nerdynurse00

This happens on the Medical unit I work on very often. Our staffing is horrible- so it's not uncommon for them to have to call in a RN and pay them overtime (double time) to be doing a CNA's (or CCA as they call them here in Nova Scotia) job for 12 hours. On our unit, we only have 1 CCA for 25 patients, so as RN's, we do most of the personal care, pad changes, etc. anyways. But like you, I'd much rather be doing my nursing job than a CCA's anyday!

i graduated in may of 2011 and am now working in ns. i took a job on a medical/telemetry unit in june (which i knew i hated even before i took it). to answer your questions: 1) i would tell you to take a job wherever you can get one! but talking to some of my friends who have started in nursing homes or rehab facilities are totally envious of my job in the acute care setting. tons of experience and a great opportunity to see how all the disciplines work together. 2) as much as i hate to admit it, med-surg is a great base on which to build your nursing career. the nurses and docs told me that if i can survive a year on the medical unit i work on, i could pretty much write my ticket anywhere else! i have learned a ton and it'll help me when i decide to move on and specialize. one of my friends started off in emerge and she's finding it totally overwhelming and she puts up with a ton of crap for being a new rn in emerge. i'm going to get my feet under me first, but everybody is different and starting off in a specialty may be your thing. if you have a med-surg position and work in a hospital, transferring to a more specialized unit can be done without losing sign-on bonuses (if any) or senority. plus, it looks great on a resume (so i hear). 3) stay in your position until something better comes up. i've been waiting for almost a year for something else- i look every day. the prospect of working towards that something better coming along is the only thing that keeps me going to work! but really, do what makes you happy. if your dream job comes up, go for it! 4) business casual/dressy clothes are the norm out here in ns for interviews. all the best-

I always prime with NS first, then like several others have mentioned, flush til the blood is to the end of the line (either set my pump at 999cc/h or open up the line wide open) over a garbage can or whatever. I have been taught several ways, but this is the way I roll. That way, I'm not wasting blood if there are any bubbles in the line. Shotguns and Syringes

I am a new grad- graduated in May 2011 and started work on a Medical/Tele floor the first week of June. My best bits of advice: 1) If you don't know, say you don't know. Yes, some doctors and nurses will get snarly at you because you don't know every little detail for every patient or situation- but it's better to say you don't know then to make something up or to make excuses/blame something or someone. (I think physicians will respect you more this way as well) 2) Ask for help and ask questions! As others have said, many experienced nurses have told me (as I am apologizing for asking them so many questions) that they feel much better about a new nurse who asks tons of questions, rather than one who wastes time trying to figure every little thing out on their own or does something that they have no clue about. If they get their panties in a knot, find somebody else! Use your resources- clinical resource, nurse manager, team leader.. it's their job! 3) Find 1 or 2 seasoned nurses and learn everything you can from them! ask them to "mentor" you- meet for coffee on days off, go out for breakfast after a particularly crappy night shift.. your co-workers are a wealth of information- use their knowledge! Pick their brains, ask them what they would do in a certain situation and take notes! Congrats on your new job- all the best! You'll do great :) You have a ton of support here -- I don't know what I would have done without it! Laura Shotguns and Syringes

I too graduated in May of 2011 and I started on a Medical/Telemetry floor the first week of June. I had about 5 weeks of orientation then I was flying solo. I won't lie, it was absolutely, without a doubt, the hardest time of my life. I cried before and after every shift - and sometimes even on my breaks for about 2.5 months straight (and I still cry after some shifts!) On my days off, I was so depressed. All I did was cry, think about how much I hated my job and either looked for new ones or tried to think of other things I could do (I even considered going back to school to get a degree in Biology). With my preceptor, shifts always seemed to go smoothly- nobody ever coded, nobody had MI's in bed, no respiratory distress, nobody died... but as soon as I was out on my own, I soon realized school had not prepared me nearly enough for what responsibilities I now had to carry. On our unit, there is 1 RN, and 1 LPN for 12 or 13 patients. I oversee the care of all 13 of the patients, as well as take an assignment of the 3-4 sickest patients. The workload is extremely heavy and it is so overwhelming at times. My best advice to you: 1) what you are feeling is very normal (I know, it's the last thing I wanted to hear at the time) and things WILL get better. Try to find the positive things that happened during the shift and focus on those when you feel youself getting down. Even if you know Med/Surg is not what you want to do (which I knew right from the get-go), we see so many different things in that field that we can kind of see things we may like and the things we know we hate 2) Find 1 or 2 good nurses that you can trust and have them mentor you. I actually befriended the nurse that most people were petrified of for her bluntness and "no BS" attitude- whenever I had a question, I tried to find her first. After I got to know her, I realized I was scared of her for no reason at all and I have learned a tremendous amount from her. So ask experienced co-workers out to breakfast after a crappy night shift to vent or meet up for coffee on days off- they are a wealth of information- and remember, they were once going through the EXACT same thing (whether they'll admit it or not.) 3) Find something you enjoy doing on your days off to take your mind off work. Exercise! Read! Go for adventures and travel! or watch insane amounts of mindless TV like Greys, Frasier or The OC like I do 4) Chalk everything up to experience- yes, your friend may have an easier job- but think of all that experience you have over her! Interpreting telemetry is a great asset to have, as well as all those things you mostly only encounter in acute care- such as IV meds, assisting physician with procedures, codes.. critical thinking! It's a great foundation to have and it'll pay off in the end. 5) Prioritizing and perfecting skills will come with time- don't sell yourself short! That you even care this much shows that you are a great nurse and your patients are lucky to have you! Believe me, you will be disorganized at first and things will not go smoothly (even the most seasoned nurses have those days!).. but after time, you will have fewer of those days. I could blab on forever- I have learned so much in these past 8 months and I hope that after the misery I went through, I can use my experiences to help somebody else. I wish you all the luck in the world- whatever field of nursing you choose. Laura Shotguns and Syringes

I've been working on my own now since July - and time sure does fly! I totally agree with all the points Diffindo_lumos made - nursing school barely scratches the surface of the real world of being an RN. Suddenly, you're responsible for people's lives! and there's no clinical instructor to go to with questions. You will more than likely feel like you don't know anything - don't worry, it is completely normal. I managed to get a permanent full time job right out of school on a cardiac/medical floor, but I won't lie, the first few months after graduation were the hardest months of my life. I cried before and after just about every shift.. I was so overwhelmed by my new responsibilities and my feelings of inadequacy. I felt like I knew nothing! I had never talked to a doctor, taken a verbal order.. anything! And the family dynamics/workplace drama was an eye-opener. I constantly questioned what the heck I was doing in nursing - because this was not what I thought it would be. But I did have a moment when I realized "Hey, I do know what I'm doing afterall!". There will be a time when you make a "good call" and somebody (nurse or doctor) will pat you on the back and things will start to get better. Believe me, that was totally the last thing I wanted to hear when I was bawling my eyes out after a shift - and it might take a while, but they will get better. My advice: find a few co-workers that you trust and have them mentor you. Get to know them! Bond with your co-workers. Get on their good side right away and they will stick up for you and give you advice. I don't know what I would have done without them! Good luck :) http://nerdynurse00.blogspot.com/[url=http://nerdynurse00.blogspot.com/][/url]

I feel the exact same way! I'm so glad I came across this website. I did my senior rotation on a Medical unit here in Nova Scotia, Canada and hated pretty much every second of it. Once I graduated, it was the only place that offered me a job- permanent full time at that (but I only signed on for a year). I took the job, even though I knew I absolutely hated it and now I regret it. Now, here I am about to start my second set of orientation and I feel like I don't know a thing! The paper work is overwhelming and I can never remember all the processes for admissions, transfers, calling this person and faxing that. And my leadership/assertiveness, well it's not me. I spend most of my spare time worrying about when I'll be on my own and wondering how the heck I'll do it! I have yet to ever call a doctor and I have barely even spoke to one during clinicals (I'm shy if you haven't noticed haha). As unfortunate it is that we feel this way, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who feels this way and that it does get better. A year seems like a long ways away. Right now, I'm just aiming for 6 months on the unit and if it's still torturous, then I'll go elsewhere. All the best :)