Daysleeper

Well....I e-mailed my nurse manager to let her know of my intentions to resign and that I didn't feel I needed to return to the floor since I was still on orientation. She wrote back and actually sounded sincere when she said she was sorry it didn't work out. She asked me if there was anything I had to say about my orientation and I have a whole lot I plan to share with her! I am going in tomorrow to officially resign. I hope I am making the right decision. It has been a relief knowing that I don't have to go back. I am praying I find another job soon!

The home health agency I worked for back in Virginia is in trouble too from what I hear. They are hospital based and the hospital just dumped a ton of money into the agency to try and get profits up. They have been losing money for years and I hear that if they don't get start making money then they are going to cut the department. It's a shame too because they have the highest employee AND patient satisfaction rates in the entire facility (98% for patient satisfaction!). Good luck with your job search. I am searching too but out of choice--I took an inpatient job and HATE it. I want home health or private duty. I can't take the hospital environment anymore--it's awful!

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm going in to see my manager tomorrow after talking with the "Employee Retention Coordinator" for the second time in the last 2 weeks. (Can you believe they have a full time person with that title? Hmmm . . .makes you wonder doesn't it?). Knowing my manger she'll tell me just to hit the road. She is a whacko--reason #568 of why I am leaving!!!

I have HAD IT with my new job. I have been a nurse for 9 years and recently moved to a new state. I had to (very sadly) resign from my dream job as a home health nurse back in Virginia. I LOVED home health nursing. It was my passion, my niche in nursing. Unfortunately when we moved I had to find a job quickly and was rushed into making a decision to take a job on a surgical oncology floor. I have been there for about a month and have been on the floor in orientation for 5 weeks. I have 2 weeks of orientation to go....but I am ready to quit NOW! I hate it. I hate the politics of it all. The last straw was being told on Wednesday that we had to use a standardized form to give and receive report and if we choose not to "there will be consequences" and "you will be written up". WHAT THE HECK? Because I choose to write report in a way that makes sense to me--and you're going to write me up because I don't use your complicated check list? They also have a "compliance board" in the lounge and they write nurses names on the board in big red letters if they are not compliant on something on their chart audits! Hello? Are we back in kindergarten??? Those are just small things in a string of bad events on this unit. I am leaving this hospital and never returning. I have already gotten several job leads with some local home health, hospice and private duty agencies. I never want to work in the hospital setting again. Anyway------my question is, do you think it's necessary for me to give a 2 weeks notice? Technically it will be a waste of money to the hospital for them to pay me for 2 more weeks of orientation. Next week is a week long classroom based surgical intensive and then I have 2 more days on the floor with my preceptor. If I quit now they will not be out a nurse on any shift--and it will save them money. What do you all think? I don't want to burn bridges at this hospital because you never know what may happen . . . but I don't think I can take another day there. If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

I am a home health nurse and am having a lot of problems with a patient's ostomy. I have spoken with 2 physicians today (and the weekend girl spoke with one yesterday) and have also consulted 2 different wound care nurses with no luck. Patient is an 80 year old male with hx of rectal ca. He had an ileostomy performed over 6 weeks ago. We have had an ongoing problem with leakage and some macerated skin under the flange from the beginning due to the shape and position of the stoma. However, he was doing well as long as the appliance was changed every other day. Then he got his latest round of chemo (5FU). So now in addition to the leakage problem, we are dealing with massive amounts of diarrhea and sloughing skin. The top layer of skin surrounding the stoma has peeled off and is extremely excoriated. He has a lot of pain anytime the area if touched. I was at his home for 2 hours this morning and had to change the appliance twice due to leakage. I have tried Tegaderm, duoderm, ostomy paste, powder, no sting skin barrier (cavilon), and mastisol. Nothing is working! It is not just a little leaking out either, it is large amounts. In fact, this afternoon I stopped to check on him and the bedpad under him was soaked with diarrhea that had leaked out. The longest he has gone with no leaks is approx 6-8 hours. We are starting him on Lomotil today so hopefully that will help. Does anyone have any suggestions? The ostomy paste and other things are starting to burn now because of the excoriation. I wish he could go without the bag for a while and try to use some type of cream on the site (we use Greer's Goo at our hospital) but the diarrhea is just too much it would be a mess! Surgeon isn't planning to reverse him until the end of the month at the earliest. However, his oncologist told me this morning that he may have to hold off on his next round of chemo until after the reversal. Please help!!!!!! Laura

Wow--when I started visiting this site, I was still a "daysleeper"--working night shift on the Oncology Floor. Part of my decision to transfer to Home Health was because of the posts here! Anyway . . . about my day today. 9:30 Called my first patient (who is a long time friend of my in-laws) and she agreed to me visiting at 10 today. 10:00 Saw first patient, drew Protime/INR, then ended up sitting and chatting with her and her (very talkative) husband for a half an hour about "the good old days." (Good thing I'm not busy today!!) 11:00 On to patient #2. I love this little fella. Since I opened him for care back in November, he has had an MI, has been diagnosed with CHF and now has a MRSA+ wound on his leg. Took photos and measurements of wound today, wound care, etc. 12:00 To the office. The hospital my agency is through treated everyone to pizza today for lunch. I was happy--I was starving and didn't want to take a break to go out for lunch. 1:00-4:00 Charting, phone calls, etc. Also reviewed charts for every patient in my caseload (10). (Guess what happens next week? JCAHO survey! Woo hoo!) 4:30 Home at last. A few more phone calls and I am done for the day. I like "easy" days like today! I love this job and have never been able to say that about any job before!

I have worked 12 hour nights for 3 years. I HATE doing 3 in a row, BUT it's better than doing one on, one off, two on, etc. If you are going to work nights, you really need more than one night off in between shifts becauseon that one day off, you are too tired to do anything! Straight nights is tough on your body, but it is better than rotating back and forth days to nights. You body never gets straight doing that!

When I started work 4 years ago, my employer gave NO DIFFERENTIAL for off shifts, and NO HOLIDAY pay! Don't know why in the world I chose to work there. We now get 10% extra for evening shift, 15% for night shift with an addtional 10% on top of that for the weekend (Friday 11pm to Monday 7am). So I don't mind working night shift weekends for about $5 more per hour! And we get time and a half for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. What do all you nurses out there get as far as shift differentials?

When I started work 4 years ago, my employer gave NO DIFFERENTIAL for off shifts, and NO HOLIDAY pay! Don't know why in the world I chose to work there. We now get 10% extra for evening shift, 15% for night shift with an addtional 10% on top of that for the weekend (Friday 11pm to Monday 7am). So I don't mind working night shift weekends for about $5 more per hour! And we get time and a half for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. What do all you nurses out there get as far as shift differentials?

My gyn is relocating and I am devastated! He is the kindest most gentle physician I have ever seen. He's not bad on the eyes either! :)

My gyn is relocating and I am devastated! He is the kindest most gentle physician I have ever seen. He's not bad on the eyes either! :)

I've been an inpatient oncology nurse for 4 years. The worst thing I ever saw was in my first year of nursing. The patient had some type of gynecological cancer and had fistulas throughout the lady partsl/urinary/rectal area. Due to poor living conditions, she presented to the hospital with maggots infesting her vulvular area. She was admitted for terminal care and the doctor told us that it would cause more pain to try and get rid of the maggots than to just leave them there. It was AWFUL. The saddest thing I ever experienced was a 30 year old who believed in faith healings and was convinced that his testicular cancer was cured. He could have been saved with another round of chemo and the doctor made several phone calls and mailed several letters to his home to convince him of that but in the end, he refused and died a few months later, leaving a wife and one year old behind.