ICUnurse1985

Why do you want to be a nurse? All jobs have negative aspects, people dislike. You need, to decide what is your "dream nurse job." Some nurses do research, some teach, some are leaders and yes some of us work in hospitals. There are icky, gross body fluids we need to deal with every day. My answer is "I can make a difference in a person's life." Maybe, it is the patient, maybe it is their significant other. That is what it is all about to me. The rest is aggravating and annoying but bedside nursing is the most wonderful, rewarding, terrifying, degrading, heartrendering and challenging professions which exist. If you hate what you are doing and their is no reward in performing simple tasks to give your patient's comfort, bedside nursing is not for you. That is really OK, best wishes in finding a job you love. Nursing is very hard work and if you cannot find joy in giving a patient a bath, wait til the more difficult challenges come up. You have to be tough and dedicated. Noone ever said it would be easy but is anything worthwhile ever easy?

Now, I remember why I hated some of the "rules" in nursing school. I think their point is "look professional" which means no underwear showing under your white scrub pants. I think flesh tones are best. My hospital tryed to mandate the color of our scrubs twice in the last 5 years and lost the battle twice because it was so controversial. We donot get any compensation for buying our uniforms from our facility. So, I guess the battle continues on even after you are out of school. Good Luck in school!

300 bed community hospital, cafeteria open with grill, drinks, soup, salad bar and cold sandwiches and deserts until 0200. Scattered vending machines with candy/snacks/drinks on some units like our ED. Dayshift has a full service with hot, healthy full meal choices. If the administration worked night shift, we would have more variety and choices on our night shift menu with extended hours. Sorry to read, some facilitys don't have hot food at night or any food at all unless they bring it in from home. Definitely makes me appreciate the choices I do enjoy.

WOW! What a terrific question and some great ideas from so many. Trust your "gut" feeling about all things, it usually is right. There will be shifts when you donot accomplish all you hope for, remember to appreciate that you did your best and the next shift will pick up where you left off. Treat your patients and their loved ones the way you would like to be treated in a similar situation. Stand up to physicians who order potentially harmful medications/interventions or fail to order therapeutic interventions. Always go up your chain of command when there are pt. care issues which you cannot resolve and document it when you do. Always assess your sickest patient first. Help your coworkers even if they may fail to help you, it's all about helping the patients and we can't let them suffer because of ill feelings (even if justified) we may have about our peers. When you are notifying your manager about anything important, whether it is a schedule change or a pt. care issue, put it in writing and keep a copy for your records. Don't gossip about anyone, sooner or later those people you are gossiping with, will be talking about you. If you are the person everyone is talking about this week (negative talk), remember what my Mom used to tell me: If they are talking about you, they are leaving someone else alone. Sometimes we all make mistakes or experience a family/pt. fire you. When that occurs, take a deep breath and learn from the experience. Forgive yourself. Try not to take your job home with you. This can be difficult, try to have some fun at least once a week, you deserve it. Cherish your loved ones and let them know how much you care.

I feel sad about your situation. If you really want to be a nurse, persistence usually will be rewarded. It is very difficult when you are "in a hole" and feel like there is no hope of climbing out. Many people in nursing and other professions are having trouble finding a job, in this lousy economy. One thing is for sure, the nursing field is full of Baby Boomers who are gradually aging out of the system because of our own personal health care issues and retirement. As we leave, new jobs will be opening up. The economy will eventually recover and as it does, more jobs will become available. There are members who are new grads who are finding jobs as evidenced by entrys on this site and even at my own facility, new grads are being hired. I pray you find a job soon.

I am an ADN RN. If I had to do it again, at this moment, I would get a BSN instead. It just gives you more options. Yes, you can always go back to school and get your BSN later, if you decide to go the ADN route, however it is difficult to go back to school because life constantly changes, marriage, kids, other obligations. There are so many opportunities in nursing and as you get older you may want to change your career toward management, education ect. Get your BSN while you're young and your obligations are limited. It will empower you in this difficult job market and later in life it can only be an asset while job hunting.

Nice for her but not ethical. We all get paid to care for our patients at our jobs. I was taught you never accept a financial reward/tip from your patient. The job should be reward enough. If this happened to me, I would politely decline that huge volume of cash and let the lawyers sort out who will get it. Would I be tempted? Yes ma'm but it just wouldn't be right..

"So what's it gonna take for nursing to change ...?" A better question might be what can each of us do to change nursing for the better? Each of us has the power to change our own behaviour. I believe in teamwork. I don't mind emptying the trashcans and often do on my shift. I am blessed to work with other disciplines who act in the same way. Respiratory therapists who help us pull patients up in bed, radiology techs who help me turn patients, lab techs who will go get my patient a blanket if I am tied up and unable to help at that moment. It is all about the patient. Without patients, we are out of a job. They have a right to express their opinions about the care we deliver. After all, sooner or later we are all patients. I try to treat each of my patients the way I would wish to be treated if our roles were reversed. Yes, seems like someone is always looking at our documentation and critiquing it. If someone is trying to find something wrong, they usually will be successful and most of us fall short at one time or the other because we will make mistakes, being human after all. Noone ever said nursing was easy. It is one of the most difficult, challenging professions as well as the most rewarding. The stakes are high. Is it worth all of the hassles? I think so. We need to be tactful, honest, fair communicators. We need to support each other. We are most powerful when we are in short supply which unfortunately probably is coming around again in a few years. Things are tough right now because of the economy. I wish I could say all of our jobs are secure but obviously that is not true. There are no guarantees. Maybe you can be the leader you are looking for...there actually is a book on the market with a title close to this idea. Instead of looking for others to address our concerns, we need to take action ourselves.

My nursing instructor, decades ago told us "You will make mistakes, hopefully they will be small ones." I have made med errors in my career. It always upsets me. I look at each situation and try to figure out what I could have done to prevent it. Sometimes I have been in too much of a hurry. Sometimes it is poor judgement/critical thinking. We have a new medication administration process where I work. Each pt. ID band has a bar code, each medication and IVF has a bar code. You must scan the pt. bracelet and then each med at the bedside, before you give each med. If there is no order for that med, the scanner device will tell you. You also have to enter any waste needed in the device so it prevents overdosage (for example giving a whole tablet instead of a half.) This scanner is reducing our med errors significantly. Changing your process, can make a big difference in safely administering meds. Please don"t beat yourself up about this error. Learn from it and move on.

I have been on both sides of this question. I was treated rudely or worse ignored as a new employee, in two different jobs and it still hurts when I remember it. I have also had the honor of being a preceptor several, times in my career. I would talk to the preceptor privately and see how she responds. Maybe, there is an issue going on that you are not aware of, sometimes it is just a personality issue and you may need to change preceptors, if the situation does not improve. As nurses, we are not always supportive of each other. We forget, all too soon, how it feels to be the new person in the unit and how difficult it can be. Once you are there for a while and get to know some of the staff, I hope things will improve for you. This should be a reminder, to all of those reading this, how we should make an extra effort to welcome new staff members and be eager to offer help when needed. Hang in there!

I worked part time at a teaching hospital, which was a 45 minute drive years ago, night shift. I also struggled to stay awake driving home in the summer months, using the tricks you described and was also unsuccessful. Too many mornings I found myself crossing the yellow line, involuntarily falling asleep at the wheel for a few moments. It is a true miracle I didn"t kill myself or someone else. There were some problems on the job but the drive was the most compelling reason I had to quit that position. I have friends who drive an hour one way, who work night shift with me and they do fine. I think some people are able to stay awake and alert better than others. Your life is more valuable than any job. You may have to consider accepting a position much closer to your home. I am sorry you lost your friend. Maybe, that also is a signal that you should not accept a position, so far away, before you get hurt. Your family needs you, you are irreplaceable to them and no job is worth that risk. My only other idea is to work your shifts in a row and stay in a motel or with a friend/family member on your stretch. This would be cost prohibitive for most people and not very practical, especially since you have a family which needs you. I wish you success in your job search. Please be safe for your sake and the sake of others.

That is fantastic. I am very happy for you. Thanks for spreading the word that good jobs for new grads are out there.

Don"t give up. You sound discouraged and afraid. You will eventually find a job, just keep trying. You need to get some help! Not having a job is very stressful but talking about killing yourself about it, scares me. You can make it. Get some counseling and some support from people you trust. Look around, many people have burdens equal to or worse than you do, take a deep breath and keep going. Life is worth living.

Thanks for letting me know I am not alone. This has been going on at my facility for over a year now. They don"t want you to stay late for any reason. They want you to leave on time no matter what the situation. Do what you can and walk away at quitting time. They donot want you to clock out and then finish your work because it is against Labor Laws where I live but alot of people do just that since you will also be "counseled" if your documentation is not complete. Talk about a "Catch 22"!!! I don"t want to quit since it is the only place I want to work where I live and I donot want to move, plus I can retire with benefits in 1 year. I try to focus on what I love, patient care and adapt to the rest. Anyone remember the good old days when you could work late without being hassled? We didn"t know how blessed we were. The only constant is change, perhaps this too will change with time. I hope so.

Ok, I realize I totally misread and misunderstood the question, and I apologize.(This is what happens after I work a 12 hr night shift and don"t go to bed right away, SORRY.) I believe you can push ACLS drugs in a CODE even if you are not ACLS ceritified but caution to review your state board of nursing regs and your hospital policys and procedures as well as the formulary.

I congratulate you on asking this important question. You cannot give any drug without a MD order, CODE or not. If you do, you are practicing medicine without a license. At my hospital we have ACLS standing orders for all codes and a CODE TEAM which has members who are ACLS certified who work in Critical Care and one will lead the CODE until a physician arrives. You must adhere to your facilitys policys and procedures. If you donot have standing orders for CODES, this would be a wonderful opportunity for you to suggest this to your manager. This change could save many lives and 3 minutes goes by very fast.

"Problem is I almost hate every aspect nursing this point." Posted by ulmaulma previously. It is difficult to give you any help since I don"t know you. Previous posts had some helpful information. I don"t know if quitting is such a great idea. Running from anxiety will just make you more anxious unless you figure out what is making you so anxious. Stress and anxiety is our response due to our perception of certain conditions, not the condition itself. In this economy, jobs are hard to come by. I would not quit yet. Especially, if you have financial obligations which must be met as most of us do. Getting into financial difficultys will only add to your stress. Is is nursing just making you stressed or is it a much bigger problem? If it is only nursing, and just that, I would consider looking for another job. Don"t quit until you find one. I believe you are going to need some counseling to figure out what is going on. I feel stress everyday too. Sometimes I borrow trouble and worry about not accomplishing all of my responsibilities in a timely manner, sometimes I worry about the quality of my pt. care, or the relationships I have with coworkers/physicians/family members/patients. There are always bumps in the road, days we regret or want to forget. The bad shifts make you appreciate the good ones even more. Life is too short to be so miserable. What are the positives about your situation? Look for those everyday. THINK GRATITUDE! My gut tells me this is not just about nursing and looking for another job will not change anything. It usually is not that easy. I wish you well in your journey. Get some help please and try to make the most of what you have, lots of people would love to have your job or any job.

You are not alone. Many people have debt concerns similar to yours. I recommend a financial counselor. My personal favorite is Dave Ramsey. (No, I donot work for him.) He has been bankrupt several times himself and is now very successful. He gives FREE advice on the radio and on his show on the FOX Business TV channel or you can go to a public library and get one of his books on loan. I like his approach because he talks about the emotional and spiritual components of being out of work and in debt and gives down to earth, easy to understand advice on financial challenges just like what you are suffering through. The best choice is listening to his show on the radio since people just like you call in and he gives them advice. Honestly, you can get through this. Hang on. I will be praying for you and your family.

Congratulations on graduating and on your new career in nursing! Now about a low stress, slow-paced environment in a hospital? WOW! I just don't know of one. First of all most new jobs in any new profession are stressful, and there is alot at stake in healthcare. A better approach might be, what are you passionate about? When you were in nursing school, what were your best areas? You will be able to get through the stressful transition of a new position much better if you are working in an area that is rewarding to you. Second, find a a unit that has a good orientation process. Third, a good manager is essential. We all had to "pay our dues" when we started. If you love your profession, it is worth all the challenges and struggles. It is normal to be uneasy. I was TERRIFIED. I will never forget my first day on a Med-Surg unit. It took all of my willpower not to go running out the door. Every day got better. Eventually, I became the preceptor, the resource person, and sometimes the charge nurse. I ended up in ICU which I never even dared to dream of, in my most wildest dreams. You never know where nursing will take you, it really is an adventure. I hope you can find a rewarding position.

I am so sad for your loss. I lost my Mom from cancer and a stroke in 2002. We were very close, she was my best friend. She was bitter at the end because she was not ready to die and died shortly after she was diagnosed. Her last words to me were not pleasant because of her anger at the situation. We never have long enough with the ones we love and the ending is not always what we expect. There are always regrets. You sound like you loved your Mom very much. I am sure you have some special memorys of good times you shared together. Your Mom would not want you to be sad. She would want you to have a good life and be happy without regrets about how she died since that was out of anyone's control. It sounds like you are looking for some closure. Maybe you could do a special memorial for her, donate to her favorite charity, plant a tree, display favorite pictures in a central place in your home ect. The pain never goes away but does lessen gradually with time. It is so hard losing your Mom. She will always be a part of you and I donot know you but somehow know that your Mom was always very proud of you. Thanks for the opportunity to share, lots of us have lost a parent and unless you have gone through it, you really donot know what it is like. It is nice to know that we are not alone.

Persistence is the key. DONOT GIVE UP. My hospital, located in a southern state is hiring new graduate nurses. In fact, some of them are taking a course so they can work in Critical Care. You want to make the best impression so you may consider reviewing your resume and practicing your interviewing skills. What is special about you that would make a facility want to hire you? These days grades are only a slight consideration, many managers/facilitys are looking at character to hire. Are you a team player? Can you list your strengths as well as weaknesses? Do you have a positive attitude? How are your communication skills? Are you concientious? Are you eager and willing to learn new things? Are you flexible? Good Luck in your job hunt. You will be successful eventually.

I wish this was a new concern but it is not. I have been in Nursing a long time and I have seen it happen over and over again. We can only control our own behaviour. So be a good role model and be welcoming to new staff, donot become involved with gossip, look for opportunities to help others, stand up for other nurses (isn"t that what you would hope someone would do for you?) praise fellow staff members when they do a good job, and if you have some negative feedback that must be given, do it in a private place and donot go to your manager before you confront the person themselves. None of us are perfect, I have been on the other end when I did not feel welcomed and people were sayling negative things about me. My mother used to say "when they are talking about you they are leaving someone else alone." This too will pass. If all of us could try to remember how it feels to be "the new kid on the block" things would be very different!

I have always avoided caring for people I know. If the person has a negative outcome, it can haunt you. I cared for a fellow church member who I barely knew once, she passed away. Her husband came up to me in church months later discussing her case, furious at the physician involved with her care. It put me in a very difficult spot. On the other hand, sometimes caring for someone you know can be very reassuring to the family because they believe you will take good care of their loved one. I guess you have to look at each individual situation and judge what you feel is best.