roesseba

I was a ICU nurse of 20 some years and I had a narcotic in my blood while I was working. I had been taking it for a long time, I had cut down to 1 tab a day, then got caught being tired in the morning after my 12 hr shift which raised someones curiousity therefore I had to UA, then fired. That was 3 yrs ago, cant get a job anywhere, doing anything. The nursing profession devours their own people. It's vicious. They expect perfection but instead they digest you slowly until your whole life is out of control and then they throw you away. I could fight back but for what reason?? so I can go back and do it again? No thanks.

Why do recovery people think that meetings help? Why going to a meeting several times a week should help.?? I don't get it. If a person really wants to quit something, they will find their way to do it. I went to Hazelden tx for a month, totally use less!!!! All a waste of time. Then I had to go to outpt. tx for 5 months(3hrs/day at 3x week) and sit and listen to other peoples problems.(GROUP) How is that suppose to help my recovery?? Then my time was up, gone thru the program. Time to go back to work, because I have to pay my bills,BON said ok you must be recovered now, back to work. I went back, incredibly depressed, embarrassed, shamed and OMG NERVOUS!! I took my own prescription of Ativan that first night back to work. I have heard the should haves: call my sponsor, call the supervisor-sick, take a break. Well I didn't and am now fired because I took a "mind altering drug". Wow, I suck!! am stupid!! everything else. I was trying to just chill a bit. If this is how the BON deals with people with a "disease" so they say, I am done with it, forever. THe BON then said they did an investigation on this incident, nobody even talked to me about this incident. I don't understand? I'm DONE.!!!

I am a nurse in Florida, work in an ICU, due to the hardship of trying to find enough nurses, my director told us nurses we could use her condo at the beach whenever she and her family are not using it. Then it's free for us nurses to use, of course we will have to sign up to use it to keep it organized schedule, but isn't that cool. Now thats appreciation.!!!!!!!

you have great split shift scheduling ideas. I've wondered why they don't do more of that. I'm not in management, I've just wondered why they don't reward the nurses that have been there forever?????? They deserve it.

I'm going throw this out and you can tell me what you think. There does't seem to be any incentives to keep the nurses in a hospital after about 3 years. What do they do for the ones that have been there for a long time and are at the top of the pay scale? X-mas dinner??? What about "Giving" them access to a retreat home at the beach or in the mountains, that they could use 3-4 times a year at 2-5 days at a time. I would sell the hospital vacancies or however many employees they wanted to appreciate for that year. Probably the max amount would be 20-30 people/year so the retreat doesn't get too hard to book. For example Hospital A buys 3 spots, Hospital B buys 4 spots, Hospital C buys 5 spots, you could also sell them to Dr.'s offices to say thankyou to your nurses. The whole thing would be about "Retention". In addition it would also be about "Renewal and Regeneration." Hopefully feel appreciated and prevent burn-out. Any thoughts?

We nurses are supposed to be perfect all the time, I had a positive UA for Methadone, had to go to treatment then outpt. tx. for 5 months. I thought I was ready to go back to work, therefore I did, for only 1 day. I was so nervous, shakey, embarrassed at work the first night back. I took an Ativan, no narcotics and it made me too sleepy, probaably because my tolerance had gone down over the last 6 months. I was fired immediately. All the meetings I had been going to "be in Recovery" did not seem to help at all. Why? The professionals thought I was ready. It was horrible. I could not face the pressure of having to behave perfect at work therefore I told the BON to take my nursing license. I have not been so happy in 10 years, I am taking Buprenorphine for the opiate dependence. My depression that I've had for the last 20 years is gone. If anyone out there reading this is dependent on opiates. Try subutex.

I'm just curious, I gave up my rn license a couple years ago cause it sucked so bad, I hated it and I would like to do something good/great for all the nurses that are still digging thru the hell everyday of short staffing. No I'm not a recruiter, really. I'm sorry if you think that. But I really do feel sorry for you nurses. I will always feel like a nurse but my heart couldn't take feeling the guilt everynight for feeling like I did a crappy job, always. Tears every night. Forget it!!!!!!!

If you had the option of working for a hospital , say an ICU unit, of about 30 nurses in all, and that hospital was offering a vacation cabin(very nice) about 2hrs away from work, and just your unit used the cabin retreat all year long. Each nurse could sign up for when she and her family wanted to use it-free of charge!! Now if you had to choose which hospital to work for, the one that offered this or nothing. It's about doing something for the nurses that are already there and have been there for years and years- retention. What are they doing for us to retain us long-term.? If you had the option of working for a hospital , say an ICU unit, of about 30 nurses in all, and that hospital was offering a vacation cabin(very nice) about 2hrs away from work, and just your unit used the cabin retreat all year long. Each nurse could sign up for when she and her family wanted to use it-free of charge!! Now if you had to choose which hospital to work for, the one that offered this or nothing. It's about doing something for the nurses that are already there and have been there for years and years- retention. What are they doing for us to retain us long-term.?

it would be something close, 2 hrs, so you could go there on your days off or a long weekend.

oh well..............

Would any nurse be more willing to work for a hospital unit if they offerred a time share vacation place as a perk.? My brain is scheming, any response is welcomed. Thanks;)