Leonurus

Have seen it on my unit only once so far, but have been hearing more about it and expect we will be using it more soon. Drug reps are out in full force as usual... It's supposed to have fewer metabolic side effects than other antipsychotics, for one thing.

I read an article that said they were thinking "natural causes." I really hope they won't classify anorexia-related lyte imbalances as "natural" if that turns out to be the cause. I know it's just words, but the young women looking at people magazine etc. need to not be reading that there's anything natural about starving yourself to death...

I have been working on a med-surg floor in a small hospital since June as a new grad. Since August, when I started being on my own, I've been absolutely miserable. The ratios are usually 7:1, though I've only made it up to 6 pts so far. Everyone on the floor is very supportive of one another and our aides are mostly wonderful, we just don't have enough people to take care of our pts with high acuity and many who are confused. I often have 4 or 5 out of 6 with personal alarms, scattered all over the floor. It's really scary. Add to that the emotional needs of the pts and the fact that its all I can do just to get their meds into them...I almost never have time to stop and listen/soothe when my pts are crying or anxious. I often do it anyway, then end up way behind. My personal life has become nonexistant-I realized how bad it was the other day when someone asked me what I do for fun, to relieve stress. All of my answers started with "I used to..." I had several days when I tried to find time to go talk to my boss about quitting and literally could not find a break in the action to pee, let alone quit!! Finally, I had a sort of breakdown and couldn't stop crying. My coworker found me in the bathroom and sort of dragged me in to see the unit director. I told him that I just wasn't able to do it any more, told him that I needed to quit. After the way I was funnelled into med-surg straight from nursing school, I expected to be shown the door if I couldn't cut it on that floor. Instead, he had the charge nurse help me out for awhile to catch up and told me to please, please not quit, that he would look for other positions in the hospital that might be a better fit. What he came up with was the director of peds/MCH offering me a position with longer training and more support. No guilt trips or shaming for leaving early, just support and help finding a better situation. The director of mental health has also come to me to talk about cross-training there... These are 2 areas I've been interested in for a long time-a great opportunity. Right now I'm still on med-surg, but there's now a light at the end of the tunnel. I am still feeling bad about jumping off a sinking ship while my coworkers are still there, but I also know that I am not cut out for that type of work. I don't see the sense in destroying myself in order to make it through a certain time frame in a job I already know I hate. I waited until things got really bad before I sought a way out, but what I found out is that you never know what's available unless you ask.

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I've lost a lot of self confidence in my current situation. I used to think I'd be able to do anything I set my mind to doing, including really challenging nursing positions...Lately I just feel like I'm so fragile and wound so tightly that I'm incapable of dealing with stress at all. My coping skills have been taxed to the breaking point. I just feel like a lightweight-not sure I'll have what it takes for any of this. Maybe the shift work would be a good option. At any rate, I really appreciate everyone's input.

I'm working in med surg/tele now, hating every minute of it, except for the random few moments in which I find time to really connect with my patients. I only started in June, but know that I will not last on this floor. I am being pushed way too fast to take on too much and I am drowning. I need to be able to take better care of my patients. My personal life is suffering because I am so unhappy in my job. I want to set a goal for myself-find a light at the end of the tunnel. I thought if I could learn about other areas of nursing and make a plan to pursue something else asap I might not totally burn out and leave the profession. It seems like HH is an area where there is some room for focusing on one patient at a time and not being so constantly stressed. Is that an accurate picture or am I fooling myself? Any input will be much appreciated.

Update: I tried to opt out of this class, to defer it for the safety of my pts and to make my job a little more sustainable...but my boss said, basically, "Too bad. You're taking the class." No wonder there is such a huge turnover. I have been looking at nanny positions on the internet lately because I don't know how much more I can take of this job. It seems like no job, career, or paycheck could be worth what I'm going through.

Go for your dream! There's no sense in forcing something that doesn't feel right. I used to work with dogs & cats, left and pursued nursing, and now I'm 3 months into my career thinking I made a huge mistake! Better to be clear with yourself from the beginning and follow your heart. And you don't have to think of the sciences as a mistake-it's valuable information that you will find yourself using in all areas of your life! Plus, if you decide in 3 years that you want to get your RN, you'll have the credits and an open future. Good luck to you!

Thanks for the input. I have decided to hold off for another month before taking the class. I had a couple more crazy days at work-They're already giving me tele patients when the census gets too high, even though I'm not a tele nurse. The charge nurse watches the monitors, but it is definitely one more thing I'm thinking about when my head is already spinning. I'm pretty convinced at this point that I don't need the additional stress yet. There's talk that they may stop giving tele pts to non-tele RNs (at least the fresh out of school ones)-hopefully that will happen... It seems completely unsafe to me.

I recently started on a medical/telemetry unit after graduating in May and am in my first solo weeks after 8 or 9 weeks with various preceptors. They have me taking 4 pts this week, next week 5, and then I'll be considered officially off orientation taking 6-7. I feel really good about my ability to independently care for 4 patients well, but I know it will get more difficult from here. Taking 6 and 7 pts, even with a preceptor, felt like enough stress to burn me out in no time, especially because the assignments are rarely made with any attention to acuity! There is a tele class starting in a few weeks and my team leader is signing me up, but says that if I feel it's too much, I can hold off for now. I want to go to this level for sure, but it seems like tele nurses often get even more intense patients, and the charting is more time consuming. Plus I will be adding the class to a full time schedule for a few weeks. I'm not sure if I should just go for it now, or try to take it more slowly... How difficult is it? Does anyone have advice?

Wow, sounds like a celebration and a tough situation all at once. I haven't been in your shoes, but here's my advice, for what it's worth: Take care of yourself and your baby. Don't feel like your job has to be all-consuming, because it can consume a ton of energy if you let it. I am actually orienting right now myself and I know it can be overwhelming. If nursing is important to you, you'll find a way back to it if you need to take a break (and maybe find out if you can go to part time for awhile?) to take care of yourself and your family. You don't get a do-over on pregnancy, but you can relearn/redo orientation if need be. I wish you well with this and congratulations!!

Here in Central NY for May grads it will be 21/hr or so, base pay, with shift differentials added to that if you work eves, nights, weekends... Good luck!!

That does sound pretty interesting. Thanks for the tip-I'll look into it. But can a GN really go straight into school nursing?

Hi all, I'm writing to ask for advice. I'll be graduating in May from an associates program in a fairly rural area. There's only one (small) nearby hospital, and they will have many applications from new grads for jobs there. I'm pretty sure I will be offered a med-surg position (I had a really good interview today), but the nurse manager said I would have to work only nights for over a year! I know there are hardier souls than me who could do that, but I know myself and I know I could not sustain that schedule for so long. I am really interested in either emergency or maternal-child nursing there, but there will be limited positions in those areas... Can anyone give me some ideas about how to plan for the possibility of not getting a job in the hospital right out of school? Other types of jobs or waiting until something opens up...? My fiance and I are very attached to the area and would like to stay here if at all possible. This is my first post-I'm excited to hear back from all you smart nurses and nursing students! Thanks, Megan