ScarryBear,RN

That was my point, the computers screens were facing the pt area in an Pediatric Cardiac ICU. The families could see what was going on. I understand everyone needs downtime, don't forget I am a nurse too, however I was giving my family perspective. If the screens were facing the other direction, I would have assumed that the staff was working. It was a difficult intense time in our family to see our baby laying there in bed with tubes. Family perception weighs a lot in their opinion of a family members care. If I sound defensive I don't mean to, I was just trying to give the view from the other side.

I was in a PCICU with my nephew after his open heart surgery. The nurses were on facebook, ordering christmas items, and various other non-medical related sites. I had my nursing "cap" off and my family "cap" on in this situation and felt very upset. I work and have worked in very stressful high intensity units in which I needed down time to blow off steam but I never let my families' see that I was doing something other than looking like I was doing hospital work. I understand that the nurse couldn't hover over his bed every second of the shift, and there is only so much cart stocking you can do but at very least give us the illusion of working. We as patients' family need to feel as you are spending every minute doing something medically related to feel secure and that you are treating our family as the most important person during you shift. The rational nursing side of me knows it is impossible to spend every moment concentrating on a patient without a break because we'll burn out but I think family deserve at very least the illusion.

I schedule myself midnight either going into the holiday or the night of the holiday. I nap a specific time of the day while things have lulled a bit.

Nope. If I HAVE to draw up with a syringe I use my fingernail to push the stopper to break it free. Then when I draw it up the stopper moves down to prevent a vapor lock and it draws up easily. I would ask your pharmacy if they have an extra carpujet, there are usually some sent with large shipments.

Also most IV antibiotics are ok to be given 4 hours apart. If it's a TID antibiotic, depending what it is, would have no repercussions. What was the antibiotic. Very few I would be concerned about, the main one would be Vanco but if it's TID I doubt it's Vanco. Don't sweat it, it happens to the best of us. Like the saying goes, our patients survive despite what we do to them.

that has always been my complaint. i don't want to be typhoid mary. it would kill me if i were to make any immunocompromised patient ill. i always made sure i would switch assignments if any were neutropeonic. this was my first job as an rn and it was extremely hard to come by. our market is flooded and my options were limited. i did see where you responded a second time. thank you and i am glad to be moving on. i saw chemo was past tense for you? hopefully successful? i envy the bravery of all onc patients, good health and continued blessings to you!

and thank you both, they had me feeling like i am crazy at times telling me it's like this everywhere. i'm not a young pup, i know logically that isn't true but when you're fed "the company line" for so long you start doubting your own beliefs. (this is my first hospital job, i was a mid life career changer) i only stuck it out at this facility until it was time for us to move, which thankfully is now. i have wanted to leave since last october but it seemed unfair to leave there and start at another job for 6 months. plus it would have probably taken that long in my area to find a new job. anyway, my current hospital i am at is very dangerous and i feel like i risk my license every night that i punch in. i am elated to be leaving. only 8 more working days! woot! woot!:w00t:

If we call in at our facility we're told "no" if they don't have enough staff to cover our shift. I have gone in to work sick throwing up with diarrhea because I couldn't call off. The other day a nurse had a 102.5 degree temp and the supervisor told her she couldn't leave. If we manage to actually successfully call of it's unpaid. We are allotted 3 "PC" days a year but they need to be scheduled one schedule in advance. Our two weeks of vacation has to be scheduled for the next year in November. The best part of all of this is I work on an Oncology unit. Needless to say I have walked around many shifts sick with masks in my pocket.

I have some wonderful CNA's but I have one that is my main midnight aid that infuriates me! She is a really nice person and we have worked together for 2 years on steady midnights. She is well intentioned but is absolutely tunnel visioned. There is no deviating her from the task she is on. She is very inefficient as well. For example she consistently fills water containers one at a time which takes almost an hour for her to complete all the pt rooms by walking back and forth from the ice machine. We have a cart on the unit that she could put them all on, as others do, fill them all at once and be done in 15 min. After suggesting and flat out telling her on multiple times to use the cart because while she is filling them one at a time she is ignoring call bells and it becomes difficult during med passes. Her response is always multiple excuses and ultimately telling me she prefers her method so she can keep the "cups strait" even though they are all labeled. I have tried for two years to get her to work more efficiently to no avail. This is just one example. During a particularly difficult shift she was in her water filling routine and I was on the phone with a doctor and a call light was going off. As she went past with water cups in hand, I asked her to please toilet the patient. She flat out said "no I'm busy doing this you'll have to take her". After getting off the phone and taking the patient to the bathroom I confronted her and it was a totally convoluted argument. I have tried going to supervisors and my nurse manager. They have also had repeated conversations with her but no luck. I feel bad because she has a difficult life at home and I think she feels work is the only place she can have order and control. However it makes me want to scream with frustration. I and our other midnight nurses have resigned ourselves to the fact that when she's there we basically have no aid.

I am attempting another plea for opinions. I was wondering if anyone has an opinion about Hendrick Medical Center and Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital? I am moving from Pa to Tx. I am currently an oncology nurse but it's taking an emotional toll on me. I am looking to change into an ICU setting. Can anyone tell me about the atmosphere, pay, nurse to pt ratios, dress code, etc? I work in a small community hospital that has difficult working conditions and very high nurse to patient ratios. I know the scrub issue seems silly but I was just wondering because I have soooo many multi colored scrubs and wanted to know if I needed to sell them or not. Feel free to message me [email protected] if you're not comfortable publicly posting.

I am in agreement with all above. Also what about reduction in infection rates? Initiating extra unnecessary sticks is just asking for trouble.

I've actually woke disoriented and yelled at my daughter to go to the clean utility room to get me a pair of draw string pants off of the cart because I was in my nightgown.

When your child is coughing after swallowing wrong and the say "mom I'm choking here, your supposed to help me" and you calmly look at them and say "you're still passing air, you're fine. keep coughing" Also, when your sleeping and the microwave beeps you wake out of a sound sleep to check for a bed alarm.

I understand your point and I totally agree with you. I have fought against our hospitals' policy since I started because there are young patients who may want to take a visiting child for a walk for example who are relegated to our floor or their room because they are on and antidepressant.(any type of phych meds even prozac automatically jumps the fall risk score up ten points) If a patient leaves the floor or goes outside they are automatically listed as an elopement. If we find them and they choose to come back they have a choice of signing out AMA or staying and agreeing to not leave the floor again. If they choose to leave they can sign the AMA paper, however if they leave without telling anyone or refuse to sign the paper we have to call the local police. I know it's absurd. I feel like we have degraded back to a time when hospitals were convalescence homes where everyone had to stay in bed behind waited on hand and foot.

Thanks for the help!