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.

The part where you don't get tipped 20% for doing it!

So many brilliant posts. I'm still deciding if ED nursing is for me (I'm heavily leaning toward "no" for many of the reasons posted.. the never-ending chaos, the drug seekers, the angry, often dumb families, the management that wants you to run a Ritz Carlton) but there are two things I LOVE about the ED: 1. Doctors are there. None of that "sorry to disturb you at 2:30 am but your patient's BP is up." There is a lot to be said for having access to immediate orders and interventions. 2. I love that there are men in the ED. The balance of male/female coworkers is rarely seen in other departments. Like others have said, the only way to know if it's for you is to try it out. (Currently in my trial period here). :)

I do 12 hour shifts in an extremely busy ED. When I first took the job I was so excited about having 4 days off a week. I wasn't thinking about just how grueling those 12's can be! It's especially challenging when I do 3 in a row. It's basically work 12 hours, drive home, shower, sleep, rinse, repeat. I don't think humans were built for 12 hours shifts. For those of you who disagree with me, come and work my last 4.

Inserting NG tubes. If I had an entire lifetime to come up with the most cruel thing to do to someone, I couldn't come up with a better device. My entire family knows that if one is ever ordered for me, they are to shoot me first.

I see it just like the cycle of abuse. When you've been abused you have two options: 1) pass on the abuse to the next generation or 2) stop the cycle and make a conscious effort to not treat others the way you've been treated. We were ALL abused at some point during nursing school. I remember being treated like crap by so many nurses and promising myself that when I was in that position I would do everything I could to make students feel comfortable. When I get a student I let them know it's ok not to know everything and not to be afraid to ask any questions. That's how we learn! The best way to handle difficult nurses is to understand it's them, not you. Many people are miserable in their private lives and carry that attitude over to work. Unfortunately, students are often on the receiving end of their misery. :angryfire Keep your head up!

You'll see that many of us on here (myself included) recieved degrees in other fields before moving on to nursing. When I was choosing nursing schools, I had the same concern of "overkill" in getting a second bachelor's. There weren't any respected accelerated programs in my area so I decided to go for an AS. The entire cost of my program.. books, tuition, supplies, uniforms, everything.. was under $4000. Wish my BA cost that. In terms of which route to go, it really depends on your final goal. I will tell you that there is a huge demand for nurses specializing in psych and you will have NO problem finding a job after graduating. Can't say the same for our friends graduating with other degrees. Hope this helped just a little. Welcome to the board and welcome to nursing!

Congrats!!! Still waiting on my results here. Seconds seem like days...

I also took the NCLEX this week and I'm equally upset! I walked out of there absolutely speechless. I did Kaplan, consider myself to have a very solid knowledge base, yet some of those questions seemed like they were written by aliens. *sigh* I'm comforted by the fact that 85% of all people who take the NCLEX pass. I also know that all of my friends felt the same walking out of the exam and every one of them has passed. Right now it's in the hands of the powers that be. I feel for you.. you're not alone!

At my hospital we work 6 twelve-hour shifts per pay period (every two weeks). Many people chose to take on extra shifts but 6 is the requirement to maintain full time status. Since we do self-scheduling, some chose to work a few days in a row while others prefer to spread out their shifts. We're also required to do four shifts a month on weekends. Hope that made sense!

Thanks Ruby.. I'm off to JC Penny. :)