Koperen

Unfortunately my first death was dramatic. I was a nurse aide, just started and only 18. One of the RNs called me into a patient's room (not one of mine) saying he wasn't feeling well and she wanted me to stay with him till she got back. This man was in his 50's and just nauseated, so I thought nothing of it. He and I talked for a little bit, then he started to throw up again. It turned pink, then bloodier, then it was like someone had turned the tap on full - the blood was pouring out. Just then the RN got back and called the code. I was left to deal with a bath basin three-quarters full of blood. Needless to say, he didn't make it and an hour later I got to shroud my first patient. Overwhelming doesn't cover it!

My most profound sympathies. I once worked a shift as a temp nurse in a LTC where I was given 70 patients to pass meds on. I didn't know them and there were no notes regarding who could swallow and who couldn't. I was passing 1600 meds at 2100 and that was working full out without breaks! When I got home I called my agency and, with their agreement, I reported the facility for very unsafe practices. If you haven't done this yet, you should seriously consider it. It's not about recrimination, it's about safety.

Neuro-Stepdown had way too many complications for my taste; I like a nice smooth flowing shift. Sounds like it might be right down your alley. I think we must be complete opposites because I enjoyed Rehab. You really got to know the patients and we all celebrated the tiniest accomplishments as they worked their way back from their injuries.

I also went to nursing school after suffering a severe closed head injury. My sequelae have been rather poor short term memory, occasional balance problems and Wernicke's aphasia when i get tired (which can be quite embarrassing). I ended up working in Rehab where I found myself in a unique position. The families of head injured patients usually have a hard time understanding what is happening. I was able to give them some idea of what their loved one was going through. It was amazing to see how often they relaxed after I had talked to them. You could see the wheels turning in their heads - "she had a brain injury and she looks fine now, maybe there is hope". Now, about neurosurgeons - as a general rule, what jerks! They love to tell patients you'll NEVER to this, that or the other again. I heard it all the time from the patients coming into rehab. They were usually no more than a month out from their injury which is too soon to make any such sweeping pronouncements. Fortunately, the physiatrists who worked in the rehab setting didn't take the "never" approach to things.

Get blackout curtains. Use a fan to cover any noise. If you're doing nights regularly your system will switch over. Probably best if you don't try to switch back to being up all day on your days off - this does not work well! Be prepared to not know what day of the week it is. Maybe it was just me, but I always felt a little disoriented about time when I did nights. The good things? It's generally less chaotic than day shifts - no visitors, no doctors. I had nights that were amazingly peaceful.