40thEditionRN

I remember getting to work and realizing it was my turn to float to another floor. Well, the floor they were trying to float me to was the STICU!!! I had zero ICU experience. My fellow nurses were split. I had many who supported my outrage, but just as many who were questioning why I didn't want to go. One even asked me, how do you expect to learn if you don't challenge yourself? I was dumbfounded. Who wants to learn by being thrown into the fire? I didn't care that they would supposedly give me the two patients with the least acuity: it was a completely different ball game. Luckily, another nurse who had floated there before agreed to go in my place when it became clear I would not be doing this. Totally unsafe, for me and my patients! OP, I hope things worked out for you! It blows my mind that nurses are being put in this position.

It'll be okay. We're only human. Just to make you feel better, I remember cooking dinner for my family one evening, cleaning up and then sitting on the couch. At 7:30pm, my phone rings and I see it's the hospital where I worked at the time. "You're on the schedule for tonight." Holy crap! I was completely taken by surprise, had no nap, and had to drive into the city for night shift. I felt like such an ***. The charge nurse needed to get report on all my patients until I got there. Ugh. I felt SO guilty. It sounds like you're contrite, and have a plan to make sure it doesn't happen again. That's all you need! Now give yourself a break!

I'm actually a nurse in Student Health. I always say I'm a "school nurse for big kids." Working as a nurse to college students is never dull, and the normal schedule is also a lifesaver.

Wow. That sounds like a lot to deal with, and I'm so sorry. My health improved dramatically when I left the bedside for a college health position. My migraines were through the roof, I wasn't sleeping between night shifts, and my blood pressure was stroke-level. I hope that your new treatment option works, and that you are able to either continue doing what you're currently doing with much less stress, or you find a more suitable position!

Just chiming in to say that I left a very busy floor position to take a nursing job at a university. Now, Mon through Fri has its own challenges. No more days off mid-week, and I use every weekend to cart my kids around to soccer and volleyball games, social events, etc, and catch up on all the things I couldn't do during the week. But I get summers off, great benefits (tuition assistance, for me and my kids), low-cost healthcare, major holidays off, and three weeks paid at Christmas. College students are a great patient population, you get to do a lot of talking and education. Yes, you do a lot of run of the mill stuff like colds, but you never know what's going to walk in. Just another area to consider! They'd love your ER experience, because you do have to triage.

It wasn't hard to pass in terms of knowledge. I did find the scenarios to be difficult technologically to move through. For instance, performing chest compressions at an adequate speed using your mouse??? Awkward. There were a few other computer issues that necessitated me doing some of the scenarios a few times. Frustrating, because I knew what I was doing! That being said, it's definitely doable. If you sign up for the online/hands-on class, be sure to actually do the online portion and pass it in advance of the skills portion. There was a guy who didn't do the online portion and wasn't allowed in to do the skills.

May I humbly suggest looking into college/university health centers as well? Different population, different needs, but fun! I left bedside for many reasons, including a sky high blood pressure, and I stumbled upon my current job. It has been a godsend for two years. I'm getting ready for a nice Thanksgiving break, and then I'm off from 12/15 - 1/2, with pay.

I work in college health. Some larger colleges/universities may have weekend/evening hours, but I do not. It's a great gig, great benefits, tuition assistance for myself and my kids after a few years. I work Monday through Friday, 9:30 - 5pm. We are counting down until winter break in 5 weeks, when we'll get two and a half PAID weeks off. Best move ever.

Late to this conversation, but I just wanted to pop in to scream AMEN!!!!

My right eye started itching after reading this post!

You'll get it, I promise! You may never turn out to be a vein whisperer, but you WILL successfully achieve IV insertion and blood draws. I'll never forget how mortified I was when I messed up an IV on a young man who literally had highways for veins. Big, beautiful, juicy veins. Fast forward to a few months later, I was helping some of my less-experienced co-workers get "hard sticks." You just need the practice.

It was worth it to me. I get the same base rate as I got at the hospital (day shift, that is), but my position here is part-time, so decent pay cut here. And yes, I might get a marginal raise at some point, but not anything you'd see in a good hospital. Still, I love it. I can breathe, don't have that AWFUL nightshift hangover anymore, don't have to miss kids' concerts, soccer games, parties. It is wonderful. Additionally, I am no longer spit at for hanging scheduled antibiotics at 2:00am, pushed by sundowners, called the c-word because I dared to flush an IV before and after administering Dilaudid, or asked to heat up the KFC gravy of a patient's spouse. I have reclaimed my humanity! :)

After doing bedside report, one of my patients stated, with a slightly lascivious grin, that he was thrilled I was to be his nurse that day. As soon as he said that, his roommate peeled back the partly closed curtain, popped his head out, and asked "Are you gonna be my nurse too? I hope so!" with the EXACT SAME grin.

"Saltines contain...little molecules of life." I have never had the pleasure of knowing Barb G. until today!

I'm back at it! I'm mostly a lurker, but have posted a few times. I absolutely LOVE hearing other nurses' experiences with the kiddos, even though my kiddos are mostly older and should (mostly) know better. (I work in the college health setting.) I've been back for a few weeks doing administrative stuff, but am now back to seeing students.