machine or voicemail. I guess as hospitals surge to be more in line with a corporate culture, employees are disposable, and they wonder why retention is such a problem, hello treat people like the humans they are! To the OP best wishes to your husband I hope all is well, get your FMLA paperwork asap as this NM obviously does not have your back.