lynn27

OK, here's my 2 cents...do not let "loyalty" to a company make you go against what you feel that you need to do. Family always needs to come first! I understand your reluctance in leaving your job. Yes, you knew that the job was one hour away from home when you accepted the position--but, you are now understanding that the two hour daily commute really wears on you after awhile! (I speak from years of experience with the two hour commute!) And, it is really tough to miss seeing your little guy because your work days are not 12 hours but now are 14 (and that is when you get out on time). So apply for the position and see what happens! If you receive an offer, then you can make your list of pro's and con's to determine what is best for YOU. Regarding the hospital that "took a chance on you"--well, they are aware that new grads (and seasoned nurses) leave positions for a variety of reasons and I can assure you that if they thought that "it just wasn't a good fit", they would waste no time in letting you go and would not worry for one second about the economic impact on your family. I know I sound hard-hearted, but I have been around long enough to have seen some pretty callous treatment of nurses by employers on many levels. Also, the training that new nurses get is usually provided by an experienced nurse on the floor who will probably not be compensated or will be given a nominal $1 per hour as preceptor pay! Anyway, I wish you the best on your decision--only you can know what is best for you.

Unfortunately, I have decided to resign during my orientation--do I need to give a formal "resignation" letter? What about any resignation notice? Concerning my resume, do I need to keep this orientation on it or can I leave it off? Thanks in advance for any info!

Unfortunately, I have decided to resign during my orientation--do I need to give a formal "resignation" letter? What about any resignation notice? Concerning my resume, do I need to keep this orientation on it or can I leave it off? Thanks in advance for any info!

Thank you for the reply about the L&D book--I just ordered it!

TriageRN--I'm glad that you told the Pt what you did. He was completely out of line. There comes a time when the pt needs to understand that commenting on the nurse's appearance really has nothing to do with their care. I am all for taking excellent care of a pt but I am really getting tired of the "customer is always right" attitude that hospitals are taking. I wonder if the pt would have appreciated having a thorough assessment of his personality performed? And as far as informing him about nurses and needles--it sounds like he was a dim bulb and what is common sense for the rest of the population must not have been for him!

Whoa Shearernurse...my blood pressure started to rise just READING your post! No way could I have handled what you did. I will be thinking of you and wishing you some quiet evenings.

Yes, Thanks sooo much, HerEyes73! Very helpful!

There's a story in my family that a great aunt of mine was terminally ill with cancer and was in the process of dying. Her daughter stayed with her, and as she was drifting away, her daughter would become frantic and call her mother back. This happened several times until my great aunt asked her to leave the room--saying that she could not die while her daughter was so distraught. Finally, her daughter gave up and left the room and my great aunt died immediately.

I agree with SmilingBluEyes...please don't increase your stress right now. Think of yourself as your first patient--and taking care of yourself needs to be your top priority. Please try to get some help for the depression and reduce your stress. If you really would like to go to nursing school, please give yourself the chance to be very healthy and happy before you enter. Nursing school itself is an incredible challenge--stress levels tend to go through the roof during some classes. I have other degrees and the nursing degree was by far the most challenging to my mental health. As far as being "behind" a semester or 2 or 3 or whatever you need--don't worry because the nursing school will still be there. And who knows, during this "break time", you may find another path that intrigues you. The most important thing is your health!

Praying for your coworker/friend, her family and you.

When you leave your current position, you may want to get copies of all of your service reviews from your HR department. That way, you have written evidence of your good work record (which can be used later if the new job doesn't work out). I know I sound paranoid, but I have found that nurse managers can become quite testy after you have given notice (even though they gave glowing reviews while you were employed).

When you leave your current position, you may want to get copies of all of your service reviews from your HR department. That way, you have written evidence of your good work record (which can be used later if the new job doesn't work out). I know I sound paranoid, but I have found that nurse managers can become quite testy after you have given notice (even though they gave glowing reviews while you were employed).

My oldest son had the Harlequin's sign which is pretty remarkable when you see it. I had propped him on his side and the bottom side turned deep red while the upper side was white! This only happened when he was on his side. This sign vanished after a few days...scared me alot when I saw it! He's fine--16 years old and a head taller than me!

I guess I'm telling my age, too--I had the swine flu and it was sooooo baaadddd. I usually don't get sick but the temp from this flu was so high that I remember telling my mom that the "walls are melting"....(no it wasn't drugs!! although it was the '70's!) I usually get the flu shot and have had no problems except for fall of 2001 and the site swelled and turned red--approx 3 inches in diam and was hot. My patients asked me why I had an ice pack on my arm at work! We think maybe the shot went SQ instead of IM. Anyone else had this? I did get the 2003 shot with no problems but was too chicken to get it in 2002!

Hello Csemgr1...I got out in February and now I feel ready to begin looking in nursing again. Just wanted to say that the vacation has been great! You don't realize just how bad the stress has been until you get away from it for awhile. For the first time in four years, I feel good again! I hope you will be feeling better soon and I hope that things work out for the best for you.

You go, Baby Catcher!!! I can't wait to hear all about it--I'm so excited for you! WooHoo!

During one of my 2 interviews for medical school, I was also asked if I had kids, my back up plans for my kids and also, "How do you think you'll manage at your age?" I was a whopping 32 years old and had always looked younger than my years--later I got carded for buying beer at 35y. I felt that these were unethical questions and became annoyed with my interviewer, especially since I realized that I was in a no-win situation. First, a strike against me for having kids/ my age...or if I refused to answer, then I became a hostile applicant. Anyway, now much older (and looking every day of it), I realize that they were wanting my answers AND my reaction. As you can imagine--I didn't get into medical school and became thoroughly disgusted with the interview process--which I now feel is a blessing because there is no way I would want MD hours. So, my advice would be to go into the nursing school interviews expecting questions like these and plan for them. That way, you'll feel totally prepared and will feel confident.

Thank you all for responding. I'm glad to know that some of you have felt similar to me. It just came as a shock to feel this way after wanting to do L&D for so long. Also, I am wondering if it has something to do with my age and life--I am leaving my baby-having years (have 2 teens), been married almost 21 years. So maybe this is a natural progression? Do you see many nurses leaving L&D as they get into their forties? I truly hope that I can get over this--I promised myself that I would only go back to L&D if I can be the kind of nurse that I would have wanted with my deliveries--someone enthusiastic and happy to be with their patient on such an important day in their life.

Thank you all for responding. I'm glad to know that some of you have felt similar to me. It just came as a shock to feel this way after wanting to do L&D for so long. Also, I am wondering if it has something to do with my age and life--I am leaving my baby-having years (have 2 teens), been married almost 21 years. So maybe this is a natural progression? Do you see many nurses leaving L&D as they get into their forties? I truly hope that I can get over this--I promised myself that I would only go back to L&D if I can be the kind of nurse that I would have wanted with my deliveries--someone enthusiastic and happy to be with their patient on such an important day in their life.

Have any of you experienced L&D burnout? I know that most nurses that go into L&D have always wanted to be L&D nurses. For me it was the same--actually a goal I pursued several years. I was a childbirth educator, went to lay midwifery classes, finally nursing school and practically drove my family crazy with my enthusiasm about birth. Then, I actually got to be an L&D nurse and loved it until the work environment became too stressful and I left. Now, that I have relaxed a bit, I find that I don't want to go back to any kind of nursing. Has this happened to anyone? I can't believe that I feel this way when compared to how excited and enthusiastic I used to be. Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

I used to work nights but it just never worked out. I hated that shaky, groggy feeling when I had not gotten enough sleep. I tried nights for 3 years and tried all the tricks-ear plugs, face mask, turned ringer off on phones and became severely psychologically addicted to Ambien. Finally I had to face the fact that I was just not a nightshift person. While working during the night, I really didn't have trouble staying awake--it was trying to stay asleep for more than 3-4hours after shift that finally got me. I wish you all good luck in finding a method that will allow you to sleep well during the day.

Hi Jkaee. I did exactly what you are doing--I cut back my number of cigarettes until I was down to 1 0r 2 a day. Then at 4 mos along I quit altogether. That was 16 years ago and I haven't smoked since. It was a good thing, too because baby #1 and baby#2 developed asthma and I can only imagine how much worse it would have been if I had continued smoking. I'm proud of you for trying--You can do it!!

My father, who is normally a quiet guy, turns into a real comic when he is coming out of anesthesia. He was throwing one-liners right and left! No cursing but I thought he was trying out for comedy central!!

Mother/BabyRN, you are in my prayers.

The movie was called Patch Adams...I think!