NorthER,RN

You're not rambling Nicmac- just thinking out loud and trying to find a place for yourself after all of the hard work that has gone into your career. I hope that you don't mind if I put my 2 cents in here . Did you have a favourite instructor/professor at the college/university where you got your degree - would you consider contacting them for a lunch meeting (people usually are more chatty when there is food involved). I was thinking that perhaps someone from outside of the system of hospital nursing can help you to find your place - or at least give you some new ideas to consider. Have you thought about working as a sales rep, or perhaps you could just go through the specialty nursing forums here on Allnurses and see if there is any place that looks interesting. Perhaps you could start reading nursing journals from the library at your old college to see if there is something that interests you - informatics certainly is changing the face of nursing and there are conventions every year in the US and Canada about computers in nursing. I have found that a smaller hospital has actually given me a lot more freedom - I work ICU/ER - we are all able to switch shifts and we cover for each other - especially when we feel a bit hard done by - I don't care too much about working weekends - no husband or kids - but for those who do, we swap off - and no words from management or staffing when we do - they know that they would have really big problems if they did make a comment.... I wish you all the best - it sounds as though you really tried to make a go of nursing - take heart. There is a place out there for you! :icon_hug: Rae

hi. i just need a chance to vent - and to hear what other nurses have to say. i have been working in a small rural hospital in northern bc. i love the place and really enjoy the work in the er - have learned a lot, work with great staff, get all the overtime i could ask for, have a nice place to live, etc... i came here a year ago and thought that i would end up retiring here - yep, that nice - and quite a change for someone who has never lived at one address for longer than 3 years! the job was a maternity leave placement - and the contract for it ended on august 2. since i began the job almost a year ago the don has promised that she would create or find a full time permanent position for me. for the first 6 months i didn't stress too much about it, but then each time that i saw her i began to ask what was happening, and of course the answer was always just what i wanted to hear... and then i asked for a new contract in writing - or at least evidence that there would be a permanent job to post for... nothing. it was as though i had left the planet. so i looked around and applied for another position and got it - it's just an awesome job doing flight nursing in the north - the far north. my written contract in the er came to an end on august 2nd - and i called to say that regardless of the 16 shifts that i had been booked for in august that i would not be able to work after the 2nd - if anything happened in the er any lawyer in the world would want to know why i was working if there wasn't even a contract between the hospital and myself. holy moly! so now, because i basically blackmailed them, i have a letter extending my contract until into september, and a job in the er has been posted - but it's only another 6 month position. now i really feel that i have done my part to stay by encouraging my boss and her boss to find a way to keep me here as was promised! (we are ssssoooo short nurses - great if you want the big paycheques, but we are ssssssssooooo tired) but another 6 months of messing around trying to get into a permanent full time position is just going to make me even nuttier than i am right now - i haven't been sleeping well, i've been sad about leaving, and maybe a bit distressed about being lied to. so now i need to prepare for the flight nursing position, pack and move on with my life and my don is annoyed because she feels that she has worked hard to keep me here. i guess that the moral of this story for those people like myself who believe what they are promised when they accept a position is: if anyone promises you something that you really think is important - especially when you first accept a job - get it in writing! no matter how nice the person is, how you're afraid that it might make you appear "pushy", and how concerned you are about offending the person making the promise, get it in writing. lesson learned and now i am off into the wild blue yonder - older and wiser.

Thanks ERNurse - it's a saying that often comes to mind when I'm trying to do several very important things at once (chest compressions, suctioning, bagging - you know) and someone asks when the doctor is going to see them about that toenail that's been bothering them for 5 weeks and they're going on holidays today and why can't they get any help - yep nothing like a little chuckle to help us through the day, right?

How about: A lack of planning and foresight on your part does not necessarily constitute an Emergency on our part. :rotfl:

Hi Dave, Like you I used to have a lot of compassion for drunks - particularly those in their teens, early 20's. I work in a rural setting in a small hospital, and we all agree that without ETOH we would likely not have very much work at all. Between the young girls who drink too much and can't stop vomiting to incredible violence (we have a guy we had to vent last night because he had been so badly beaten by his drunk relative - had his pelvis fractured and a collapsed lung among the long list of injuries). We can call the police to take them to cells if they are stable, but mostly I tend to keep them around until they can walk - if they are in their teens I usually call family to pick them up - if the family member is sober enough to come and get them. However, now I am very quick to get them into adult diapers - I just got tired of cleaning up urine. Some nurses won't bother - they say that they want the people to go home in urine soaked clothes - as if that's going to stop them the next time they have money and access to ETOH. Some docs don't order IV's but I usually push for them - the young ones generally don't need thiamine or multivites - the older ones do. If they do aspirate I want a line in - and these days it isn't just ETOH it's usually some chemicals too.... I find that I am much more brisk with them than I am with others who come in looking for a bit of help - I really don't need to listen to the excuses. We have cards with the number of AA on them and I give those out when I discharge them - other nurses can't be bothered it seems. The ones that I have the hardest time of all with are the older women - my mom was an alcoholic and I find that I kind of freeze up. It's such a shame. So Dave, all I've done is share my feelings of distress - when you were the one looking for help. I guess that I just don't know. Guess they have to reach the bottom and make their own decisions, and in the mean time we just patch them up and send them back out - maybe they'll figure it out. We do our best to provide the emergent care that they need - and the rest is up to them. All the best Rae

Thank you Bijou - you are too kind. I had the worst preceptor in the world - she asked for a student nurse to precept because "the work was too much for one person alone". She yelled at patients (this was on a spinal cord trauma ward) and was not very nice at all. Remember, there is always something to learn - even if it is how not to do something. Now I try to encourage all of those around me - some find it strange, but I know that we all have our challenges in life. I believe that you nursing students and first year grads are so strong just to have come this far. You know and do as much as family doctors did in the 60's. You may cry when you get home. You may rage at the cruelty of the world. But in the place that you work, you make a terrific difference, just by being calm and human. Any kindness and compassion that you have for those who are in your care will blossom. What I love about these forums is that we all come here to know that we are not alone in the struggle to provide compassionate, competent care. Rae

Hi Trish, I believe that your age and your calmness will actually help you to become a fine ER nurse. I graduated when I was 45, and have trained and worked in a lot of areas since then (I'm now 50). I now work ER and I find that my calm manner helps people, both those that I work with and those that I care for, to also take a deep breath and just deal with the situation. Because of what you have experienced in your life you may find that you have a bit more compassion and understanding for those around you - it may not show up right away as you deal with the stresses of the new job, but your patients will see it. Please don't let those nurses who graduated 20 years ago scare you - sure they've seen a lot, but you are there because as an adult you made up your mind to work hard and get there. Your knowledge is current, and you will likely be more interested in increasing your knowledge by reading journals and asking questions. No one expects you to know everything. And remember, most of what shows up in ER is not an actual emergent problem - and any of the really exciting stuff will be taken over by the more experienced nurses. Just watch and learn - take courses such as ENPC, PALS, ACLS, TNCC as they happen, and enjoy. All the very best, Rae

Hello again - I just thought that I would toss this thread back into the mix. I have gotten the job that I wanted in Yellowknife, in the North West Territories - yep, I will be freezing my behind off in the frozen North. I have accepted a flight nurse position - love to fly, love the critical care, love having to be resourceful, and it sounds as though there is a lot of training in this position. So, if there is anyone who has lived where the permafrost is, please let me know of your experiences. Actually the weather in Yellowknife today is warmer and sunnier than where I am on the west coast!

Hi. I'm currently working in BC and thinking of moving to Yellowknife or to one of the nursing stations in NWT. I'm looking for someone who is working in the NWT to answer some questions for me - about the hospital in Yellowknife, the stresses and strains, the good parts of living in a northern community, the cost of living, and so forth. If you've got any stories to share, I'd love to hear them, .

I have learned that a call to the doc at 0300 will not get you the same quality of response as one at 1500. I have learned that when the fan is covered in faeces and the doc has not responded in an appropriate manner (maybe because it is 0300) that the doc will direct the fan away from him/her self (do you think that it might be at the nurse?). I have learned that no matter how many tattoos and piercings a person might have that stitches and IM's will always elicit whimpers - no matter the skill or level of freezing. I have learned that a night in ER that does not involve stabbings and drunks and general craziness can revert back to zoo status just by someone saying, "Gee, it sure is QUIET tonight". I have learned that I work with really great nurses and docs in our little hospital and that no matter what or how many come through the door that we will all do our best - and that is a great thing to know.

I work ER now and nothing really seems to gross me out - and granted it's not nice to see CSF or brains or blood or pus or vomit or feces, but hey, it just doesn't trouble me - I just focus on the job at hand. But- you know the old joke that about "I'm not being bothered by the sight of blood- unless it's my own"? Had bilateral arthroscopies done 10 days ago - was out walking last Saturday and a large quantity of synovial fluid started to drain from one of the wounds -in public, while I was wearing shorts - now that grossed me out.

I came back from Saudi Arabia 7 months ago - and actually you don't need to be Muslim to work in the Middle East. Try www.medhunters.com to look for some jobs - I know that King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh is offering improved wages and hire on bonuses as they are quite desperate for western RNs. There are jobs in Dubai, however the more lucrative work is in Saudi Arabia. Try Helen Ziegler again - send off your resume - they want 2 years of experience in your specialty and they are more impressed by larger urban hospitals than smaller rural centres. I really enjoyed my time in Saudi, and made some very good friends. The job wasn't a great fit for me, however I do consider returning from time to time -

Hi Papaya, I wonder if you might like to just give them a phone call - and find out if there are any other hold ups that you need to address. They're all finished with this years registration stuff (we register every year for March 1). Why not let them know that your job is waiting for you and your registration (which may or may not be a slight exaggeration) and, if all else fails, take a drive across the border and come and visit them. They do respond well to people dropping by. Good luck.

If you're planning on working in British Columbia, you're already on track Abdominal - when the RNABC gets your paper work they will advise you on any concerns - I know that staff that have come here with a diploma in nursing rather than a degree may not have enough maternal/paeds experience - perhaps with your degree you will meet the requirements - they'll let you know. I hope that you get a chance to email the staff at healthmatch and let them know that you've got questions and that you're in the process of licensing with the RNABC - the Canadian requirements and exam are actually a standard across all of the provinces, although we do have to register with in the province that you work. While you're waiting for your registration and getting your visa and stuff together hopefully you'll be working in Australia and getting more experience. I hope that the staff at the Canadian embassy/consulate in Australia have been helpful about what is required for immigration.I sure wish you all of the best. Study hard and finish up well at home, maybe work for a while where you are comfortable and think about a future here in beautiful BC.

Hello! Thank you for considering Canada - I think that you will find that the hospital in Victoria has a lot of vacancies and that they will go to great lengths to help you out in emigrating to Canada. You could go to www.healthmatchbc.org and have a look at the vacancies and then contact the staff at healthmatch to see what the hospital will offer to support you in this new environment. I know that the vacancies all request experience, however we are very short of nurses and I think that you will find that you are quite welcome, especially with the LPN experience behind you. On my return to Canada from Saudi I spoke with Donna at healthmatch and she found me work in Emerg (which I really wanted) even though I am a CCU / ICU nurse with no experience in ER. My new hospital went out of their way to provide me with a solid basis to do my job well - and I know that Donna worked hard to find me every thing on my wish list! I know that it is a big jump to come to a new country, so I hope that you know that you will be welcome. If you're looking for more information, please feel free to pm me,