lissyrn

Thanks for the encouraging words. My facility is a small rural hospital with a good union, and pretty cool mgrs, as mgrs go. I think what bothers me the most is...what exactly happened? It's unlikely that those meds had been sitting there for the prior 3 shifts with no one noticing them, but , on the other hand, I cannot believe that I could have done such a dumb thing. :smackingf I am always extremely meticulous with meds. (not always with everything, but certainly with meds).......

The other night, I got a phone call at home from the evening shift saying that Mrs. F's unopened am meds were on the bedside table, not given. The eve nurse asked me, "did Mrs. F get her meds this morning"...and I was so flustered and surprised that all I could blurt out was a weak "I'm pretty sure". Well, we get our meds out of a computerized system, and reports were run, and they see that I did pull this patient's meds out of the machine, only once. I could swear on my life that I gave this patient her meds. I don't recall at all being called away in the middle of giving them (I would never leave the meds at the bedside in any case--I never have)....I am totally perplexed. Maybe I'm just having a severe stress meltdown and really did leave the room without giving her the meds. If this is what mgmt determines what happened, do you think it is cause for termination? Or just one of those " non-punitive" med error reports? Has anything like this ever happened to anyone else?

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The DON at my last job loved me and promised me a great reference. But the nurse recruiter where I applied insisted on calling the charge nurse on the unit (said it's "their policy"). Well, this charge nurse never liked me and is an unsophisticated little dope who doesn't know the first thing about giving a reference...said a lot of untrue subjective things about me (said I was unable to handle stress, incorrectly stated I did not give notice, a lot more). This unfair reference cost me my dream job...I am in tears!!! Any way to salvage the situation?

I'm an RN in a large clininc (50 chairs divided into 2 nursing stations). Usually get an assignment of 3 or 4 patients. The "on-times" are supposedly staggered, but it makes no difference--0the "on-times" really appear to be irrelevent. Patients just stroll on in whenever they happen to get there--makes it impossible to stick to my plan of action. I have to take the patients off, strip the machines, bring them up again, and put the next 3 patients on. There are techs around to help, but we are so understaffed that I don't usually count on any help. Also, you don't get much help if you' re out of the little cliques Also, we have lots of cath patients--the techs of course cannot set up the sterile fields--another thing that takes up quite a bit of time. It makes be really mad when I'm in the middle of taking someone off, and the charge nurse yells out "Mr. so-and-so is here and waiting to get on! Often, (JUST AN EXAMPLe) he has a 1115 on-time but he has gotten there at 1045. Then the guy who really has an 1115 on-time gets there right on time and he ends up being taken late. It's like the patients run the show. I've complained about it, but management seems to be in total denial. Our patients are not called in. They just stroll on in whenever they want. I have spoken up many times saying that we need a system in which the nurse has the patient called in when the chair and machine and nurse and tech and everything else are ready for them. I'm told that '"that won't work in such a large clinic as this." WHY NOT? (There's also that old nursing thing that I hate about the patient always coming first. It has led to huge "compassion burnout" for me.) Sorry about the rant. Love dialysis nursing, but I cannot clone myself and be in 3 places at the same time. Considering leaving nursing altogether--:uhoh21: no way will I go back to the hospital floor!

ps in answer to ?--can't wear contacts. Have a condition called "steep corneas"..Contacts hurt like @#$^****

Get this--yesterday she watched me draw meds. I stupidly forced myself to wear my new bifocals-(which I can't get used to al all) and held the syringe 4-5 inches from my eye...what a disaster!! Made a complete fool of myself. Tonight I made a decision--they can discipline/fire me for being inaccurate--but NOT FOR holding the syringe close to my eyes. When I hold it close to my face, I draw EVERYTHING UP ACCURATELY.. that is what I am going to do--be accurate, as always. No more trying to please them.. I am going to do what is comfortable for me. As long as I am accurate, they can hold nothing against me. If they continue to make an issue of my eyesight, despite the fact that I have demonstrated accuracy, then I do have grounds to consult a lawyer. Feel better. Thanks:balloons:

Thanks for the support. I need it. I work in an ambulatory area. DON says that patients will see me holding things up close to my face, they will be worried about my vision and not want me taking care of them. The thing is--when I hold small-printed things, like insullin syringe close up to my eyes, I see the lines PERFECTLY. I've held small print close to my eyes since grade school, and never had a problem functioning in any way. Now, all of a sudden, it's an issue.

Have always functioned just fine despite being VERY nearsighte. Never had trouble reading drug inserts or syringes, but often have to hold things up close and toward my better eye (right). Well, new DON called me in and said that she was concerned about my poor vision and having to hold things up to my face....that I should do what I could to take care of the situation. Ran all over town to find an optician who could rush my new bifocal lenses over the weekend, just got them 2 days ago, and am having a terrible time getting used to them. Today, I was called in again about my eyesight. I am not only worried sick about my job, but also I feel humiliated. Going to spend tonight reading the phone book with my new bifocals, I can't lose this job... Anyone else been there?:uhoh21:

Absolutely wish I had gone to med school. More autonomy, more respect. My interest as a doc would have been in research; probably medical genetics or oncology. I don't like bedside pt care. That's why I don't like nursing.

Hi. I live in the Syracuse area. I am new here, too--I think it's about a 90 minute drive to Ithaca. Wanted to live in Ithaca, but Cayuga is the only hospital there and I did not get an offer. Unfortunately, Cornell has it's medical center in NYC. There are quite a few hospitals in Syracuse, the largest being Upstate, which is always hiring. My suggestion--there are lots of lovely small towns halfway between Syracuse and Ithaca. It really is beautiful country. Drive around and check out the area.

I'm in New York state. The incident report itself is 2 pages, but then we have to go back 3 shifts prior (including current shift, so that's 4 shifts total) and have everyone who was on the unit sign a statement. So it ends up looking like a phone book by the time you're done. Even the people who had no contact with that resident have to fill out a statement form, saying" I had no contact with that resident on such-and-such shift, such-and-such date....." Talk about a waste of paper!!!

We have NO feeding assistants at my facility. Feeding patients is one thing (not my favorite thing, but understand it's part of the job - there just aren't enough CNA's and the LPN is passing meds)---but lately I've been busing the tables!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone else have to do this? I don't feel it's part of an RN's job to be cleaning up the dining area. Thought LTC would be a "vacation" from the stress of acute care--it's more stress than acute care ever was.... Looking seriously for work in a doctor's office. Don't care anymore about the lower pay, inferior benefits, etc.....

Hi...need info....anyone work/have ever worked/know anything about A.E. Lee Memorial in Fulton, NY (north of Syracuse). Currently working in LTC, want to go back to acute care(getting BORED) and losing my skills, and sick of being treated like a moron. Live in B'ville and thinking I might be happier in a small rural hospital, but have worked only in big medical centers. Got burned out, that is why went to LTC. Any opinions?:roll

Got my RN 2 years ago and have not found a job I'm comfortable with. HATED hospital nursing--too stressful. No time to have lunch, take a break, IV pumps beeping "air in line" constantly, having to chart and double chart and triple chart EVERYTHING..got so stressed out couldn't take it anymore so went into long-term care.....just as horrible but in a different way. That stupid rule about 1 hour before/1hour after for the med pass when I have 31 residents to pass meds to, average about 8 meds each on the morning pass, most of them need to be crushed, in applesauce, whatever, plus G-tubes, eyedrops, you name it....plus--it's BORING!!!!! The only nursing job I have ever truly enjoyed was a part-time temp gig at a MD office(allergy). I think what I liked best was reporting to a doctor--not a nurse manager. Doctors, though of course they have their ego problems, are for the most part rational sane people without the anal-retentive punitive attitude that so many nurses have. The doc even said to me, "Why are you washing your hands so often? You are washing them raw!!!" I told her that was hospital brainwashing...she rolled her eyes. I guess I'm an old hippie chick who just can't fit into the anal, mean, tough rough world of institutional nursing. Am looking for a full time MD office job. I know patient safety is upmost, and I do practice safely, but nursing in the ONLY job ( I won't use the word career--it is a job) in which you are expected to be PERFECT every second of every day and DOCUMENT every single thing you do every second of every day. I'm surprised they don't make you document when you pee.......... Lissy:chuckle