KaHigRN

I need some kind of support group just for the fact that I work the night shift, it is the only one that works with my schedule right now. I mentioned this to a coworker and all I got from her was "maybe you need to find a day job!" and she wasn't nice about it. I got the feeling I wasn't wanted there anymore or something, like maybe they were tired of me being tired? I don't know. Working with a bunch of women is very hard. There are a lot of personalities and not everyone has the attitude to help each other and team work and get along with each other. Most want to look out for themselves and do whatever it takes to better things for themselves! It gets harder and harder to WANT to help others, like trade shifts for them or even work extra shifts when they need off when no one returns the favor or ever considers what my needs are when they come up. Nursing is a very tough profession and, yes, we DID choose our career but could we have possibly known exactly what it entailed when we started college or dreamed of being a nurse? I have a friend I tried to talk out of being a nurse. I tried to explain why, she just didn't understand. When she finally went to work and would call me crying on her way home from her first few weeks of orientation saying they were chewing her up and spitting her out. I told her "THIS is why I didn't want you doing this!!" Women can be SO mean and we have ALL been there! Being new at this, being scared, not knowing something, making a mistake, etc. It is really sad that I try to talk ppl out of becoming a nurse. But, shes moving on to become a nurse practitioner. Much smarter than I am! I don't know that world, maybe it will be better. Don't know. Anyway, didn't mean to ramble. I guess I'm bored! LOL

I think you've misunderstood where my frustration comes from. I'm not upset about the test. It's that I had to take one that is outside the scope of my specialty. I'm more than happy to take a test on the care of the newborn and anything we do care for in the newborn nursery. But why expect me to know things that are not in my area of specialty!? That's where the frustration comes from!!

Hi! I appreciate your reply but if you've never taken the test then u don't understand the level of difficulty. They give u a scenario, play a video of the scenario for about 20-30 secs then in free text you have to type out a DIGNOSIS!! Yes! I have to give a diagnosis! Not a nsg dx but what I think the dr would dx the infant with and then prioritize what I would do and anticipate the dr to order, like blood work, X-ray, CT scan, etc or would I start an IV, O2, run an EKG, place pulse ox? Which of these would be stat? Also anticipate what would happen if blood work came back a certain way? Would the dr start abx? Or something else? Then u have to give your rationale for what u did. If u don't know the stuff, I just don't think u can learn it in a text book! That's not going to keep me from trying to read up and learn all I can about everything I mentioned. It'll only make me smarter. I'm just frustrated bc I'd rather be tested on something I have a knowledge base of. What they did to me is like giving an ICU test to a med surg nurse. I guess. Would that nurse know how to take care of vents or cranial pressure monitors? I wouldn't guess. Same thing.

Hello! I began a new job last week and they required me to take a PBSD test. I've been an RN for 17 years and I've NEVER heard of this test before. They didn't mention it to me when hired either. I've been a newborn nursery nurse for the last 7-8 years only stepping into the NICU to help out when needed. I was made to take a NICU test. I did ok on things like sepsis, hyperbilirumenemia, RDS and apnea and bradycardia, but the other NICU stuff was WAY over my head. There were babies on vents, one with a chest tube, they threw in a 23 weeker!! Seriously?? Like they would let me TOUCH a 23 weeker!! I was told I didn't pass and would have to retake after my orientation. I explained to them before I took the test that I was NOT a NICU nurse and they said they would take that into consideration. Well, they didn't! I seriously doubt my orientation will cover vents, chest tubes and 23 weekers as this hospital doesn't have a level 3 NICU!! How am I expected to know this stuff if I've never worked the area and they aren't going to teach it to me?? Not to mention when I voiced my concerns the person I spoke to was really rude. He snapped my paper out of my hand and shouted "DUELY NOTED!! I WILL NOTIFY YOUR MANAGER OF YOUR CONCERNS. HAVE A GOOD REST OF THE DAY!" I've never been so irritated at a hospital orientation in all my life!:mad: Why can't they just wait and see how I perform on the floor before they decide if I'm competent or not?:confused: I REALLY am not a fan of this PBSD test. Does anyone know if there is a newborn test? I'd be more than happy to take one for my area of specialty!! Thanks!