wanderinrn

Good luck on your upcoming NCLEX and new job...I hope you have a wonderful career. I think oncology is one of those fields that require a special kind of person. I am afraid I would be too depressed if worked that all the time. I work in a preop/recovery and we see lots of cancer pts coming for port placements, bx, lumpectomies, mastectomies, etc and I have a hard time with that. So I don't think oncology unit would be for me but I'm glad there are nurses like you who excel at it!

Conjured up the same image for me, oneofthegoodguys! LOL.... But, on a serious note, I have noticed among ppl...patients as well as general population that there seems to be a 'stigma' attached to being labeled MRSA. I get the feeling ppl think they are going to be thought of as being 'dirty' or something. I think the more the general population is educated about this the better.... But for sure they need to be educated not to wipe boogers in wounds....LOL...again just joking with this last comment!

Have you ever thought of trying PACU?...you usually do have some call....but if you work in a large enough facility with a larger staff then it rotates and isn't that often.. I am part time.....and work in a small facility...do call about one night every week...sometimes every two weeks and usually only one weekend per schedule which is 12 weeks....and about the same for full time, really. Otherwise it is M-F...or if you don't think you would like PACU maybe do the OR? Where I work call time is time and half...so maybe that would help to offset not getting the shift differential which I am assuming helps make your pay rate what it is?

I have heard that ND is really booming as far as jobs of all kinds are concerned, I heard their unemployment is about 3% or something.....

I am hoping to start a travel assignment about Nov 1st. We have an RV, a 39' bounder, that we bought with the intention of using to winter in warm places. Hoping to get an assignment in a smaller facility PACU/SDS which is what my most recent experience is in. I have worked endo, cardiac cath, radiology, med surg, rehab, psych. I feel the pacu or med surg will probably be the most marketable. Any recommendations re: staffing company to go with? Thanks for any info!

Upon further thought, I have realized that maybe the charge nurse just told the supervisor that I was sick and 'had to go home'. If we go in and work at least four hours, it doesn't count against us. But, I had just clocked in, and then was told I should 'just go on home since I sound so bad and there isn't much going on.' Now I think maybe the supervisor thinks that I just stated I had to go home. In that case, I can see where she is coming from. But, yesterday was so busy, and I was coughing a lot, to the point I was embarrassed to have pt contact, and no one ever said I should go home. The charge nurse and supervisor both saw and heard how miserable I was, but was never suggested I go home. I am feeling worse today having worked the past two sick. Am off now til next Wednesday and will probably have to spend all that time recuperating....uggghhh. I feel like I really pushed myself the last two days for my job and then get really no appreciation. I'm sorry, I'm just being whiny and venting....not normally like this..just feeling really bad, and sort of used. I think I will call the supervisor and just find out exactly the situation was presented to her. Thanks for your input!

I have been ill recently with a sinus/resp infection. I worked last week Thur-Friday, was on call for Saturday then was scheduled for work M-Wed. Managed to get thru the call day Saturday...Found someone to cover my shift for Monday. Was still pretty sick, but improving Tuesday. I went in to work, but was coughing a lot. The census was very low, we had no surgery pts coming in thru our outpt surgery center, but did have some pre-admission teaching/testing pts scheduled. So, I was told I could go home since there wasn't much going on. Well, yesterday my supervisor comes to me with a absence slip to sign. I was so stunned I didn't even question it, just signed it. Later I called her office and asked if that was considered a regular absence like a call in and she said it does. I mean, I went in to work, because I knew there were already three nurses going to be off. I had no idea the census was down, until I got to work. I assumed since i was told the census was down it would be considered a low census day....It really makes me have bad feelings about my place of employment. There is NO WAY in heck they would have offered to let me go home if we had been at our regular full schedule! AEB my having to work all day with a persistent cough and and having to run every few minutes to blow my nose! I feel this is so unfair. Does anyone else know if their facility would handle this situation in this way?

I was in a similar position, as I had been PRN in SDS/Dismissal for about the past 9 or so years, while running a seasonal business. I have returned to working 24-32 hours/week in the SDS/PACU. My main reason for doing this is to get up to speed with my skills again in the hopes of traveling in the next couple years. I oriented to the PACU, but don't work in there regularly, but am on call for PACU. I signed up online for a free subscription to Healthcare Traveler magazine, and within an hour my phone was ringing off the hook with recruiters. I had put in the profile that I submitted that I was looking to travel in the next 1-2 years, but they were calling with jobs to start ASAP. Now, I don't know how many of the jobs would pan out if I were in a position to apply for one at the moment, but I continue to get emails and calls from them, just touching bases with me. On the other hand, I did read in the magazine that the jobs are fewer and more selective, and the ones I've seen the pay rate posted, in some cases are less than what I make currently. I just decided to bide my time and continue to brush up on my skills and when the time is right, then I will see what comes to pass!

My daughter's friend is a DH, as of last year. She first worked as DA, and went to school while she was working. So, once she graduated she already had the job. I have suggested this career to a few ppl lately, and got the 'Ewww...I couldn't stand being in nasty mouths all day'. But, my thinking is, folks who come in for regular cleanings are usually the ones taking great care of their teeth so their mouths wouldn't be all gross? Well, anyway, I think if I were doing it over I would have gone for DH. At least that was what I was thinking last week when having to renew ACLS...being all stressed with that. But, going thru ACLS and learning new stuff, (have had ACLS certification since the '90's but still learn new things every time) just made me realize how much I really do like nursing. I think I have a love/hate relationship with my career! LOL

Where I previously worked I did. Anything after 3pm during the weekdays I got shift dif and also for OT. I think that is a federal labor law, if you work more than 40 hrs they have to pay you OT. At least that is what I was told when I asked about it at that facility. I thought I didn't qualify for OT, but was told otherwise. Never worked holidays or weekends, so don't know about those times, but pretty sure I would have gotten the weekend shift dif, the holiday one I am not sure about.

I agree with IIg....that is an excellent way to handle the situation. Hope it all works out well for you!

First of all.....I would never think it would be ok to ask a person to lie for you, even if that person were a close friend. But to ask someone that you are 'not too close' to would, first of all, just be plain wrong, and secondly, good give your former nurse manager ammo that she could possibly use to very badly discredit you. what if she were to mention to the prospective employer that you had asked her to lie for you? I think that statement must surely have been the 'voice of desperation'....

This happened to me once: where I worked we did 12hr shifts, but for holidays we each worked an 8 hr shift, like for Christmas it would either be christmas eve, day or evening. I was scheduled to work Christmas night, which was fine, since we did all our stuff on Christmas eve. Some of us were joking around and I said I thought I was going to be 'sick' Christmas night. Well, bite my tongue, because sure enough I was down with a horrible case of bronchitis, had to go to ED, and called in sick. Well, I felt so bad, the next night, a Saturday night, 12 hrs, I was determined to not call in sick. Well, I went to work and spent the worst 12 hours I've ever felt at work. Then, the next night had to call in again, so counted as 2 episodes, instead of one, had I just stayed home and gotten well. If you are sick, you are sick, and you need to take care of yourself to be well. And, you are right, it is not fair to expose pts to whatever you have. But, I know. They tell you 'stay home when sick, don't expose everyone', but then give us a hard time if we do call in....

Ok, I have had to deal with this in the past. I worked on a floor that was very similar to what yours sounds like. They would always give us that crap about clocking out. But, I never did get written up and was often having to stay late, just because of the stuff you are talking about. As you say, no one was more eager for me to be out the door than I myself was. But, I was darned if I was going to work off the clock. I think it is a legal issue. If you can show by documentation, and by staffing quotas that you absolutely have to be there, then there is little they can do about it. They either get enough staff to take care of what needs to be done, or they get off your back and let you do what you have to do. What my former place of employment used to really hate was fractional overtime, where staff would clock out just past the time where it would add another quarter hour to their time for the day. And there were a few who would do that.

Thanks for the input everyone. That was exactly what I thought, and as I even told the pt. I was 99.99% sure he wanted the macrobid to replace the bactrim, but, since I am not the doc, I HAD to verify. I am all about CYA!

Ok, I work in a very fast paced sameday surgery center. We have a good bit of autonomy in this area, but I still like to have doc orders for d/cing meds etc. Well, here is what happened today and is totally not a big deal, but just kind of made me feel like a dummy...well a little. Was d/c'ing a pt and giving her instructions and scripts,etc. There was a script for macrobid and she was already on bactrim at home, so she wants to know if she should stop that. I told her I am sure the doc would want you to stop that and just take the macrobid, but I wanted to check with the doc to be sure. So, while she is getting dressed I go to the phone to call back to the OR to ask the doc this. Just at that moment he went thru our area as he had just finished the case and was on his way to the back again. So, I catch him and ask him, just for clarification. So, he says, 'well, yeah', cause the C&S on the chart shows the organism resistant to the bactrim. I said I just wanted to clarify. I really hadn't thought to check the sensitivity, and that is what made me feel like a doofus. But, still, I would want to have clarified. I mean, I can't order the meds and I can't d/c them. Anyway, input????

I think OP meant that she tested her own 02 sat and it was also in the 80's? and not likely that all the residents she checked would be in the 80's? At least that is how I read it. I agree that it is best to carry your own insurance.

I don't consider it to be dishonorable to join the army to get money for college. Many people do that. The army (or whatever branch) gets their 'pound of flesh' by the required service after the schooling is done. Just my opinion.

I have made a few med errors in the course of 16 yrs of nursing...but one of the things I did that bothered me most was one morning, on a busy med-surg floor, rushing trying to stay 'on top of things'....had 6 or 7 pts and was primary care, no nurse aides to help with pts needing feeding, etc. Dietary had brought in the tray for this particular pt and set it on the bedside table, but that was all they do. I had gone in and opened the milk, put the straw in, etc, silverware, etc. Spoke to the pt, then rushed on to the next. When I stepped in again to the room OT or PT or some tech was there, and I learned the pt was in restraints and with the tray right there, smelling the food, but unable to get to it. The pt, best I remember, was confused, anyway, the tech was saying 'I really should write this up'....They were not very nice about it, but I can understand why. But, the thing is, it was very early in my nsg career, and I felt like I was sinking anyway. This just made me feel so bad. As bad as any med error. I never heard anything more about it. But, I sure beat myself up on it so much. I don't remember if I had gotten in report that the pt was confused and was a total feed. It's been too long, but I would think I probably did, and just got in such a rush that I forgot and with the pt being covered, I just assumed she wasn't ready to eat yet, and went right on to the next thing.....But, in the end, it wasn't a life threatening problem and no long term effects...

I had never heard of this til about a year ago. I, too, laughed when I first heard the doc tell me to try it on a pt. I was told it is a 'surefire' fix for an impaction. It wasn't very effective but this was a very extreme case of impacted stool. Took lots of different methods to get the pt relief.

I think the employer should also be reported. If she is running a home health agency, and suggests that you 'up the O2' to make a pt pass out, and that is her only suggestion for offering you a safe working environment, well, pts AND employees are at risk. IMHO!

Just finished PALS a few weeks ago, and it was CPR.....get AED set up......even if it is right at the bedside it has to be opened, turned on, and if it is right at bedside possibly another person to set up while you begin CPR. I guess it just does depend on the exact situation...but in this recent class it was CPR first, and also in all the ACLS courses I've done...like everything else there will always be times when it will be a judgment call.

Where I used to work, they had a 'volunteer' program for community activities. But, it impacted your raise, in that if you didn't volunteer you wouldn't get the 'max' raise. I was only PRN, and lived hour and fifteen minutes from hospital, and on one of my evals, nurse manager had marked off on me for not volunteering at a health fair or elementary school fair, etc. Really annoyed me, but I just smiled and signed the eval and went on with my day....

I became an RN in 1994, at age 32. Worked ~18 months in LTC, then stepdown unit in hospital for about 18 months, a year in endo same hospital, then radiology nurse different hospital for about a year. Left nursing to become certified to do stock trades, mutual funds, but worked as assistant to my husband (had to get the licenses for the position, but didn't do the main financial advising). this job paid barely more than half what I had made nursing, but my (new at the time) second hubby hated seeing me so stressed, overworked and taken advantage of, and really encouraged me to come work with him. After about another 18 months we bought a small nursery/greenhouse business, which I had no experience with, but took to it like a 'fish' to water. Worked that from 2001 til this summer. It was mostly seasonal, spring being my busy time, and I worked it 7 days a week average 10 hrs a day for about 3.5-4 months and loved every minute of it. I would have to make myself leave to go home. I did miss nursing during this time. I kept doing PRN in SDS, but you don't keep up with a lot of skills doing that. Things change so fast in our field. I kept thinking I needed to 'get serious' and get back to my 'career', and finally did that this past March. Took a PT position which is SDS/PACU, with call. I really like the job I have, but I miss my greenhouse biz. It was really a passion for me. I love growing things, and I got so much satisfaction from it. I made pretty good money doing it, too. But, many things aligned in our lives so that we just felt it was time to sell the business and I was ready to get back into nursing. I don't regret making that decision, but again I am only working PT. I don't plan on going back full time unless it becomes necessary financially. I know I would be burned out again in no time. Had a very tough day yesterday, but have a few off now, so time to refresh. Best of luck in finding a fit for you.

My first job as a new RN was in a large LTC facility. I applied for a position posted for RN with 2 yrs exp for a 'sub-acute' unit that was just getting up and going there. I was told (while being interviewed for the positoin by an LPN) that since I had no exp and this was sub-acute unit & was 'new to them, too', they really wanted RN's with exp. BUT, they would like to offer me a position as House Supervisor....midnights no less, where I would be the ONLY RN in the building, of 100 + patients, well over, in fact. Anyway, to make a long story short, I took the position, as I was in rather dire straits financially. It was SO stressful. I remember sitting in the parking lot and feeling so nervous I was nauseous, and just praying I would be able to do what I needed to do and have the knowledge, etc to handle whatever would come up. Within 6 months I was the NURSE MANAGER on the sub-acute unit, and all 3 of my team leaders, day, eve, night, were new grads! I ended up being there 18 months, but was so consumed with paper work, and the only way I was getting any skills was just by going out on the floor and 'helping' the LPNs and CNA's which the DON and ADON frowned upon if they learned of it. 'You have staff to do that'. Oh, forgot to say, too, that my primary 'preceptor' (and I use the term loosely) was an elderly LPN who was known to sneak off and sleep in med recs! On the other hand, I had several seasoned LPNs that were of much help to me! Good luck whatever you choose to do.