EmergencyChocolate

Is shift blaming (i.e "Days didn't do ____, nights didn't do ___) common in your workplace? If so, what do you do about it? I am a new grad who works nights on a 23-bed unit and almost always, I hear complaints about the other shift not doing something when I am receiving report AND giving report the next morning. I am seeing more and more of this - it has been getting increasing busy here with multiple admissions, short staffing, and increasing patient acuity. I had an especially rough shift that left my completely drained physically, mentally ,and emotionally - when I gave report to day shift they were asking me all these questions about why evening shift didn't do this and how they were frustrated that they had to do it etc. etc. and it just completely threw me over the edge. Honestly, what am I supposed to do about it? In management's eyes, it is acceptable to pass on work while staying late is frowned down upon. However, this happens all the time - sometimes things get passed on for days or gets dropped entirely and it just makes everyone upset because there is already so much to do. I have brought it up to my supervisor but was given a vague answer that basically told me what I already knew. What is your take on this - is this common in the real world of nursing? Or you can just answer the question above if you wish :) thanks for reading

Thanks for the feedback - very helpful. But what about things I see/learn about when I'm off-duty (i.e she seems more responsive today, still has those tremors, seems a bit more hydrated than before)? If she needs help eating or walking to the commode am I allowed to help her as a friend or am I getting too involved in her care? Even though I'm an employee on the floor, I am a "visitor" for the day. Would HIPAA still apply then?

I am a nursing student and part time CNA, and my best friend is now a patient on the floor I work on - in fact I was initially assigned to her but had to refuse. I am confused on what I can and cannot know or do according to HIPAA. I know I can't look at her medical chart but if I happen to be working one day and I happen to overhear or notice something regarding her condition and her care (I.e she threw a tantrum, had a seizure, had a bladder scan done, or even just saying she's better or worse) )can I tell her family and friends about it? How would it be any different from a concerned visitor giving her family and friends an update when visiting for the day? What questions can I ask the staff regarding her care if anything? To complicate matters - I can't ask my friends permission to share information because she is disoriented and unresponsive. I know the power of attorney but she is out of state. A friend also came to visit today so she knows I work on that floor and I'm not sure if she's told anyone that I work there and if so, they might be expecting me to give them updates while I'm there. I asked the charge nurse and other experienced nurses about it but they were a bit stumped. Feedback is appreciated - I've been a bit distant because I'm not sure how involved I can get now - thanks.

Many of my classmates are very cut-throat/perfectionist-type people. I appreciate their determination to perform well, but I can't help but to compare myself to them and feel inadequate. My professors say that I work hard, I perform well, and I am very passionate about what I do - I am happy to hear that and take pride in it. However, considering the culture of my program, it seems like everyone is. If everyone is a hard-working, passionate student with a 3.5-4.0 GPA how am I any different? How am I special? What is my value, and what do I contribute? How can I make myself stand out?

I take very few notes - I find that the more I write, the more I miss during the lecture. I only write down the following: + highly emphasized concepts + tables/diagrams the professor writes on the board that are not found in the textbook/powerpoints + any information that I don't recognize/recall from the textbook/powerpoints + anything that starts with "You need to know for the exam..." or "You don't need to know for the exam..." Recording lectures is a great idea - you can listen to them while you are driving, travelling, etc.

You will need to be prepared to work hard and be open-minded. You will be learning lots of information in a short amount of time. Focus especially on the harder sciences (A&P, Patho, Pharm). You WILL makes mistakes especially during clinical - don't be afraid of this and ACCEPT it, it is a very normal and essential part of the learning process. Nursing school is stressful and difficult, but remember to breathe and take time for yourself. Reach out to your classmates and professors for support. Best of luck to you! :)

Few things I have learned in the past couple years: - focus on lecture notes and powerpoints; try not to get so bogged down by the textbook which often contains more detail than you are responsible for! - learn to use your study time efficiently and try to get out of the habit of procrastination; remove distractions, take breaks! - don't study "passively"; as opposed to skimming through the textbook absorbing a fraction of the material (however this might work for some people), use flash cards and try to answer study questions in the textbook - find ways to actively think about the material

I find it so fascinating to learn how the human body works, there is SOO much memorization and concepts to understand, it is almost unbearable. Despite that, it is one of my favorite classes. Looking forward to Pathophysiology and Microbiology in the fall! :-)

Hi, I'm a 19 year old college student at USM (Southern Maine), and I am starting my sophomore year this fall. I spend my first year at college studying Vocal Performance. I took mostly music classes required for my major plus a few core classes. As passionate as I am about my music, the lifestyle of a professional opera singer isn't for me, so I started looking at the other majors my school had to offer. I started doing some thinking over the summer. If anything is certain, it's this: I want to work in the health field. I have no idea what yet, but anything that involves mental health or nutrition/wellness is a plus. Then I came across nursing: I could be either a psychiatric nurse or a nutritional nurse, or something completely different. I wouldn't have too hard of a time finding a job, and I didn't have to go any further than getting just a bachelor degree. The more I thought about nursing, the more it appealed to me. I'm compassionate, I love helping people, I find health science interesting, and I'm up for a challenge. Plus, the math and science classes I took in grade school came very easily to me, and there's a lot of that in nursing. I've enjoyed reading stories posted on here, and it sounds like a career that I would really enjoy. It's not the same old thing every day it seems, each day is unpredictable. So I gave my adviser a call and completely redid my fall schedule, so now I'm taking just nursing pre-reqs. I am taking A+P 1, Intro to Psych & Soc, Human Growth & Develop, and English. I'm really happy about these new changes. The only thing I worry about is actually getting into nursing school. I've heard at some nursing schools, the acceptance rate is ~10%. Yikes! I have a 3.7 right now, but that basically consists of all music courses. I suppose I could just transfer somewhere else if I don't get in, but I feel really established at this school, and I would really hate to leave. Also, I'm not absolutely positive if I'll like nursing. From what I've heard about it, it seems like something I would enjoy So that got me thinking, if I don't get into nursing school, I could major in Health Science. But what about all that wasted time taking pre-req courses? Also, from what I've heard, you can't do a whole lot with a bachelor's in Health Science so I may need to get a masters in something else. My head is spinning. I can't decide what to do, I'm wasting time and also money. What if I don't get into nursing school? Should I continue to take core classes and pre-reqs until I get in? Should I just assume that getting accepted is pretty much impossible and go for Health Science, even if that may require some additional schooling? Should I just stick with what I have planned, and give myself time to figure it all out?