rhythmqueen94

First order of the day- give yourself some grace. You're human. You had fight or flight syndrome. You jumped in when you collected yourself. The doc that was able to summarize "15 seconds of no flow", where the heck was he? In his arm chair timing you? The charge nurse? Shame on her. First order of the day is to protect her flock. So how do you grow from this? By owning it. Say "I initially froze.What tips do you guys have that will help respond better next time?" Their answers will reveal THEIR character. If they are not supportive you will know that it's not the unit that you want to grow with and quietly search for other opportunities. I'm hoping you'll hear empathy and war stories of their first codes. I literally felt suspended over my own body during my first. "Crap this is not happening.I can't move." Unfortunately, it's one of those things where repeitition builds skill. In a few years time, you'll remember your first code and be THAT person for the nurse that struggled. Be kind to yourself

So not sure what state you're from but I will say one thing. Your license, the BON, none of it matters if you're struggling with substance abuse. It's easy to rationalize and say that you're not that bad, etc but this is your LIFE that you are trying to reclaim. Monitoring stinks but if you're trying to stay sober- I urge you to seize every tool in the toolbox. It's about reclaiming you. I wish you luck on your journey. signed a grateful alcoholic

I just smile and say " You're so kind but... xxx and xxx. I promise to call you if I need you. " They ussually dust off their halo and move on. If it persists, I mention HR and creating a hostile work enviroment away from the patient.

I have been struggling with those feelings too especially since my 59 year old 9/11 responder spouse with prostate cancer with a mets isn't yet eligible for the vaccine. I try to give back-by volunteering to give shots whenever I can. It helps

I think I understand some of the resentment that the OP feels. I went through something similar in March and April. I was "given" away to another manager and worked on a thrown together ICU with Covid patients. My hospital is unionized so hiring/firing is based on seniority. My issue is many of the staff on my unit took extended time off rather than touch a patient. I really feel it is more about the dynamics when people came back. What I went through was traumatic and it was difficult not to have people commiserate

If I were a new graduating nurse - I'd shoot for the stars. Why not apply for some cool externships that the offer new grads? You get your foot in the door for specialty areas ,albeit at reduced pay but you'll get your year's experience in. Instead of looking at barriers, imagine the possibilities-and forgive me, the fiancée sounds like dead weight

By signing his wastes-you are enabling him , plain and simple

Congratulations on your job and welcome to nursing. The smartest money move I made was to sock away as much as I could into a tax deferred annuity. It came in handy later on when I hit rough financial patches- I could borrow against it and pay myself back. And pay those loans off! It will boost your credit rating.

I'm not sure if it is different governmental systems at play here but as I was reading some of the responses I thought "So young and so burnt out already". I've been a nurse for 25 years and while I've certainly had some moments, never once have I regretted going into the profession. I've had flexibility, worked in different areas, seen both the best and worst of human nature. Sometimes we can't change systems and procedures but we can change how we are. Stay current, recharge on your days off , try to make a difference anyway you can and don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.