ibnrn

I retired from nursing a few years ago, and I have to say that I agree with everything you said. Nursing does, indeed, suck. I realized this in the last year of nursing school, but I felt I had already invested so much, I couldn't afford to get out. That being said, I would suggest that you try to find your "niche", or an area that you really enjoy. You may need to take some extra CE to qualify you for some other area. Sounds like you need to get out of floor nursing. Remember, there are few perfect jobs out there, but maybe you could find something that you enjoy which would help you take the bitter with the sweet. You are not alone in the way you feel.

I absolutely loathe "House" for many reasons, but the biggest is how he has chronic leg pain and they keep drumming it in that he's an "addict" because he needs pain medication. He's supposed to grin and bear the pain he suffers. That's all we need, with the myths about pain control which are rampant in our society. Also the episode where he does prenatal surgery was ludicrous. And I hate how the doctors fight and argue with one another in all the medical shows and have all kinds of conflicts. In my experience, most of them are supportive and will close ranks and defend each other in a heartbeat (oh that nurses would do that!). One of the more hilarious happenin's was on Seinfeld, when George had a red robin foley catheter taped to his nose as an NG tube! But...I have a guilty pleasure...I LOVE Scrubs. Especially Dr's Cox and Kelso, and the running argument between the internists and surgeons as to who's the best practitioner. Now, I have seen that happen!

I had to read the post a couple of times before I understood it. Taping 2 syringes together??? Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater...If one is THAT concerned about sticking the kid twice, how about using EMLA Cream? (Oh, I almost forgot...that costs $$ and that's what it's all about these days!) Congrats for standing up and doing the right thing when it was difficult. Don't let it erode your self confidence...YOU are in the right here and still a good clinician!:balloons:

" and I see the Nurses aides doing whatever they want when they want--" Oh, do I totally agree! I've seen that here in TX, too. And just let them be smokers...then they've GOT to have their breaks. Many times I have worked through lunch because these slugs won't even answer a light or get a patient some water, but no-o-o-o. Management acts as though they are afraid of them. And try to find one to ask them to do something. Good luck! :angryfire

We monitor patients for minimum of 30 minutes after their procedure and send them home. A "responsible adult" has to sign a paper that the patient will not be allowed to drive, make important decisions, or drink alcohol for 24 hrs. after the procedure. As far as what happens after the patient leaves, we have no control over that. If the patient has significant medical problems, we will sometimes keep them overnight; however, the bed situation at our hospital is so tight (only 33 inpatient beds) that we cannot always do this!

When I worked nights, I could only sleep 4 hrs, then my "mind" would wake up but body would be dog-tired. I would get physically ill (diarrhea, stomach cramps) on the night shift, about 4 am. I even tried taking Benadryl (again, 4 hrs sleep, then awake and felt like H-E-double Hockey Sticks!) If I had to work nights again, I would quit being a nurse and start flippin' hamburgers at Mikkey d's!!! Kudos to all you wonderful night owls who can do it!:)

Speaking of taped reports, years ago we were listening to an LVN who had a pronounced Texas twang give her report. The patient was an 80 year old man who had pneumonia which was caused by multiple organisms, but when the LVN gave the diagnosis, she said "pneumonia with multiple orgasms". We NEVER let her live that one down! :rotfl:

A sigmoidoscopy is visualization of the sigmoid colon only; in other words, the flexible tube is inserted up to the splenic flexure, or first major turn, in the bowel. At our institution, no sedation is used for this procedure. If you had a full colonoscopy, you would have (should have) been given sedation, to include drugs like Demerol, or Fentanyl, and Versed, for example, and you would have been lying on your left side with your knees drawn up, sort of fetal position, if you will. The assistant sometimes has to put pressure upward on the left side of your abdomen to prevent a loop from forming with the scope.

We do apply (L) abd pressure...mostly for the docs who are less skilled at 'scoping. When the GI doc does his scopes...no problemma! But the surgeons...now they are a different story. :chuckle