DroogieRN

Thought I'd ask for a little input -- I'd heard about Ultrascopes and really wanted one, so I ordered mine last summer, as a reward for getting to my last year of NS. I didn't use it this year in clinicals because I was afraid I'd lose it, etc. Now...

My unit allows visitors from 10-2 and 4-8, with enforcement up to the discretion of the patient's nurse. Sometimes I am very strict with the hours; others, I allow family to come and go, generally, at will. We are a locked unit and the visitors hav...

I'm talking about visitors.

This is what I don't understand: no one asks the countless members of the unwashed public who traipse in and out of the hospital every day if they got their flu shots. I haven't had the flu in 25 years and I've never had a flu shot. Right now my e...

We do CRRT on my ICU. We set up and run it in it's entirety, based upon a set of preprinted orders. It's always 2:1, but they try to gmake your second patient fairly stable, although one that will remain on the unit so you won't have to have an adm...

I am incredibly proud to be a nurse! I was you just a few short years ago, and I remember the feeling well. I've been a nurse three years now, in an ICU the last 15 months, and I couldn't be happier with my choice of profession. I think being an R...

This happened to me yesterday. Still so fresh and troublesome and I'm so glad to have three days off now. Patient stable all night and threw a PE right as I came on shift. There were literally 25 family members at the bedside all a.m. In an ICU b...

I've been a nurse three years, but I am 48, so I have life experience to add to many situations. I don't have trouble dropping a difficult NG that may cause discomfort immediately but ultimately is for the patient's benefit. Doesn't even make me bl...

I'm in ICU. I didn't start there, however,; I started on telemetry. You'll get lots of opinions, but I don't personally recommend ICU for a new grad -- you'll get lots of varied experiences, and develop good time-management skills, if you start on me...

Are you pulled to other floors to work? At my facility, we are, once we are three months off of orientation. The only nurses in the hospital who are not pulled are ER nurses. I think ICU is at least just as specialized as ER, and I don't think we ...

Littmann Master Classic II for nursing school is a good scope and will serve you well. I upgraded to a Littmann Cardiology III once I hit the floor just because I was afraid I wasn't hearing everything -- at 47, maybe my hearing is going. The Cardi...

I make about $23 per hr in OH. Less than $1 shift differential or charge pay. No pull or preceptor differential. No difference in pay between ADN and BSN.

I dunno. Maybe it's because 100 years ago people lived near/with extended families or at least knew their neighbors and could rely on these people to care for their children. Not so much anymore. My husband travels for his job and I have no one to...

I don't love working holidays, but I don't necessarily mind, either. I've only ever gotten time and a half, which is better than straight time, to be sure. I'd always rather be with my family, but I tell myself that at least I get to go home to the...

I'm voting early, since I'm scheduled for Nov. 6. It takes a little pre-planning, but most states let you vote early 13 days before the election. Shouldn't be a problem.

I would hate to work five 8s. I realize most of the work world does this, but nursing is different. I NEED those three days away from the hospital per week to decompress and think about life outside of nursing. Maybe a nursing office job would be O...

I didn't read all the replies, so feel free to ignore. Most don't stick around to waste and don't expect you to, either -- and often there just isn't the time. Don't ever witness for someone you don't trust implicitly. Probably you can count those ...

Please don't say anything about health or personal issues. They can't ask you about them, but they'll have questions and will no doubt look for any reason not to hire you. Say it wasn't a good fit and the hospital didn't have anything open for you w...

None of the stuff you mention is ultimately a big deal. I'm sorry you don't have a lot of support to know this. Maybe you can find a mentor you trust and can vent with? So important! As others have said, try to stick it out at least a year. Not o...

>Overdoses, attempted suicides -- not for me. I have compassion but not patience for that. Other psych issues, not so bad. >"I don't take that at home." "I take that at night." "I take a different dose." "I take x, y and z. Why am I not get...

I hate night shift for what it does to my life and my body but the shifts themselves? Love them. There is something great about the night shift vibe. No less busy most of the time, but different. And no families, procedures, meals -- heaven. At ...

I stood out in school. Did my clinicals at the hospital and on the unit for which I was eventually hired. Had been selected for a student externship the summer prior to graduation. I knew where I wanted to work and did my preceptorship on that uni...

An IMC is a great place to begin your nursing career! I did, and I am a firm believer than it is a great foundation for whatever type of nursing you want to pursue in the future. You will learn time management and prioritization like you would not ...

What's that?

My old facility called Code Blue overhead followed by a scrambled four-digit number, which everyone knew how to decipher as unit and room. I thought it worked pretty well. New facility calls Code Blue overhead with unit only, and select personnel h...