dcurry

The diaper bag idea is great! Been looking for a nurse bag for a couple of weeks. NEVER thought about a diaper bag. Might be just what I'm looking for. THANKS!

I've been a nurse for 9 months now, working on a busy surgical floor. I can't seem to get my mojo flowing. Have tried several ways to plan my days and get work done. Problem is - we've got patients coming and going all day long. No sooner do I get started in one room, I get a page that Mrs. so&so needs pain meds. OK, I'll get to her in just a second. Now I understand that times are tough and hospitals are competing for patients like crazy. I do want to keep my job and I'm glad to have it. But...not only do our staff supervisors make rounds and tell patients that if they don't receive their pain meds within 10 minutes of asking that they should call the charge nurse, but now hospital administrators are making rounds on all floors and giving the patients the opportunity to "tell us what we can do to make your stay here more comfortable". I am busting my butt to try to keep up with 5-7 post-op patients. We get them straight from PACU - still drowsy, in pain, vomiting, confused, VS q 30 minutes...I'm so frustrated! What can I do to make my shift go smoother and leave at a decent time at the end of my shift. (I work days, BTW) Need encouragement and advice from all you experienced nurses out there.

I really like the idea of "team meetings" before each shift. We don't really need full report on every patient - just the basics. Like you said, who might have problems, which patients are more at risk. What I observe happening on our floor during the week is that when nurses get caught up they SIT DOWN (but not where they can be seen …or found). Many of them feel like it is beneath them to carry ice to a patient or help them to the bathroom or wipe up a spill. It's really all about attitudes, isn't it?

Christie, I think that may be part of the problem. No one seems to really know what "team nursing" is all about. We try to pair up an RN, LPN and CNA, or inexperienced nurse with an experienced one. But we're not sure how to really make it work. We are trying to get away from the "my patient, your patient" concept. Trying to create more of a team working environment on the unit. The weekend team works great together. We communicate all day long with each other. As soon as one of us gets caught up, we offer help to anyone else who needs it, even if its changing a bed, or getting a pt out of bed. But the midweek crew seems to have a harder time working together as team members. It is more like "my rooms, my patients, hands off! Don't bother me and I won't bother you."

I am so in agreement with you on the "hotel" thing. All we hear from management is how we are expected to give "excellent" (not good or great) care! Well, I do want to give excellent care to my patients, but I do not want to be kissing their butts all day long. Our managers are constantly "rounding" on the floor and reminding the patients to "let us know if there's anything we can do to make your stay here more comfortable". Yeah, I want to make them comfortable, but I also want them to treat me with respect. I think we have taken the customer service thing a little too far and we encourage patients to treat doctors and nurses like servants. I even had one patient the other day to ask me to "scratch her right butt cheek!!!!" Was anything wrong with her arms? Noooooo. Had one to tell me that she had been instructed to report me if she had to wait more than 10 minutes for her pain meds (which I could understand if she were my only patient). Do you hear and feel my sarcasm?

We have just implemented team nursing on our very busy surgical floor. The new grads love it, the more experienced nurses hate it. I'd love to hear ideas on what works and what doesn't for anyone out there who is a part of team nursing on their unit. What are your guidelines? How are patient assignments made? Who's on your team? Thanks for any input.

Can anyone tell me what happens if capillary blood sugars are checked AFTER the patient has eaten their meal. I know ideally they should be checked and Novolog given 5-10 minutes before they eat. This seems to be a next-to-impossible task on our very busy surgical floor. If blood sugars are checked after patients eat what do I do about their insulin...hold, give anyway? How do I know they won't bottom out? New nurse deb.

Hello Nufuture, Your message gave me goose bumbs. You are so right about life being a journey. And it's not over just because you reach a certain age. Sometimes I do laugh and ask God what He was thinking when He called me to the nursing field at 50 y/o, but He knew what He was doing and I have never looked back. I, too, enjoy my patients and their life stories. It is not just a job or a paycheck; I've had those. I am exhausted at the end of my 12 hour shifts, but I go home knowing that I have done exactly what I was called to do. Let me know where life leads you in the future.

You are never too old to do something you want to do. I started NS at age 48, finished at 50. Had a friend started with me, she was 56 when she finished. We are both working now and loving every minute of it. I'm on a Surgical Floor and she works in ICU. There are lots of advantages to being a "older" student. The majority of my graduating class was non-traditional students, meaning over 25 and with families, jobs, responsibilities. We bonded and got each other through the rough times. I also think we studied harder and were more serious than our college-age partying classmates. (No offense intended)

I am a new grad myself. This is very good advice and I agree that listening and being humble and teachable is important. But how do you handle it when an experienced (but only 2 years) seems to enjoy pointing out all your mistakes - in front of other nurses, physicians, and even patients. Kind of "at my wits end".