WillowNMe

I am interested in hearing what other hospitals use to communicate Code Blues. I did a search on AllNurses and found older conversations about overhead pages --- and those were from 2001! Currently, my hospital uses a pager system with an overhead page, "Code Blue Floor#". I am trying to find a couple of different systems to introduce to my managers that are quicker and more accurate.

I was a hospice nurse for a few years... but my grandmother just passed and did something that I have not seen before. First, she had a massive stroke a week ago. Initially she had a left ward gaze. Then this morning when I woke up, she had a right ward gaze. I have not seen a patient switch like that before. Any reason or cause? Also, a few breaths before she passed away, she did a really hard grimace - eyes shut and everything - then seemed to relax and pass away. I have not seen that before either... was it discomfort? She had not had any facial expressions at all since the stroke.

Would you recommend any over the others? PS -- are the summers down there super hot and humid??

We are considering the possibility of moving to the Fort Worth, TX area.... any recommendations of hospitals to check into? I currently work in an inner city hospital - Level 1 Trauma... Top Burn ICU in the midwest... I work in the CV-ICU and would be interested in continuing to work in ICU, moving into the OR or possibly the cath lab. Any suggestions appreciated :)

I have my full time job, and now I'm picking up for an agency. They are a travel agency, but I am on local contracts only... I make about $15 more an hour.

Just wanted to chip in about Regions... I graduated a year ago in May and was hired by Regions. So I have been on the unit for over a year, and there have been new grads that were hired after me. So I wouldn't shy away from applying, and so far I have really enjoyed working for them.

If you want to go into nursing, then go into nursing. I would just be open to the possibility of working nights - if that would be an instant "no" for you if you had to work overnights, I would suggest not going into nursing - or being willing to wait for a job (IE: year+) I took overnights because my FTE was higher. There are quite a few new grads that were put on evenings and a few on days. Not a direct question from you, but I do take sleeping aids to get to sleep on my nights off. I have tried numerous different medications and am currently on Trazodone. Regardless of day/night, I always sleep with the little blinders thing on, have to have it cool and have to have some sort of air flow. You get used to it.

Drug seekers or unpleasantly confused dementia pts that I can't get a sitter for.

It would be nice if there was... I work at a very large teaching hospital and they surprisingly do not offer any follow up. They do have follow up for the MDs, but not for the RNs. I had my first code a few weeks ago. Fortunately it was at the beginning of my overnight shift, so I was able to bug my charge nurse about it when I had questions.

I graduated last May, and due to the nursing economy in the Twin Cities, I was planning on moving. I looked into Alaska, Washington state, California, Texas and North Carolina. I ended up gunning for NC... come to think about, that all started about a year ago. I made two trips down there to do some networking, arranging housing for myself and my horse, scouted out the area a little bit... etc. Had everything planned - except for the part where I got offered a job up here in MN :) If you want to move, I would say go for it... I would just do some networking first.

I missed passing the second semester of patho by 2 points. It was the most difficult science class I had ever taken, with the lowest amount of points (200 total), which were based off of tests only. (Un)luckily for me, I'm not always the best test taker. Awesome. I told them immediately I would not be returning. I was done with nursing, definitely done with the school. Done. Done. Done. My mentor told me to take two weeks of not thinking about it, which I did. After that, I came to the conclusion that A.) I really wanted to be a nurse and B.) Because of how much my school cost and how much debt I was in, I had no choice but to continue with them. C.) I knew I was going to have to eat a whole bunch of humble pie. Still a pretty raw wound, two years later. It literally kicked me out of the nursing program, so I had to reapply, had to write letters, go in front of a board with my parents and mentor and do a couple back flips. Kidding, but it felt like it. When I was accepted, my financial chick said I had to stay full time in order to not repay on my student loans, so freaking $30,000 of added debt later (very, very raw point), I was able to re-enter the nursing program. I did try to make the most of it - I took Pharm, Medical Terminology... anything I felt would help me succeed in Patho. I had the privilege of helping teach some of the classes the first semester of Patho, as well... that way I could sit through the class again and pick up on stuff I might have missed, create a more solid base. I also did good for me classes - weight lifting, etc. - to help myself as well. I was also able to get a job as a CNA, which I think believed helped me even more then the classes - it gave me hands on skills and I was able to say after graduating that I maintained a full time job during school as well. In the end, I can still be very bitter about it at times... especially because the drama did not end there, unfortunately. To this day, I don't necessarily recommend my nursing program. BUT... it helped mold me into who I am today, and I don't think I'm too bad :) Plus because of my school, I was able to get the job I have today, which I absolutely love. Double edged sword, I guess. I always suggest have a pitty party for yourself, get over it, get ready to eat some humble pie, pull your big girl panties on and deal with it. I am so glad, now that I am passed school, boards, finding a job, etc. that I continued on my way. Really rough and bumpy road, but the end result is worth it.

I'd move to where you want to live. Something will come about - granted, it most likely will NOT be in the area of nursing you want... but it will be experience and can help you work towards your dream job. Besides, how do you know that you can't move to your dream city and not find your dream job? Don't know until you try... especially if you would be comfortable on one income.

:hug:

Not a funny reason, but I have never seen it labeled this way... had a pt that came in after trying to hang herself. Admitting diagnosis was embarrassed airway.

I had two jobs when I first graduated - one in hospice and one in an acute care setting. Both were 12 hour shifts and both were over nights. I told the hospice I would work one day a week (thinking like... Wednesday....) So they ended up putting one day at the end of one week, the other and the beginning (IE: Saturday and Sunday) and BY THE WAY we need you to pick up Friday. So it happened I think twice? I ended up working nine 12 hour overnight shifts in a row. Said no more after that. No more hospice, just the hospital now.