SalishRN

If a pt requests pain medication, then they SHOULD be given pain medication. I have educated pt that they have the right to refuse a procedure if they feel they will not be able to tolerate the pain/discomfort. I assure they also know some Drs will be frustrated by their choice and they run the risk of not getting a very needed procedure. However, I have never seen a bone marrow biopsy not done because a pt refused one without pain needs. The Drs will prescribe pain medication if the pt/nurse are persistent. That is the right thing to do. All pt experience pain differently. It is not ok to say most pts don't need pain meeds, so this pt doesn't either. Also...to the previous poster I feel 6 pts on an oncology floor is too many. I would NOT work in a hospital like that. We need to DEMAND appropriate pt/nurse ratios.

I do agree that it is the law, not a trend. I guess I would say the trend is, that it seems to be enforced more nowadays. I am thankful to be a nurse at a facilty who is allowed to come in and prep for my shift as I see fit. I really hope that does not change for me.

I always arrive 30 mins early to work to thoroughly read through my charts. I would say half of the nurses I work with do this. This is our decision to do this and we would never ask/expect to be paid for this. I would be very upset if coming in early to review pt charts were disallowed. I see that not allowing nurses to come in 30 mins early may be becoming a trend nation wide. I hope my hospital does not get on that band wagon.

Yes, I always use a filter when when drawing up meds from an ampule.

I would definitely go get some written information from an authority to draw labs on children. And head Start is a fabulous program. I know many, many children who have been to Head Start and the program was instrumental in their early academic success. I am thankful that you are working there and are so conscientious to go the extra mile to help these children. Yeah! Let's hear it for Head Start! And the hard working nurses who help assess the health of these children.

I agree with one2gofst. The labor laws should be followed. However, nursing as it exists in many places is not given the opportunity to prep for a shift. From the moment of the beginning of shift it is expected that we will gather our pt histories, pt medications due, review labs, the md's clinical notes for the day, etc, etc. Then go provide pt care using the necessary info we've just gathered. Yeah, sure, in a perfect world. However, that is not the reality because the work load we are given is too demanding and does not permit the 10 to 20 minutes needed to plan for pt care. Management knows this but does not care. It often is not about pt care but how much work can we get out of these nurses with the least impact to the bottom line. What we need to do is be active in discussions, negotiations, legislation so that we can create a reasonable work environment.

I love the dogs!

Okay wait a minute here Flying ICU RN. You state the safe nursing does not come with planning but comes with prioritazation. How do you prioritize without a plan? Someone collapsing in front of you without a kardex is not the same as planning to prioritize your pt care. Thank goodness my hospital has never said we cannot come early. All of night shift on my floor comes in 1/2hr early to review MD notes, nursing notes, H&P, etc. I would be VERY upset if they said we could not do this anymore. I feel nurses get the shaft too often. And then they expect us to provide flawless pt care. When we are actually not really given the room in which to do this, yet it is still expected, end of story.

The paycheck and the health insurance are the ONLY ONLY ONLY reason I go to work.

Thank you all for posting your thoughts. It really does help to know that I am not the only one that has this issue of wanting, pleading to stay home. Thank you cecilsgirl for adding some perspective. Even though I work BMT it is easy to lose sight of things to be thankful for. I do believe that everyone is correct when they say that it is harder to go ba k to work after 11 days off. It probably would be easier to go into work if I worked more frequently. But the thought of that also has me pulling my hair out. Please note that even though I don't want to go to work, am I a very good nurse when I am at work. Also I plan to work on this BMT floor for the next 25 years until I am 65. So I'd better find some way to accept the plain fact...I HAVE to work.

I am a nurse at a BMT unit. I have worked here for 11 years. I work 3 12 hr night shifts in a row then have 11 shifts off. That is my schedule ... 3 12 hrs shifts on. 11days off. My problem is I am burnt on on working. Not necessarily on being a nurse. Just working. I hope I don't sound like a whiner. I just want to stay home and be a mom and a housewife. It is so hard to leave home. I know this is totally unreasonable. I have to work. Everyone in the world has to work. But in my lizard brain I cannot let go of the, " oh I don't want to go to work". I have actually called in sick so often I think am am starting to get a bad reputation. This makes work even more difficult. Part of the difficulty of me not wanting to go to work is: 1. Nursing is all policy and procedure. I feel as if I don't get it all or don't remember it all. Ecspecially working partime. Plus so many things change at my unit feel don't know all the changes from week to week. And I feel like I should know more than i do as I am a senior nurse. Knowing what to do for a crashing pt is getting more difficult for me, not easier. Grrr...why is this? 2. I am having a hard time dealing with difficult patients. Whether they be mean, demanding, rude or whiny. I just can't effectively handle them any more with out gritting my teeth and screaming silently in my head. Patients family members can alsobemore than I can deal with. It did not used to be like this, but it is now. 3. I want to stay home Does anyone else HAVE to drag themselves to work because they have no choice to not work? Changing jobs is not the answer. Where else am I going to get this schedule with no weekends and no holidays required to work, No where that's the truth. Besides it's not this job that frustrates me it's any job. I keep telling myself in today's job market I'm LUCKY to have a good job. Plus I provide the health insurance for my family. How do you make yourself go to work? Or are you like most of my co workers and going to work is easy, no problem. I wish that were me.