CranberryMuffin

You will be responsible for going to codes. AND you will have very sick and complicated patients - sometimes i found that caring for these patients was more stressful than being in a code because you can be in a situation where you are trying to prevent them from coding for your entire shift. There are two sides to this: 1. Getting experience in the ICU and more exposure to codes might "toughen" you up. Over time you might become less sensitive and able to handle codes and other stressful experiences more nonchalantly. 2. You could become overly stressed and anxious about it and over time that takes a toll on someone. This was the case for me. I developed an anxiety disorder. I am pretty sure I have PTSD from working in the ICU. To this day I cringe when I hear a ventilator alarm going off and I get all anxious when I see people running to a code. My body has a physiological reaction when I'm on the ICU floor (even though I work in administration now). I agree with the above comment that there are worse things than death. Over time this and the stress is what made me leave the ICU. If you just want a change, there are so many other things you can do. If you want to get more acclimated to codes, you could also try to get on the code committee for your hospital. If you are not sure about the ICU, ask to shadow an ICU nurse for a few shifts to see how it feels. ICU = growth and knowledge. All areas of nursing = growth and knowledge. I can guarantee you that most ICU nurses don't know much about OB nursing or OR nursing or psych nursing unless they have had direct experience in that field. Don't look at it as a weakness if you decide to go another route. We all have different strengths that we bring to nursing.

Hello... I have a dilemma that I could use some advice on - I am contemplating applying for a nurse practitioner program. I left the bedside 3 years ago due to a back injury, but I also was dealing with stress at the time that started to manifest itself into an anxiety disorder (I would say I have PTSD when I think back about ICU nursing: i get anxious, stressed, nervous about making mistakes, worried that I'm doing to do the wrong thing). I've had a desk job for the past 3 years in a job that I like but I'm not passionate about. It's always been my goal to become a nurse practitioner. I have a fear that I am going to exacerbate the anxiety if I go this route and stir up old feelings. I know for sure I cannot do bedside nursing without feeling very stressed and anxious. Has anyone else made this transition from bedside to APN who has experienced similar PTSD symptoms from bedside nursing? And how did you cope?

I'm a relatively 'new' RN (~2 years experience) with a back injury (herniated disc) I acquired from an on the job injury. I'm being treated for it through work and have no complaints about that - I have gotten great care, albeit extremely slow. But I'm terrified to go back to work as the time approaches. I'm worried about re-injuring myself or injuring myself worse and being completely unable to work or needing surgery or worse. My doctor told me I should really consider thinking about my career path and get out of nursing. I'm looking for alternate things I can do with my nursing degree (all my experience is in critical care; I also have a generalist MSN that I did as it was the quickest way to become an RN) - things that are alternatives to bedside nursing that are not so hard on the body. I know that 2 years isn't that much experience in the whole grand scheme of things, but I figure it might help to get my foot in the door somewhere. Any suggestions/leads/ideas? thanks

I would be cautious about a program where you had to find your own preceptor and are paying that much. That's a pretty hefty sum to be having to go to those lengths.

Puzzling interactions with coworkers can also be attributed to not having an outlet for healthy interactions and feelings of powerlessness within the workplace. Where there is poor management (which I've seen a lot within healthcare), there are poor workplace relations/communications. It's easy to blame the people within the ranks of our profession for unhealthy workplace behaviors. It's harder to address the systemic issues that are rampant within the system itself.

I would suggest getting off nights if you can; working nights makes me depressed and cranky. I'm not a huge fan of bedside nursing, either, but it definitely helps to get proper sleep.

All of the bigger hospitals in my city (and now more of the smaller hospitals) are ONLY hiring BSNs - as others have said it's a Magnet thing. It's my impression also that if you want to work in a more metropolitan area, having a BSN might be a necessity as the job market tends to be more competitive AND hospitals are being more picky, going Magnet, etc. If you want an MSN you will need to either do a bridge program if you have an ADN, or get your BSN (unless you have a bachelor's degree in another field).

Thanks for the responses. I haven't actually moved anywhere yet, still in the Midwest, and I just started applying all over about a month ago, so it's too early to tell what that will bring (Southwest, Northwest, etc). That pay rate seems pretty low but I do realize the cost of living is low in comparison to other places. Thanks for the advice - I wouldn't move anywhere without a firm offer in writing. I have no qualms about waiting necessarily, I realize we are in a tough market and it could take awhile to find something that fits very well. As it is, I feel fortunate just to be employed, so I can't complain.

Also just an FYI - West Coast University is a for-profit educational institution. There's been a lot of attention lately in the news about for-profit colleges and universities in their financial mismanagement, as well as they claim that they defraud students. There are other threads about for-profit nursing education - here is one of them: https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/profit-nursing-schools-479441.html

Sure, nights are slower paced (usually), so there's that. BUT, you're going to be the only RN on the floor during your shift? Are there going to be LPNs? Is there just one nurse picking up all those admits??? And why are you charge during orientation??? This sounds totally shady. Run, don't walk.

Regardless of that, I would be very hesitant to spend that kind of money on a BSN. The job market has yet to bounce back for new grads, and if you are taking out student loans, that's a lot of debt to be saddled with, without the guarantee of a job. I'm not on the West Coast, I'm in a major metropolitan city in the Midwest, and people here do want to know where I went to school, especially the larger academic medical centers.

And just as much, sometimes more experienced nurses need to be reminded that there are ways of correcting behavior/providing feedback that are more appropriate than others. It goes both ways. Just my 2 cents.

It's 1:2 where I'm at. I had a night recently where both of my patients crashed at the *exact* same time. A rarity, and I wouldn't have made it through the night without my coworkers, who are completely stellar. Rarely do we have 1:1 patients but it does happen for those that are very critical.

I honestly don't know, nor do I check to see who has insurance and who does not. If it's not glaringly obvious, I don't usually even know the insurance status of my patients. Yes, I know there are different outcomes for patients who have insurance vs those that don't (based on trends, preventative care, socioeconomic status, etc.), but you are insinuating that this patient is getting different treatment BY THE NURSE because he does not have insurance. If you were to say this to me, I would be completely insulted. AND I WOULD NOT advocate going past the nursing staff if I had a concern about my father's care. Go up the chain of command - in the appropriate manner, but do not completely bypass the nursing staff. It undermines the nurse's role here.

For clarification, they offer affordable INstate tuition. I was just suggesting that you do your research in your own state first before looking out of state. I don't know if programs in my state offer affordable out of state tuition.