OriolesMagic

Someone moved this to the nursing student section. I'm an RN, I am just going back to get school to get my BSN or MSN. Thanks for moving it to a section for students. I'm not looking for input from students,but from nurses who have graduated and have masters degrees.

I think I was a lot like you when I started nursing school. I had severe, disabling anxiety and lack of confidence, in part from failure in a previous career. I was ok at talking to a patient one on one, but if a patient had family in the room, it would give me a near nervous breakdown. I overcame my problems by working at making small talk and also medication. You definitely should be on anxiety meds. I'm sure you have the intelligence and ability to be a nurse, but you need to be sure that's what you really want to do. Why not do some volunteer work in healthcare and see if working with patients is something you really want to do before taking 4 years of your life to get a BSN and hate it. Wiping butts is part of any bedside nursing job, but its usually a fairly small part unless the patient has severe diarrhea. I worked 1 year as a CNA on a dementia unit while in school, and I wiped more butts in that 1 year than I have in 7 years as an RN. I also learned dementia= incontinence.

I'm an RN who is working in a cardiac unit, primarily with HF patients. I am going back to school to get my BSN, and possibly my MSN. I have a school assignment that involves sending an application and cover letter for a job I would be qualified for when I graduate. I just started my degree and am years away from my MSN. I'm not even sure what jobs I would qualify for with an MSN. I don't want to be a manager and I have no desire to sit in an office and write reports. Any advice would be appreciated. I feel like I will probably stop at BSN level, because I can't think of any career I'm interested in that requires MSN, but maybe I don't realize what's out there.

I am considering going for further education. I am an RN w/ a bachelor's degree (non-nursing) and a AA in nursing. I have 6 years experience, 3 years in cardiac acute care (stepdown). I would like information on differences between these degrees and which might be a better fit. I'm married and have a 3 year old daughter. I can't really afford to work only part-time. I have interest in the CNS degree, but was wondering what the job prospects are. I am also wondering what being a PA would be like (I know this is the NP forum). I'm not sure I can handle 4 years of NP school (financially more than anything) Any advice would be appreciated.

The only nurses I know in the ER have been nurses for a long time. I can't imagine going there as a new nurse. ER is not my thing anyway. Its a lot more manageable, at least for me, on the floor. Yeah, I hate the paper charting, thank God it's on the way out. (Only because its mandated, or they would keep it forever)

I think the time is right for a national nursing union. Where I work there are signs that say "Doctor, please do this, etc". If its a sign for nurses, it says do this or get suspended or terminated. For the amount of knowledge and skill that nurses have, we get treated like trashpickers. And the only nursing union I have experience with was not enjoying lavish offices or expensive dinners, etc. Their union office at the hospital was about 10 by 12 feet, with some junk furniture. It surprises me that people complain about union dues. How much do you expect to get for 1% of your income? You at least have due process and representation in any disputes with management. Without a union, you are just fired and told not to come back. Of course, if you are Washington Hospital Center, you figure out a way around this. Any minor complaint or mistake becomes are major complaint or unsafe practice and the nurse is terminated. If they ever get Magnet Status they should change it into an award for cheating.

WHC pays shift differentials according to this beakdown. 7-3 days, no differential. 3-11, evening shift differential, 11p -7a, night shift differential. All new grads have to work rotating shifts (except OR,etc for obvious reasons). You can only get permanent nights after at least a year. Good luck on getting permanent days, there are probably 10 senior nurses in front of you for that spot.

WHC doesn't have magnet status yet, unless they got it in the last 2 months since I left. One of the things I hate most is "magnet" status, where working conditions don't change but there is a bunch of committees that don't do anything. If you apply to WHC just stay away from the cardiac/4th floor.

No they don't hire only BSN students. I was hired there and only had an associate's degree.

You can't opt out of the union in a union facility. Its a condition of employment. You were just a non participating member. I was at WHC, and the union dues were negligable. $40/month or something similar. WHC used to be a great hospital from talking to people that have been there forever, but all they care about is being cheap (not frugal). 1/2 the nurses there are agency/travel--being paid $100+/hr. I'm not saying the nurses make that much, but the agency is paid that much or more and then pays the nurses. WHC--"Patient Worst"

That sounds like way too much. Consider moving to a less overworked position. Remember if you make a mistake the nursing administration will not stand behind you. They will try to put all the blame on you, and your license and not just your job might be in danger. Been there, done that. Your unit sounds more like an IMC, which usually have 1:3 staffing ratios.

I think it is more a consequence of dealing with management, back stabbing, gossip, etc. It takes a conscious effort not to become bitter and disillusioned. I've only been a nurse 2 years, but I can understand why nurses become burned out and bitter.

Is it true that magnet hospitals are paid higher reimbursement rates? That would explain why most of the larger hospitals are so gung ho for magnet status. It sounds like a giant case of dressing up a turd--(nurses terrible working conditions). If we make a bunch of committees and posters and decorate and repaint the hospital, people will ignore the terrible working conditions. I was the "diabetic champion" on the unit I worked on. The clinical manager wanted to make me the "expert" on every committee that existed (with 1 year nursing experience) I must have had idiot written on my forehead. I politely declined.

Have you tried LTC, just to get working and have money coming in. I worked LTC when I graduated. It wasn't my first choice or 2nd, but it beat waiting around for a job to materialize. Interview advice: always act positive and interested, but not begging for a job. Read one or more interview books. Study for your interview like you are studying for a test. Good luck

Unfortunately, I'm out of work and my wife just lost her job and I have minimal savings. Thanks for the heads up. I figure I'm going into to nursing "hell", but I just got fired from WHC so the transition should be easy. I heard WHC used to be a good hospital, but its a war zone now.

I'm going to start a new job there on September 21st. Anyone want to fill me in on working conditions, things to beware of? I'm going to be in the float pool for the telemetry units. I already know about the white uniforms

I just got hired into a float pool job in a local hospital and was told that more and more hospitals are getting rid of agency nurses and replacing them with float pool nurses. I was told the reasons were "saving money"-obvious, and ability to discipline nurses. This hospital had gotten rid of all agency nurses except ER nurses. I would caution you against getting into an area where the supply of nurses might exceed the position. If you have a high demand specialty like ER and ICU this might not apply to you.

I wish I had read this thread a few weeks ago. I was suspended indefinitely about a month ago for 3 complaints. 1 was that 2 patients in a 2 week span said they didn't want me as their nurse (I've been a nurse for long enough to know that some patients won't like you for the most outlandish of reasons, including the fact that I'm a male). The second was that a patient was late to cath lab, there were about 10 pages of orders, and everything I did went wrong, pump not working, meds not delivered from pharmacy,etc, the third was that a patient of mine coded while I was in the room relieving the sitter for a few minutes. I had just replaced the telemetry leads when I went in the room, and I guess they came off and no one came in the room to tell me, they did try to call me on the room intercom, which was not working. I was happy the patient survived and knew I made some mistakes, but did not expect to be terminated, even though the head of the cardiac division says if a nurse does something wrong, just terminate him/her, instead of figuring out what happened. I just got a letter of termination this week, the worst thing was that I had saved 105 PTO hours by never being sick, and hadn't taken a vacation. A lot of my co-workers regularly called in sick while they are on vacation. I'm not throwing a pity party, because it won't help me get another job anyway. I think a lot of my problem is that I "have a bad attitude" and I can't keep my mouth closed. By bad attitude, I mean I can't keep my mouth closed when I see things, done wrong, understaffing, no secretaries, ignorant Drs, etc. I wish I had resigned, although I'm sure if it's possible when you are suspended indefinately. I'm about the 10th nurse to be fired on my unit in the last 6 months. Anyone else reading this that was recently fired/forced to resign, take heart, there are a lot of good nurses being fired for just about any reason. I'm trying to stay positive, and plan on having to work in LTC or something similar for a year or two. Another hint, if a facility is always hiring--its probably because they are always firing/causing good nurses to quit.