Sun_danc3rRN

I used to worry about my facial expressions when something smelled nasty. I didn't want the patient to feel even worse than they did so I wear a surgical mask when I think I am going to have an issue or gag or something. I have also found that the tissues with Vicks scent on them help a lot. I think Puffs makes them. I take one and fold it up and place it under my nose in my mask. Patient never sees it and I get to smell Vicks for the most part, patient doesnt feel bad that they have a nurse who is gagging or barfing.

I work 1900-0700. As soon as I get bedside report I go back in and assess all of my patients. I usually just go back in and wake them up if they are sleeping. I re-introduce myself, assess pain first, then I start my head to toe and then focused, then I offer potty, drinks, make sure their cell is close by, etc. I usually get all of my patients assessed by 2000 and then start prioritizing my tasks and my med passes. I get the patients done that just need pain meds or have one or two meds, then I work up to larger amounts of meds, or more complicated meds, and I usually save the most involved patient for last. This way I can do my meds, dressing change, drop an NG tube, etc, all in one shot and then they can rest for the next few hours. I have a co-worker who didn't get to assess a patient until 2300, and when she went in the patient who was previously stable, had passed away from a massive MI...sometime between 1900 and 2300. She was fired prior to the end of the shift for failing to assess her patient in a timely manner. I don't have a clue if this was her first time in trouble or not, but it made me glad that I follow my same order the way I do things every single shift.

I work in an acute inpatient rehab. They don't qualify to be there unless they can tolerate 3 hours of therapy a day for 5 days a week out of 7, and have co-morbidities that nurses have to manage. Our ratio's are 6:1 total care, so no CNA's for us. I have a background in med/surg/tele, and I can tell you it is not all passing meds, fim scoring, and charting. Your assessment skills have to be sharp! We have brain injuries, traumatic and non traumatic, spinal cord injuries, hips, knees, cardiac, etc. One small change in a patient that goes un-noticed, or a small change in their vitals, is the difference between getting them to the ICU quick, or calling a code. There are definitely shifts that I can't wait to get home so I can sit down for 10 minutes. I find it very rewarding to take care of patients who come in unable to swallow, breath on their own, sit up, walk, or talk, that by at the time of discharge they hug me goodbye, say thank you for all I have done, and walk out or roll out under their own power! It is amazing!

New Mexico too!

Could it be that the MD already has a protocol in place that the nurse has to follow regarding patients, including accessing the files of his patients? I find your entire post rude and degrading. Why exactly are you on a forum for nurses if we sicken and disgust you so much? sincerely, "some nurse"

OP..first of all happy birthday...second of all it is ok to vent..if you don't you may pop.

Sounds like you are in an overwhelming position for your training, or rather lack of proper orientation. I would look for a job where you are not a float nurse, and certainly not a charge nurse at this point in your career. Med errors happen, and it sounds as if you have learned some valuable lessons from them. In the meanwhile take your time, make sure you get a good report of how people take their meds, crushed, etc. and try not to rush even though you feel the pressure to do so..Keep your chin up. :)

In my area the local branch of our community college does CNA classes with clinicals. You get your class and are prepared to sit for your CNA test for 3 college credits, and lab fees, which is about $200 total, plus the cost of your scrubs, and the CNA test is about $90. Alot of community colleges are offering these types of classes to the community so they are on weeknights and weekends. The nursing program I graduated from used this CNA course as a pre-req for nursing school. It might be worth it to look in to it. Less than $400, and 16 weeks (4 months)of classes and clinicals combined, college credits earned, and certification complete. Sounds way better than thousands of dollars

homework free zone

Today you are a student, tomorrow you may be a co-worker..you are more than welcome to ask questions! Ask away! :hug:

To put it bluntly, BFD! We have ALL worked hard to get where we are! We all have lives, spouses, children, have had crappy jobs, some even including nursing. Alot of us are drowning in debt with student loans, mortgages, car payments, have one income, etc. I was a 15yr old high school drop out who had a baby, and worked to get my high school diploma, even when they didnt have programs to bring your baby to school in 1984. This is just the beginning of the story of education that myself, my husband, and kids went through while I earned 3 degrees, my husband earned 2, and each of our 3 children earned a college degree. We all have our stories..which in my opinion gives us all the right to vent. I don't know about anyone else, but I come here to vent and read because I have no support system at home that understand the trials and tribulations of being a nurse. And you know what the days that I want to leave nursing it is the mortgage, the car payments, the student loan payments, my husbands monthly medical expenses with insurance, that make it so I just can't walk away from it. While I am on this subject, how DARE you state as you did in your original post that MY patient care suffers. I might not always like my job, but I am ALWAYS professional as are 99% of the men and women I work with. Come back and evaluate the validity of your post in a few years, I bet you change your tune on that. And PS if it bugs you so much to see it then don't read the posts. I don't believe being on allnurses.com is a job requirement anywhere, so you should be ok.

Inspiring :anbd:

Congrats on it all!! Wonderful!! :yeah::yeah::anpom::anpom::anpom::hpygrp:

My schedule goes like this: work Fri, sat, sun, mon..off tues & weds work thurs, then off fri, sat, sun, mon...then work tues, off wed & thurs..then repeat. So I get 2 days off between a set of days worked, and I have one day out there on its own. I work 4 day weekends, but then I have off 4 day weekends. It can be annoying, but it will be the same forever. Makes it easier to plan. I know what weekends I am scheduled to work way ahead of time. And except for sick time or vacations I usually work with the same staff members, and I relieve or get relieved by the same staff members. That is kind of nice because to me it fosters even more teamwork on a shift and between day and night shifts.

I can do just about every thing I need to do in a patient's room either by hall light, bathroom light, or flashlight, BUT I turn on lights at night to give meds. I have to practice my rights of med administration, all of them, day or night. If a patient complains that I woke them up to make sure that they could correctly ID themselves then so be it. I will also not give meds without education. I humbly explain that this is all done for their protection. They grumble, and complain, but let me tell you, med errors have not happened *knock on wood*, patient's can ID an adverse reaction, our Avatars have gone way up, (because at my facility we all do it), and I have gotten 27 letters, cards, or comment cards from former patients or their families saying that I made sure that their safety was a priority and that they learned a lot, oh and I got them the extra gingerale without blinking an eye. I have won awards at my facility, in multiple departments...Somehow I dont think I am the minority doing turning on a light. I just try to turn it around to a positive.