redopal

I used touch a lot in. The ER. Getting down to kid level & a gentle touch o the shoulder to soothe is not inappropriate. If you were hugging or forcing a child to be touched who recoils, then that might be construed as inappropriate. Some Folks are very touchy about their bodies. You can always ask parents or if child is old enough ask him/her.

Yep that was me for 25+ years...I loved my job & learned so much about all aspects of nursing & medicine. Never a dull moment!

You will probably have to go into diversion, loose your license either permanently or for a period of time depending on what your state decides. I had a good friend steal a whole box of injectable Demerol & got caught-he admitted he did it to get caught as he realized his problem, & lost his license for 5 years. He can only work where he does not come in contact with any narcotics! He works as a scrub nurse.

Have you considered doing military nursing as a way to get experience? I had to join or quit school & earn money as I was broke my senior year. 2 bank loans, federal grant & I still coudn't afford that last year & that was 1970. It was absolutely the best thing I did. I got crucial experience & got into the field of nursing I loved-ER nursing. I had wanted to do that ever since I was a volunteer at 14. With only 2 weeks experience in ER in nursing school I knew I would never get hired right out of school. We all have to pay our dues & 2 years goes by so quickly. Please reconsider as you sound like you have great qualities for being a nurse. After I left the military I did have to spend 3 months of nights in an open heart unit proving my stuff despite glowing recommendations. God how I hated that job...not cut out for cardiac recovery at all but I toughed it out! Good luck!

I was very young when I realized I was going into either nursing or medicine. At first I thought being a pediatrician would be the best but my mother got very ill when I was ten and almost died. My brother and I were not permitted to see her as she struggled to survive intestinal rupture with sepsis; this was in the 50's and medicine was far from what it is now. Her surgeon operated a number of times but then told her and her family it was up to her if she survived. It was then that I recall the nurses being the real heroes for my mom. They made an exception for us to see her and I do think that gave her the will to survive. They kept her positive and encouraged us to be positive too. I was so impressed by the nurses I chose that as a career. My high school counselor was not impressed-telling me I could do better by being a doctor. I gave up a scholarship to attend a private nursing school at the young age of 17! I have never regretted my decision. Nurses keep patient's alive...it is a demanding profession and one that can wear you out quite quickly if you are not prepared. Having physical activity to counter affect the stress from a nursing job can make you last longer. Also developing a really good support system with the nurses you work with will help you love your job. It takes awhile to find the right job and people, but when you do your job doesn't feel so much like a job but a rewarding career.

I think there are a few reasons why new grads leave nursing. First, they can get overwhelmed by the enormity of their jobs; the responsibility can be daunting especially if they are not mentored as they are hired. Secondly, many new grads accept positions that they are not ready to do. Thirdly, many who come out of BSN programs are coddled so much by schools that they do not get the experience needed to prepare them for the onslaught of what they will be doing as a RN. Another reason is choosing a field of expertise that you are not adequately trained in; this goes hand in hand with not getting enough experience in all fields while still a student. Two weeks of ER observation does not an ER nurse make!! I graduated from a diploma program many years ago; we frequently worked in all areas of nursing as CNA's to get an idea of what we wanted from our jobs. This gave us experience as well as confidence. I did go back to school to get my BSN and fortunately the students I worked with did get a lot of clinical time; the instructors made sure to expose the students to as much as possible. For me, as a new grad, I chose to go into the military where I was responsible for a large orthopedic ward. My interest was ortho or neurology but after handling a medical emergency well, I found myself sent to work in the ER. I was lucky in that I had two very good doctors that mentored me daily. My responsibilities were huge but I always had corpsmen and my mentors to assist me. I worked for three years as an ER nurse with the USNavy and as a result found it was my calling. I stayed in ER's for over 25 years and I thank my Navy experience for helping me find my niche. I would encourage new grads to consider such a step...it doesn't have to be a lifetime job either, but it sure can help one gain confidence and perspective on a future job.