rnthom

Often, though not always, families need to be educated on both the patient's condition as well as hospital routines. I have found that by spending a little extra time with them at the start of the shift, the rest of the day goes well. With families, as well as with all patients, be honest, respond to their questions and concerns, let them know you are available and when you are not, and if you don't have the answers, you will attempt to get them. Sometimes, especially with patients who are at the end of life, I download information from the internet and give it to them, so that they know what to expect. On those occasions, the families have thanked me and have even requested me to be "their"nurse when I am on duty. Sometimes though, there is just a clash of personalities between nurses and patients/families. At those times, ask for a different assignment but offer the idea that every nurse take a turn with that family. It will give every nurse the opportunity to work with that family and, depending on the number of nurses assigned to that unity, you may only need to attend to this family once a week.

It's sad to say, but all male nurses will face discrimination at some point in their career, whether it is from co-workers, or patients. Women are discriminated against too, generally by physicians (male and female) and administration (when it comes time to promotions). I would urge all nurses, to at the very least, work where you are a member of a union.

I hate doing continuous bladder irrigations because of the constant need to replace bags, empty foley bags, determine actual output. It is the most time consuming thing I can think of and it take me away from my other responsibilities.

I think that you will find this occurring more often in areas that run along the borders, for example, Detroit and Buffalo. As a nurse in Buffalo, the Canadian nurse I work with state that the money and working conditions are better in the US. Since the US dollar is worth more than the Canadian dollar, it is a big incentive to cross over the bridge to come to work. The fringe benefits are good in the US, though I don't know what they are like in Canada, but that might be an addtional reason. None of these nurses have stated a desire to return to work in Canada. I am told that mandatory overtime in Canadian hospitals is a big issue. Thom