FNimuaeMae

Hey, give yourself a break, I give you huge kudos for going into critical care fresh out of nursing school. I myself did 5 years of med surg before I made that transition, and believe me, I was TERRIFIED to go to work every day for a good 6+ months after getting off orientation in the ICU. But eventually, you might get to a point where you feel up to doing a little extra time, and the emotional stress isn't quite as bad. One thing that helped me was I was orienting on day shift after being a night shift RN for years. I hated the whole day shift thing! I've always found the night shift RN's in general to be a bit more easygoing. My advice- get enough sleep, enjoy your days off, try to de-stress about work as much as possible. I always had a good 40 minute ride home from my old job, and would talk to my mom (also an RN) about what went on during the shift... it was like therapy! You will make mistakes, we ALL do, but what distinguishes you is how you own up to them and handle them. I've made mistakes at work and had to go bawl in the bathroom afterwards, but you learn from them and it makes you a better nurse. If you feel you're feeling too anxious, perhaps your meds need an adjustment. Sometimes that happens, and you need to take care of yourself. I say just keep plugging away... its a long painful journey but it will eventually get better. Just be good to yourself. And if eventually your inner voice says critical care just isn't your thing, you won't be the first to decide that. There are tons of other things you can try! Good Luck! Missy

HE double L NO! The maternity unit at our small community hospital is called the lady partsl bypass unit. In addition to all the usual ICU stuff I have to do at the job, we have to recover their C sections. I have not been impressed at all. To me it says something to have a higher c section rate than both the state and US average... both the nurses and the docs need to work on their techniques or something. Its not a high risk hospital. I would however deliver at a former job which was also at a small community hospital, which I was born at and my mom worked at for 30+ years, but they just seemed a better maternity crew, and of course I knew them better too. Missy

OMG, he needs his orifice kicked in a big way. Please keep us updated on this situation. You owe it to yourself and all the other nurses out there that could be potentialy assaulted by this "MD". Keep your chin up! Missy

At one of my jobs they have one called flexiseal... which are awesome for people with liquid stool. They are inserted rectally, have a water cuff you don't need to periodically release pressure from and can stay in for 29 days if I remember correctly. They do leak a little but anything is better than huge puddles of constant stool. They are pricey but we loved them when we got them. Missy

I went the ADN route, did the extra classes and got into an RN-BSN bridge program at UMass that only took one year. I was the only one in my class who hadn't passed boards that first semester when we started. You HAD to have passed boards by the end of the first semester, or you couldn't continue on. It was nerve wracking til that test was done and passed, I tell ya! Perhaps you just need to see if they have these sort of contingencies at whatever school you want to go to? Missy:specs:

All I can say is that MBT's are totally worth the $250 price tag. I love love LOVE mine! Missy:redpinkhe:w00t:

One of the night xray guys didn't show up at my old job, really reliable guy, and they went to his place and found him dead from a heart attack in the shower... it was terrible, he was such a nice guy. Missy

I love Crocs too but got a pair of MBT's and they have helped SOooo much! Was suffering with plantar fasciitis most of the year but the MBT's have totally helped. Worth the price tag, and if you look around you might even find a sale. I just got my 2nd pair. Missy

I'd say different people are different. Some wish they could strip to the bare skin before entering their houses and wish they had a shower in the garage and some just wear their scrubs on errands and wherever they go after work. I'd say just speak up to your friend if you wish she wouldn't come over in soiled scrubs after a shift, if it bothers you. Missy

Ummm... being a professional nurse among doctors does not mean you have to be "subordinate". Missy

Sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do... time wise. Missy

And you have to get it notarized if I remember... I hate getting paperwork together! They renew the nursing licenses every year, and just upped the fee for RN from $50/yr to $100/yr.

I work 3 12 hour shifts... And I am on vacation right now. I squished everything together...and got 20 days in a row off for taking 2 weeks off. Its been great. Missy

I'm usually dragging my orifice way too much after a 12 hr shift (or 13, or 14 hr) to get there, but some of my coworkers do it. Its just hard when you have a long commute and need to get back in 12 or less hours. Some people try getting up early before their shift...I don't do so well with that either. Missy

Well, I'm looking for something a little bit smaller versus where I am right now, and I'm not so sure Danbury would be that size. It was very nice when I interviewed there several years ago though. Missy