cinrn68

I too work in the NICU and can totally relate to how this little guy touched so many lives in such a short time. It's amazing how their personalities and will to fight are inherent at birth. We've seen a few stories like yours, and no matter what the outcome is, I've never regretted my choice to work in the NICU. Keep up the good work!

When they stop defibrillating patients who are in asystole, maybe they'll portray nurses in a better light. The whole premise of Abby becoming a doctor because she's such a shining star as a nurse and is basically wasting her time being a nurse makes me sick to begin with... why not throw in some assanine comments as well?

What part of it are you unsure about? Perhaps it's the stress of coming to the end of the program and not being sure about being prepared about exams, etc.? Maybe you're just trying to prepare yourself for the worst-case scenario by thinking this way? Or is it that you really haven't enjoyed any of your clinical rotations and are being completely honest with yourself?

Needy -- let's try to get this straight... here is part of your original post: I think #1 and #4 has been adequately covered -- it's Hollywood, entertainment, etc. and not completely accurate or realistic. As far as #2 and #3 go, the shift work and the holidays are a part of the nursing schedule, and we've all discussed the issues and the ways of getting around it and having the schedule fit into your lifestyle (more or less). As far as the other requests you made of understanding the pitfalls you might face and getting real life experiences and advice from other nurses, well, I believe we've all given you that. Perhaps you meant more nursing experiences, rather than life experiences, but you get the whole deal when you ask a nurse. As others have said, we do get psychology courses in nursing, and perhaps some people have tried to analyze you from the little info we have gotten from your postings. Yes, maybe many have jumped to conclusions from this, but you keep taking the bait man! We've only been trying to let you know what kind of man can cope with having a nurse as a wife. We dedicate our lives to helping others, and I agree with Sharon about it being extremely important that my husband is able to take the non-verbal cues from me and try to read me when I walk in the door after a 12-hour shift. It's great to be on the receiving end of the nurturing just once in awhile, and those days that he has my favorite meal and nice cold beer ready for me when I get home, along with a great footrub, are the days that I am once again thanking God that he sent me this angel. Don't forget -- you'll have your fair share of nurturing on all those days that your wife is off and waiting for you to get home so that she can return the favour! Believe me, we're all just trying to give you some constructive criticism here so that you can understand just a little bit more about being married to a nurse. And that was your original point of this, right?

I have no doubt that the article and journal are legit... but who's to say that the story is... but who knows -- perhaps only that poor woman in Mexico...

So true! lol

It can happen that they rip, but if the patient is that questionable, a lot of nurses double-glove for those occasions. And like I said, you're really only at risk if you have cuts or what-not on your own hands, and if you're really paranoid, you can wipe yourself down with chlorhexidine antiseptic or rubbing alcohol if you do come in contact with an iffy patient. Yes, the gloves are intended to be discarded after each patient (and then you wash your hands before going on to the next one).

Actually, they are non-latex gloves these days since so many people have developed allergies to latex. However, there aren't many organisms that can cross through the gloves. (think about a condom -- those little swimmers can't get through that thin piece of plastic either!!) The gloves protect from blood borne pathogens (if you happen to have a cut on your finger, etc.), and other secretions that we may come across, but again, the most important thing is handwashing, even you wear the gloves.

If you're only getting married in 3 years, then don't sweat it just yet. Why don't you wait and see what it's like once she's working. I can understand your concerns, and trying to deal with them now is a good idea, but maybe you presented yourself in a bit of a self-centered position. If your concerns about her health and safety are your number one concerns, then that's very commendable on your part. But don't start out saying that your concerned that you'll never see each other, etc. That just pisses a lot of people off from the get go! I work with 60 nurses on my unit and at least 3/4 of them are married with kids and are managing just fine. I'd say 99 percent of the husbands work "normal" hours, and between the 2 parents they manage with the kids with no problems. The great thing about nursing is it's flexibility. If your girlfriend (wife) is working on a unit where the hours are no longer conducive to your life situation, she can find another unit that better suits her needs. And if bedside nursing is no longer appealing to her (and if she has her bachelor degree) she can work for medical/pharmaceutical companies, she can do research, she can do many other things that don't necessarily mean that she's stuck with shift work for the rest of your lives together.

Heh heh... from my experience, no, the doctors are not trying to hump ALL the nurses (just the cute ones! JUST JOKING). Seriously... I've been nursing for 7 years (and attached the whole time :) ), and although I have had some interest from a few doctors, they have not tried to hump me! You have to understand, we work with the doctors on a daily basis. If one is so inclined to have relations with the doctors (or other nurses for that matter) it can make life rather uncomfortable when things don't work out. If you're concerned about your girlfriend, then it won't matter what profession she is in. It's a question of trust. If you're in a loving, trusting relationship to begin with, then it won't be an issue for you. As far as the universal precautions. This means gloves for every patient in a normal medical setting. Working in the ER, it depends on the level of trauma that the ER deals with. The trauma that you see on TLC is mostly in urban settings where they have huge trauma facilities. In this case, it's gloves, gown, and protective eye gear. You have to understand that the hospital will not put a nurse at risk -- that is why gloves are all over the place and if we have patients on isolation for whatever reason, we have gloves, gowns (if there's a risk of being soiled) and masks (if there's a risk of airborne disease). And the most important thing of all is HANDWASHING. Your girlfriend will prevent bringing home a lot of crap if she gets into the habit of washing her hands repeatedly!

"Anyway, I have a lot of concerns and she tries to reassure me that my concerns are not warrented nor will they be as bad as I think. However, I am skeptical because she has not been in the profession yet. So long story short. I am concerned about what life will be like married to a Nurse. She has her heart set on ER nurseing and possibly Main OR. Considering I am in buisness and not medical profession. Everything I know is based on drama shows like ER and Trama etc. So I started thinking and I came up with the follwoing red flags that really concern me. Overall I know it sounds like its all about me. But honestly it isnt. I want to make sure I know what I am getting into and the pitfalls I might face before I continue with the Marriage talk. Are my concerns warrented or am I just being smothering? Any real life experinces and advice would be helpful. Someone out there must be married and a nurse. Who can offers some real life insight and not drama show life. I am looking for anyone who can really tell me how it is and perhaps made a marriage work by having night shift work. " Why do you doubt what she tells you? If she is doing clinical rotations in the hospital, then she has probably spoken to many nurses who can tell her what the reality of being with a nurse is like! Maybe you should go meet her after one of her rotations and meet other nurses face to face and find out firsthand (since you don't seem to appreciate much of what you've been reading here) what our reality is! If your concern is her schedule, then you should be happy that she wants to be an OR nurse! (Monday to Friday, mostly day shift (some evening, but they generally don't do surgery in the middle of the night!) I'm sure every nurse on this message board who works night shift and has a relationship can tell you that it's manageable. I, myself, work 12-hour day AND night shift, and my husband (who works from home) is fine with it and we're very happily married! After reading 8 pages of postings on these concerns of yours, your only concern seems to be that some honest postings have been meant to hurt you or whatever. We don't know you, buddy. And ya, your girlfriend COULD cheat on you, but if she wants to, she'll do it no matter what profession she's in. Would you rather she's in business, surrounded by smart men in business suits who aren't wearing scrubs, have actually slept the night before and taken a shower in the morning and can spend hours draped over her shoulder "reading" something that they're working on together, going out for extended business lunches that involves a few bottles of wine? Because if you're worried about her getting involved with doctors, it will have to be on her part seeking it out. There's not much time for lengthy discussions in closed quarters in the hospital... think about it!

I can't agree more with everyone's posting. If you were looking for sugar-coated answers to your questions, you definitely came to the wrong place. If you want a reality check, then keep on reading everyone's postings. As you've probably already realized, nurses are a passionate bunch and we will give you our honest opinions about everything. Life is a risk. If you want to know "what is going to happen", then go to a psychic (haha). As far as I know, nurses don't have crystal balls and no two nursing (or life) experiences are the same. That is why we are called "individuals". Who knows what life has to offer for any of us. We have to take each day as it comes, and if you're so worried about what the future holds for you and your girlfriend, then it's going to eat you up from the inside out and you'll end up self-destructing and destroying your relationship with her in the long run. I'm sure you'll end up blaming her nursing career, so what difference does it make what anyone on this message board can tell you about your questions? As far as tv shows like ER and Trauma, IT'S HOLLYWOOD! If they really showed what goes on in a typical day in the ER, everyone could use the footage for a sleeping pill (for the most part). In every unit there are busy times, but there's a lot of down time as well. Some days you run off your feet, other days it's not so bad. As far as contracting diseases, there are universal precautions to take for nurses (and all medical personnel) to protect ourselves! And as far as the schedule goes, it is so varied and flexible that anyone can find what they are looking for in nursing, and your girlfriend will be relieved to be finally doing only one job (instead of working, studying and trying to find time to spend with you!) You didn't mention if you're already living together, but that in itself is a huge adjustment and you'll see that marriage is a challenge in the 1st year. As someone else mentioned, if you have that many concerns about the time factor in your relationship, maybe you should postpone your wedding until your girlfriend has graduated and has been working for awhile. You don't say when the wedding is planned for, but you're still young, so I'm sure a few years is worth a lifetime of happiness at this point.

Don't believe EVERYTHING you read...

I became a nurse after being in a car accident and having the experience of being a patient. I vowed that none of my patients would ever suffer the way that I had. After my terrible ordeal, I went back to college and completed my 3rd diploma (first one in social sciences, second one in Office Systems Technology) and started my nursing career. I have really enjoyed my nursing career so far and hope to continue alleviating my patients' suffering for a long long time.

I agree with what everyone is saying, and I will add this: You will find as much good in nursing as you will find bad. And may I add that I think it's the same in almost every profession these days. I have been nursing for 7 years, one year on a general surgical unit, 4 years in the CCU and now 2 years in the NICU. There have been cliques and "nasty" nurses in every area, but I have also worked in business (nursing is my 2nd career) and there were a fair share of mean-spirited people and cliques as well, so what does that tell you? I can also tell you that the good-natured, "nice" nurses have outnumbered the bad eggs so far, so I guess that's what keeps us all going. I have been lucky to have found a few good "friends" to work with along the way, and the team spirit that we have with each other is fantastic. But I think there is a lot of jealousy and competition in nursing, and maybe it's because there's just too much estrogen flowing around, but if you can take the good with the bad (and overlook a lot of the bad) then you'll have an enjoyable nursing career! :roll