coneartist

The night staff spoke to me like an idiot when the STAT order for Vitamin K was discovered. I was busy with another patient at the time it was written. I expect an incident report has been filled. Yes, it was a written prescription, I would not give warfarin from a verbal order. Yeah, even an unsafe practitioner like me. I'm a dietician, physio, pharmacist, continence expert, social worker and Dr after all.

Isn't that just dandy.

****. Overworked, underpaid and blamed for everything.

Typical nasty response. It's supposed to be about team work

I got 4 weeks, but this was for a level 2 unit. I am meant to take 2-3 patients and often found myself with 7 and NO NURSING ASSISTANT. It's stroke as well so they're all incontinent, neuro obs, going to CT, NG meds, going into AF and tracheostomy!!!!! My preceptor was fantastic but she left recently saying she's had enough. My second shift working on my own, there was only a charge nurse and me - the rest agency.... the sister said she'd work with me in the bay of 7, she did nothing, didn't even give a single med to her patients or any obs, I had to do everything. I'm there juggling heparin infusion, GTN infusion, sliding scales, multiple IVs and no help.

I was rushed off my feet and had an admission with ischaemic stroke. I asked the DR if he wants patient to have 300mg Aspirin STAT, he said no patient on warfarin and prescribes it, have that instead. I stupidly went and gave 6mg warfarin, turns out INR is 5.5. Im handing over to night staff and he put a STAT vitamin K 5mg PO order and didnt even bother to tell me. I'm really sick of nursing sometimes, why is everything blamed on the nurse????? How serious is this I'm a new nurse..

Thanks, I like the idea of having a browse through job descriptions for inspiration and then ask my colleagues to look at what I have put together and see what they can add or cross off. It's challenging to "just know it" when I am not familiar with all the technical details of the ward. I don't like trying to wing things, I like to know exactly where I stand.

They just give me vague answers, like "oh allocate breaks - that type of thing!" I feel like I'm pushing them. What types of things do you guys need to do when co-ordinating or taking charge over a shift? I know everywhere is different but if I get some answers back I can make up a list of all the things that ring a bell or make sense :)

Thanks. I just don't know what the tasks are that are required of me, it all seems so confusing.

How do things work in your department? I am a new RN and they've told me I'm going to "be in charge" of the next shift ie, the shift co-ordinator. I assume I have to allocate breaks, designating who works where, attend doctors rounds, update the ward diary....? What other tasks do you think I'm going to need to do? I feel really anxious and unsure of myself. I feel so out of my depth. Why can't they just sit me down and prepare me for this/talk me though it, or even give me a choice? I'm still getting to grips with the basics............ Any words of encouragement/advice? If anyone has a brief checklist of what I need to do? It will be me apparently "co-ordinating", with an assignment of 6-8 stroke patients (on a ward of 27). I struggle to manage my time on a normal shift without this!

I've only been to one interview last Tuesday - lol - I can't remember everything but I was asked: What would you do if you were on a night shift and two nurses phoned in sick at the last minute? How do you balance your home and work life/manage stress? Various scenario based questions eg, interpreting data (on the spot - very tricky!) and post-op complications like "if someone's sats go down after a thyroidectomy, what would you be looking for and what would you do?" The questions seemed to get harder and harder if I recall.