sofaraway04

sofaraway04 has 2 years experience.

sofaraway04's Latest Activity

1. 

   how many patients?

   sofaraway04 replied to oreo75's topic in International

   I've never had to float somewhere else, I don't think I would mind for the odd shift, but I have said I wouldn't go to another unit for a month when they wanted me to. A very busy acute medical ward total 24 patients On an early it's 2 staff nurses and 1 HCA for 12 patients, we are the only place I've worked where 2 staff nurses work together and share patients. On a late it's 1 staff nurse and 1 HCA for 12 patients then 1 staff nurse to float and be in charge. nights 2 staff nurses and 1 HCA for all 24 and we all work together
2. 

   "You'll be a nurse two years after you get your RN"

   sofaraway04 replied to nurseby07's topic in Nursing

   My first thought on the comment that you won't be a nurse until after 2 years was that it meant it will generally take 2 years to be confident and really know what you are doing. I know that once you start working that's when the learning really starts, the first year is really hard and a massive learning curve. I've not long reached my 2nd year and it has taken me this long to feel confident and competent in some situations. I need a lot less support form colleagues than I did when I first started out. I also don't see why he should be excluded from the meetings, although if they are anything like our ward meetings I'm glad to avoid if at all possible.
3. 

   How do you feel when you see family members and their Note pads in hand

   sofaraway04 replied to lpnflorida's topic in Nursing

   I don't like it. It hasn't happened very often where I work, but when it does it always put myself and colleagues on guard. These patients do get treated differently, they shouldn't but they do. If 2 patients ring the bell and one has a family that has complained it's likely theirs will get answered first. we tend to joke on our ward, if someone says they are going to complain then show them our badge so they spell our name right.
4. 

   An Atheist Outnumbered by Christians at Work (an ethical dilemma)

   sofaraway04 replied to Jo Dirt's topic in Nursing

   I am in a similar position, I work mainly with Christians, but there is a few Muslims. I think religion is quite different in the UK to the US, but at work I do have a large amount of colleagues from overseas. I am an atheist and lean towards humanism. i had a situation a couple of weeks back with my ward manager. We were discussing Easter rota and I was only person working friday, saturday, sunday and monday. She asked if I was upset because I couldn't go to church. I told her that I didn't go to church because I wasn't a Christian. She then started quizzing me about how I believed we got here, what did I do when things were bad, did I really never pray etc. All questions I didn't really answer because I didn't feel the need to justify my beliefs/lack of. I told her I didn't think it was appropriate to discuss religion at work and got out of there quickly. I'm fairly open about myself at work and generally, open about my religion (lack of), sexuality, history of mental health problems. I think that some people try to take advantage of my openness and ask inappropriate questions. an example, I am happy to tell you that the scars on my arms are from self harm (it is fairly obvious), but it's not appropriate for you to ask me what happened in my childhood to cause me the problems I have had. I hope you find someway to be comfortable at work
5. 

   Do you give your 10 AM meds at 8 AM?

   sofaraway04 replied to FireStarterRN's topic in Nursing

   I don't remember having 10am meds, at least not recently. But I do have 12:00 and 14:00 and will give them together, also 18:00 and 20:00 I'll give together. Unless it was a specific med that was vital to be given at certain time.
6. 

   MRSA - hospital stay ?

   sofaraway04 replied to CaroleN199's topic in Nursing

   Where I work we screen everyone admitted for MRSA. If it comes back positive at any of the sites (nose, axilla or groin), they are isolated and start eradication treatment. Which is ointment for the nose, and some special stuff to wash with and to shampoo hair with. the treatment lasts 6 days and then we reswab. I don't remember anyone testing positive on the re-swab, so it seems to work. Some people do however go home and finish their treatment at home so don't get re-swabbed.
7. 

   Lesbian L and D nurse

   sofaraway04 replied to AudreyHurston's topic in Ob/Gyn

   I'm glad to read that you will try for your desired job. I am a lesbian nurse working on an acute medical ward, and have never experienced any problems with patients or colleagues. I am pretty sure that none of my patients have ever known that I am gay. It depends how I handle questions from patients, when they ask me if I am married or have children etc. I will sometimes I will simply answer 'no', other times I might say that i am engaged. I just assess each situation as it comes. I have been open from when i started my job with my colleagues that I am gay, they have been very accepting and it's been a non-issue. There seems to be an attitude of 'I don't mind what your sexual orientation, I don't want to know what you do in your private life'. Which to me assumes that being gay is about sex and nothing else. I agree that talking about sex lives probably isn't usually appropriate at work. Other general conversations that involves families etc it is nice to be able to talk openly with everyone else. If we are talking about what we did at the weekend for example, I will (and feel comfortable doing) say what my partner and I did. I would like it if my workplace was as open that patients could know that I was gay without issue. If one of my co-workers said to a patient "I'm hoping to get off on time today as my husband is taking me out for a meal", I hope one day it would feel ok for me to say "I'm hoping to get off on time today as my girlfriend is taking me out for a meal" In the UK when applying for jobs we are asked our sexual orientation, also religion, disability. The information is not passed to the manager interviewing but it is held by HR, for monitoring and equal opportunity purposes. You can of course refuse to answer the questions. (apologise for the ramblings, not slept after night shift in attempt to convert back to days)
8. 

   How many patients are you expected to take report on?

   sofaraway04 replied to AnnaMary's topic in Med-Surg

   we have 23 beds (just shut 2 recently) always full and it's an acute medical ward. earlies should be 7 staff (4 RN 3 HCA) lates should be 5 staff (3 RN 2 HCA) nights should be 3 staff (2 RN 1 HCA) note the 'should'! this week I have worked short on all 3 shifts I've worked so far. Is your staffing 4 on all shifts? I would be lost without my handover sheet and I hate having to hand write one when the printer breaks, actually even when that happens the previous shift will usually write one out and photocopy for next shift. What is their reasoning for not having printed handover sheets?
9. 

   Do Day Nurses Really Feel that Night Nurses Do Nothing All Night?

   sofaraway04 replied to Brita01's topic in Nursing

   I work both shifts, occasionally we get a quiet night and I get to sit down and look at the paper and have a drink. That never happens on day shifts. But generally we are steadily busy through the night. We are very busy at the start, getting observations on all patients, IV's, BM, night meds and then same again at the end of the shift in the morning. Usually midnight until 5am is a slower pace and generally just the monitoring that we need to do and answering bells. I prefer the work of night, it is less stressfull in general but messes up my body clock and sleep so wouldn't be able to do it full time.
10. 

    Where would your least favorite area to work be?

    sofaraway04 replied to CEN35's topic in Nursing

    it's not on the list, but respiratory is what I would hate. People not being able to breathe kinda scares me. Also I have a really hard time looking after COPD patients. i don't like traccys and sputum. I dislike it when we get resp patient's on my ward so couldn't work on a whole ward full of them.
11. 

    checking BP before giving BP meds?

    sofaraway04 replied to 2bnurse_it's topic in Med-Surg

    I wouldn't give the med and would call the DR to inform them that I hadn't given it, then document the conversation right away. I would then recheck the BP and HR in approx and hours time, because if it was low then it might point towards something going on with the patient. When giving BP meds I will go on the BP taken at 6-7am when I give the meds at 8am unless it was very low or high then I will re-check it. when giving meds to 12 pateints probably 8 of them would be on BP meds, I would never finish my med round if I took all of those BP's myself.
12. 

    How many patients are you expected to take report on?

    sofaraway04 replied to AnnaMary's topic in Med-Surg

    On my ward the whole staff, nurses, health care assistants, students take report on all of the patients (24) and we also have a printed handover sheet which has the details on all patients. We then split into 2 teams and take 12 patients each team. I think it's good to have information on all the patients as DR's, relatives etc will ask questions, also in the event of an emergency you will know the basic details of the patient even if you weren't looking after them that day. In the evenings when there may only be 2 staff nurses, when the other goes on break I would be lost if I didn't know anything about their pateints. handover's take 30 minutes generally as that is our overlap time.
13. 

    My most critical patient

    sofaraway04 replied to ayla2004's topic in International

    sounds like you did well. It's not easy, especially at first when dealing with sick patients. As I am a junior nurse on my ward, when pateints are like this then usually a more senior member of staff comes to help. I tend to become a good runner, going to fetch anything they need,running to ITU with the blood gas, phone the family etc. Does your hospital have any system for getting a Dr quickly for a patient who is sick but not arrested? I love our system, it gets Dr, bed manager, matron (during the day) there very quickly.
14. 

    How many hours would you work?

    sofaraway04 replied to mikethern's topic in Nursing

    If I could afford it I would work 8 hours a week only, or none at all. I like being with patients and the company of colleagues, So I'd like to go in voluntary. I would get to spend time chatting to patients, feeding, making beds running errands around the hospital. I'd get to do the simple things, have no responsibility and get away form being shouted at by anyone.
15. 

    RNs- Mostly first born? Alcoholic fathers?

    sofaraway04 replied to Hellllllo Nurse's topic in Nursing

    thats me, first born, dad alcoholic, and to add to what some others have said mum- mental health issues too.
16. 

    nurses as patients

    sofaraway04 replied to cariad's topic in International

    I was a patient in my hospital earlier this week. I didn't tell anyone when I was admitted to A&E that I was a nurse at the hospital. But one of the porters recognised me and told my nurse, about 10 minutes later I had a visit from my ward sister and our ward clerk. so much for patient confidentiality! the sister stayed with me for a while and was telling the staff what to do as she wasn't pleased with the care i was getting. She even said at one point, i'll go back to the ward and get some 50% glucose to give to you if they don't hurry up and do it themselves. I think I was well behaved and didn't question things that i thought should have been done. e.g. i dropped my blood pressure so they put up IV fluids but it wasn't until over 4 hours later that it was re-checked. If I was my patient I would have checked alot earlier than that. I did have to keep telling the confused lady opposite me to sit down, because she was almost falling all the time, and i got the lady next to me a sick bowl.