Newgrad_STAT

I float around so... I've been to pretty much every floor personally I found the busiest to be a short staffed medicine floor, an express unit and sometimes the cardiac floors (eventhough 9/10 they're my fav) The slowest would DEFINITLEY have to be rehab. It's like night and day comparing the too. (too slow for me)

I don't mind it. Sometimes it can be fun. I'm working nights Christmas Eve and Christmas day... which will be a pretty nice increase on my next pay (double time and half + nights premiums) I don't have kids or anything like that. Just my mom and my cat right now lol :) only downside is I'll be missing Christmas eve mass upside is (lol) I have New Years eve and new years day off and am planning on taking a few vacation days after that

OH MAN!! I stutter and have stuttered my whole life. I wish I could have out grew it like some other people... but no such luck. I'm also a new nurse and I work on the float pool team for a large trauma hospital... so I float to all different floors:uhoh3:. wow sometimes my stutter is quite bad and other days not so noticeable. I always wonder what people think when they hear me stutter. I stutter the most when I'm on the phone... boy is it BAD sometimes. Sometimes I get so down about it but what can you do... this is the way God made us (for a reason... :uhoh21:) I just tell myself I'm doing the best I can do... and sometimes just laugh it off But yeah nobody really knows how it is... sometimes it's like hell I've only "met" one other nurse who stuttered and that was back when I was doing my CPR as a 1st yr nursing student. Never saw her again. Her stutter was quite bad and strangely when I heard her stutter I didn't... anyways, glad to know I'm not the only one :redbeathe

LOL... well I'm going back to the Gi surgical floor again tonight. Hoping things run a little smoother and I get a chance to take somewhat of a break and give a decent report.

I didn't mean that in general... I meant giving report on that floor. I was unfamiliar with their terminology and honestly did not have as much time as I would have liked to do a bit of background reading and give a thorough report. We were swamped.

I recently finished 2+ months of orientation/precepted shifts for a full-time float pool position at a great trauma hospital, I have been through MANY different preceptors, picked up a few tips and tricks and learned to roll with the bunches. I started floating on my own Friday (I'm currently doing my nights then I will switch to days in about 1 1/2 weeks). My first night shift I was booked on a neurosurgey floor with a step down unit... wooo a little different than I envisioned. Heavy Heavy floor... especially for a first timer. I had 5 patients + a new admission. Something about new admissions on nights that stresses me out like crazy (no business clerk) - I'm never 100% sure if I'm doing it right or if I've missed something important. Thankfully the staff that night was very understanding and beyond helpful. My second night- I was back on a stroke unit- where I spent about 3 weeks orientating there. So, not so bad. Felt nice knowing the floor, the flow and some of the staff. My Third night (Sunday)... whoaaaaaaaa. I was booked on a GI surgical floor. So prior to going into my shift I did a little research (thought I'd like to be "somewhat" prepared- didn't help at all LOL). Anyways, the floor was like night and day from everything else I've learnt. Very hard... I felt in over my head... I mean 85% of the meds, procedures, tubes, trains, pumps etc I've never seen. But I just did the best I could and asked lots of questions . It was a very busy night but somehow everyone else managed to fit in a 'nap' break. I forgot about the break and just focused on getting what I needed done. I was flying around like a bat out of hell. Also, they were short staffed on nights and had me a new nurse/new to the floor + another nurse from another floor who also has never been there... so one of the regular staff nurses was quite upset... friendly but upset. I just kept thinking "don't blame this on me I just go where I'm booked" So, it comes time to give report to the oncoming nurses and I'm thinking this is all chinese to me. I tried my best... not sure if I even made sense. I let them know that "hey I am new, new to the float team and most definitely new to this floor- I tried my best and I hope I have not missed anything". Might I add, I also stutter... and sometimes it is definitely more noticeable. I could only imagine what they were thinking. And the funny thing is... each floor I go too the staff nurses there always stress how hard the floor is and the workload... but then I go to another floor and the workload is 10x harder. The experience is out of this world... but so is the stress. I keep hearing how a resource team/float team isn't good for a new grad but about 90% of us are or started out as one there. I hear both negative and positive stories. I am beyond thankful to have landed this position and I try to focus on the positive and know that not every day will be the best day... but I will try my best since that is all I can do. I just worry about getting to a new floor with an extremely hard patient assignment and not having any "nice" nurses to turn to for help. :uhoh21:

New nurse here... started my orientation on a medical floor. (I'm part of a float team so I will be floating to all different floors areas). The first day went alright- my preceptor wasn't bad... I thought she would have shown me a bit more but oh well. Anyways, I'm usually always pretty quiet and shy. It's just my personality and I've accepted that. I don't always mesh well with people who are loud and love to hear themselves talk. However, when I'm around people who I am really comfortable with I definitely am more outgoing. But I knew coming on the floor for the first day... I'd be pretty quiet. and I noticed many of the nurses are very obnoxiously LOUD... gossiping and everything. I don't mind chatting but I don't want to be apart of gossip. During break the charge nurse even said to me "You're not normally this quiet are you?" and then she said "Oh boy" and I was thinking I'd rather be quiet than be like you. Of course everyone is going to have a different personality but wow. I'm also orientating with another new nurse from the float pool... and she is pretty outgoing... I don't think it makes her a better nurse than me... but I wonder if people think this. I guess that's the good thing about being part of the float team... always changing. I don't necessarily mind being quiet... I'm a really great listener, I pick up on tons of things people miss and it's me. Anyone else in my shoes? There are a few other nurses on the floor who pretty much kept to themselves. (one was also from the float pool).

She asked me... I never said I did. I documented on the residents I personally dealt with. I spoke with the DON.. she was very understanding and I told her honestly I have no idea what happened with the count. (it was the only mistake) She said she would try to figure it out... but I ensured her that i was obviously 100% honest.... that I'm trying my best, trying to get everything done in a timely manner and etc. I also informed her of my F/T position... That nurse still gives me nightmares.... I guess this too is a challenge

Thank you for the quick reply. I need sleep and I'm up stressing- wish I had someone to talk too about this. I have no idea where the missing 2 tylenol 3s (one package/bubble) went and I honestly should not have done the shift.... I was exhausted, drained and you name it. Everything in God's hands...hope it doesn't get ugly

i know it's long... please bare with me I am currently casual at a LTC facility. The orientation was 5 shifts... lol no previous LTC experience. Anyways, I've been on my own for about 4 shifts so far and I ve really enjoyed my last 7-7 day shift. I know every day is not going to be a good day... but I CANNOT live with this kind of stress. I am helping out another nurse who is ssupposedly on 'light' duty because she 'supposedly' fell outside of the facility. I was scheduled to have a bunch of shifts this week (about 40 hrs) but she called down to management and told them that it's not needed... So my shifts got canceled and I had only 6hrs today and I have 6 hrs tomorrow (again helping her). But it's not helping.. it's me doing everything whil she sits there... I'm like her slave. One of the men working there said beware of her... she's lazy and will work you to the bone.- no Joke... She fell asleep for about 4 hours... mouth wide open and snoring. The personal support workers were short staffed so I offered to lend a hand. I'm always willing to help and learn as much as a I can. She of course NEVER once moved from her seat. She even went as far as telling me to document for her residents who I never even met. I did all the documentation, meds, etc etc. Ok she's lazy but that's not the worst thing... she's the type of person that seems to be out to get others.... not that "team player" where we work together... building fellow nurses up, she's the type that would report you in a second. So I made a mistake today... I mis-counted one of the narcotics (tylenol #3) and signed for it- I honestly thought I counted it correctly and have been trying my best at everything but apparently they were 2 short. Not that this is a defence because I take responsiblity for it but she didn't move a damn finger and I haven't slept for about 2 + days. I worked a night shift with her and didn't sleep the day prior and they called me at 8 am after my damn night shift to say my shift with her is now changed to earlier = no sleep. End rant We sign off narcs on shift change and everything is on paper (so the sheets are often sloppy) She wrote an incident report and said she would call the DON. I don't know what happens now... I know this is proper protocol but i have seen written changes on the narcotic sheets and I doubt people are reporting each other like this. I'm new what are they going to try to do something with my licence? I thought nurses work together... she never helped me... I told her I felt horrible/dizzy (hinting that maybe she could share some of the work) I'f they pull me into the office for this I'm going to have a backbone and say everything about my day, her sleeping and everything. Why doesn't someone report her This place is giving me horrible vibes. I start orientation for a F/T hospital position and I hope to God this mistake and her don't stop that from happening. I don't know what comes of this or the incident report. She made it sound as if I'm licence is on the line. I didn't take the pill.... Give me a break!! She also added "She's never made a mistake" Wouldn't her first mistake be falling asleep on the job? I made a mistake. I'm new, new grad... trying my best, willing to help, willing ot learn and friendly. I've never met those residents and I was doing all her work while she sat, ate and slept. I haven't slept and am honestly beyond exhausted. I'm hoping nothing serious comes from this.... I was set on keeping this casual position along with the full-time position at the hospital.... but not when I leave there feeling like this! I know she's going to say more like "she was overwhelmed, etc etc... took her a little long for a her med pass" SHe's not understanding at all. ps. so many of the other nurses and staff are lkeep applying to hospitals... you wouldn't want to lose your licence here... this is all making me sick... I can't even imagine what I'd do. It was an honest mistake... everything else was counted fine. please excuse my spelling and grammatical errors.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll let them know about the f/t position and that I'd still like to keep the occassional shift. But I really want to focus on the hospital position but don't want to burn any bridges. :)

A little background: I just finished orientation at a LTC facility... the facility is nice. Some of the staff are nice...others were quite bad orientators. I had a total of 5 shifts for orientation... and this is my first time ever in LTC. I'm casual so I don't have a set schedule... but the receptionist did call to give me some shifts. Ever since then I have been getting multiple calls about filling in shifts and I honestly feel very uncomfortable... especially since they call sooo close to the start of the shift. they called maybe 20 minutes before a 7-7 shift today... she left a message... called me by another name- then corrected herself but it honestly just set my whole day off! Even the shifts I've been assigned are not even shifts I was orientated on... I guess this is just part of it... Anyways, I start full-time at one of my favorite hospital mid-march. I'm so thankful for this blessing. While, LTC has it's perks I definitely love acute care, emerg. etc. I tend to be on the shy side- and I dont know if I want to quit this place (or even how to say it) but I definitely need to inform them of my other position. I would pick up a shift at the hospital before I did at the nursing home...since I'd obviously be making OT and at the LTC I'd be making quite a bit less. I'm thankful for both opportunities I just need some advice on what to say to them regarding my full-time position (and many of them are a little bit intimidating and not that approachable) and for a 2 weeks notice I would have to tell them now...

I tend to be the type that likes to snack at night... which is why it's best for me to get to bed at a decent time so the eating stops lol Anyways, I've lost 50 + lbs by watching my calories and intense workouts 7 days a week. I've become a fitness junkie and I love my new lifestyle. I have roughly 20 lbs to lose before I'm at my goal weight. Anyways, so now with working full-time it's a little hard to do all that but it's definitely not impossible. I don't find the working out to be the problem, for me it's the eating ... at nights I'm always sooooo much more hungier! (days are not the same). and on slower nights I guess my body is bored so it thinks 'why not eat' I try to pack healthy snacks but sometimes it's just not enough... I feel starved! And the last 2 shifts I had to get a bag of chips from the vending machine (nothing else around). I know all the healthy foods/portion control yadda yadda yadda but what works for you? so far I have still been losing but I'm scared to gain

Have you been offered the job at the psych hospital? It will definitely Help... how would it hinder? lol You'll gain experience... might not be "acute care" but it is definitely nursing experience aside from just your clinicals. Be thankful for that... it's really hard out here.

I've been in your shoes and as of lately things have been REALLY working in my favor. I'm not one for home health... I don't know if I would be able to just go into someone's home... and definitely not as a new grad where you're not a 100% confident in your nursing skills and or nursing judgement. I had an interview with a home health agency... didn't get the position and I'm glad lol It took me a while but I eventually landed a permanent full-time position in my favorite hospital. Everyday I heard/saw people landing positions and I kept saying "when's my time?" (pity party) lol It took me about 7-8 months but the position is amazing and it's full-time which is super hard to get right off the bat as a new grad. Things will change... trust me :) It always gets bad just before it's about to get better. and ps. I would definitely try LTC. I accepted a casual position at a nice LTC facility before I found out I got the position at the hospital. I'm casual but I get TONS of shifts and it's great experience... definitely more than you think. Good luck!

I finished my orientation at a fairly new LTC facility. The orientation consisted of 2 nights and 3 day shifts. Most of the orientators were great but others... I feel that I'm fairly a quick learner and enjoy a new challenege, I'm just not ready to get my head cut off, get in serious trouble or lose my licence. I've heard horror stories about "just cover your butt" ... do this do that. careful careful careful. It's like walking on egg shells and as a new nurse and new to LTC what if we DO make a mistake? then what my nursing career is over?! Another issue... I've accepted a permanent full-time position in a fantastic hospital (only 10 mins from my house lol). The orientation for that starts mid March :yelclap: I'm casual at this LTC facility and the receptionist just called me with a BUNCH of shifts. Sure I said yes to them all... I'm willing to work hard and make $... I'm just scared... I don't want something to happen that might jeopardize my hospital position Nonetheless I'm thankful for the opportunity to even have so many shifts just very nervous. Any thoughts?

OMG! So he called! The position was for a temporary full time... he offered me a permanent full-time position!!!!!!! I am stunned out of my mind! That is next to impossible to get as a new nurse!!! I can't even believe it!!!! WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT! He said my references said amazing things about me... WOW! Thank you God!!!!

Thanks everyone. The problem IS he's been away on conference/training all last week. He has emailed me back and called again but unfortunately I have missed his second call (I don't have a cell phone at the moment so it's really hard to be home when he calls) He left a nice message saying for me to email him a time to reach me. I feel bad but he can't expect me to be home 24/7 right? Anyways, I'm hopeful... I don't think he would be doing all this if I didn't get the position right? I understand he's busy and I'm not his #1 priority but I just want to know... Hope I hear something from him today... Everything in God's hands. I just hope he doesn't think it's hard to get in contact with me and gives the position to someone else.... Everything is going through my head... I'm stressing. I WANT this so bad. I claimed it and I know God will make it mine. I can't stand waiting but I guess this is a test of my patience.

lol well that's awesome! It's not that I've given it a few days (I've been stressing) and it's been the long weekend here.. So I had no choice. lol I spoke to the receptionist today and she told me he is on off-site training this whole week (greaaaaaaat!) so it would be best to reply to his email since he checks his blackberry... So we'll see.

i did call. I called him back the day he called (left a message) but like I said it's the long weekend here and I heard word he might be going on vacation :S

Thank you. I'm HOPING that all this is not just to hear "blah blah blah- we gave it to someone else". It CANT be. Hospitals/facilities don't go out of their way to tell you if you've been rejected lol This is killing me.

Love that post. I have also been a "new" grad for a long time. About 8+ months. I've been on 5 interviews. I've recently landed a casual position within a nice LTC and have received a call back from a full-time position at an awesome hospital that is 15 mins from my house (just trying to get back into contact with them) I believe everything happens for a reason- what's meant to be will! I always thought of myself as a "poor" interviewer.... nerves and the fact that I stutter. There would be SOO many things I would want to say during an interview and it just wouldn't translate that way. I felt like everyone around me was landing jobs- no one was "friends" anymore. No matter how much you helped someone in school... don't even think about asking them for help now. I just felt like a had a million things against me and I couldn't catch a break. I went on this last interview on Wednesday (at a hospital I dream of working at)... and let alone the position is F/T. I claimed this... this is MINE... I'm ready for it and I prayed about it so hard. The felt the interview went well- I challenged him with some questions.. I gave him my references and he gave me his card. I followed up with a Thank You email. He informed me during the interview he would only inform the successful person by the end of the week. On friday I had a voice message from him asking me to call him... he also replied back to my email - asking again to call him. I am HOPING with everything the call is saying I got the position.... Seriously I will cry like there is no tomorrow. They wouldn't leave a voice message saying you got the position right? they'd rather speak to you? ahhh I'm trying not to get my hopes up but please God let this be mine Anyways, I called him back and left a message... but I hope this doesn't become a game of tag with it being a long weekend and I heard word he might be on vacation next week :S (sorry that turned out to be a lot longer than expected)

he didn't call within a couple of hours. It was 2 days after. (the end of the week) like he stated. It's the long weekend here (I also got word that he might be on vacation next week from the receptionist- so how on earth with I know?) and I have no idea how I'm going to get into contact with him. I Just really want to know. I'm hoping with everything that the call meant the position is mine... I want this sooo bad.

no replies? I was hoping I'd at least come home from my shift with some replies