wildwood

In our OR, we get $40.00 per day for weekday call, and $50.00 per day for weekend or holiday call. We have guaranteed 40 hr/week, so we get to go home early when we finish, and we get the next day off after call .

If I were not a nurse, I'd like to be a mortician. Sometimes I think it would be easier to work with dead people than deal with some of the stuff we get in the OR.

Well, I bought one (paid $89.00 for it), and when I tried to use it, I couldn't hear a THING! I got several other nurses to check it out, and nobody liked it. I took it back. Littman is still my stethoscope of choice!

Hi! Congratulations on your first post. I love being able to hear from OR nurses far away. We used to use that system of having "keys" that were supposedly hidden, but everybody who worked in the OR or PACU had to know how to get them. The problem arose when there were narcotics missing, and nobody knew who took them. Then we started keeping a set of keys in the hospital pharmacy and had to sign them out when we went in to do cases on call back. The system we have now Omnicell, similar to Pyxis, is much better. The drugs are signed out in the computer before the drawer opens, and your password is used so there is no question as to who is responsible. Do you think that your system works well for you? I didn't trust everybody (even housekeeping could have been in the area and could see where we got the keys when we needed them). Just something to think about.

As bad as things get sometimes, I know I love my job, and I would still want to be a nurse. Sometimes I wish I had been born 10 years earlier (I am almost 48), because things were a lot better then than they are now. If I could just do my job without all the paperwork, etc., it would be perfect! Good luck with your decision. Let us know what you decide to do.

Our time off is lumped together in "Paid Time Off"; this includes vacation, holidays, sick days, etc. You accrue time dependent on your hours worked and length of service to the hospital. The problem is that you are allowed only 3 unscheduled absences a year before you are reprimanded verbally. After 4, you are given a written warning, and if you are sick 5 times in a year, you are TERMINATED! . That doesn't give much leeway for you to be sick, have a sick child or family member within one year. So I do not like this system. As long as you have approved scheduled time off, there isn't a problem. But how often do you plan to be sick? Not many people have ESP!!!

I don't understand this post. What do you have a problem with about getting more focus on the nursing shortage? I didn't take it as an attempt for personal gratification. I agree that Oprah may be more receptive to the issue. DR. PHIL seems to like resolving conflict in interpersonal relationships. Anyway, if you get to go on the air and speak about nursing, I'd be very proud and supportive.

Hi, Cliff, I know what you mean about the new people not having a clue about the nightmare of 10 days of call! Hopefully, they never will. When I first started in the OR (about 16 years ago), we only had 4 nurses taking call. I got 3 months orientation, and was thrown into call - called sink or swim! At our rural hospital, we do a tremendous amount of callbacks, many of them true emergencies - gunshots, stabbings, aortic aneurysms - you'd be surprised. CRNA's who come from trauma centers to work with us (they help fill in because we are short of CRNA's) are amazed at the number of hours we work on call. But unless, God forbid, the staffing gets worse and these people actually experience it, they'll never know the stress and exhaustion you endured. One thing I have observed in my years working in the OR, many of the new younger people coming in simply won't tolerate this kind of work. I guess when they see how the workload is, they know they can go somewhere else. Even though we have 5 call teams now, we still work hard. We have call for all specialties, so if you're not working with one surgeon, there is always another needed to do a case! I have been at this same hospital 21 years, and could not start out making anywhere near the salary I have here, and benefits. So I sometimes feel trapped, being on my own, with a house payment and car payment, etc. I have RA, Fibromyalgia, hypertension, asthma, and now, pericarditis from the RA. SO WHO WOULD INSURE ME? Sorry I know that last part doesn't really belong in this post, I just ramble on sometimes. When you are older, you tend to do that! But to my credit, I can still work circles around some of the younger nurses (experience pays off). You really appreciate the ability to prioritize and plan when you are in pain and need to get your patients cared for!

The anesthesiology department should be in an uproar over this! You are absolutely right about the standard of care. Our PACU nurses that take call get the same benefits that the OR nurses do. We get overtime prevented by scheduling the call team off the day after call. So if we work all night, it isn't overtime. We are guaranteed 40 hrs. a week, and they let the call people leave early whenever possible. There are other nurses that work regular day hours to finish up the schedule. Anything past hours is done by the call team. We have 5 call teams, so it rotates every day (every 5th weekend). One team is on call every day, including holidays. We have on call an RN (to circulate), a scrub tech, the PACU nurse, CRNA and the anesthesiologist. So there is no need to send patients to ICU, unless they are on the vent and we need their help. But we don't depend on them to do OUR jobs!

My husband worked for Broughton Hosp. (a state psychiatric facility) for 30 years and retired full benefits, full pay, insurance, etc. . There are many different units to choose from, from young people to the criminally insane. You always can go talk to people there and get the inside scoop. I wish I had done it! I work at a rural hospital (for 21 years), and even though I love my job, I'm 48 and ready to GET SOME REST!

Retirement will depend on you - where you decide to work (benefits, 401K, your age, etc). I guess it would be best to investigate different agencies or educational institutions where you are interested in teaching and find out whether they provide any retirement benefits. Of course, state jobs (or federal), usually have great plans. My husband worked for the state of NC at a psychiatric facility, and he retired with full benefits, including full pay and insurance. I wish I had been as fortunate, but I love where I work, and I love OR nursing. So as I usually joke, my retirement is "DEATH" :chuckle

Be assertive! It is rude to ignore anyone, even if you aren't able to talk right then. As a common courtesy, the least the other nurses could do if they are busy is acknowledge that they heard what you said. Say something like, "Hey, I guess you didn't hear me (and smile sweetly) then proceed to tell them what you need. I've been a nurse for 22 years, and I would never treat a new nurse that way. I DO still remember how it feels to be the new person. They should remember, at some point they may need YOUR help, and act accordingly! Good luck and hang in there!

One of the best doctors I know used to be the charge nurse on our surgical floor (20 Years ago!). She was a great nurse, and it has certainly made a difference in how she relates to patients, compared to the other doctors I know. She is always friendly and professional, just like she was before med school. She said her nursing background was very beneficial during her medical education.

Sounds like an issue to be taken to risk management. If your boss is not concerned with patient safety and your liability in case of an emergency, then I'd pursue other ways to get your problem taken care of NOW. It shouldn't even be left up to the OR nurse as to whether they want to stay or not. I am an OR nurse, and I totally understand what you are saying. I can't believe that your facility (even the surgeons) or anesthesiologists would consider this a safe practice! Janet

Hi, At our hospital we have a system similar to Pyxis, called Omnicell. You have to have a password to access it. Each medication is signed out to the patient as it is needed. Getting a witness for waste is not a problem because we (OR nurses) do not leave our PACU nurses by themselves until the patient is ready to be discharged to the floor. We aren't physically in the room with them all the time, because on callbacks we have to do our own cleaning of OR suite and instruments, but we are available closeby in case they need us. I think is is a matter of safety to have someone else there in the department, and not be left alone. That way if the patient becomes unstable or codes, there is another nurse there.