JerzeeMike

Glass thermometers sitting in an emesis basin of alcohol to be reused. Speaking of reused, stainless steel bedpans, urinals and emesis basins that got sent down to SPD to be cleaned and autoclaved after the patient was discharged and returned to the unit.

Do what is right for you. If you work yourself to exhaustion and breakdown they won’t even give you time to recover without pestering you about coming back. If there’s one thing we, as nurses, have learned from COVID is that employers could care less about you, your health or your family. I say quit if you need to and take an agency job and make them pay through the nose for your time. They don’t care about us so why are we still caring about them?

I don’t agree with Nurse Beth about the getting into acute care after a year. I currently work in SAR and I do the exact same job I did in acute care but with a higher patient load. Patients get discharge from the acute care hospital a lot quicker than when I was in med-surg and SAR nurses have to continue the care started in the hospital. Oftentimes we receive the patient fresh from surgery and we have to deal with doctors, mid-level practitioners and families and somehow coordinate communication between all while giving the patient the care they deserve.

Hell yes, of course you did the right thing for your patient. What if he was in a SNF and the family came in to find him restrained and with new bruising? The state would be called in a heartbeat. As nurses, it’s our duty to advocate for our patients, NOT the families. What you witnessed was concerning and has the potential for harm/abuse. Rest easy knowing you did your duty for your patient.

I'd have lost my job because if ANYONE, including doctors, called me or anyone I worked with "monkeys" I'd have gone ape-sh*t on his a$$. The last time a doctor was anywhere near that inappropriate I has his butt pulled into the Chief of Staff's office and his privileges were suspended for 10 days.

1)__ Do you take the flu vaccine yearly? If you do not, what is the reason you do not participate (if you don't mind answering this question)? Absolutely! 2)__ Does your employer have a mandatory influenza vaccination policy as a condition of employment? If yes, where do you work? No, they do not. 3)__ What concerns do you have about the flu vaccine? None. 4)__ Do you know if anyone who has been released from their job because they did not get the flu vaccine? No.

Patient rings the bell for so I can get her visitor a soda. I directed the visitor to the vending machine in the dayroom and told her it cost a dollar and, no, I don't have a dollar.

Call and tell someone, like the charge nurse or the nurse who took over the cart (if he/she is still there) and tell them. I can't even count how many times I've found meds meant to be wasted in my cart. If I have the time I usually will call or text the off-going nurse and will verify what the med was for and after hearing the story I'll waste it myself with a co-worker or charge nurse. Just don't make a habit of it.

That sounds like a nurse manager to me!

Good answer!! I actually told a patient, "I'm sorry but massage therapist is a licensed profession in the state of New Jersey. I don't give massages & massage therapists don't give you your medications." End of conversation.

Hey Sewbusy, hope you had a great holiday season. I ran into the same question on injection site absorption for insulin the other night at work and my understanding was that so long as there's subQ fat to inject into that other sites besides the abdomen are acceptable. I looked in the drug guide in my med room but wouldn't you know it, the page was missing!! Luckily I had a smartphone and looked online. At http://diabetes.about.com/od/insulinrotationsitefaq/f/injectinginsuln.htm it says that, in fact, the back of the arm IS a good site to inject insulin into but that it's not used when giving self-administered SQ injections d/t it's not easily accessible. I use the back of the arm when using a FlexPen delivery device or when the patient is also getting a SQ heparin shot in the abdomen too.

Because really, who hasn't been told "You're so smart, why didn't you do medicine?".... [i say "well, because then I'd end up being a doctor"] LMAO! Classic.

JerseyGir1--They ask you about any past experience you've had in healthcare. What brought you to nursing and how you feel about patient care. The HealthSouth I work at is very concerned with nurses working with mutual respect and professionalism toward one another while delivering superior care to our patients. They let you know that they are acute rehab and that you won't get the experience in critical care nursing a lot of new grads are looking for right out of school but in the job market in NJ right now I say give them a good look. I was very surprised that they pay better than many of the hospitals in my area (Jersey shore). It's a lot of work and they still chart the old-fashioned way (anyone remember Kardex's?!) but it works out nicely for me and the satisfaction that comes with this type of nursing can't be beat. Good luck on your interview!! Let me know the outcome.

I recently took a position as a staff RN at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Tinton Falls, NJ and I have to say I'm so glad I found this place. The facility is under 10 years old, it's pretty well staffed by nurses but we run short of CNAs when we have lots of 1:1 observations. Having come from an acute care hospital to a specialty hospital like HealthSouth was quite a surprise. There's no floating to other units and not the usual hospital politics that you find in other places. All in all, it's been a really positive experience thus far. All the nurses I've worked with have really gone out of their way to welcome me there and make sure I get well oriented to the facility. I think you'll like it there.

Patience, girl! I got my letter about 2 weeks after passing the boards then my license in the mail about 3 weeks after that. NJ is notoriously slooooow but you'll have your license in no time. The BON license listing takes even longer to update but your employer can verify your license through an automated telephone system most employers use. Welcome to nursing, JerseyGir1!!