RedSoxRN

Are you guys kidding me? Why is this an issue posted to this message board? I work with LOTS of seasoned ICU nurses that can't put in lines. It's not required. Doesn't anything more important happen in your life than coming home to complain about this trivial thing on the internet?

I worked on a floor that did both. I would STRONGLY recommend neurosurgery over epilepsy. Epileptic patients have a complex psychosocial aspect to their care, and often times make for extremely difficult patients to manage. I hate to stereotype, but very rarely did I care for an epilepsy patient who was cooperative with their treatment plan. Neurosurgery is an exteremely interesting and challenging area to work in, and I feel that their care is very well managed, at least where I work. You will also see a more diverse patient population, and you will be managing more acute clinical/post-op issues. To be honest, it was the epilepsy patients that caused me to leave the floor - I loved neurosurgery!

I came to our level 1 trauma ICU with a year and a half floor experience and 4 years of pre-hospital experience. I barely made it off orientation. They have also hired 5 other nurses since I've been there (3 with prior experience) and only 2 have made it off orientation. I would strongly advise against you starting in a trauma ICU fresh out of school. Working elsewhere will provide you with the chance to establish your career in nursing, reorient to your new life with a profession, and develop your basic skills in patient care. You will then be in a much better position to work in an ICU, and you will do better, feel better, and take better care of your patients. Good luck!

I've had the same problem in the past where people thought I was being critical when truly I was trying to learn by engaging them in the debate. You need to remember that everything is about perception. Nurses are very terretorial and defensive when it comes to their patients and clinical practice. Be careful how you phrase questions and respond to their teaching. Smile and nod, then go home and research the problem - if you disagree with their methodology, then alter your own clinical practice in the future. Always remember there's more than one way to skin a cat, and experienced nurses are often times applying real-world experience over what a textbook says. If I were you, I'd go to the director of the school of nursing and ask for counseling and if there's a plan you could formulate to get back into the program. Be open to their suggestions, or at the very least, smile and nod and alter your future clinical practice based on your meeting. It's nauseating and demoralizing to have others question you, knock you down a notch, or tell you you've failed, but we've ALL been there, and it's part of the learning process. Good luck.

It can be so frustrating that we have such a limited scope of practice in some ways. We are expected to intervene on all sorts of advanced data, but when it comes down to it, we're not allowed to say what the data is indicative of. And the more frustrating aspect is the way the real world works... the true reality of RNs frequently guiding house officers/residents in their own care plan of the patient, because often the RN is more experienced!!

Hi all, just an opinion question, trying to keep it simple here.... When writing an admission note on a patient, is it acceptable to write specific things that were reported to you as it relates to admission reasons? I had a patient who came in with fevers, respiratory distress, 4/4 positive blood cultures, and hypotension..... septicemia. Is it wrong to write "Per report, positive blood cultures at (outside hospital)"? Sure, I didn't draw them myself and ensure proper technique, nor have I seen the micro report, and positive blood cultures aren't my problem in terms of scope of practice, but it was repeatedly discussed with the interdisciplinary team, and acknowledging that as part of the picture on admission shows focus for nursing priorities, correct? We're expected to write a general summary of admission reasons. Just looking for what you think.

Our trauma chief said at a conference earlier this year... 'I've done a lot of stupid things; I've jumped out of airplanes, gone deep sea diving, worked with live electrical lines, even ran with the bulls in Spain, but I'll never, ever get on a motorcycle. People who ride motorcycles are my job security.' I'm not sure helmets really do that much anyway. Seems to me if something goes wrong at 60+ on a bike trauma to other parts of your body will kill you even if your brain is slightly protected. I've also heard the statistic that 100% of motorcycle riders are in an accident every year - and if one doesn't have an accident in a given year, another will have two. I agree however, that this is the land where freedom of choice typically overrules controlling laws. As you see in anti-terror actions that are being implemented around the world, however, we are still trying to manipulate our ethics to find a balance between choice and the greater good.

That sounds exactly like what people always tell me about military nursing - a lot of vague quotes about patriotism and excessive use of miltary jargon. I have "collateral duties" at the civilian hospital where I work now, and I follow a similar "chain of command". Instead of "safety officers" we have a "fire marshall". "More senior officers" are resource nurses or clinical supervisors. I train "corpsmen" - or as we call them, nursing students or CNA's. What's the big difference save the fact you're in the military? And the pay is the last factor I'd consider before joining, not an issue. I guess my real question should have been how to become a medic... it sounds like they're the ones doing the job I described.

What exactly do military nurses do??? Of course, like all nurses, I've been heavily recruited all through nursing school and ever since I've graduated, but nobody's ever given me a clear answer on how military nursing works. It's not something that I've ruled out.. you might even say I've considered it seriously. But to me, it doesn't make sense to join the military to continue doing the same thing I'm doing now, which is work in a hospital, taking care of the same types of patients. The only difference I see is that you make less money, are commanded where to live and what to do, and work in a structured environment of superiors, etc. If I were to join the military, I'd want to do it all out... I wouldn't want to be on some naval base in the USA. I'd want to be out in a desert in Iraq, for example, taking care of injured soldiers. Why join the military to be stuck in a hospital in the country for a few years? Who are the guys out there in the war working as nurses? How do you get that job? Maybe if I get some clear answers I'll stop throwing out a mail flyer from each branch every day. Thanks!

I think this sort of thing can happen to anybody, in any profession, and unfortunately that's the society we live in. I wish you the best in your case. In a previous job, I once was falsely accused of sexual harassment and it was a horrible experience. Luckily, administration saw through the accuser's lies and it was essentially erased from the books, but let me tell you there's so much stigma present towards men in the workplace - especially a female dominated workplace, it's definitely a turn off to the profession. All I can suggest is total honesty... or find a new job somewhere else, which you'll have no problem doing. Do you really want to work for a hospital where the administration is so negligent? Good luck.

RN, BSN at 22 years old, smartest thing I've ever done. In my opinion, and no offense to any LPNs or ADNs out there, the BSN is so much more focused on the wholistic aspects of care and the greater picture of advancing the nursing profession. If you're going into nursing for the right reasons, and you want to be the best care provider you can be, I would imagine that the natural path you would take would be the BSN track as it's the highest entry point, and you'd continue your education throughout your career.