NursKris

Been at my hospital for 32 years...work every other weekend...seniority means *** here LOL

Im a nurse and female. When my now 22 yr old son told me he wanted to become an RN and then eventually get his NP or CRNA, i jumped for joy!! Love the fact that he wants to follow in moms footsteps and is now in his senior year of his BSN, maintaining a 3.9 GPA and loving his clinicals and loving every minute of a PAID summer internship at a local hospital. I love when he comes home all excited about what procedures he did that day, who RRT'd, etc. LOL. Go figure, my son wants to be a nurse and my daughter doesnt want any part of it LOL.

Oh honey, you hit the nail on the head with this one!! I work in a 40 bed adult acute care locked unit. We have 3 maybe 4 nurses on...2 to pass meds and 2 to do desk duties, admissions, discharges, etc. We are supposed to have 4 PCAs on the floor and get floats for the 1:1s we may have. The nurses make hourly rounds to see where the patients are/what they are doing. The PCAs make q15minute checks on the patients that are ordered on it and they make q30minute checks on everyone. (these rounds are part of our new policy that was implemented due to a sentinel event we had a few months ago). When the PCAs have to relieve the 1:1s for break, that leaves less on the floor, then we have visiting from 11am-1pm and 6pm-8pm. That takes another PCA off the floor. So who picks up all that extra work?? You guessed it...nurses. Now throw in a couple of delusional, psychotic, highly disorganized patients who decide someone looked at that them funny, and you have to de-escalate a patient or many patients!! And if that doesnt work, IM medications to be given and having to wait for security to come to the unit because we are short on PCAs!! We also need to have a nurse in the dining room during mealtimes in case of an emergency. Add to that not having a unit clerk so phones are ringing off the hook!! Hahaha....just thinking about what we do over a 12 hour shifts blows my mind!! And it has been this way since i started here 3 years ago. So do like i do, take a deep breath, curse to myself...LOL...and keep on moving unitl 7pm. Then go home and go to bed to do it all over again :-)

$35.00/hr inpatient adult psych unit on long island. Paid benefits, unionized, vested after 5 years. Will retire at 55 yrs old with full pension after 34 yrs of service...only 7 more years..LOL. Granted i have been working here for almost 27 years and started at 21 yrs old in peds where i worked for 24 years and now psych for last 3 years. Was very lucky to get this job when i did.

We are doing well. Some new procedures in place. Just trying to keep everyone safe. Thanks for all the kind words.

The PCAs make frequent rounds. This patient was not on q15minute checks nor were any of her roommates. But we do make rounds approx q15minutes anyway. This happened at 0645.

Ive been an adult psych nurse for the last 3 years after being a peds nurse for the previous 24 years. I have seen my share of suicide "attempts" and people who almost finished the job. A couple of weeks ago, we had a patient who hung herself and eventually died the next day. We did everything we could for this young kid and everything was investigated and there was found to be no fault of the staff. This happened just before change of shift. Other nurses i have spoken to at work say that when a patient is determined they will be successful. I still feel like we missed signs. Has anyone else had this happen? Thanks for listening.

Going on 27 years all at the same hospital. 24 years in Peds/PICU and now going on 3 years in adult psychiatry. Plan on being here for at least 7 more years and the day i turn 55 getting the hell out of here and retiring with 34+ years of service :-)

Go for it!! I worked peds and PICU for 24 years and had a couple of male nurses i worked with. My 20 yr old son is presently in a BSN nursing program and is also interested in peds...like his mom LOL...but now i work in adult psych...not much different than working in peds...no one wants to take meds, no one wants to eat, undressing, etc LOL. Go for it and enjoy every minute of the kids!!

On my unit we give all 3 meds in 1 syringe...1 shot and done!!

My unit is an adult unit, ages 18 and over.

I work in a 40 bed inpatient unit and our matrix is 4 nurses and 4 PCAs. Extra staff is on for 1:1s. Unfortunately, this is not always safe depending on acuity of patients and sometimes its only staffed with 1 male PCA staff member. Oh well...such is life...

Work on Long Island...Peds acute care in a large hospital I am the only LPN left here. Been here almost 23 years...made a little over $65K last year with minimal OT. Cant wait until I am done with my RN...gonna be a big bump in salary:yeah:

I was an LPN on a 32 bed Pediatric unit in a Level 1 Trauma hospital for the last 21 years. I also floated to Peds ER and PICU to help out especially during emergencys. Even as an LPN i am very well respected and the people i work with know i know my stuff :nuke: Due to the hospital deciding they wanted to go back to 8 hr shifts, they have also decided they want an all RN staff. I can understand this, but am heartbroken that i have done all this time there...blood sweat and tears...working 2 nurses with a 8-12:1 ratio and sometimes being the "charge" nurse. Anyway, what they have done to "keep me in the maternal/child health block" they have placed me in L&D as a CST. Today was my first day on "orientation". Its tough, alot of information to absorb in a short period of time. The CST who is training me went to community college school for 2 years to learn what they are trying to teach me as fast as possible. She also told me that in addiction to my CST duties, the RNs will have me doing triage in the prep room, vitals, PCA work, cleaning beds...etc. My question is, how do i know where i am if i step out of my scope of care?? On Peds, i functioned basically as an RN...even preceptoring numerous RNs through the years. Its making me crazy:bugeyes: To be honest i just want to be back on my unit with my kids...we have many "regulars" who were heartbroken to know i wouldnt be there any longer. I am attending school to get my RN...hopefully in the next 12-18 months and hoping to get reinstated to Peds. Thanks for any responses.