NewEastCoastRN

One good thing about nursing is that even if it isn't right for you, it is a great stepping stone to other areas. I realized that nursing wasn't really for me, and I just finished my first year of law school. I plan on specializing in health care l...

I will keep this short and sweet because I am exhausted :) Yes, I am burned out for all of the reasons outlined above plus some, and that is why I am leaving the profession. Perhaps I am just not strong or selfless enough to put up with it, but to ...

A glass of Pinot Noir works everytime for me... Nothin' like watching the DVR with a glass of wine at 8am to help me unwind!

I have to say I disagree with the poster above. I think practicing while working as a nurse assistant is a great way to learn assessment skills. And think of all of the great opportunities you have to fit assessments into your daily routine - durin...

I am applying to start law school this coming Fall. I am just finishing up my MSN/MBA. I am hoping to do something in health care policy.

I understand your frustration, but this topic has been covered exhaustively (is that even a word? my mind gets fuzzy at 4:30 a.m.). If you do a search of this topic I am sure that you will come up with hundreds of stories like yours and all of the ...

Haha, I love that! I had a patient the other day tell me to take the smirk off of my face. That was definitely a first, since I am known for being the nurse who is always smiling I didn't take it too personally.

Whenever I have to take care of a patient like that, I deal with it by thinking of myself as an "actress" for the day. My "role" is to be a good nurse to that patient, no matter how I feel personally. I need to think this way because I have a tende...

I had the exact same experience. When I was only 19 years old, I developed severe GERD and had laryngospasms all the time. I would go to the ER or to my primary doc and they thought I was crazy/overreacting/attention-seaking. Then finally I went t...

I have found that Aveeno is the only lotion that works for me. I also have very dry hands with cracking/bleeding. I use the Daily Moisturizing Lotion during the day and the thick stuff in the tub at night (well, day since I work nights :nuke: ).

SCRN1 really sums up my thoughts on the night shift perfectly. All shifts are hard for various reasons, and he/she really highlighted what the night shift entails. One aspect of working nights that I am getting sick of is not being able to sleep at...

I agree that it gets to a point where you just need to let them make their own decisions. I am also a tele nurse, and I can't tell you how many times people sneak fluids when they are on strict fluid restrictions. If we have told them repeatedly th...

yes, we have the same policy. every patient has to have a peripheral line. unfortunately, this can mean the test is delayed for those with poor access.

I am so sorry that this happened to you. I really recommend that you consult an attorney to figure out your legal options. This all seems a little too fishy...

There was recently a thread about this subject. However, something rubs me the wrong way about the title of your thread. I know that people can do "stupid" things, but a lot of times errors result from the conditions in which we work. Are you curr...

Recently, one of my coworkers was admitted to our hospital. She had a rough time because the nurses assumed that she just wanted to be left alone and would let them know if something was wrong. They didn't even give her anything to wash up with - w...

I definitely remember what it was like when I first started nursing school. I went to the #1 party school in the nation, and I remember the Friday and Saturday nights when my classmates and I would call each other and complain about how pathetic we ...

I once had a patient with a bp of 230/130. Gave him 30mg of Nifedipine. Checked it 30 minutes later - 60/palp!!!!! I about had a heart attack. He was nonresponsive, bradycardic, etc... It ended up that he had some type of disorder that we didn'...

They are letting me cut my holiday short and work the day after Christmas. Does that count???

:yeahthat:

There is no need to feel guilty if you are sick, especially when you are giving them adequate notice. I hope you feel better!

I think that the most curteous thing to do is to call out the night before, especially if an on-call system is in place. I work permanent nights, and if I think that there is any possibility of me calling out, I will do it in the early morning just ...

I was just like you 3 years ago. I moved to Baltimore from the midwest by myself and started at Hopkins. I say go for it. Financially, it is very do-able. If you have enough guts to even consider moving here by yourself, you can handle it. Messa...

I just had a conversation with one of my neighbors this morning about his recently hospitalized mother. He was telling me about how he feels like he needs to watch her like a hawk when she is in the hospital because of all the medication errors he s...

I think that one reason that my defensive side tends to flare up is because I DO somehow associate what they are saying with my own nursing care. I think this is because I want to give each patient the best possible care all the time, but my practic...