*4!#6

I am an employee of a hospital, working 3-4 days a week, and also a clinical student, with 3 days/week at my clinical site. This amounts to 6-7 days spent at a hospital. At my work alone, I estimate that I use the foam hand sanitzer about 250-300 tim...

I am a new grad at a hospital med/surg floor and I work rotating shifts a month. I can manage a full assignment on most shifts and have been performing at a very rudimentary level. I am having trouble in a few areas though: 1- Time Management: When e...

I am a new nurse and still trying to get my routine and time management down. On orientation, I did not get much of a chance to have admissions. Now that I am off orientation I have had a few. I feel like a train wreck when it happens. All my admiss...

Could you have gotten a new IV site, I would not feel comfortable giving those two meds together? But I am always paranoid about those weird combinations.

I have had so many IV's infiltrate on me it is unbelievable. All of them I caught early, (so far). I always feel the site, ask about pain, and watch for any frequent alarming of the pump. If it's a lock, when I flush I always observe for pain or leak...

I agree, go in person. They can't ignore you if you're standing right there!

I am a new nurse just off of orientation too. Trust me, many of my days I feel like that. Especially with an admission or transfer -- that really throws a wrench into things for me. Just a few days ago I had a very difficult admission and I came hom...

I am a new grad nurse and have been on my own for less then a month after about a month and a half of orientation on a busy medical-surgical unit. My first few weeks went okay, with a few bumps in the road. But today was horrible. I recieved a new ad...

None of the people that I have cared for that are actively dying have spoken to me, but I have only cared for people on hospice care. I have cared for dementia patients who are declining and have heard them repeat bizarre phrases over again and again...

Thank you for your awesome article CheesePotato. I actually read it when you originally posted it. It reminds me of what one of my residents said at my previous place of employment. She was in her 90's and liked to pass on wisdom to others. I asked h...

Thanks for relating to me. I know this is common for new grads. I tend to be a very cautious and nervous person to begin with. I appreciate what your manager says. And sometimes it isn't our fault it they aren't doing well. I've had to transfer sever...

I am a new grad nurse, having worked for a couple of months, and only a short while on my own in a busy medical/surgical unit. I am a gentle soul, soft-spoken, and have manners ingrained in me from childhood. I strive to be respectful and professiona...

These dementia stories are cracking me up and bringing back fond memories! I miss LTC and geriatrics so much!

I had someone who asked me for an phone charger too!! I'm not even sure what kind of phone! I had to ask them to clarify what they meant, because I can't believe someone would think that we carried all varities of phone chargers on the unit! I direct...

I share nothing. I lie and say I am married to any patient that asks, and if they ask me where my rings are, I tell them I don't wear them at work for infection risk. I also tell them I live in "the city." I side-track the conversation if they ask me...

I do my best to be 100% honest with my charting. Even with the meds. With 4 patients on a busy unit, day shift, all who have fifty bajillion meds due at 8am, at least one of those patients may get their meds after 9 am. My assessments are always done...

I think the problem is that when you make healthcare a priviledge rather then a right, the health of people who cannot afford care suffers. Wealth and social class are the biggest factors that determine the health of a person in the United States. Pe...

I take my name badge off multiple to scan into various rooms in the hospital. I try to check to make sure that my badge is facing the right way, but sometimes I'll look down to see that I've replaced it backwards on accident. I've gotten much better ...

Just wanted to say this post made me laugh! I have done the "I love you" thing to -- I just tried to pass it off as if it hadn't happened.

As a new nurse, I have already seen this type of patient many times and would like to see if other nurses share my experiences or have any tips or information for me. This type of patient has diabetes and comes in for DKA. They are typically a freque...

I had a patient like this up on the floor and we called a Rapid Response. The patient was taken to the ICU and then later on intubated.

I have had not one but two patients with necrotizing facitis (sp?). I never realized that this was so common, or maybe I'm just "lucky" (if that's the word).

I am looking for an outline of how you organize your day, with times specifically, and particularly if you work in a hospital -- med/surg setting. I am new grad nurse and I want to get an idea of how you organize your day effectively. For example, he...

Thanks for all the tips. I like the idea of doing a quick round to introduce myself before grabbing meds and getting assessments done. On day shift CNA's do the first rounds and update boards and get vitals and BG. But evenings and night's RN's are r...

I feel that my delegation skills are okay, but go hand in hand with my time management. Sometimes I try to do too much and end up behind, but I can definitely tell when I am drowning and need help. For example, on nights where I was working with a re...