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I'm not sure if I'm just not explaining myself clearly or if you're just picking a fight. But it's a mighty tall soapbox to stand on saying you're smarter than the doctors you work with. Or maybe I've just been lucky to work with very capable doctors the majority of the time.

That's not at all what I was trying to say. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to clarify my intention since I wouldn't want it to be misinterpreted. I said within reason we should double check. But we shouldn't think that we are supposed to know as much or more than the physician. Many new nurses I know stress themselves out because they feel inadequately prepared for the job. You will never know all there is to know in nursing. At some point you have to learn to trust your team you're working with. Yes, I've advocated for a patient that needed testing and the dr said she didn't. Yes I continued to pursue it until the test was done and my suspicions confirmed. Yes doctors are not always correct. But second guessing every order on every patient is not possible and you will burn out that way. Double check your meds, do your rights of med admin, always verify your patient before a procedure with 2 patient identifiers, etc. but don't walk around thinking the physician is going to order some procedure that will kill your patient. Don't carry that paranoia around. It will suffocate you. Most nurses I know left the field because of concern over liability.

Ok old timers... What's your advice for how to survive or even learn to enjoy nursing? I've been a nurse for coming up on 3 years and I recently told someone "Don't put the weight of of being the doctor on your shoulders" because I think that's one of the heaviest burdens we carry as taught in school. That somehow magically we must be smarter than the doctors and double check everything they order and and be sure it is all appropriate when we did not go to medical school or pharmacy school. Yes within reason we need to research and double check but overall we are nurses and should not feel/take on the responsibilities of being the physician. I think that's one way to survive nursing. What other lessons have you learned along the way?

I'm looking for some career advice. I have been working as a nurse for 2 years. My first and second jobs I stayed at for 6 months each. My third job I've been at for a year. They have all been vastly different experiences/settings. I haven't "enjoyed" any of them. I've felt pushed beyond my limits physically, emotionally, and mentally due to patient to nurse ratios and high needs high acuity patients and their requirements. I've felt abused by the system being unable to take lunch breaks on 13-14 hour shifts and not being able to sit down. I'm starting to think it isn't "just this job" but nursing in general because I've been in 3 different settings now with the same experience. I went into nursing to help people and instead I worry every day about hurting someone by accident because of overlooking something or not being available to check on my patients or teach them effectively. I think I give up. Is it time for me to move on?

How long have you been a nurse? What do you like? What do you dislike? Maybe you could find happiness in a different area?

I could be wrong but part of the problem may be a lot of us go into nursing because we're big ol' bleeding hearts. Very sensitive people in general. The previous poster said "no one will chew on you if you are tough". I think that's true. But I think most sensitive people are not tough innately. So nurses who stick it out grow thick skin over time. The new nurses don't have it yet. So some of the "eating their young" is perception. I also think a lot of older nurses hate nursing and wish they could do something else so they are unhappy watching someone else walk into a land mine willingly.

I would think it could be done. It may be easier to get into a pediatric ER first and transition from there so at least you have more Peds experience to sell on your résumé. But just give it a shot. All they can say is no!

Why cut the tourniquet? I've seen nurses do this but I don't see why it helps. I tried it once but it just made my tourniquet fragile and it snapped in two when pulled taught.

Agreed. I moved around for reasons other than not liking my jobs. I had valid reasons for both moves but I think if I could've stayed at my first job I would be a lot better off right now as far as knowledge base and confidence level. I know I'll stay on my current floor for a long time because I have the need to be an "expert" and I want my résumé to be in good order. I also hope I'll grow to love my floor and not want to leave it. There are things about it that I like and I really do believe in time that list will grow.

I'm in a similar position. I want to LOVE nursing. Right now I dread most shifts. I'm depressed going in and when I leave. Part of that is because of being disrespected by the other nurses and doctors and part of that is because I am new to nursing and new to my floor and I hate being the one getting help instead of being an expert. I'm thinking some of this will change as I gain experience. Like you, I've tried multiple jobs in a short frame of time. I've found things I like about nursing this way but have found many more I dislike, leaving me to wonder if I am "cut out" to be a nurse after all. I like: Helping people/ making a difference Learning about health and medicine Making good money Working a non mon-fri schedule Putting in IVs (weird right), doing EKGs I dislike: Being rushed so I can't provide the best care Liability Pushed beyond my limits physically, mentally, and emotionally Being disrespected by drs and nurses Not feeling capable to do new tasks I've never done before and not feeling like I have the right resources to help me when those things come up High stress I'm working on my masters because I believe in educating myself as much as possible but sometimes I wonder if I should drop that and walk away from nursing altogether! Right now I'm really struggling with do I try another floor after this? Or do I get out. I'm leaning towards trying a different hospital and different type of nursing. One more hurrah before throwing in the towel. I worked too hard for this degree, I'm making progress in my masters, and I feel good to be able to call myself "a nurse". Like you, I'm committed to staying on my new floor to try and gain some confidence, knowledge, build my résumé, and see if I can't learn to love it. God knows I want to. If I don't love it or at least like it somewhat after a year or two I think I'm going to try mother-baby or just something else totally new. I have also considered hospice care- I really think I'd like that. So maybe there are a few more things out there for me to try. Maybe there are for you, too. It's this being new business that is hard. I think you and I have done ourselves no favors moving around so much. GL to you!

Is it not better to ignore it and let it roll off your back? I'm genuinely curious.

I'm new to Peds ER too. Almost at my 3 mos mark. Take PALS... ASAP if you don't have it already. Then take ENPC. Take home the protocols sheet and memorize it. Take home a handout on splinting. Take home an orders sheet and look up all the meds bc they are the ones given frequently. Kids come in with resp issues and lacs a lot. Learn those things well. GL!

Well I live in Ga where it isn't cost effective to have many snow plows/ salt trucks. And b/c of our weather we typically have "ice storms" rather than "snow storms". Ice is very hazardous to drive on and most of the roads do not get salted so people get stuck wherever they are for as long as it takes to melt. It's usually a day but can be up to 3. I remember once it was a week. At my hospital nurses aren't required to stay but are encouraged to. They are payed for sleep time. They sleep in the patient rooms on gurneys (I'm ER). Work time is regular pay plus 25%. The cafeteria closes as it is non essential personnel so there is no food unless you brought it or can get an ambulance with chains on its tires to deliver it. We always get the jokes about a little snow shutting down the state and how northerners drive in it all the time but before anyone says anything I'll say this, I have a friend from Canada who moved down here and used to make so much fun. She said she could drive in anything and didn't see what the issue was. So we had an ice storm and she drove to work. Well she didn't make it. She slid off the road and rolled several times. She ended up being ok (albeit banged up) but she never makes fun of Georgians anymore for staying home in bad weather lol. She now says "people from the North like me don't get it bc our roads are salted and plowed and we all have four wheel drive but down here it's freaking hazardous". So we have to plan in advance for these situations even if they are minor compared to the blizzards of Minnesota!

Never mind- Misunderstood

Some of the classes were the same because the college wouldn't grant me the credits stating it was different even though the course catalog descriptions were nearly identical. Some were obviously different and higher level.