RxOnly

I have several legitimate reasons for not getting a flu shot, but it's not about me. I want to focus on the patient and not about my own reasons. Unfortunately many of my patients are a little nosey sometimes which makes that difficult.

Thanks for this- that was the point of my question: what to say to turn it back to the patient because it's not about me. I might try adding your quote to my usual script.

For those of you that elect not to receive the Flu vaccine, how do you respond to those nosey patients who ask "Did YOU get a Flu shot this year?" ...I don't feel like I should have to lie and say yes, but I don't want to cause a great debate. They would usually ask while I was giving them the injection- I feel like all of our patients at the clinic asked me that last year and I fumbled with answers. This year I'm pregnant and don't want to hear it!

I think I know what hospital you are talking about! One that recently changed ownership?? If it's the one I'm thinking of then you made a great choice!

@CapeCodMermaid, if you mean you're in management, I'd be glad to have you as my boss any day. I find myself "liking" a lot of your posts on this site (we have similar opinions!) Are you in LTC? I think a lot of nurses overlook LTC because of all the stigma that the not-so-good facilities have. Where abouts is your place? I may be able to send a great nurse your way!!

I don't know if it's a regional thing, but south of Boston the kids call them "Johnny's" or "Johnny Rottens" Neurontin is one of the most abused non-controlled substances around here. One night shift, I even heard a guy sharing a recipe for a "Southie Cocktail" which involved peeling open several Neurontin caps and pouring the powder into a can of Redbull. What the heck!? Neurontin will give you a buzz at a high enough dosage, and it will also increase the effects of opiates (by some chemical reaction in the brain that I can't quite recall). I used to call it Vitamin G (for Gabapentin) because the doc's prescribed it for EVERYTHING... I had guys say they were on it for seizures, mood disorders, anxiety, headaches, nerve pain, sleep, the list goes on. And about you ignoring the girl who raised her hand and yelled "Tylenol!" GOOD JOB! I know we're nurses and are supposed to take care of patients, but part of taking care of them is promoting independence and self care. So, if she can walk and talk there is no reason she can't sit up and say "Nurse, do you mind grabbing me some Tylenol?" I used to call our nurses' station the "fish bowl" because it was surrounded by plexi-glass windows. Patients used to knock and point at me, then make sign language about that they wanted (meds, a sandwich, whatever) ...I used to magically turn blind when that happened until they appeared at the nice wide doorway to the station where they had plenty of room to make their requests.

I'll repost it if one of the admins don't switch it over! They're usually good about that stuff :)

Girl, I could have written the same post. When I worked detox on the night shift, I was lucky enough to at least have another nurse to back me up. I never tolerated shouting or demands. My response was always "I have doctor's orders that I have to abide by. I apologize, but I can't stray from them for anyone." or "Excuse me, I haven't cursed at you and I'd appreciate the same courtesy. I am a professional and would like to be treated as such" or "I expect to be treated with the same respect that I give you" And then, I would DOCUMENT MY BUTT OFF. Every swear, every derrogatory word they'd say and what my polite but firm response was. Another thing I'd do is get clarification from the MD about what meds can be given together. I used to have patients scream at me for both Tylenol and Motrin together. The order didn't specify if they could be given together or not, so I had my nurse manager get it clarified since it seemed like every nurse did it differently. Same with benadryl and melatonin for sleep. It seemed like when I got in at 11pm there was a line at the nurse's station for benadryl. I had enough to worry about with new admissions and scheduled meds. Finally nurse manager and Doc decided that they could choose either one or the other with their 10pm PRN meds. After all, they are there to detox- not take alternative mood altering meds. One thing that SOMETIMES helped me was when I told the patients "We don't want you to suffer, but unfortunately detox isn't pain-free. We're trying to help you learn to live without these meds." ...if they persisted, I'd tell them "If you lay down and honestly try to sleep for 45 minutes, I'll give you a dose of (insert name of whatever PRN sleep med is ordered), but I really need you to try it first." PM me anytime... I could vent about working detox for days...

The New Grads I know in MA got jobs in the following areas: Pediatric office (two RNs) Methadone Clinic (one RN) Detox facility (three RNs and two LPNs) "Adult Day Care" (LPN) Home Health (one RN and one LPN) Something they all had in common is that they applied for hospital jobs knowing their chances were slimmer, but graciously accepted whatever offers came their way and made the best of it. Times are tough. It sucks and all we can do is pray for change. I'm in Southeasten MA. I used to work at the Detox facility I mentioned. My manager actively sought new grads because she felt they were eager and easy to train (we also didn't pay much). One of the new RNs put in her time and got a job on the detox unit of the local VA hospital. Now she's making twice as much and has more opportunity to transfer. Notice none of these are hospitals? My hope is that everyone finds that dream hospital job, but any nursing experience is better than no nursing experience!

This. Sometimes you just "know" ...do you remember any of the nurses on those floors? Was there an especially welcoming unit? Go with that one. And congrats on being brand new with so many choices!!

It's definitely proper to send one after the interview, just like you did (might have helped you stand out and get the job! congrats!). It isn't necessary, in terms of etiquette, to send one after the offer, unless you feel like there is someone in particular that really affected the hiring manager's decision (in that case it's just a nice gesture to send one to that particular person) Hope that helps!!

I think your first thank you note was enough. Thank them again in person when you start training :) If you are REALLY itching to send another thank-you, I highly doubt they will rescind your offer due to over-enthusiasm :)

Everyone is different, but it seems like I always hear "Give it a good year to really get comfortable..." I may not be much help, but from reading your post I get the sense that you are a bright, diligent, conscientious person and that you are getting these tough assignments because your unit knows you can handle it :) Keep up the good work!

I'd have put $30 as well. Especially knowing people who have started at the same facility at the same rate, it's perfectly reasonable! Putting $36 might make someone in HR think "she expects top pay and we're looking for someone who will accept less" ...although you don't want to sell yourself short, with such a tight market you don't want to give them ANY reason not to hire you! Plus, that's just a ballpark figure. It just gives HR an idea of what kind of offer you are looking for. The number could still vary at the end.

I literally almost quit my FT nursing job at detox to work at Starbucks. Only reason I didn't is because the other interviewee had food service experience and she got hired over me! Luckily I've moved onto a M-F Internal Med clinic job which is fine for now, but If I could do it all again I'd have stayed away from nursing.