siringe

I'll keep my eyes open for you. After 10 yrs of nursing I have discovered that there's administrative garbage everywhere. Sometimes you may not see it right away, but it has a way of seeping out the cracks. Try looking at clinics, ambulatory care, hospice, home care/private duty, tele-health, informatics, quality management, travel nursing, or even consider teaching.

I don't know the woman in question, yet news reports acknowledge that facebook has caused another job termination casualty in the nursing community. I know there are numerous posts regarding this topic, yet I figure sharing this may help someone think twice when placing job/career related postings on facebook no matter how private you think your posts are!Follow the link to see why. What would you do? Error 404 | WJBK

Snoopy29, You have taken all of the thoughts of my mind and put them here in your post! I experienced my first burnout after 5 years of nursing,yet worked through the burnout. I still feel compassion for my patients yet I am really cringing at what I have seen over the years and I am losing the love I once had for nursing. I now have been a nurse for almost 10 years and am at a burnout point again. I am considering leaving nursing, yet I am exploring my options outside of bedside nursing. The patients that I see come into the hospital are different than what I saw years ago. Where I work I see so many people come into the hospital expecting a magic cure with a magic wand, non-compliant with MD orders and care, manipulative, and I could go on and on yet I am sure you get my point. I too see that there are people out there who really need the medical care nurses provide and are appreciative, compliant, and want help to get better. There is ying and yang in nursing and I am trying to focus on the positive, yet when my health and family become affected by it all I have to re-evaluate my priorities. Taking care of my self comes first and no matter how much I love my career, I will give it all up if it means I am healthy, sane, and can provide for myself and family. Be encouraged and do what is best for you because at the end of the day you don't want to end up being the "patient". Our employers will replace us with another person once we move on. Make nursing what you want it to be, I am trying to do that too. Be the best you can be.

Occupational or physical therapy, speech therapy, radiologist. I would consider any of the 4

Ask you preceptor and peers their advice. Ask them what works best for them to help them stay organized and on task. Where is your preceptor anyhow? Maybe they need to step in and handle some of the calls to the doctor which would allow you to focus on patient care. Best wishes!

I would talk to my manager first. I would just wonder how the facility sets their pay rate. Some places set their pay rate based off of past job experience, certifications(i.e., BLS,ACLS, CMSRN...), negotiations.

Nickilaughs, the info you provided is right on point!

After miraculously reading through all of the responses to the original question I am just speechless! With that being said, I believe nursing is a collaboration of both medicine and customer service. I am there to promote wellness and healing in addition to keeping my PATIENT comfortable and pleased as much as can be achieved. In no way am I there to kiss up to anyone or anything...the patient satisfaction scores aren't even on my mind. If my patient dies due to neglect because I was down the hall fetching pillows and water for able bodied healthy non-patients, then I am up the creek without a paddle! Get ready for a lawsuit or the hospital firing brigade. No matter how I look at it, here lately I have noticed that if my patient isn't "happy", they make my night at work a long living HELL and they don't apologize for it either. I usually don't have patients or family members that cause too much trouble, yet I will elaborate why I usually don't have too many problems...Usually. When I get to work and get my patient assignment and report I typically go see my patients and give intros and find out who the people are that are hovering around the patient. I inform the patient(and ask pt if I can also share with family) of the plan of care for the night. I let them all know that I am there to take care of the patient and if I have time I will cater to all of those extra necessities the family may throw out there. In no way am I there to play maid and I am not their loved one's personal 1:1 nurse, unless otherwise specified. I will go above and beyond the call of duty to care for both my patient and family members if I have the time and resources, yet the patient comes first. I will explain a procedure and medicines to be given, let the pt and family ask questions, and let them know when I will do my next rounds. If I get really busy or if I know I am going to be tied up with one patient for awhile I let my other patient's know and keep their call light near by...the units I work on typically work together as a team and can help them if they aren't busy with their own patients. A lot of times I have seen families anxiety increase solely due to lack of information being shared regarding the patient's updated health status, lack of awareness and education pertaining to the patient's diagnosis, and as many posters have reflected on...the false perceptions regarding what really goes on in a hospital and what medical care is required to care for their loved one. TV has made families and patients think that nurses and doctors spend all of their time cuddling up in closets and gossiping about their social lives. Families only see part of the picture of what is going on with nurses and patient care . They see what they see when they are there and the rest is what the patient tells them. My remedy: Visiting hours need to be reinstated to allow the patient to receive unhindered care(exceptions do apply), families need to find ONE person to relay their loved ones health status and updates(tired of spending tons of time on the phone answering the same questions I answered for the 6-7 other siblings on mom/dad's contact list), the doctors and other pertinent medical staff need to find a way to update the family members about the patient because I can't call the doctor every time you don't understand something or when you need a doctor's note because you decided to sit at the pt's bedside because you were scared to leave mom alone. Staff/People who aren't providing direct patient care to the patient should consult the nurse or the doctor before making idle promises(milkshakes, medicine, time and care) to families and patients Ultimately, I am rendering services(health care interventions, nursing care) to a patient population and teaching the family how to care for the patient when the patient leaves the hospital. There are a lot of inconveniences when customer service turns into me adopting the perception of "the customer is always right", yet I aim to do a few things: 1. go to work and do my job, 2. provide the best care I can for my patients, 3. lift the weights of customer service off my shoulders as I walk out the door of my job and go home. I am a nurse, I can't please everyone.

1. Ignorance is bliss...don't take it personal. 2.Treat others the way you want to be treated(including your coworkers). 3.Your career is what you make it, good or bad. 4.Being extremely calm,nice, and perky irritates and confuses the crankiest patients! 5. A smile is more welcoming than a frown...try it sometime. :) 6.Take care of yourself, you're no good to anyone else if you don't.

No, I wouldn't work for $8.50 as a nurse. I was making that as a high schooler working at Burger King. I believe in pay for services rendered especially for the wear and tear on my body, education required, and license requirements. If I have take all of the stress and agony that I sometimes face as a nurse now, I would have to consider a career change or become a gold digger. I love my career, yet my sanity and common sense comes first.

If you know what aspect of nursing appeals to you then I would say go for that job because you are more likely to be more productive in a job you like versus a job that easily fell into your lap. You will never know what job you may get until you apply. LTC is a great area of nursing to go into, yet I say look at your long term goals if you have available job openings in your area.

I just went for an interview a few days ago for a full time job. The manager didn't ask me specifics about any disease process. Considering I have been through numerous job interviews in my lifetime, The managers here lately ask questions pertaining to you as a person, your personal strengths and character, how you handle conflict, strengths/weaknesses,and your goals(long term and short term). All I suggest is for you to be yourself, be professional,articulate your answers, relax...they can tell when you are nervous and when you sound reheorificed.Be confident in yourself and you will do fine. Best Wishes!

I am the sole provider for myself and 2 children. I currently am employed by multiple places of employment. These are all contingent/per diem jobs with no guaranteed hours. I was recently canceled for 36 hours of 60 hours scheduled between the jobs for the past two weeks. I look at myself and say "you must be crazy!" to work multiple jobs yet you have to do what you have to go to survive. Budget yourself accordingly and cut out extra splurging. I cut coupons and have become super cheap about everything. Oh, don't forget to rest because the human body can only handle so much.

To me it sounds like you already have doubts about this position. I would initially say...trust your intuitions. Yet, If you are willing to make the sacrifices it may take to support your family, then traveling to that job may be an option. If I were you I would find out as much information about this job and see if it is a fit. If you are having a hard time finding a job you can sometimes settle for something like this,yet protect your license and be sure of what you're getting yourself into before you sign up for 13 weeks of work. Proceed with caution, yet handle your business. Best wishes!

I understand your plight because I have been there many times before. Situations like what you are dealing with can be stressful. I suppose since you state that you are "on your own" with your patient care that there is no teamwork with the other nurses, yet teamwork seems to be the only thing I can think of that can help alleviate the burden. If you can find another nurse that you can buddy with on the shift you work...you help him/her and he/she helps you that may help. When I worked on a unit that did this it made my shift run a little smoother. I wouldn't give up on nursing just yet because there has to be something out there for you if this job isn't a fit for you. Does your hospital have a resource/float pool? A change of environment within the hospital may be an option.Changing hospitals may not be the best option because the grass may be just as brown in the other pastures. Be encouraged!:nuke:

I try no to take i personally, yet when you are inches away from being hit in the head with a wooden cane, had your chest grabbed, backside swatted, and been punched in the side literally:scrying:...all by the same patient given in my previous example, you can only take so much without taking it personal...I addressed the verbal, yet there is the physical and soooo much more to add to he story. The issues with the abusive patients were handled and these patient's aren't the norm where I work, yet psych nor dementia are reasons in my opinion to excuse their behavior. One of my former coworkers was injured by a patient and she can no longer work as a nurse because of her injuries...I know is is a verbal abuse thread, yet the issue goes hand in hand sometimes. Thanks for the advice though RNHuskyFan

I have experienced verbal abuse for the past 2 week from patients. I work numerous jobs, but with my short stay job, a suicidal patient who also happened to be a veteran was very verbally abusive, calling staff every name in the book except for sir or mam. My most recent experience was with another suicidal OD patient who yelled all night and then when you came in the room he made derogatory comments toward me and then proceeded to yell the word c--t(another name for a female anatomy part) for two hours! By the way, I am just in orientation a this job...considering a change in position already! He knew what he was doing because he apologized numerous times, he was just yelling to get attention and to get the pain drugs he wanted!

Keep any letters and documentation you have pertaining to this matter. It's too bad you don't have recorded conversations from when you were told everything was in the clear. It's good that you are looking for a lawyer. Also consider looking for a new job before you quit. If you can get references from peers that probably be a good idea versus management who may be a part of your potential litigation. If they are stating that they will not have to turn you into the BRN, get certified or legitimate documentation for that because they could turn around and do the opposite of what they said they'd do. Best wishes. Don't give up.

Most hospitals in my vicinity including my new job now require the navy blue scrubs. I do think it can be a inconvenience to some, yet I now finally can tell who is a nurse and who isn't especially when people are walking on and off of my unit. My job isn't reimbursing for uniform purchases, I will just write it off on my taxes next year.

My employer does have us identify if we are BSN versus ADN because they want to identify those credentials. It doesn't matter to me, yet I know some patients have asked and do care whether they are being taken care of someone with BSN or ADN. It's usually the patient who either works in healthcare or someone who has cared for their loved one and are picky about those type of things. I typically see certifications on badges of nurses who are working in a more advanced role in nursing, otherwise I see pins, stickers and some nurses even have uniforms that have their credentials on them.

My biggest peeve here recently is having to deal with "know it all" nurses who are given the responsibility of training me for the new unit I was hired into. One in particular walks around like she is God's gift to nursing and when you ask her questions she doesn't answer them directly. I am not new to nursing so it is a blessing that I know what I know because she doesn't seem to share much about the specialty unit I have been hired onto. I am learning through observation and osmosis. LOL! Feedback sessions with the education nurse have been great because I spill all the beans and she can't believe that this is the orientation I am getting. 2 more weeks to go and I will be free. My other peeve is...nurses who love drama and chaos on the nursing unit. They create havoc when they are working and the work atmosphere is tense. When they aren't working you can notice the change in how the unit flows and how people actually don't mind working together.

I would say wait, yet it may not hurt if you write them a thank you letter for the interview and let them know that you are still really interested and can't wait to hear from them. Remind them of how they can contact you. If you need suggestions on how to write that letter you might try careerbuilder, monster.com or google "interview letter template". I hope you get a reply and get what you've been waiting for!:nuke:

I have been a RN for flu programs(immunization clinics) for the past three years and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. You do need to ask questions up front regarding pay for mileage and pay itself, yet giving flu shots can be breath of fresh air if you are a bedside nurse like I am. No two employers are alike. Hours are not guaranteed, yet if you are flexible with your hours you may find that you can get scheduled for more clinics. It's unfortunate that others may have had a bad experience.

I am an AA and I have experienced some of the racial stupidity in my 7 years in nursing. The usual remarks tend to trend towards the patients referring to me as that "colored" nurse or the Black woman and even the "negro" lady.I always get the hair comments too because I do not straighten my hair and wear it in various styles and pts always want to play in my head to see if it's real and question why I might like my hair so "nappy". I have experienced worse, yet I have found that me getting ignorant and nasty right back at the person doesn't help the matter. I treat all of my patients just the same and let them remain the way they are cuz I can't change them especially if they have been brewing in ignorance for 40-80 years. I have enough work to do.