workingspaz

A job it is and take it if you must. But former new grad that was in your shoes, my experience was bad. And the director wasn't kidding when they said 8:1. It was routine. Don't get me wrong; I learned alot in the hairy five months I was at the position. Mostly how NOT to do things, how to worry an ulcer into being and how to slipshod care for patients. But also got enough experience under my belt as an ADN to apply at a better facility close to home where I could refine my practice and actually provide quality care to the people for whom I am responsible. I do not envy you your decision; best of luck.

3 total cares, turn 2 (1 that had RRT'd the prev night) 2 AMS, actively crawling OOB (1 that had fallen during stay) 2 DVT (1 with tach HR 150+ just hanging in bed & active SOB- can we say poss PE?) And I came from a facility that routinely assigned 8 or 9, but these guys were VERY sick. I'd had most of them the night before and barely held it together safely with 5. There are nights that 7 is safely doable; not that night, in my opinion.

:mad:Jeers- to the charge nurse that made my assignment. To the other charge nurse that stared at me like I had grown a second head when I stated "This is unsafe", refused to take any of my patients, and offered the only alternative to the situation as "You can give one of your patients to another nurse, but you'll have to take the first admission." Hello?!?! What part of 'unsafe' sailed past cranial nerve eight? :jester:CHEERS- to the unit sup acting as house sup that night, that acknowledged my concerns; assured me it was okay; offered SEVERAL potental solutions. For getting another nurse to relieve our floor (The RN's had 7, LVN 6). And for reinforcing that once staff start throwing around legitimate "unsafe" concerns, that admissions don't keep coming! You shut the floor down!! I am forever grateful for your excellent leadership skills!! :redbeathe

ditto canes- i'm no spring chicken and would be interested in financial planning. i've been very lucky so far to have all 3 of my degrees paid for by work. recently i've been considering msn with a dual mba, but not so excited about the potential pricetag (25k)...as many prev posters have stated to the OP pay the first degree significantly down prior to jumping back into the debt ocean. advice from someone who swam in debt r/t my husband getting ill. best of luck

Disclaimer: This is a general rant about my crappy night, and any generalizations made are just that: GENERALIZATIONS. This is my statement of fact: I respect ALL of my colleagues that strive for professional, courteous and safe practice, whatever your discipline. Who the H*#% does ER think they are????????? Seriously? Charting that "report given to a nurse via fax. Pt condition disclosed and all questions answered" @ 2130, then the pt arriving at 2133 when I've just gotten the fax and called to question orders? How frickin' safe is that???? Or legal? Add to the fact that the room wasn't clean, and us medsurge peeps are just asking for you to hold the pt for 5 or 10 mins tll the room is clean with the floors dry so we are all safe in transferring the flailing combative confused person from stretcher to bed? Could it be so hard? Or the fact that you answer the phone to my request pt is already on your floor we're not taking em back. Is it safe for me to keep this combative person just hanging in the hallway with transporter and spouse (on a walker)// staring at me running around prepping the room??? We're all in the same healthcare boat together- Let's not crap in our beds and be crappier to each other while we're at it! I know mgmt is pushing for ever loftier goals of "NO WAIT!" And more service than care oriented. Satisfaction scores? Seriously? We're a HOSPITAL, not a resort! When does it go from expedient transfer of care to DUMP JOB? Wait- I got it. I will transfer there so i don't have to be on the receiving end. Rant over. (PS- Again, ER you guys rock, but this one episode just latched onto my chest and wouldn't go away)

Wow- that's the highest comlpliment I've recently received from a fellow colleague. Thanks for recognizing our unique challenges- I bet you are a great nurse to work with, having insight..... Can you bottle it up and send it to some of the management??? THANK YOU!!! ps- and a hearty thank YOU for working in the day time around doctors writing crazy orders, multidisciplanary team members yanking your pt's off the floor, breakfast, lunch and dinner and the neverending stream of family members that just hang in the room and smile as g'ma pulls out her NG tube. Kudos to my day colleagues.

i disagree for BSN as minimum standard for education requirement; i've observed both new adn and bsn educated interns and the bsn looks a little lost when it comes to hands on down and dirty nursing (bath, poop patrol, iv's, catheters, adl's) versus the adn nurse this was the meat and potatoes of their clinical experiences. in my area the bsn nurses "shadow" their working nurses to "watch and learn". the adn's shadow to "learn and do". i think continuing from adn to bsn is strongly advised, but from what i've seen it shouldn't be the standard. even as far as professionalism, i've seen many an adn that had classier manners and professionalism compared to some bsn's.... perhaps the kicker for me today, was giving vaccines in a retail setting. my name tag read clearly : Name, RN. the lady i'm giving a shot to says she used to work for the CDC regulating the production of vaccines against MMR, smallpox etc. She looks at me and asks, so what do you have to do to be able to give shots? Are you a CNA? Seriously??? talk about burned biscuits... 2 yrs science prereqs and 2 yrs nursing plus a board exam via the state....... No, I just picked my license up out of a crackerjack box and slept at a Holiday Inn Express :madface:

sometimes it's not about the license but about the brains. i've worked with some RN's that made me cringe and wonder- what were they thinking????? and then i've been care for MA's that couldn't help me for squat.... so- live & let live and try to share the knowledge to better our colleagues, for we're all in this healthcareboat together, right?

as per previous posters and a former student that was NAILED by a nurse that even the staff knew and called her "the Nazi", head down, do the assignments, seek a mentor instructor in the form of those you may have already had and just hang in there. funny enough my nazi-***** instructor happened into a retail facility where i am giving vaccines and just totally ignored me. WOOHOO! just have confidence in yourself and when you need help seek out supportive instructors as you can. good luck- it's only for about 4 months

good for you- it's a hard thing to assess for suicidal ideation and abuse; awkward. keep up the good work! chalk this one up to learning, and see previous post LaughingRN mentioned about plan. i wasn't there, i don't know your situation but before initiating precautions here's an idea of what I ask: Are you here because you tried to hurt yourself? Have you though about it? (if yes) Have you thought about a plan, or how would you take action on your thoughts? Let the md or anyone else say whatever they like; it's YOUR license if rounding 2 hours later you find them hurt or worse, DEAD and could have prevented it. It's one of the National Patient Safety Goals, outreach to suicidal patients. listen to your gut.

based on my experience with this job market APPLY NOW! if things progress to the point you are offered a position or the discussion comes up about any extenuating circumstances to your employment, then is the time to bring up sis' wedding. last year i went from may-september before landing a job... just my advice, do what you will. Welcome to nursing!

are we sure this isn't troll fodder?

Great question! I'm currently in pursuit of my online BSN and my online instructor ( who is a lawyer and a nurse) did a great job of explaining Good Samaritan. Her example was a medsurge nurse on her way in to work notices a car accident and pulls over to render aid. She notices pt having breathing problems and opens pt airway with chin thrust and remains until EMS arrive, then hands over care. Ultimately the pt suffers a bad outcome and sues everyone. The nurse is not held liable because she acted as a prudent nurse within her scope and performed CPR, stayed w/ pt then turned care over. The second scenario is same RN, who watched some medical show and sees the accident thinking "This is my chance to shine", notices the troubled breathing, proceeds to yank out a pen and wings an in the field trach placement. Pt dies of crushed larynx, family sues; family wins because it is outside her scope of practice and not what a prudent nurse would have done. I hope the scenario helps place some perspective on GS and the protections we're afforded.

When I have problems trying to scan my finger, I clean it with an alcohol swab and 100% of the time get an immediate read after doing so.... Maybe when you get an error try this trick and pass it on? Let me know if it works? Also, we are very lucky to have a gel dispenser right in front of the door to the medroom. I usually have a tendency to gel in and out of there, so I know my hands are relatively clean.

yeah. they are legit (the "M" co.) a great way to get practice as a newbie, and decent pay. signed back up for a second season and are looking forward to it!!