RNNoMore

I was born in England, so yes, English really is my native language...but I can't even begin to count how many times I've either a) had to put on a fake American accent to make certain words understood ('Fall' 'Respiratory' and 'Water' being the most common), or b) Have been asked if I am from France, Germany, Australia...what am I doing here and the most irritating 'when did you become a US Citizen' and then the insulting 'Why not' when I explain that I'm a Green Card holder and do not choose to take citizenship, (My home will always be England, the same as an American's home will always be the USA, and one day I will be hopefully spending equal time in both countries, or going back to live in England), and then the most offensive 'Don't you like it here?'...yes, I love this beautiful country but I also love my own country. (In my head I'm screaming "I'm proud to be English, the same as you are proud to be an American dammit! Why can't you understand that!" ...then, sadly, there are all the attempts by people to imitate a British accent, something that would be considered extremely offensive with any other 'foreign' accent...and it happens SO MUCH and it makes me cringe, but I have to pretend that it's original and funny. I've even been asked "When did you learn to speak English?" Gah...

I finally left nursing 4 years ago after experiencing severe burnout. I was only a nurse for around 8 years, but in that short space of time went from loving it (5 patients with a tech to help) to loathing it (7-8 acute care patients with no tech and the hospital giving the charge nurse a full load of patients so that they couldn't help either). 90% of our patients were either detoxing alcoholics (with associated hepatic encephalopathy, GI bleeds, end-stage cirrhosis), Uncontrolled hyperglycemia with insulin drips, other GI bleeds and related blood/platelet transfusions and preps for colonoscopy, suicide attempts/psych patients or dementia, not to mention at least 20% of our floor would be isolation. First my hospital started to increase patient loads, but they added video monitoring...then they got rid of the video montoring, increased patient loads more, then got rid of the unit secretaries and then sitters (unless for suicide watch), and then decided that 1 tech was sufficient for a floor of over 35 patients of extremely high acuity. Often we had no tech, or we would have to pull the tech we had to be a sitter, or float as a sitter to another unit. The hospital also decided to cut down on supplies so that every night we would have to scour other units for basic items like clean sheets, chucks and depends...that is if they were available...I often had to make my own chucks from an isolation gown with a couple of towels on top. I went from being able to really care for my patients...washing a homeless guys socks and underwear by hand, so they were clean for discharge...holding anxious patients hands and really listening to their fears instead of pretending to listen while worrying about how I was going to get the rest of my charting done...being able to clean up a patient and make them comfortable straight away, rather than having to have them lie in their own mess for 30 minutes while I ran to other floors looking for clean sheets and waiting desperately for someone to have the time to help me lift and turn safely...making sure that my end of life patients never died alone...to running around in and out of patients rooms making promises that I could never keep. Bed Alarms going off 30 seconds after I left my patients room to get them pain meds, or my phone going off to tell me that a bed alarm was going off...in fact, bed alarms were going off at a rate of 20-40 times AN HOUR because almost every one of our patients were confused, detoxing or on Golytely prep and that was just the rate for my 7-8 patients, let alone the rest of the floor. And every other nurse on the unit was running at the same pace...no-one could either ask for or expect help from anyone else because we were all living the same hell. So what did my hospital do? Falls were of course increasing...it is not physically possible to run to every one of those bed alarms and still do any actual nursing tasks. Patients were complaining because help was not available for turning, toileting...pain meds were late...heck ALL meds were late because a bed alarm going off is only secondary to a code blue in urgency. And forget about bed baths or showers or brushing teeth. So my hospital, in it's wisdom decided to start punishing the nurses. First "If a bed alarm goes off you MUST stop what you are doing and run to it". That of course conflicted with the "No interruptions are to be allowed when getting or giving medications", Then "Any falls will be followed up with a hearing and disciplinary action", and finally...because by now we were all staying behind at least 2 hours after the end of shift to START our charting (not just catch up) "If you clock out more than 10 minutes after the end of your shift you will be subject to disciplinary action", so we started clocking out and then doing our charting unpaid..."That is against the law and you cannot do that" Anyway, like you I was crying, having nightmares, deep depression, taking pills to stay awake, pills to sleep, living off chocolate bars because no-one had time for a lunch break...One day I quit. Just quit, no notice at all. It was terrifying and guilt-ridden, but it was the best decision I have ever made. When my nursing license expired 18 months later I opened a bottle of Champagne and celebrated. I feel human again, I feel positivity and joy again, I have love and time to give to my family and others again. I actually have a life again, and boy did I miss that! No regrets.

Haven't had any VIP's - but quite a few 'FFP's' (Frequent Flyer Princesses/Princes)... my latest a couple of weeks ago pulled the following stunts... "Can you photocopy all 45 of my Winnie-the-Pooh coloring sheets so I can color with my roommate" (She was 26 years old and lived with her Fiancee). I refused, but she kept coming out of her room and bugging everyone at the nurses station until someone photocopied them for her "I don't care if the Doc wants me on strict bedrest, I'm going out to smoke and you can't stop me" (She was possibly going into organ rejection)....Oh, and if I didn't answer the call light within 30 seconds she would come out to the Nurse's station to find me. "If you have some free time, can I do your hair - I have my straightener with me" She also stayed up (coloring & giggling) with her Fiancee until 0400 am EVERY night, despite being in a shared room and then 'requested' that she should NOT be woken up for vital signs or 2nd assessment until at least 0900 because she wanted to sleep in (I get off shift at 0730....) She drove me crazy for the 4 nights I had her, my other patients suffered because she was so demanding of my time (She would even enter other Patient's rooms to come and find me whenever she wanted something) and I was so far behind on my charting that I ended up working 2-3 hours overtime every shift I had her Paint.

Thanks for all your replies and advice - sorry it took so long to reply, but the morning after clinicals we had an exam, which I bombed - and that's the first time I've ever got less than an A in an exam. I was so tired, my brain just wouldn't function - but it was a hard exam, and most of the other students did badly as well, it's not the end of the world. Anyway, it took me a couple of days to recover from the shock of that.... Anyway, another student brought the subject up with our instructor, and although she didn't give us any extra time, it turns out that we only needed to do one patho paper, not two, so that's a little better. We were only assigned 1 patient again as there seems to be a patient shortage at the moment - but I was still up until midnight getting paperwork done. I think it will get better as I get more practice - my meds database is building up, and one of the students came up with the idea of reading information off the charts out loud and taping it, so you could get home quicker to get on with the paperwork - it's confidential because you only have to refer to each patient as 'A' or 'B' etc. If I can manage to streamline things so that I can be in bed by 11pm at the very latest, I can settle for that. If it gets worse though - then I will bring it up with my instructor again. Thanks, Paint.

I'm not sure if I should discuss this with our nursing coordinator - would like some input from you guys... Last semester we were assigned 2 patients per clinical day, and did not have to hand in our paperwork, care-plans etc., until the following week. This semester we are going to be assigned up to 4 patients per clinical day. We cannot 'Pick up our Patient' from the hospital until after 4pm the evening before clinicals, and we have to hand in ALL our paperwork the following day. For our 1st patient we have to fill out (by hand) 2 sheets of patient info, research all meds, research all unusual lab values, write 2 pathology papers, then write a careplan for EACH pathology (each careplan requires 1 nursing diagnosis, 2 outcomes, 4 interventions, 4 evaluations). For the rest of our patients we have to write short-form care-plans, research labs and research all meds. This is working out at around 20 to 27 pages of paperwork that has to be done in a single evening....as well as travelling to & from the hospital to copy info from patient charts, which means that most of us don't even get to start on the paperwork until we get home from the hospital at around 7 or 8pm. Now last week, we were only assigned 1 patient because there was some sort of misunderstanding, and my clinical instructor was sick - but doing all the paperwork for just 1 patient took me around 6 hours. I finally got to bed at 1am - luckily clinicals were cancelled because the instructor was sick, but otherwise I would have had to get up at 4.30am. I just cannot see how we can get all this paperwork done in one evening, if it takes me until 1am to do just one patient, how am I going to manage with 4? I am really, really concerned about this - I'm the type who really needs at least 7 hours sleep, or I get headaches, fall asleep while driving, cannot concentrate etc., I am very concerned that this will be a big risk to both my safety and the safety of my patients if I am having to work through the night. I had heard from 2nd year students that sometimes they don't even get to bed at all the night before clinicals - but I had assumed they were just exaggerating! Do you think I should bring this up with my instructor? Are there any tips that would make the paperwork get done faster? I have already started to make drug cards on my computer, so I can just print those out - but I don't have many drugs on there yet, so at the moment it's not much help. Thanks, Paint.

Ugh! I hate dishonesty, in any form - and it's even worse from people who are going to be put in positions of trust! You did the right thing. Let's face it - if they are having to cheat to pass exams, then they are not willing or able to actually learn the stuff....they would end up being very dangerous 'nurses' and when people's lives are at stake, and one little mistake can sometimes mean the difference between life & death, then that's a terrible thing! Paint.

The biggest comfort is knowing that once you have that degree, there are many, many opportunities. Nursing doesn't necessarily mean working in a hospital for 12 hour shifts. There are workplace nurses, school nurses, home care, teaching, preventative care, complementary medicines, legal nurses (who advise lawyers on certain cases). In England, I trained to be a Clinical Aromatherapist - highly trained complementary therapists who are allowed to work in hospitals and who often have practices attached to Doctors clinics. Because there is government legislation in process to regulate the education and qualification of Aromatherapists, Doctors can safely refer patients with the confidence that their patients will be in the care of a professionally trained therapist. Sadly, this is not the case here in the USA, where there are still many, many 'quacks' and 'con artists' around to deceive a naive public Even though I cannot legally practise as a 'Clinical Aromatherapist' over here, it may be a possibility if I have the extra credentials of a Nursing Degree. That is what I would really love to do - it's just going to take several years and more money to do what I was already qualified to do back in England LOL! Best wishes, Paint.

Originally Posted by mariedoreen "And ORTHORN: thank you for that piece of advice about not letting nursing school consume you. I basically allowed my pre-reqs to consume me for years because I had to have a GPA as close to a 4.00 as possible in order to make it into a program. But now I'm here and while I intend to study hard and do my best, I also intend to try and maintain some semblance of balance in my life. (Those of you who've already been through school can quit laughing now)". Absolutely - me too, got straight A's for all my pre-req's, but drove my family crazy and didn't have a life. I'm straightening out my priorities for nursing school. I read the 'Seven Habits of Highly Effective People' halfway through my last pre-req, and it was like a shot to the head. I realised I had turned into a monster!! Since then, I've been really thinking about 1 or 2 important things I can do for/with each member of my family (including the dogs & myself) each week, and trying my best to make them a priority. At the end of the week, I can look back and NOT feel guilty for a change LOL! Am I having second thoughts about nursing school - a big YES, but I'm trying to ignore those thoughts. Problem is, this isn't my choice (nursing school), it was sort of decided for me by family and by results of various tests to try and find me the ideal career LOL! I'm just going with the flow - willing to give it a try, because I might suprise myself. I've certainly been trying hard to be optimistic about the whole thing, to concentrate on the good things it will mean for us, to get excited and inspired by it - however, the deep, gut feeling I get whenever I think about actually being a nurse is still DREAD I'm already dreaming about retirement LOL! In some ways, it's empowering & comforting - because if for any reason I can't complete the course, I won't be devastated, because this is not my dream. (I may be very relieved!). However, I am going to try my best and make it succeed - for the love of my family, Love often means doing things you don't want to and MY dreams can wait a while. Best wishes, Paint.

Hi Diane, I am planning into continuing my studies after the ADN too, because there are so much more job choices for those with higher qualifications. I was very interested to find out that you can go straight from ADN to Masters degree too, and many are online courses, which makes it easier if you are working. I'm planning to see how I do with my RN - if I get good grades (and am not completely burnt out by then LOL!), I might consider this route instead of RN to BsN. Best wishes, Lynda

Hi John/Terry - I've seen some of your other posts and also see that you are/have been a mentor for PPCC nursing students. Nice to hear from you :) Diane, Happy 4th July!! We are probably going to celebrate down at Memorial Park later on - provided the thunderstorms hold off. The girls are looking forward to the fireworks, but we get some raised eyebrows when people notice our British accents LOL! It's all good fun though, and we've celebrated every year since we've been here :) I met the daughter of one of your friends yesterday, at my LPN friend's wedding - I didn't get her name, but she's from the Phillipines and has an adorable little daughter, around 4 years old, that was playing with my Linsey all afternoon. Unfortunately, I didn't get the change to chat with her much. I got an A in my micro exam - had to be more luck than knowledge LOL! I am now working like a trooper for the next 3 days to get a presentation ready for next week. Hubby and I are on temporary desks (mine is a folding card table LOL!) in the study, studying together and it's working out just fine so far (don't really like his taste in music though - he's going to have to get headphones!). I can't wait until our proper desks arrive. I'm trying to solve the patch problem by adding them to every washload I do - they don't run much at all, and I figure that if I wash them enough, then they'll stop running and I'll be able to sew them on. I hate sewing velcro, and trying to sew it round the curved end of the patches seems like it could be a bit tricky, so I'm planning on sewing them straight on my tops (if they stop running). Well, have a wonderful 4th July! Best wishes, Lynda

Hi John/Terry - I've seen some of your other posts and also see that you are/have been a mentor for PPCC nursing students. Nice to hear from you :) Diane, Happy 4th July!! We are probably going to celebrate down at Memorial Park later on - provided the thunderstorms hold off. The girls are looking forward to the fireworks, but we get some raised eyebrows when people notice our British accents LOL! It's all good fun though, and we've celebrated every year since we've been here :) I met the daughter of one of your friends yesterday, at my LPN friend's wedding - I didn't get her name, but she's from the Phillipines and has an adorable little daughter, around 4 years old, that was playing with my Linsey all afternoon. Unfortunately, I didn't get the change to chat with her much. I got an A in my micro exam - had to be more luck than knowledge LOL! I am now working like a trooper for the next 3 days to get a presentation ready for next week. Hubby and I are on temporary desks (mine is a folding card table LOL!) in the study, studying together and it's working out just fine so far (don't really like his taste in music though - he's going to have to get headphones!). I can't wait until our proper desks arrive. I'm trying to solve the patch problem by adding them to every washload I do - they don't run much at all, and I figure that if I wash them enough, then they'll stop running and I'll be able to sew them on. I hate sewing velcro, and trying to sew it round the curved end of the patches seems like it could be a bit tricky, so I'm planning on sewing them straight on my tops (if they stop running). Well, have a wonderful 4th July! Best wishes, Lynda

Hi Diane, I got an e-mail back from the instructor about the patches: apparently they do run in the wash, and that is why they suggest the velcro - but you can just get a couple of patches and swop them from top to top if you use velcro too, She said to sew it right round the edges, which will be a bit fiddly, and they have to be positioned about 2" down from the shoulder seam of the left arm, so I'm glad I asked, because I would have put them on the front LOL! I am pretty sure I've seen the gait belts in the bookstore. I'd forgotten I needed one of those too - thanks for reminding me! My micro exam was one of the hardest I've ever done I think I probably still got a B, but if I did it was more luck than knowledge! I will know for sure tomorrow. Lots of yukky metabolism and chemistry questions (not my strong point!). I'm going to take a break tomorrow and take the girls out - maybe a picnic somewhere, and get some fresh air & sunshine :) Well, it's very late (nearly midnight), so I'm off to bed now. Hope you have a good day tomorrow :) Lynda

Hi there! I'm British and live in Colorado Springs, and am just starting the nursing course at Pikes Peak Community College. We have been in the USA for just over 4 years now. Originally my husband came in on an L1 visa, and the kids and I were on L2 visas. The whole green-card process was a nightmare (at least they don't check you for lice anymore, although it feels like it ). Even though we were provided with an immigration attorney up in Illinois, by my husbands company, it took almost 3 years for our green cards to come through. However, I could legally work before that, as I was issued with a work permit, but I'm not sure how you go about getting one....consulting an attorney is a good idea, but immigration is an expensive business if you're going to get the attorney to do everything for you (the company paid for us, so it wasn't a problem). Sorry I couldn't help more (but I do know where to get Branston Pickle LOL!), Best wishes, Paint.

Hi! I'm glad you had such a lovely birthday! I studied until 2am last Tuesday night, so that I could have Wednesday off and take the kids to JoyRides. We had a great day - weather was hot & sunny, the kids had fun, and then we met up with my husband after work and had dinner out. I passed my CPR course yesterday, it was fun & interesting, but a long day. I got home and hubby wanted to go shopping for new desks for the study (part of our plan to study together is to get that room sorted out before hubby starts his Master's degree in just over a weeks time), so off we went to Oak Express, where there were some nice desks - but none in stock, so then we looked in Office Max, then we got hungry so went to TGI Fridays for dinner, then off down to American Furniture Warehouse where we found beautiful desks that we fell in love with - but again, none in stock. Still, we ordered 2, and will just have to wait. We can still sort the study out, and he can use an old kitchen table until the new desks arrive. We might have to get some extra bookcases too. I can't wait to be able to do my college work on my lovely new desk - the one I'm using at the moment is in my 'painting room' upstairs, and has no drawers, so it gets very cluttered up with pens & papers all the time, and I have no more room in my bookcases or cupboards up here, so all my college papers, files and books are piled up all over the floor (I have a little pathway to my desk LOL!). It will be nice to get this room sorted out for just my hobbies again. The best thing will be being able to study together, instead of us spending every evening in separate parts of the house :) We can take it in turns to make cups of tea LOL! I have midterm exams next week, and am hoping that things will quieten down somewhat after that and I can start enjoying the summer a bit more with the girls. My plans of only studying on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer have gone a bit awry so far... I e-mailed the first-year tutor about the patches, to try and find out if they run in the wash, and if there is a specific place she wants them to be attached. The ones I got from the bookstore were iron-on versions, but I don't think the glue would be strong enough to survive many washes. They were quite expensive too, nearly $4 each, so I'm wondering if that is why they recommend velcro - so people only have to buy 1 patch and swop it round from uniform to uniform? Take care, we will have to get together for a coffee soon :) Lynda.

I used them for my uniforms and had very good service. Paint.