iamme457

I also have high arches and the less support I have the less pain I suffer. I think the arch is a big part of the shock absorbing system. Good shoes are important, I replace walking or combined training shoes every 6 months. I try to find two pair that are comfortable, this lets one pair air out for a day. I was a farrier before nursing school, I did corrective horseshoeing so I have a unique way of evaluating walking and posture. Stretching exercises are important as are rest periods. We also injure ourselves often lifting, turning and walking on the hard surface of hospital floors and we dont give our bodies time to heal. We just keep on working and do further injury. P RN has a good point, many people also have one leg that is significantly longer than the other.

And the world wonders why there is a nursing shortage. I have been pinched, bitten, scratched, kicked, slapped and punched many times. Most often by confused patients. ICU, Trauma and neuro patients are all a bit crazy sometime during their stay with us. I get offended when family members behave in the same manner. I use security and the local police to deal with them. I think the best experience I had during my training was with a crisis intervention team. These are the people that talk people down from jumping off buildings or bridges, get them to put down the gun they are holding to their head or keep them from harming another person. Empathize, that is the key..get into their mind, feel and see what they see. If we only had the time to do that with our patients every day, maybe the problems wouldnt escalate like they do.

I have never been ashamed of being a nurse. Occasionally I am disappointed of other nurses behaviors and judgements.

Working night shift isnt for everyone and if it isnt working for you definitely go to another shift. We need healthy happy nurses not near dead bodies to count on the census. I work as a clinical coordinator on evening and night shifts. Most of my weeks are a combination of both shifts. I demanded no double shifts and no double back shifts. I still do both occasionally so other co-workers can have the day off they need but not to appease the facility. The stress level in the health care field is bad enough with the added work and responsibilities and less staff, you don't need to have a really incompatible schedule on top of that. As far as how I do the sleep thing, I am a morning person so daylight and evenings dosent present a problem. Nights is another story, I sleep for 2-3 hours in the morning when I get home then I get up and do something I enjoy or feel I need to accomplish so there is some kind of self satisfaction in there. I like to golf and I might add I golf really bad when I am doing it on 3 hours of sleep LOL but I enjoy it. I might ride my bicycle or go out to lunch with a friend. Sometimes just working in the yard for 3 or 4 hours is enough or reading a book that has been sitting on the shelf neglected for weeks or months since purchase. After doing something for me I lay down again for 2 to 4 hours before going back to work that night. That nap before work seems to be my key, I feel refreshed. It wasnt that simple when I had little kids though and I can really relate to those of you trying to juggle a career and raise a family at the same time. After I read this and I realized I do babbly a bit when working nights LOL. Deanna

general guidelines are increase for respirations above 30 and signs of pain, asking for more pain meds, grimacing, restless behavior, anxious behavior, yelling, abusive behavior without being stimulated. I reassess every 5 minutes with a morphine drip as it takes a short time to be effective when IV,then increase as needed. If I see no change I go up again, if I see a small change I reasses in a few minutes then go up again if still in discomfort. I usually go up in 5mg increments each time I assess a behavior of need. Comfort measures means to me, not uncomfortable but not necessarily unconscious. The difficult issue here is personal ethics, are we actually helping or hindering the inevidible death of this patient. I believe in Death with Dignity, that allows a person to die in the manner they are comfortable with. If a patient says just let me sleep, I do that, if I am asked to talk to them I do that too. Just call the supervisor and tell them that your patient needs constant attendance during this time of near death and has requested it. Please send some help for a while until family or someone else, clergy etc can relieve me.

As a volunteer for a local ambulance service I obtained my EMT then my Paramedic prior to nursing school. I worked a 24 hour shift every saturday as a paramedic. If minimum wage is OK then maybe a gas station attendent would work, you can study while you sit in that booth..too boring for me but some have done it. Working in a clothing store works too, you get a discount on clothing and your hours arent that bad, Fashion bug has been quite kind to some nursing students I know as far as accomodating the hours they can work. Also a local mom and pop type owned business/ bar-restaurant or local gas station fast food service place/ You have to find someone willing to accomodate your schedule needs.

As an ADN degree nurse I agree on the financial reasons for becoming what you can afford at the time in money and time involved. Many facilities will assist you financially with furthering your education.

My litman II tubing cracked after 12 years of service, thinking about buying new tubing and getting a new one too. I have another one but it just dosent make the grade after a litman. And yes in all phases of nursing a good stethescope will greatly increase what you hear and can help in what you tell the doc. In nursing homes the units see a doc once a week, the nurses daily.

ty cargal for the added insight, I totally agree with you.

ty cargal for the added insight, I totally agree with you.

This is fun. May I add some mud and put rope around it and sell tickets? Deanna

I thought all the stuff we had to do in nursing school was to help prepare us for what we would face as nurses. I am glad I did take it all seriously as it helped a lot. I went from med/surg to ICU/CVICU to ICU/critical care transport, then to Trauma/Neuro and back to critical care transport for a short time and now supervisior in a large facility with sub-acute/long term care/and alzheimers with a behavioral intensive care center. I learned how to find the answers to questions during nursing school. You won't always have staff that is experienced enough or trustable enough to depend on. I could give you the answers quickly to all your questions and write all your papers, but I cannot lead you through your nursing career. Don't get me wrong, asking questions is a good thing, but learning how to find the answers with the reference material that is available is just as good.

1) PHRN 2)9 years as RN, 6 yrs PHRN(Pre-hospital RN), 12yrs as Paramedic, NA on and off 26 yrs. 3)NE USA 4)not satisfied with pay 5)benefits are adequate right now 6)hours are alright 7)I am a supervisor now but I do not believe most of the other supervisiors have a clue what they are doing. I work in the units once a week and have been reporting supervisors that do not do their jobs. 8) new administrator, not sure yet about this one. The corporation is alright though I trust them. 9)education department had been cut in the past but is doing its job at this time. 10) I love being a nurse, my actual role has changed a few times...that is one of the things I really like about nursing. You dont have to stay in one place. 11)NO 12)sometimes I dont get a break, when I do take a break I still answer the phone and answer pages so the break is usually interrupted. 13)I am relief supervisor so I work all shifts 8's and 12's and 16's. 14)New years, worked everything else last year. 15)against 16)picket but not strike 17)I am just as overwhelmed with work as the rest of the RN's, LPN's and NA's are. I do help pass meds, do dressing changes, take off orders, call the docs, wipe butts, get patients up, put them on the toilet, put them to bed. I am usually exhausted at the end of my shift but I do feel as though I did everything I possible could as one person. Last minute call offs stress me the most, I cannot replace staff on such short notice and I really hate to have to add more work to the reliable staff members who do show up.

GI bleed poop has to be the most gag inducing smell for me. Trauma, ICU, ER, Paramedic....usually the stuff in the field that you have no warning about is what shocks me the most. Jaw dropping, stare for 30 seconds stuff. Decapitations and guns to the head and face give me the willies for a week or so...complete with nightmares for a night or two. It takes a lot of showers to get rid of the smell of something that has been dead for a few days, same smell as those sores that need debrieded only bigger odor. That about covers it for me

I got page not found and I have what is required. Please dont frustrate me anymore