kwkrnc

Hello, Welcome to the most rewarding, wonderful, demanding and sometimes most stressful career. You should hold your head up. No doubt you studied and worked hard to reach your goals and you are in the early phase of a BIG learning curve...due in large part to the theory vs. reality of nursing. It makes me sad that we still have those among us who seem to be unable to support either new grads, travelers or simply new to the facility colleagues. I hope these experiences diminish but let me add this.....remember that the way any individual responds to us. usually has little, if anything, to do with us; but, is about them. The older I get the more true I realize this is and the easier it is to simply let these things go. That said...please do not hesitate to advocate for yourself as there will always be someone who feels the need to diminish someone else in order to feel okay about themselves. And on a final note, after all these years and most of it spent on the 7p to 7a schedule I can honestly say there remains a disconnect between day and night shift nurses as they have challenges unique to each. I've always said the only way we will ever 'cure' the problem is to have nurses work each shift until they 'get it'....All the VERY BEST to you as you sound like just what we need more of...bright, critical thinking, hard working folks who joined our ranks for the right reasons. Namaste, Kathy P.S. Let me encourage you to join our professional organization, the American Nurses Association. I hope you will find, as I did, a strong and supportive environment and perhaps a mentor that you can discuss your concerns with. It makes a world of difference.

So, I will keep this simple and to the point...if a facility is going to have inmates in the facility then there should be a very detailed policy that dictates exactly how the inmates are to be handled. Without that policy everyone is at risk and it is merely a tragedy waiting to happen.

You are absolutely right. The only dumb question is the one that went unasked. You will know you have landed in an excellent unit when you see that all of the nurses are asking questions and looking for answers. The unit will have plenty of readily available resources plus access to the internet. Professional nurses think nothing of calling on a colleague for a second opinion. In that kind of environment you build trust and respect and every member of the team benefits. Therefore, the patients benefit. All the best to you!

You are asking an excellent question. Depression is pervasive and yet oftentimes undiagnosed. The reason the face of depression can vary so much is because each of us have been rasied in different families that set differernt standards for behavior so there are many people who having learned to present a "fine and happy publice face" do not show their depression. That said, I would encourage you to look to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) as the best resource. Other than that your best course is to be open, accepting and nonjudgemental. That attitude will provide a safe place for the patient who may decide to talk with you. If you are unable to answer their questions ask them if you can refer them to someone who can and honor their answer. The exception to that rule is if the patient is threatening imminent harm to themself. When a patient starts talking suicide you must take it seriously and initiate all suicide precautions. Welcome to nursing and I hope you maintian that level of inquisitiveness. Sadly, too many nurses start working and within a year or so decide they know everything and become a detriment to themselves, their patients and the profession. You are actually entering a profession where the education never stops and that is part of what makes it exciting.

Don't you think this point has been belabored long enough? We have very real issues in nusing that need the kind of attention this is getting.

Wow, you have received some excellent answers and some that make me shake my head. The last one was particularly good. I must admit that I mostly scanned until the last one. Something you said really stood out for me....about taking care of people and not going the corporate way. I understand what you are saying as most nurses go into nursing because they want to take care of people. So did I and I loved working at the bedside. Fortunately I also know my own temperment so knew that I would be making the move up eventually and also recognized that bedside nursing can be a dangerous place. Depite the fact that I was OCD when it came to using proper body mechanics I still was injured in the process of attempting to move a patient. Had I not been prepared to make the move from charge nurse to a different position I would have been permanently sidelined. After two years on WC, lots of PT and two surgeries I am thrilled to be returning to the hospital I so admire and respect and will be working to lead their journey to Magnet designation. I encourage all nurses to keep up with their education, join their professional association and make sure you take care of yourself because if you don't then you won't be able to take care of anyone else. To paraphrase Aristotle, Excellence, then is not an act but a habit. Welcome to the profession! kwkrnc

Hi, If they had ruled you out they would not have booked the interview. We all make mistakes...in fact, that is the biggest problem with nursing...it is a job that has as a standard perfection. Unfortunatley, alas, we are but human. I don't know how much experience you have but I'll share this and perhaps it will benefit you. As a brand new graduate I thought long and hard about what I wanted to achieve with my first nursing position and decided on a small (97 bed), rural hospital. I knew that a small facility would not have all of the specialized departments and a limited ancillary staff so while it would be more challenging it would provide me with the best real world nursing education. Well, I could not have been more right...when you don't have all the ancillary staff then you have to learn to do it all...RT, PT, OT, Case management. I'll be honest, it was pretty grueling in the beginning but I was blessed to be one of the two new nurses in the hospital. I went to med-surg and she went to OB, so we both got exactly what we wanted. We were surrounded by nurses with 5,10,15,20 and more years of experience. They didn't coddle us but we always knew that they had our backs. I spent 7 1/2 years at that facility until I felt that I had learned all I could and then took it on the road. Since then I have worked at medium sized facilities and at large teaching hospitals. They have all been different but once I got into facilities that had all the specialilzed units I discovered that my all around education made me a lot more flexible and in greater demand than those who had not received this benefit. Everyone is different and only you can choose what works for you but I will forever be grateful for the path I took. All The Best, kwkrnc

Hello, I love that you asked this question and so I'm going to ask one in return. How do you feel about nurses wearing all white? The debate has raged for as long as I have been nursing and I have always maintained the same stance: Where is the nurses symbol? Any person with good hygiene could walk off the street, grab a doc's coat and walk into a room and 'examine' a patient. In essence, I have seen this happen. A doctor in a group practice walked into the room and without saying a word to the patient or her family, pulled back the covers, mumbled everything looks fine and turned and walked out of the room. I knew who this guy was but imagine my surprise when several minutes passed and the pt's husband asked "Who was that?" I contend that patients and their families should be able to recognize a nurse on sight. As if it is not hard enough for the average patient, imagine what it is like for the elderly or visually impaired. Furthermore, I believe the decision to move away from all white while cloaked in 'make nurses happy' was really nothing more than a way of making it appear that there were more nurses on the floor than there actually were. If everyone looks alike then pt's and staff see alot of people they assume they are all nurses. That said, had you asked about the nursing cap I figured that one out a long time ago---when the bouffants gave way to the straight long hair of the 60's there was nothing to hold the cap on so it had to go. But to answer your question, if you are applying for a job in a hospital you should dress in a professional manner--preferably a business suit. Have you ever heard the saying that "one should dress for the job they aspire to". If you want to move up in the organization eventually to a managerial position then you must be perceived from the onset as a professional. If, however, you were applying for a position as a school nurse or with any other kind of company then I would encourage you to dress in the all white because it still commands respect and sets you apart from the other type of employees they have. Finally, be sure to wear comfortable shoes that you can walk in because you will likely be taken on a walking tour of the facility. All the Best, kwkrnc