nightbrightener

I've seen a few coworkers wearing benefit scrubs and the cut is decent. personally Dickies scrub tops with the red fabric on the inner collar have the best cut and drape for me, pants i just don't care, need to be able to move fast and loose cargo st...

Just some thoughts, as a charge nurse i would never just change an acuity level. MAYBE once ever 2-3 months I will call out and ask why someone was made a particular ESI code if it seems low or high, sometimes we hit the wrong button or the nurse see...

I've gone through crocs, trainers, boots, but the best shoes I ever found were Chacos (they are better known for sandals), they last for years, have great arch support, but flexible soles, good treads and incredibly comfortable.

Male specific advice, may piss off some people.... If you have never worked in a field that is majority female, you may have to get used to a fair amount of gossip and cattiness, some more cliquish behavior than you may be used to, in my and friend's...

Yes I like my job, yes i like the money (but want more). 9+ years as an RN, all in the ED. Tough, rewarding, fair amount of autonomy, flexible schedule, fun coworkers, sounds like a win to me. it can be emotionally draining and you need to be able to...

I skimmed through the comments an the side topics and just to give you the perspective of a guy who did trade work (arborist, mason tender, landscaper). restaurant work( line cook, server, bartender) and now 9 years in as an RN. Chill man lol. Yes th...

This is based on my personal job and ER coworkers, as well as their memories of first ER job interviews. There are generally not clinical questions as part of the interview process in all our experience since the expectation is... you don't yet know ...

In my experience most hospitals will have groups of people who volunteer, ask around, we have some who go to Haiti every 4-5 months. They will have the infrastructure set up already. Churches/Religious Organizations are a great idea if you are comfor...

We do have volunteer greeters, it is mostly college students or retired people. They generally offer warm blankets, bring wheelchairs as needed to patients and do general customer service skills. Most work in the lobby, a few work on the floor itself...

For me it was an easy decision. Do i stay on the floor and smile and nod at new policy directives, then ignore as much as possible while giving the best care i can, and check a few boxes in EPIC... OR do i go to an office and try and sell chicken SH*...

This was said to me by a seasoned nurse shortly after I started, it helped me so I'll share it. Similar to the EMS statement above... "They are meat you are doing a task on, after the task is completely successfully, then consider the implications." ...

Even a level 2 trauma center will get you exposed to a variety of patients. We ship out bad burns, pediatric neuro and pediatric cardiac, occasionally a dissecting AAA, everything else stays in house to the OR, ICU ,TNU, or IICU. Level 1 handles ever...

I charge frequently so get the joy of both passive aggressiveness from the floors, irritation from my staff, and irritation from the floors at the rudeness of my staff. Some of it is just systemic and lack of understanding on all sides. Yes there are...

Sometimes there is just a mismatch with preceptors and personalities/teaching styles. Personally the facts the preceptor is telling you are correct, in regards to needing to get things done quickly (just a general fact) but his tone seems lacking at ...

I don't do it, many of my co-workers do. They generally last about 1-2 years before quitting. Many are messy he said/she said, psych issues, drug issues, behavioral issues, it can get exhausting for them. Also and this is per them, maybe 10-20% are "...

Burnout is an issue, but in my experience it breaks down to 3 categories generally for why people leave or stay. 1- LEAVE A springboard to other, NP, TNU or ICU, flight RN, management, other hospitals, etc. 2- LEAVE burnout, emotional exhaustion, als...

I am seeing a big push to go IV acetaminophen first, and quickly, with the elderly with long bone fractures due to increased dementia and agitation with narcotics. This was suggested by our ortho floors and seems to generally go well. We still usuall...

Like other posters have said, it generally is a final step in progression in experience within the ER in most places. Generally start as floor nurse, then triage and trauma, then precept, then charge. Some departments do seem to just throw anyone in ...

I think there are 2 parts to this. the first part, thick skin comes from realizing some people are a****, regardless of whether they won the lottery or just got hit by a car. You can't fix stupid or mean. As far as getting thicker skin, it happens wh...

PICIS, ah sweet loved PICIS, now gone to make way for the POS that is EPIC. But before I start ranting, PICIS is actually I think a good choice. PICIS had a very clear overview screen, fairly intuitive assessment prompts and procedure drop boxes and ...

The certifications are a great start. Every hospital has their own version of orientation, some better than others but....if you are talking a level 1 or 2 trauma facility with a decent number of beds there should be no way you will be the only one d...

It does get better with time but personally in the ED I swear by a bit of original formula Burt Bees wax under each nostril, reapply as needed. it's not cloying enough to overpower you but does tend to help with smells.