strength4unityRN

Hi Everyone. I was born with a hearing loss of 25-30% & I wear hearing aids. I can hear without them but they do help me hear 'everything' alot better. On my yearly work review I received good marks and that they were happy to have me on the unit but in the comment section it included my 'hearing impairment' Make sure I keep my bed alarms on, check IV pump alarms, patients doors are open, etc. So that my 'co- workers' aren't always being addressed by my co-workers. I do hear alarms & do address them. Now there have been alarms that I haven't heard but when brought to my attention I always address it. (bed alarms, pumps, etc) If I can't hear someone I ask them to repeat themselves to clarify what was said. I also tell people in person & over the phone I have a hearing loss. I have worked in the hospital for 20 years & worked in this particular hospital for a year. My hearing was never brought up in my in any of my reviews in previous places of employment. When I was in the interview hiring process of this hospital I told them I had a hearing loss. What do you think of my hearing loss being included in my eval?

Scanning meds can catch errors & has helped prevent med errors but scanning isn't always 100% going to catch all errors. I have had computers go down, barcode won't scan, scanner stop working, EMR decided to reboot. Very annoying. Especially if it's a pressor & the patient needs it now. Get in the habit of looking at your meds before you give them. Look once & look again. Does what I have in my hand match what the order says? Remember your 5 rights. Right med, right dose, right route, right time, right patient.

You have a right to be uncomfortable if you weren’t I would be worried. I am afraid this is happening to hospitals all over. They are doing the same thing in my hospital. They are combining PCU/ICU together (basically there is no more PCU at this time) They are mixing up the staff as well so some ICU nurses go to PCU (to help the PCU nurses with the critical pts) & some PCU nurses go to ICU to learn how to care for the ICU pts. This is not for training theses nurses are taking an assignment of a critical pt they have never cared for before. This also stresses the ICU nurse who has to care for their pts & help the PCU nurse with their assignment. I felt this way the past week we had a pt who needed CRRT - I have no CRRT experience & no one in my unit did. I got a crash course 15min handoff/report & the pt was ours. To say I haven’t felt like we were in a dangerous situation is an understatement.

Yes I completely understand & empathize with you. You cannot train anyone to do this in 2-3 weeks let alone 2-3 months CC training, we just don’t have enough experienced nurses at the bedside anymore, let alone CC. Thanks for the reply & stay strong ?

Hi Nurses! With all the changes & sicker patients in ICU d/t COVID 19, I am overwhelmed as most of you are, I am also the charge RN. My unit was a mix of ICU/Stepdown pts, most of the staff I work with our not use to 1 pt this acute let alone the 7 vents who are going into ARDS, renal failure, difficult to sedate & oxygenate. We have room for more pts (the unit is 14 pts) with the 5 rooms being semi-private with doors that have no windows They are talking about putting 2 patients on the same vent in those semi - private rooms. I am want to be more proactive instead of reactive. *Making sure everyone has enough fluids & bags to hang for their drips. *laying eyes on all the patients to see who has what going on. *making sure staffing is safe for the acuity of pts we have - this has been challenging, simply because we don’t have enough critical care nurses & they are pulling nurses to my unit that have never had art lines, gtts, etc. *I feel like I am just ‘putting out fires’ fire here, fire there, new patient coming needs to be on a NRB & then another pt who needs intubation. * I am doing the best I can (believe we all our) but I was looking for advice, on how to keep myself more organized & if you have suggestions for the charge role & what are you doing as the charge nurse in your ICU to help keep the unit safe & assist your nurses. Thanks

You can’t compare yourself to your co-workers, some people may be good at hiding their anxiety, meaning they are anxious too, just not exhibiting. Till this day I still have some anxiety and ‘oh crap’ moments, but working through them is how ‘we learn and grow’ Also nursing in general is a very tough field! I was very anxious when I started and it took me at least 2 years to feel confident in handing myself with doctors, emergencies, families, etc. Remember EVERY job has its challenges, nobody starts out ‘good’ it takes time, self growth and patience.

Nursing overall is a tough field! The problems you describe our everywhere, everyplace has its problems. I was an aide too before I was a nurse, overall I have worked in the hospital for 15 years I also traveled for a few years and have worked in over 20 different hospitals. I think when you feel this way you have to find things outside of the job that fulfill you, it’s easy to become jaded and call yourself a glorified servant, but you are a health care professional, not to mention you are in the beginning stages of your career your not stuck, but stick with something and give yourself time to grow.

You had a lot of points I wanted to address but I wanted to respond to a few. I think you have a right to how you feel and even though this is the 'norm at some facilities' not all but majority operate at this ratio. Your doing the best you can and it sounds like you stand up for what's right. Patients need a good advocate. With that being said I know your frustrated with your co-workers chances are they are in the same boat. You could try and reach out to them and offer them turns, see if they need help with anything when you ask for help. I utilize this tool a lot when I work at multiple facility's. If I ask someone for help, turn, etc and when they are done helping me I ask in return if they need anything. I know its busy! But most of the time even if they don't need anything people appreciate knowing you would help. Communicate with your CNAs. Say something like when you go into so and so's room again grab me and can you help me with etc and etc. Do you have a charge nurse? a supervisor? Let them know how your doing? If you can't go to lunch at 11am go another time you feel would work for you. Six to eight patients is a big team, but you are the leader of your team. Treat this as a learning experience.

I can understand your frustration and agree with the other poster quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. As difficult as it may be being in a new work environment and your 'go to person' difficult to approach for questions, you cant beat yourself up for her attitude towards you. #1 its ok to ask questions your not gonna be perfect while your learning, you aren't even 90 days into the into the job, give yourself sometime. #2 she sounds like she has an issue with you asking questions, its her issue, you cannot take it personal, also refer back to #1. Like I said give yourself time, every job comes with learning curves including new personalities, you never know in 6 months, a year (especially when your not asking as many questions) she wont seem as difficult to you when you first met and/or by then you will have a basic foundation of job role and feel more competent. You sound like your on a good track, just give it time.

It depends on the patient/situation. Use your nursing judgement. I agree it's a great way to assess the skin etc. Plus a CHG bath and doing a quick turn doesn't take long at all in most cases. However it depends on patient and situation, if drips (pressors,etc) are already infusing. I like to know what the vital signs are (have the monitor applied, blood pressure taken, art line zeroed, etc) prior to turning the patient, changing sheets and bathing them. Plus there are quite a few other situations there that I did not mention. What I think has happened is a CHG has become a requirement in general and if not done disciplinary action is taken to those who don't complete it in a timely manner (this is what I have observed in some facilities). You have your priorities right, but one thing I have learned is every nurse does he/she nursing routine differently.

Exactly. I understand. Just let them know, so no one is surprised. Also some travel companies like to know once you complete a contract if you can provide a reference from someone at that facility. So keep that in mind while out on assignments.

I don't see why not, you will eventually have to give a notice to your employer you are going to be leaving. That 1 month will fly by before you know it. I would first let your manager know, then inquire for references as you feel comfortable. However be timely as it will pend your file from being complete for the travel agency. P.S. I enjoyed my staff job overall, and I worked there in variable roles for almost ten years. Not easy to let them know as most were like second family to me. However the sooner you let your employer know, the sooner you can get all your paper work completed.

There is a state board test you do or 'did' have to take. When I was a CNA, I received a certificate from my school that I completed the course. Then became eligible to take the state test, which consisted of a lab/skills assessment. Then if you pass that, you take a written test. Once you pass those you receive a certificate through the state. Last I knew my hospital was not requiring their nursing assistants to maintain or keep renewing their certificates through the state. I did not investigate this further as I was transitioning to a nursing role. I can't recall how long it took to get my certificate in the mail, but there was a site that I cannot recall at this time that I was allowed to view it online

I personally wouldn't hold it. Do you know why your supervisor requested you hold it? Does the patient have a diet ordered? Are they NPO for a procedure? Have they been having problems with hypoglycemia?

i love this article, teamwork AND a good work ethic go hand in hand. I do however believe in the fine balance of work and family life, however I have no problem helping out my co-workers if my assignment has been lightened due to discharges or etc (dont laugh due to lighten assignment lol). I just dont mind helping out if time prevails, I dont like to see others struggle, especially if they are pulling more than their own weight. Just my nature.