LaylaHendrix23

We have a turn team on our floor. We have a 32 bed cardiac progressive care unit and each nurse and tech signs up for 1 turn team time and turn team goes around every 2 hours. On each turn team there are 2 people turning pts. I really like it because if you are super busy you know someone will be helping you turn your really heavy pts. I work nights, so usually the techs sign up for the busier times like 8pm and 6am, and the nurses fill in the other times! I personally like it! If we don't have enough staff then maybe the techs will go twice or the charge nurse will fill in.

Metoprolol still gets me...so I just say Lopressor!

Lately our floor has been staffing all the other floors as well. It sucks! I don't understand why they don't just hire their own nurses for their own floor. Then, ironically our floor has at least 2 extra nurses on every night, so someone is always getting pulled. Lame!

I hated being a tech too! Since I was almost done with nursing school, I only received 2 days of training for my job in a step down ICU! Yes TWO days! It sucked! I also worked PRN, so I never really got to learn the flow of being a tech! I felt like I ran my butt off every shift and like you described, I never really got any help! One time a nurse made me scoop stool out of a flexiseal with a spoon for a stool sample! NO LIE!!! That was the most disgusting thing I have ever had to do lol! :barf01: Anyway...I have now been a nurse for over a year now and I am really happy with my job! I feel like I am always learning and really helping the patients in a way I couldn't as a tech...teaching, medications, procedures, etc! I also don't mind getting dirty because like others have said it is a great time to really get a thorough assessment! And I am also really anal (no pun intended haha) about putting plenty of calmo on bottoms and when I do it, I know I am doing it how I want it done! I always try to help my tech and I hope that my tech will help me! I feel if you respect your tech and not take advantage of them, they will help you tremendously! I think if you really look at what you enjoy about nursing, it will overshadow those little things that you may not like as much! And eventually you get used to those little things and everything is no big deal and second nature!!! Good luck with your decision and take some time to think about what you really want!!

When you clock out and then get half way down the hall and ask yourself, "did I clock out?" Then you turn around to go clock out and get halfway back down the hall you realize...oh I did clock out..oops! Then when you turn around to walk back down the hall and leave you stop dead in your tracks and ask yourself AGAIN..."did I clock out?" After standing there for a few seconds I finally remembered clocking out and could go home. I literally did this the other morning!! Too many night shifts! It sounds pretty confusing..but thats how I felt, very confused!!! lol

I am 23 and wear them as well!! I think they are very comfortable and I feel like my legs and feet don't hurt when I wear them. I also get mine at the scrub store!

I LOVE them...and in fact I have been eyeballing that exact pair! Hopefully you like them as much as I do! :)

I always just "CYA" and call the Doc for parameters! Like others have said the Docs sometimes hold for different parameters depending on the pt, so I always like to just know what the Doc wants. They are getting paid the big bucks to make those decisions, so whenever I am second guessing myself I always just "CYA." =) I also have done what others have said, where I will re-check the BP in a half hour or so before calling the Doc to see how the pts BP is doing and if it is still low I will call and then get parameters!

Dansko has a pair of Professional white leather clogs that would work. They have a closed back so most places allow you to wear this shoe. I have had my Dansko's for about a year now and they are still in perfect shape! I love them! They also have REALLY cute colors and styles for when you get out of school...if your employer allows you to wear them! Good luck! :)

Oh another question...do you usually tell your current employer that you are looking for per diem work? I am looking for extra work and experience, NOT to leave my job for somewhere else and I would hate for my employer to think that. I don't mind being open with my employer, I was just wondering how that has worked out for others?

Thanks everyone for your replies! I have worked for just about a year now on a pretty fast paced cardiac floor and was trying to decide if I wanna find PRN work in cardiac or if I should try something new. I think something outpatient sounds cool...but I really need to just start looking around more! I think I am going to wait till after the summer that way I will be working for well over a year and I have plenty of time to really decide what I want to do! Thanks again!

Hello, Just wondering if anyone has ever picked up per diem work while working full time at their regular job? Did you pick up per diem work through the place you currently work at or did you go through an agency? I am looking to pick up some extra shifts each month and want to work in a different location besides my floor, maybe even a completely different hospital. Also how many shifts were you required to work each week/month and what about weekends??? Also...how was the pay compared to your regular pay? Thanks...I am just wondering about this per diem thing and really dont know anyone that does it right now so I was just looking for some advice! :)

When the nurse on the shift before you tells you "this is an easy team...you are going to have a great night." I then sigh because i know she just jinxed me. Haha!

i had something similar like that happen to me! i was working at a hospital as a unit secretary and we would help the nurses and doctors with anything they needed, stock the floor with supplies, help families etc. i loved my job and felt pride working in the hospital that i was at. i worked there for 1yr and 10 months and never had a write up or any issues. 5 months before i was supposed to graduate the bosses called me into their office and told me that i was not engaged in my job, i never went above and beyond and was not doing well and they were not going to hire me on as a nurse when i was done with school. the whole reason i worked there was to get my foot in the door and do a good job and get hired on as a nurse when i was done! i was blindsided!! i cried to them and told them i had no idea what they were talking about since the other dr's and nurses always said how helpful i was and everything seemed fine. i only worked every other weekend so the bosses werent even there when i was working....so i knew someone was backstabbing me! i decided to kill them with kindness and keep doing a kickass job! i also wrote down every thing i did to go above and beyond that way i had proof that i was not slacking! 2 months later i requested to speak with the boss and she said i was not going above and beyond and she was not going to hire me! after that i realized that place was not worth my time and effort and i transferred to another hospital within the system! that unit had waaayyy to much drama and i am so happy i got out of there! now i completely left the system and am working at a very respected hospital as a nurse and i love it! my job challenges me every day and i learn a million new things every time i work! i am still new and getting the hang of things...but its getting better! i learned a lesson at that job...every floor has their drama and backstabbers and i just stay out of all that and always kill everyone with kindness. its the best way to go! things will get better...just remember to work hard because you know yourself that you are a good person and a good worker, and sometimes bosses cant look past what their favorite workers say to them...aka the kiss ass! lol!!!! good luck!!!! :)

chill out...locate the test center...and remember the mnemonic for isolation stuff. my chicken hez tb---spidermann--mrs. wee. look it up on here if you dont know it yet. i had lots of contact precaution questions, so that probably is what made me pass the test! you will do fine if you have studied that much. oh and take off the day before the test...get a massage, see a movie...do whatever you do to relax. good luck!