ManEnough

I made the transition from ER to hospice and it's the single greatest decision I ever made. Before: 12.5 hour shifts (when I got out on time), working every other weekend, one 30 minute break a shift (when I was lucky), constantly apologizing to patients for ridiculously long waits, arrogant doctors, lack of supplies, etc. etc. After: 8 hour shifts, work one weekend a month, 30 minute break every day (unless I decide to skip it... and finish early), have all the supplies and resources I need to keep my patients comfortable and well taken care of. No amount of money could take me back to the ER. (Though I still have profound respect for all people who work in ERs). Hospice is the hidden gem of nursing. If that little voice deep down inside is drawing you to hospice, that's your intuition. I'd listen to what it has to say. :)

I agree that asking questions is the single most important thing to remember. Also remember that if someone makes you feel stupid for asking a question, they're the stupid one. Good luck!

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. I've heard similar accounts elsewhere. Along with the fact that a lot of the guests begin mentioning lawsuits the moment they get injured. As for the question if I'm man enough to dress as Sneezy or Little Boy Blue, if it meant never doing another soap suds enema or NG tube, put me in heels and I'll play Cinderella.

Has anyone here ever worked at Disneyland as an R.N.? Pros/cons? All feedback appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I was getting an appy ready to go to the OR and took his temp. He had a fever of 102.4. I told him we'd have to do a Tylenol suppository and gave him the option of doing it himself. "Yeah, I'd rather do it myself." It was hour of 11 of my shift and I was exhausted. Wanting to make sure he knew how to do it, and without thinking, I asked "have you ever stuck anything up there before?" If only life had Pause and Rewind...

:icon_roll :icon_roll i soooo hear ya! and we have doctors that order full septic work-ups for every kid with a fever (presumably 'cause they were sued once when a kid with a 99.8 fever ended up getting something serious). as for educating parents about fever control, i'm afraid it rarely works. how many times do we see those same parents back the next night at 2:00 am with yet another cc "fever?" my fav cc: "crying."

MDs as patients. Give that smelly homeless drug addict ANY day over the "do you know how easily I could get you fired?" crowd.

I found it interesting and not at all difficult. Not nearly as instense as ACLS or PALS.

Thanks for pointing this out. When I took ACLS the first time I was so overwhelmed by all the information. And all those catchy phrases and abbreviations are not nearly as useful as one might think. Unless you're Rain Man I have no idea how you can possibly keep that much information in your brain to be readily utilized, never mind during the chaos of a code! I memorized what to do for a mega code and have a fairly good idea of what to do during most others. I carry my ACLS cards on me at all times at work and would not hesitate to pull them out and use them if I was at a loss for what to do. I'd rather look stupid than give the wrong drug. When people take ACLS for the first time I advise them to have a general understanding of everything but be realistic about how much you can memorize in a short period of time. People forget the "final exam" is open book. :)

For what it's worth, all my plants died when I was in nursing school. And that was only first semester. :imbar

This thread has made my day! If we're going to talk about fashion emergenices in medicine, I've seen far worse than some creepers popping out of my male collegues' tops. If we're gonna make a rule about wearing t-shirts beneath scrub tops, I'd suggest adding these to the list: * No Spongebob Squarepants tops. EVER. * Lime green scrubs. Are you kidding me? * Tatoos of naked ladies on your forearms are REALLY cool when you're 19. Not so much when you're 34 and have two college degrees. There's more.. I'm just waking up.

Earlier this year when I started out as a new grad, starting IVs TERRIFIED me. I wanted to puke every time a patient needed one. It's been said on here before time and time again.. the only way to get good at IVs is to practice, practice, practice. Of the first 100 I attempted to start, I was probably successful less than 20% of the time. Now I'm up to around 80%. Dare I say it, I sometimes look forward to the challenge of starting an IV on a pt with bad veins. Six months ago I'd be hiding in the bathroom! Confidence and skill will come in time. I promise.

I think it might be worth looking into another hospital. All through nursing school, I was told that "nurses eat their young" as some kind of justification for all the s**t we put up with from the nurses we worked with. I was told it was a well known phenomenon and something I'd just have to accept. Not true! I was picky about where I took my first job and I went for the place with the reputation for having the most helpful, supportive mentors. Do I still encounter the occasional bully? Of course. But unlike many of the hospitals where I did clinical, bullying and disrespect are not built into the culture where I work. Of course, quitting should be a last resort. Just know that there are in fact good working environments out there.. and you deserve to be a part of one!

Giving pain meds to a screaming kidney stone pt. It's one of those few times where the smallest intervention will be remembered for life.