MissMonica

EASY: Don't answer the phone. It's none of their business why you don't make yourself available on your off days. As long as you are there for all your scheduled shifts, no one can accuse you of not "helping out" enough. This is a business. They need to hire more people. Period.

I live in northern VA but have my license in several states.....at my current hospital the RN pay is the same regardless of degree type, however last year they gave all the BSN nurses a $1500 bonus check in January. I am currently looking into BSN programs now because so many hospitals are now asking for BSN applicants on their job postings. I feel like getting my associate's was great to get started working faster but now it's holding me back from being considered for better positions...if I could do it all over again, I'd get the BSN right from the start and get it over with all at once.

Sorry didnt answer the whole question. Ratios....on my med/surg unit, the ratio was 6:1 with one nursing assistant shared between 2 nurses (12+ patients). On my oncology unit it was 5:1. On my postpartum/antepartum unit, its 5 couplets max per RN most days. No ratio for the nursery, regardless of census, its just you alone all day long:uhoh3:. If you get an antepartum pt, they wont give you more than one. Salary for a nurse with 3-4 years at my hospital is $27-28/hr. sadly:o

Job market is excellent. Several major hospitals within a 20 mile radius. Pay is not so excellent in comparison to the cost-of-living in Fairfax county, the wealthiest county in the USA. For this reason, my husband and I have seriously considered returning back out west, where I made double my current salary. Best wishes to you!

This is exactly why so many nurses leave the profession or get burned out early in their career. I cant stand bullies. This person must have forgotten what its like to be new. I agree with the majority of others. You did better than most by responsibly reporting the incident. You are on your way to becoming an excellent nurse. I have seen more mistakes that have been covered up or lied about to the point now I am terrified to be hospitalized. Thanks for being so honest about what happened to you. You could be my nurse anyday!

I had a similar problem as a new grad: Started in postpartum, which means zero IV start experience, then went to med/surg, which meant 20 IV starts a day! (exaggerating a little:lol2:) But I was an "experienced RN" so I was embarassed to admit I wasnt good at starting IVs. I felt panicked when my pt's IV infiltrated or the site was due to be changed on my shift. My solution: After a little while of getting to know the staff, I figured out who the down-to-earth, supportive few nurses were and I asked to start any IVs their pt's needed with their supervision at the bedside. We would discuss the step-by-step process just before we went in the room and then go in there like I was pro while the experienced nurse observed and offered any suggestion if needed. After I did a few I got better and better and now I feel very confident. Now everyone comes to me for their IVs!!! I can get it almost every time. JUST DO IT. Side piece of advice: Take your time and look for a good vein YOU feel comfortable trying. Remember the pt. wants to be stuck as little as possible so they will almost always help you find a good one or patiently wait while you check both arms carefully. If I look for 3-4 minutes and cant find a vein I can get, I SPEAK UP and do not blindly stick someone just to see if I can. Best wishes to you in your career!

Isnt this like "HOW TO BECOME A MILLIONAIRE, WORKING FROM HOME, IN 2 WEEKS!" Sorry for the sassy sarcasm but high stress, in the healthcare field, is a given. My mother/baby unit is a "happy" place, and I still pull my hair sometimes just from the demands people place on you to satisfy them.

oh my! conjunctivitis ("pink eye") from a stroke patient i'd cared for all day whose wife mentioned at the end of my shift, "his eyes keep watering...". i warned the oncoming shift to be diligent with avoiding contact, etc. and called the in-house doc to evaluate immediately but later it turns out he was never seen. i was crusty and miserable the very next morning, immediately called my boss to warn all other staff and make sure the patient got treated asap. i missed 3 days of work and in the end spent $90 out of my pocket for 2 visits to my primary care and for prescriptions. ugh!

Ditto! Some days 5 of my 6 patients would be on contact or airborne precautions for one thing or another, particularly MRSA. Im so glad we are talking about this.

At my hospital, they have their own separate sheet just for breastfeeding eval/notes. Its great because its one less person grasping for the chart when you have it!

I always oblige, sometimes without being asked, like while a dad is filming or photographing the baby's first bath. If you dont want to, how about turning it on them and saying "How about I take a picture of you all together?" But, I would just like to say from the pt's perspective...I love the pics I have from my baby's birth with the nurses in them. I think most people will treasure those pics of you involved in the most special experience of their lives.

i made it official and left med/surg for good. i actually get bored at times on ob and i get complacent--- but after my last day on the med/surg unit was another day of pure hell with disgruntled patients and family who are never satisfied, never say thank you and persistently miserable and rude, i decided that for the exact same paycheck it just wasnt worth it. i find that my coworkers on ob have relatively the same range of personalities you find anywhere else but in general it is a more pleasant work environment than the sick people units! i used to worry my skills would be lost, but now i realize my personal health and stress level are most important. its ob for me! best wishes to you from a former medical/surgical/tele/ortho/neuro/trauma rn!:balloons:

What a great topic! I love learning from other's mistakes!!! Thank you for starting this post. Ok, mine are: 1. Even a young, alert & oriented x 3 person can become disoriented after certain meds (narcotics, sedatives...) so use your bed alarms, double check, keep doors open, etc. Do what you must to keep your pt. safe at all times!!! Recently, I had a pt. who was in her young 40s and otherwise healthy but she hadnt slept in 2 days, so the evening nurse gave her a sedative before my night shift. In report I was told she was a/o x3, self care, ambulatory. I went to see her and she was "sleeping" so I did a quick check and figured I see her later in the shift. 20 minutes later she fell off the bedside commode and tore her leg open down to the bone! She needed sutures and xrays and more antibiotics, etc!!!! Very scary....... 2. Ask, ask, ask. I ask doctors for order clarification, pharmacy for new med usages, lab for which tube to draw blood into, older nurses what a certain acronym or procedure is....etc....I have never regretted asking, even if the doctor screams at me for calling. I have regretted times I didnt ask for help because I was nervous, self-concious or embarassed. Remember your question is always valid if you are caring for someone! 3. Dont burn bridges! I once left a hospital where I had a great position, great compensation and lots of friends and comraderie on my unit. I thought my new hospital would be better and it was HELL. When I tried to go back, my old hospital gave me the cold shoulder because I left on bad terms with my former manager. To this day (2 hospitals later) I regret this. That was the best job I ever had !!! I can probably think of 20 more mistakes....I'll get back to you if I can think of more good ones.....

I just wrote about this very same thing in another post; I have only been nursing just 4 years and I have switched units/specialities and hospitals 3 times. The hospital switches have mostly been because we moved but I changed my nursing specialty because of burnout. I thought maybe I wasnt meant for nursing since I was burnt out so early but now I realize alot of nurses feel this way and either end up grouchy or change their hours or units, etc. I decided to work on two very different units (postpartum and med/surg) so that I can have a break from one or the other and not get so frustrated. Its working for me so far. Keeping skills up in med/surg and staying current with meds, diseases, etc. and enjoying more time for personal pt. care and teaching on the postpartum unit. Thankfully I work for a hospital that allows me to do this.

Saw a documentary about this on discovery health or national geographic about 3-4 years ago.....lady cooked it and served it to friends and family at a "dinner party" type gathering. Bizarre to me but whatever....