kbear1729

Thanks for all the advice. I do work 12s which helps but I spend a good part of my next day asleep. I talked to my husband and we agreed maybe I can cut my hours back a bit once we get back on our feet. I think just knowing that's an option will help me through. I know there are so many more who have it way tougher than me so I feel silly whining but as nurses, I think we carry a lot more baggage with our jobs than some other do. Thanks for the kind words. I really do appreciate it.

I needed to hear that thank you. I carry the benefits so its just not an option right now but maybe when my husband gets his.

Full time night shift nurse on a very busy med/surg/onc floor. I have a 10 month old baby girl. It was a hard adjustment going back after 10 weeks and I'm still struggling. I want to be home with my baby and cry in my car on my way in every shift due to guilt. I find that I'm starting to resent my job for taking me away from her, I know this is ridiculous yes. I do love being a nurse and I feel like I take good care of my patients but my heart is elsewhere. And lets just say my patience for arrogant disrespectful surgeons is fading fast. Stay at home mom is not an option. Working mommas please, tell me it gets easier. I need help getting over this hump.

hi fellow nurses! I am 32, I was dx with invasive DC in July (stage 1) BRCA 2pos, had double mast, reconstructive surgery (x2!) and on my 3rd AC chemo treatment. Had a miscarriage in May, right before my dx. Was working on BUSY and very stressful med surg floor handling 7-10 patients overnight. Made my first med error am after I got dx and decided for pt safety to take personal leave until my surgery- was not willing to hurt someone due to my distraction. I didnt harm anyone, brought my mistake to everyone's attention, and mostly felt terrible. They gave me a coaching form and put a notation that I was having personal health issues at the time. I have been cleared to rtw after december 1st, as i will only be on taxol then, and will try to get my old job back in January--I have kept a good relationship with the sv and ed director (who actually came to my surgery!). The hard thing is I was only on the job 7 months (graduated in December 2010) and had just started to get my wings. I am terrified to go back, the med error and the cancer dx really shattered me and my confidence. I know I need to jump back in, was wondering if anyone has any tips on rtw after a crisis like this? I am seeing a counselor next week to try and work through coping skills to handle all of this. Any advice is much appreciated.

Hi all, I am hoping a fellow nurse with cancer can give me some advice. I just found out I have invasive ductal carcinoma and will require single or double mastectomy within 4-6 weeks. I am 32 years old. This just on the heels of a miscarriage 2 months ago. Just got my license in February and work 12hour night shifts on a BUSY med-surg floor-handling up to 10 patients (?!?!?!). It is difficult to handle my job stress even under the best circumstances. I was thinking of asking for leave prior to my surgery. I just can't handle the pressure right now, and need to care for myself. Luckily, I have a very supportive family who can contribute financially while I am not feeling up to work. I told my sv the day I found out. I didn't find her to be all that supportive, and I am not eligible for FMLA since I haven't been with the hospital for a year. Meeting with HR on Monday to do disability paperwork. Desk duty is not an option for my job. Any advice is appreciated. I am wondering if anyone else with this level of workload found it was better to take leave after dx, and what my rights are.

I appreciate all the good feedback here. I think this is one of the most frustrating things about being new is that there is different advice depending on who you ask. I just need to learn to operate "in the grey" and I think next time I will just play it safe and give the doc a heads up.

thanks mappers. I appreciate the advice!

Hi all, I'm new to allnurses.com, and a new nurse working nights on a med-surg floor with only 2 months experience. I was hoping to get some advice. I had a patient who was admitted with pneumonia yesterday morning and had a temp of 100 on admission. Around midnight when I started he was up to 103. All other VS stable, being treated with IV antibiotics, and doc had ordered blood culture on his admission, awaiting results. He was c/o a headache, so my thought was to give him Percocet as was ordered prn for pain and that would bring his temp down. I went to one of my colleagues, as I am still on orientation, and explained the situation and my reasoning. She advised me not to wake the doc for his temp bc he was running temps when he came in, cultures were ordered, and standing order for perc. This made sense to me-as a temp w/ pneumonia is expected and really what else could he have ordered? I administered the perc and his temp was down to 101 within an hour. I know everyone has different practices about calling a doc in the middle of the night, but I just wanted to get some feedback on whether this should warrant a call to the MD. Pt was comfortable, not diaphoretic, taking PO fluids. Any feedback is appreciated.