goldilocksrn

I don't know about any of you, but I am a generation Xer, and my philosophy regarding nursing is this: I am going to have to take a load of crap being a hospital nurse, and the crap is pretty much the same at every hospital. Why not make more money and get more for me while taking this crap? I have sadly come to the realization that money talks, and since we as nurses have none, it will take someone very important dying and one of us to blame it on before something will be done to remedy this situation. Right now, the CHW hospital is allowing people to leave in droves rather than pay their nurses what their worth and staff them safely. They are making all of these plans to expand since they shut the only other hospital in town down (Tenet by the way)and we got NONE of their nurses. What they don't understand is that they can't expand with LESS staff. (Unless they plan on forcing us to take on even MORE patients, which will make more of us quit) I just don't get it. They need more bedside nurses in management!!!

Two things I have seen so far have really grossed me out: one is a lady who was found down in her home. She had a open wound to her abdomen that she wasn't taking care of, and when you would touch it (I wouldn't) maggots would fall out. We would have to flush it with saline, and they would just pore into the basin. Let me just say that I couldn't eat rice for a long time! The other one was this lady that had PID. I escorted the MD with the pelvic exam, and when he pull the swab, it had a ton of slimy, smelly green stuff on it. The MD vomited, and I had to stick my head out of the window for some air! Seriously, how do these people walk around with those kind of smells? The MD and I wondered to each other how the husband could even go there without losing it.

Just remember this: We can't always please everyone, and some people are never pleased. When I have upset patients, I try to resolve issues with as much dignity and respect as I can give them. I, in turn, demand the same respect. If they insult me in any way I graciously inform them that such behavior is unacceptable, and if they don't like the facility or my nursing care, they can write a letter to the CEO or check themselves out AMA (since their big complaint is that they take better care of themselves at home)I find that most people calm down after that, and those that don't do not see me unless absolutely necessary, and I tell them so. We are a hot commodity, us hospital nurses, and should be treated as such. I refused to be treated disrespectfully and if my managers don't like it, then it is time for them to roll up their sleeves for some of that patient care they say they know so much about.

Salary is very important, so I discuss it in my interviews. I usually save it for the end, when they ask me if I have any questions. I merely point out that I need to be making "x" amount of dollars to pay the bills, and make it clear that salary is not the deciding factor for me in any job hunt. As far as those dumb med tests, don't sweat it. Remember your formula like this: Available divided by want. Ex: Dr.Screwball orders 15mg of Demerol IM. You have 100mg/ml available. How many cc's do you administer? Want: 15mg Available:100mg/ml 15mg.1ml__ = 0.15ml 100mg Dr. Crackpot orders 1000cc of lactated ringer's solution to be infused over 4 hours. How many cc's an hour do you set the pump? 1000cc/4hrs=250cc/hr Dr Imahog decides he wants you to use 60gtts/cc tubing for his IVF. If your IVF is running at 50cc/hr, how many drops a minute are infusing? 60gtts. 50cc. 1 hr = 50gtts/min 1 cc 1 hr 60 min Oh, the joys of new jobs and med tests!!! Good luck!

I have recently applied for a public health position for the county I live in and have been accepted for an interview. I was wondering if anyone would/could give me advice as to how to prepare-what kind of questions I can expect to be asked, etc? How can I make a good impression?

I don't know about any of you, but I am SICK of whiny nurses who complain all day, but when the opportunity arises to stand up and make a difference about what they are whining about, they sit back and keep their mouths shut. We had an opportunity to make some changes at our hospital, but we couldn't get the participation from a good number of staff on our unit. How do we get these stick-in-the-mud nurses to stand up and fight for what they are entitled to?

I always keep trach and vent patient's cuffs DEFLATED unless they are eating or at risk for aspiration. From what I am understanding, the more time that a cuff is inflated, the less protective it becomes when needed.

I want to stay positive, so I thought I would give you some hard learned advice: 1) Do not think you can go to administration and they will listen to YOU. If you have any hope of them listening to you, your entire UNIT must call a meeting with them and discuss issues with more than one voice stressing what is important. 2)Do not try and make things better by sticking your head on the chopping block for the sake of the unit. Chances are, your fellow nursing staff will not back you, but insist you are the instigator. 3) Do not say ANYTHING to anyone about anyone else that you do not expect to get back to the person you are talking about. 4) Listen to that little annoying voice inside you that says, "something just doesn't feel right." 5) Say no if a task or assignment is just too much for you no matter how you feel others will view you. I could think of many more, but you get the point. These are some things I've learned by being burned. Hope it doesn't happen to you.

I wonder if it is do able.... Any lawyers out there? Can't we as nurse sue hospitals for mental anguish, unsafe conditions, something to get attention? In the wake of the million nurse march, I think nurses should file a class action lawsuit against the major chains, CHW, tenet, etc. and charge them with neglect or something. Even if we couldn't win, oh what publicity it could get us.

I must say that I applaud your optimism and hope that you may hold onto it for years to come. I myself had this mentality that I could burst out into the profession and make a difference. It didn't take long for the real world of nursing to set in. People don't want to hear your insights and solutions on how to fix nursing. The truth is, administration and management know the problems, as well as possible solutions. They just aren't willing to put out the time, money, and effort to fix a bad situation. This negativity is coming from the true "bedside" nurse, who is out there in the trenches on the floor, taking 7 to 10 admits a shift with no help and supervisors breathing down your neck. Chances are, the more positive nurses are those that do not have a bedside position or do so parttime. Think about it, you give 110%, 12-16hrs a day, don't take breaks, are physically and mentally exhausted at the end of the day, and your supervisors are STILL not happy with you. When you do this day after day-you can't help but feel angry, disappointed, saddened. I don't think we are trying to scare people away, but this is just the way nursing is today. And most of us are not only just venting, we are participating in the million nurse march. We do stand up for patients everyday. We cannot say these things at work, for we are labeled "troublemaker" and "nurse with a bad attitude". All I want is to be able to care for my patients safely, and be able to eat and pee within a reasonable amount of time.I think you need to be forewarned and watch what you say and how you say it at work. I really do wish you luck. I hope you can make a difference. I am trying, but in the meantime, I will continue to vent.......

I am concerned for those that are leaving nursing for teaching and teaching for nursing. They are truly frighteningly similar. You can't get the appropriate services for you customers/students/patients, you have too many patients/students, the pay isn't too hot for a college graduate, no reimbursement for educational requirements. I see this as leaving one bad profession for another. [This message has been edited by goldilocksrn (edited January 11, 2001).]

You want to make a difference still? Write some of what you posted here to every congressperson, talk show host and news station you can think of. Let them know why after 21 years of dedicated service, you must leave nursing. You can still make it better for that frightened patient out there.....

I think that before we improve our working conditions, the mentality of a lot of the nurses we work with must change. I had an incident yesterday where a nurse went and told on me to management because she thought I was unfairly influencing staff in a vote we were having. ( we are a severely short staffed hospital where we were being paid 8hrs of reg pay and 4hrs of time 1/2 for 12 hr shift. pay is $6 hr less than other hospitals in the area.) We were voting to prevent the hospital from taking away 2 hrs of our overtime on our 12hr shift = to a $300 a month pay cut. If we didn't agree, we would be forced to go back to 8hr shifts again. We voted for 8 hrs shifts (which the hospital can't staff, which meant we could keep our money)Since the hospital can't even staff us now, they would have to keep us on 12 hr shifts with all of our pay. This particular RN blamed me for "getting" staff to vote this way and told on me, she said I was being very "negative". This nurse was supposed to be my friend, and she did this. I mean, all we were doing was trying to stand up for ourselves and keep the money we were working so hard for. She was mad because SHE didn't want to work 8 hr shifts(neither do I) She didn't get that we were making a stand to management that losing this money was unacceptable. I see her behavior as selfish and undermining something that would benefit everyone. Why do we as nurses do this to one another?

Let me just say congrats on your hard work. Let me also say that I hope you can keep this positive attitude. This negativity is why you must keep this positive attitue. Due to our working conditions, nurses (myself included) are at times angry, sad, and frustrated and have no place else to vent. This is a much better place to vent than at work where the patients are. They don't need to hear this. Anyway, I go to work with a positive attitude that I will help at least one person today, and I usually do.....

I love being a nurse. It is very rewarding for the mostpart. However, I have read that you are leaving teaching due to low pay, and politics. I must warn you that nurses are now fighting over these very things. Our pay isn't very good, and the politics that go on at most facilities is terrible. I am sure that taking care of a child with CHD is very hard, and coming home from work after a 12 or 16 without dinner or use of a bathroom may make that more difficult. On the flipside-hospital nursing is not necessarily what you have to do. You could be a school nurse, home care, work in a doctor's office. All I am saying is that I am sure you went into teaching with altruistic intentions, as did I into nursing. I just wanted you to know that maybe what you saw in all those hospitals and offices was a frustrated nurse putting on a happy face for her patients, because that is what they deserve. I want you to be well informed before making a major change. Good luck in whatever you decide.