RNAngelus

Kel - That's my concern exactly. Yes, sure, there are only two patients, but what if like you said, they're both very sick and one goes south... who watches the other? And since my Peds unit is very small (16 beds), there are only a few regular Peds nurses (so few of us, its ridiculous...) and a few Peds trained nurses (most don't even like working in Peds, so I don't know why they trained...)... so while I may be super busy with one kid, there literally is NO ONE to watch the others because obviously, the resident will be busy with me. It's really scary. I've already sent out a few applications and am looking for other places, so wish me luck, ^_^

Nah, wasn't even the heart. She had confused the kidneys and liver. Or so she said.

Thank you, jahra, :) Your words are encouraging. I'll be waiting for the PM. I have my resume ready, I think, heh, but I wish I had someone to look at it before I send it out. Does this site offer that?

Thank you guys for your advice! It is greatly appreciated. My problem is that working 8 hour nights leaves me with no energy, which makes me eat whatever is easy to grab (which 95% of the time isn't healthy stuff) which in turn leaves me with less energy and it's a nasty, vicious cycle. Commuter - You know, I really cannot decide if I'm a day or night person. I like working nights because like you said, I hate dealing with all the doctors, parents (I'm in Peds), staff, etc, but on the flip side, I hate working nights because at least in my hospital, *nothing* happens at night. I actually have only done days while I was in training, so I can't really say much about it. I do know I utterly hate 8 hour shifts though. My hospital keeps saying that it's more cost effective to have 8 hour shifts, which makes. no. sense. So I don't know... I'm stuck with those until I find an opportunity elsewhere. I used to have a gym membership and did go a few times after work, but like you, I felt way to groggy and unfocused right after work so I dropped the membership. I'm trying to watch what I eat more now, so wish me luck! Marathoner - Oh goodness, I have that problem too! Since I work in Peds we try to keep Jello, sandwiches and crackers and things to feed the kids (and admissions) if they are ever hungry and I find myself picking at that more often than whatever food I may take. It's something I need to teach myself to stop. Thanks again for the advise! It is vey appreciated.

Nenja - I wish you the best of luck as well. Call me naive, but I wish administration would just drop the budget ******** and actually remember what all of this is really about. But that's just too much common sense I guess...

My sister: Ow, my back hurts! Me: Where? Sister: Here, where the kidneys are. Humans have two kidneys, right? Me: O_O *facepalm*

I had a 1 year old boy one night, having been admitted with fever. We take vitals every four hours and for some reason, he was up and wired at 4am. So I go to the room and start chatting with mom and then turn to start chatting with the boy, who was just as charming as they come. I had the handheld, big digital thermometer in my hand (was using it to count his respirations) and when I was done, I placed it on the crib, right next to him. I was writing the RR down when I look back and I see the boy pick up the thermometer; me and mom just watch and smile. He starts pressing buttons and then puts the thing to his ear, screen side up, and with a big smile says, "hello?" Me and mom lol'ed quite hard.

I am currently doing 8 hour night shifts and I can safely say I DETEST THEM. Worst idea ever occured to man. Now, you may ask why am I doing it when I hate it so much. Well, after spending 1.5 years searching for a job (in a big city, mind you) and this night shift position becomes the only one available to you, you really take what you can get. Next year summer I will hit my two year mark, the amount of time most places look for as experience required, and I am already sending out applications for either twelve hour days (nights, pushing it, but they are easier than 8 hour nights). Till then, I have got to start learning how to manage my weight and energy levels. I am constantly tired, stressed, borderline depressed, and I'm not eating properly at all: either too little, or too much but not of the good things (waaaaaaaaaay to much bread and stuff like that). Help??? I don't know what to do, and I know my health is suffering.

Where I work, the med surg units have gone to 32:2 with two NAs. The Pediatrics Unit has gone to 7:1 with 1 NA plus admissions. When asked for help, managers actually get angry at us and the Union just made changes to the policy to report unsafe staffing that basically make the whole process useless. Does NY state have ratio laws?

KareBear - Don't say "just" a CNA. We couldn't work properly without you guys. Believe me, I know, because I've had to do it and those end up like one of the worst nights ever. kcksk - Goodness, can I go work where you are? Always having two RNs on the floor is a dream... Lyssa - You know, I also question why I ever became a nurse... But I try to remember those few and far between patients who just truly appreciate what we do. ANd I don't mean the kids because most of them just want to get better and go home and realize when you're trying to help, I mean the parents. Things are getting worse at work... managers still leaving us alone on the floor, sending us to other units to do NA jobs and leave our floor alone because they took the NA away and now the nurses in the other unit are rightfully overwhelmed... accusing us of insubordination when we refuse to do stupid things like that... it's getting bad... really bad. People with 10+ years in that place are dying to get the hell out of dodge...

There is no second nurse, :-P Just me. Everything else is a combination of both. Officially, as part of the unit, there are only four of us. Two for day shift (can't remember the last time they left two RNs there), one for evening and one (me) for nights. There are other RNs and LPNs trained for Peds throughout the hospital, but their units are so short staffed as is... you see where I'm going. And then they also don't feel the need to staff properly. Apparently they think I have super powers and can split myself in three. Granted, there have been nights where the two or three kids are stable enough that yes, I could handle it on my own. Doesn't mean I should, but I could. Then there are nights like the one I described above where four kids were enough for 10 given the acuity.

I don't know if they realize, and those that do have been vocal about it, but in my hospital, the Peds unit, its patients, parents and staff are the bastard, unwanted child. The biggest problem is at night, though all shifts really suffer from it. While I may have been alone during the night, or have had a CNA (the few nights I do), the day shift has an LPN or even another RN. It's rare, but it does happen. So it's so inconsistent that I don't know if anyone really cares. Tell me about it... a few nights ago I (alone), was juggling a kid on IV antibiotics who lost his IV line and I had to restart it (he only let me try once because he was terrified of the needle), a baby in respiratory distress whose mom pretty much left him to us because she had to go back home to do whatever, a kid with a broken arm hooked up to maintenance fluids and another child in status epilepticus. I will honestly say I got through the night with no disasters by the sheer grace of God. Literally. Administration thinks that just because there are 2, 3 or 4 kids I don't need any extra help, but that night proved the obvious fact that whether there are 2 or 6, one RN cannot run the entire floor because a kid can go south on you at any moment. But no... I'm the newbie, I'm the one complaining, it's always been done like that, etc. Thanks for your response, :)

This is one of the things that scares me every night... Did I mention that my hospital has 8 hour shifts? Overworked as is, and we also have even less time to be able to finish our work. It's ridiculous.

i am part of a union, but read above regarding how i feel about them. i'm not sorry to say that they have been utterly useless all the times i've had to deal with them (left me without benefits for nearly three months because they kept loosing my paperwork), but i haven't tried the nysna. i'll have to do that. with such little "official" experience under my belt i'm a little wary of making too many waves because i fear that would mar my resume greatly. i love pediatrics quite a lot and i don't want to be prevented from doing it. however, that doesn't mean i'm not willing to fight for the rest of the staff. as for pals, yes, we are required to have it. i have such little trust and faith in the ed staff in my hospital... i've seen trauma codes that need to be halted because they are missing either a nurse or an anesthesiologist or an rt... i've seen rapid responses or even code blues where the doctors and/or nurses just sort of waltz in at their own pace.... this place is seriously messed up... as for another job, preaching to the choir, :) thanks for your response, ^_^

I haven't had very good experience with the union covering my hospital, so I don't even know if I should bother bring this up to them... Someone also mentioned something else that had me thinking. Nursing shortage is massively widespread in my hospital (32:2 patient:nurse ratios), yet hardly anyone fills out the unsafe staffing papers. Will the union listen to the one person that's actually doing it (me) or see it as "why is she complaining when the others aren't"? Believe me, I've thought about leaving that place so much... Getting my resume ready to start sending it out. I won't place anyone's life on the line like that anymore. Thanks for your reply, :)