ldh

Man, I sure can identify!! Especially those people who think you cuddle babies all day long - NOT!

Thanks for the response - it just seemed weird to visualize a parent chomping on a fingernail - but better than running the risk of lopping off a finger. :-)

I have a strange question - I recently overheard a parent ask one of the nurses if he could trim his baby's fingernails. She responded that we don't trim them, but the parent could chew them off.....? Does this sound right? Has anyone heard of this method of trimming nails? Thanks! :-)

Yeah, this sounds like a very familiar scenario. And wait, here's the best part....when you graduate and you are a new nurse working as part of the staff, it continues. I guess my advice would be to just plain interrupt. Or, you could spend a while trying to find your clinical instructor, poking your head in and out of every room on the floor, and then, exhausted, having to resort to paging him/her. Hehe. I remember having to literally run after a nurse on several occasions just to grab her attention. You know, there's a really funny "Nurse Toons" cartoon that addresses this issue. It pictures a group of nurses standing and talking. One of the nurses whispers to her co worker "Here comes a student. It looks like she wants to ask a question. So when she gets closer let's all just disappear really quickly...." Sometimes it helps to laugh about the situation.

Hey Misslo, Thanks for posting and for your thoughts. No, I don't think you're "old", well, I'm 33 and have just graduated with a BScN. I think, as another poster mentioned, that your life experience and the skills that come with it will be an asset to you. I am not really sure how I feel anymore, though, about new grads in critical care. I guess I'm having an extremely rough time as a new grad in the NICU, with very little nursing experience. The general feeling that I get from other nurses is that I am an annoyance to have around. I have been ignored, demoralized, pushed around, told "you should know this by now", "why can't you get this", and have been called "stupid". It breaks my heart because I really enjoy the work and I work very, very hard. You may be great for the job because you are nurturing, but IMHO that is only a fraction of what it takes to work in the NICU. You gotta be tough and I mean TOUGH. If you are tough as nails, have a thick skin and a lot of support, as well as a decent preceptor and clinical nurse educator, you will probably succeed. I would highly recommend working perhaps on a general peds floor or a mom/baby unit first, I think that I might have had more respect as a new employee coming in with more experience. I guess the feeling that I'm getting in general is "who the hell do you think you are, fresh out of school and in the NICU when I've been here since the dinosaurs walked the earth", "I've paid my dues and you haven't" sort of thing. Sorry to be negative, I guess I'm sharing my story and how rough it is out there. I thought that because I was a bit more mature with more life skills that it might serve me well, but I was wrong. Good luck to you - sounds like you have passion and perserverance. Always remember to do your research before you work somewhere - "interview the unit" sort of thing. Observe the other nurses - I think you can learn a lot just by doing a walkthrough and getting a sense of what the atmosphere is like, what management is like, do the employees feel supported, talking to other new grads can help too.

Harry Wang (nope, not kidding) Manh (for a girl) - but apparently in Chinese it means something like "ocean" - not quite sure.

Whoops, sorry I misread the quote....well it was 3a.m. after all :-) Your post sure got me thinking - maybe this is an area in which I'd like to be involved one day when I have much more experience. Sort of an area where teamwork and respect HAVE to happen - hmmm imagine that. Well, thanks for the reply.

Umm, I don't think that FlyingScot meant to say that one team member was "in charge" of another - in fact the coordinator said that RNs and medics work better as a team, not as part of a hierarchical relationship. Quite frankly I totally agree with not having two RNs together, especially a brand new one and an experienced one. Whether we want to face it or not, more experienced and senior nurses very often use their power and expertise to intimidate and demoralize younger/less experienced nurses. I'm going through it (yet again) as a new grad. A person who feels intimidated and demoralized is not going to perform well on the job at all, and I wouldn't want that person working on me in an emergency for God's sake. I would rather have two people working together as a team, and an experienced RN and a newbie RN are not going to be team material, like it or not. Maybe in due time, but not right out of the gate. I think that what FlyingScot said really shines a thought-provoking light on the profession of nursing. I was completely unprepared for the level of hostility which I discovered in this profession. I know that this subject has been done to death on this site, but I think it is time for nurses to quit saying "oh just suck it up, I went through the same thing".... like being wholly demoralized and stomped on is some sort of required rite of passage....bulls***. I know if I were a flight coordinator, I would definitely put an RN and a medic together. No power struggle or head games, just teamwork and mutual respect.

:yeahthat:

I know this thread is old, but I'd sure be interested in something like that.

As a student, the nurses do not care that you are there to learn. They want you to think independently, stay out of their way, only ask concise, few, and well-thought out questions, and lighten their workload. If you can get to a point where the nurse is relieved/grateful to have you there, then you have truly accomplished something. Just my own experience.... Oh man I do feel your pain. I remember med/surg; being very shocked on the first day at how hostile an environment it was for learning. We were each paired with a nurse, and I remember thinking that it wasn't fair because the nurses were not even informed ahead of time that they would be working with a student and it was sort of "sprung" on them. I always thought it could have been organized better. Most of the nurses I worked with initially looked very annoyed at my presence. The split second that report was done, it was like a mad sprint and if you didn't keep your feet about you, you might never catch the nurse you were assigned to! It was like they were running away from us! I knew I was on my own from that point on. I made it a point to always, always, always arrive early and communicate quickly and assertively with my nurse who I was, what I was capable/allowed to do, and offered to start with vitals and assessments/morning care IF that was OK with her. Some nurses were grateful and others preferred to do their own assessments which was the whole point of me communicating with them before the start of the shift. That sort of set the tone for the rest of the day. Know the nurse's name, write it down if you have to and use it often! Over the past four years, I can literally count on my hand the number of nurses who took the time to "teach". Mainly I became accustomed to being "thrown in the deep end" and dammit I was determined to swim. So I started to initiate "self talk" to get through it. I would say things to myself like "you are a shadow here", "do not ever come across like you know more than one of the staff, ever!" "You are here to be competent and silent and get through this course", "you are a guest here" etc. There were nurses, and one in particular stands out, who would, on purpose, pick out every minor fault of mine and immediately go running to my instructor about it. It was like a power thing 'cause she did it with every one of my classmates. I remember on one occasion she snarled at me "I'm going to tell your instructor" so I immediately went and got my instructor and waved enthusiastically at the nurse and said in a cheery voice "here, here she is! You can talk with her now"! I remained overly friendly and very cheerful around her and I'm not sure she knew how to take it. I dunno, kill 'em with kindness I suppose. Everyone needs to find their coping and survival strategies. In today's nursing world, nobody is going to hold your hand and explain things step by step. If you are unsure, research, read, study beforehand. Believe me it helps! If you know you'll be doing a dressing or a foley or an injection make darned sure you know the steps before you step onto the floor. Have all of the supplies arranged beforehand. Make sure you know where to find supplies, do your own "looking around". Nurses hate when students ask where something is (for the most part). Already know where it is, re-stock supplies at the bedside when they're low, offer to do all of the grunt work. Ask your instructor (if you can find him/her). Ask for extra lessons at your school's lab. It sounds harsh but the nurses you work with are stressed out enough as it is, and they will likely not have the time nor the inclination to teach you. Look forward to having a preceptor in your consolidation because that is the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned. One on one attention is awesome! Keep your chin up. You are learning valuable work/time management skills as you go along, and you will work with all sorts of personalities in your nursing career.

I totally agree with you here. I spent the better part of 5 years trying to lower my standards (while in my nursing program). I am finding that this is still a work in progress . . . sometimes I just have to sit myself down and say "the world will not come to a screeching halt if I am not perfect . . . I will not stay up all night worrying because I forgot to zero the pumps before the end of my shift....." hehe. This helps with the anxiety. For the most part I struggled with severe anxiety throughout most of my clinical placements - I think it has to do with being rapidly integrated as a student/guest on a particular unit/ward, and then just as you start to feel comfortable you get the rug whipped out from under you and you're forced into yet another completely alien (and possibly hostile) learning environment! It's like changing jobs every 6-12 weeks, having to perform very well in each job, getting paid nothing to do the job, and to have your future riding on how well/poorly you do this job. Personally I prefer to feel fairly comfortable (but not too comfortable) in my place of employment. Being a nursing student, for me, was very tough. I think it's normal to feel an elevated degree of anxiety!!

I totally agree with lilpeanut. I too am nervous and scared but I do look forward to going to work - it's just that everything is so new, and plus this is my second career, so it's just going to take some "adjustment".

I just watched the (first) video myself.... I wonder what was going through the mind of the nurse throughout that interview. She didn't get a chance to say much.....

It is done every day in our NICU.....I would be surprised to see a physician inserting an NG tube.

Good luck lilbug! I'll probably be in your shoes in a couple of months - I'm eager to hear the verdict too!

I think there is a thread on this topic called "New Nurse Really Struggling"; some great advice there.

This thread is great - I am working with a preceptor in the NICU, and I always have that "sick" feeling in my stomach before (even the night before) I go into work. I am always terrified that I will do something wrong, and I've also been having weird dreams related to my fears. I asked some of the more experienced nurses "does this nervousness go away eventually?" and all of them said to me to just give it a year. I think I've struck gold with this workplace; it is such a supportive environment. I would really love to work there - and I'm not sure if I should wait until the end of my consolidation to approach the manager about my interest in being employed there. Anyways, good thread, it reassures those of us who are "new" that eventually one becomes relatively more comfortable with the work environment.

Very good point, I totally agree!! :uhoh21:

I have a funny incident which happened recently - a mother, as she was changing her baby's diaper, was asking one of the RNs about the mongolian spot on her baby's buttocks. The RN bent down to have a look (real close) at the spot and the baby farted, really loud right in her face! It was hilarious!

Thank you very much for your insight - had no idea that it doesn't actually involve touching. I will google it and follow the link you provided. Thanks!

I would perhaps recommend that the OP read the sticky entitled "What do you love about the NICU?" It has been incredibly encouraging for me. And, another poster had suggested that you job shadow in this area - a super idea. Good for you for having focus and vision!

Hello, I am a senior nursing student set to begin my consolidation at a NICU in a couple of days (I worked briefly in this area during my peds rotation). I'm so nervous, scared and excited at the same time that I can hardly sleep. It's been very encouraging to read all of your posts in the sticky section as to why being a NICU nurse is so rewarding. I am looking forward to being in an environment where it seems that the majority of the nurses really want to be there and love their challenging jobs. Anyways, I was wondering if anyone has heard of or used the technique of Therapeutic Touch in the NICU environment. If so, were these techniques useful? In what way? I've heard from some of my instructors that there is an actual course that you can take to learn the technique. Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts about this. I realize that I could just "google" the topic but I wanted to know if any of you who are experienced in this field have any input. Thank you! :)

This is an interesting challenge - I was thinking: No More Tears: Be Kind to our Little Ears! or Sound Advice: Be Quiet, be Nice! or "Sound Advice": "Be Kind to our Growing Ears"..... or "A Soft Voice is Nice: Sound Advice"..... I think it's great that you are preparing such a proposal! Good luck!