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

I already work in the New Haven area, and it would be interesting to see if their benefits are any better than what I have right now. My health insurance sucks. Missy

Ct Pixie, I appreciate your links but had already checked the hospital web site. I guess I'm looking for "insider info"... Thank you. Missy

Please, anything? Someone must have some info... I'd really appreciate it. Missy

Hey, just wondering if anyone out there could help me out with info via allnurses.com postings or PM about how it is to work for New Milford Hospital? I've been working in an icu for about 3 years, and we might be buying a house and moving up to the area. Any information would be appreciated....union versus nonunion shop, wages, how many beds their icu is, how it is to work for them, vacation, etc.... anything you could share would be greatly appreciated, thank you! Missy;)

So I go to work last night and find out the son of one of my patients, someone who used to work with us on our unit, was found dead in his backyard. This was someone young, funny, first baby with his wife this year, new baby on the way... wife was away, couldn't get ahold of him, he didn't show up at work, the wife sent a neighbor to check on him... dead! So they tell my poor patient, his dad, during the day....hard day for the dad! He decided to make himself a dnr/dni. I go to work for 7p... give him some extra TLC after giving him most of his evening meds, a nice long back rub, fluff and buff... go in a little after 9p to give him one last med... doesn't look right... monitor rhythm funny.... he's gone!!! I just feel so bad for that family this morning.... what an awful day. It just broke his heart and he didn't want to go on. Missy

I love this website too, and have bought some great devices for my feet to help me deal with my plantar fasciitis. Missy

You did what you needed to do to make sure the staffing was safe. Enough said! Missy

The only diabetic toenails I have time to do are my mothers. She also goes to the podiatrist every 6 months or so, and he says I am doing a good job. She is a retired nurse so knows to watch them, though I do yell at her on occasion. Missy

I take my ibuprofen, recently got some inserts specifically for PF, and got a pair of MBT's for shoes...totally happy with my $245 shoes. I also got a splint to wear at night which is helping. Try footsmart.com. Missy

Love LOVE LOVE my MBT's, totally worth the $245 price tag, and I would definately buy another pair. This is not to say that my feet don't still hurt sometimes especially after a rough 12 hr shift that has turned into 14+ hours, and I don't have the ibuprofen with me... Missy