holly123

Hey everyone!! I think I need a little reasurrance from you all. I have been an RN now for 2 years. Right from school I started working in Peds. There is no room for me to advance at my current job and I don't think I want to really continue my career in Peds. I recently was hired at a very big state psych hospital, orientation starts August 27. Needless to say, I am very nervous!! I have experience but most certainly not psych. I think I will love it but I am just scared about the transition. Any advice?!?

Why do patients seem like they always wait until the last possible moment(6:30 when change of shift is 7) to tell you something that they should have told you 11 hours ago?? EX: This morphine that you have been giving me all day hasn't worked at all and my pain is 10 out of 10. I've had the worst headache of my life for the last 6 hours. Oh by the way, I forgot to tell them when I was admitted that I have a chronic issue and i am on 900 medications that I never mentioned to anyone (exaggeration, but you get my point). Does this only happen to me? I mean I do all my assesments and I always ask the patient several times throughout the day if they have any problems/concerns and they never seem to have any until change of shift. Sorry I guess I just had a rough day

theres more mercury in a tuna sandwhich...i always get mine

You'll get over it. I was the same way my first semester in nursing school. Each new procedure or task you complete will boost your confidence. I started volunteering to do all the procedures, like if a nurse told the teacher they had a fowley to put in i'd ask to do it. The more things you do, the more confidence you will have in yourself and that will show when caring for your patients! Hang in there, it gets better!! Good Luck

I agree...that is very annoying. People throw the term "nurse" around, i'm sorry but CNA or tech is not nurse!! Just my 2 cents

I agree with the walmart scrubs....Those are the only ones I will wear :)

Well I'm a "probie" and I laugh for probably an hour or more of my shift everday...Grumpy, no-sense-of-humor people do come in all ages, stages, shapes, and sizes..but try taking it easy on us and I'm sure we would loosen up real quick!

J.Doe RN

Southern nj area

During my first weeks I got the best piece of advice from my preceptor that I still use everyday....During your shift, plan each moment as if your patient is going to code(which would take a goodhour of your time). So plan accordingly, have done what would need to be done and push back what can be pushed back. Then you can be on top of your game...it does get better after the first couple of weeks lol

In my hospital it is policy to dilute morphine before iv push.....so i put the 1ml of morphine right into a 10cc flush and push that over 2 min. then flush with 5cc flush slowly...

I've cried several times with patients and their families...even sometimes when patients are being discharged home and they are thanking me i have tears running down my face. One situation i remember was an older man in his 70's dx with small cell lung cancer 1 week before hospitalization. His LOC was starting to decrease but he could always remember my name ( which really touched me). His wife of over 50 years was always at his beside. One morning she went to pick her children up from the airport because they had flown in to say their goodbyes to their dad. Just as his wife left to pick up her children, the pt. breathed his last breathe in my arms. I sat there and held his hand crying until his wife and kids arrived..then I sat in the room with them and his wife hugged me and cryed for over an hour. This man still brings tears to my eyes today

Become friends with your CNA quickly! Triple check everything. Do not become too confident too quick. Do not run in the hallway unless it is an EMERGENCY, people get very scared. Always listen to the pt's family when they tell you "something doesn't seem right" because they know that pt the best. Always go with your gut feeling. Don't be late giving report to another nurse, for some reason they get very annoyed lol.

A big headache and belly ache from being so nervous lol...but the second day was muchhh better

faxed my resume to the office and called to follow up...then they asked me to come in that day