Scarlettz BSN, RN

Do you ever get the opportunity to float on another floor in the hospital? Or do you have a specialty that you are genuinely interested in? I had some anxiety, fears, and uncertainty when I started out as a nurse but never so extreme. You are just ab...

I never liked med-surg during nursing school and didn't think I would end up there. Anyway, my first nursing job ended up being med-surg and I liked it more than I thought I would. I still work PRN on med-surg (usually 2 shifts a month.) I work ft in...

I was able to find a psych job quite easily. Are you willing to relocate? Try NM or TX. Or else, perhaps try applying to other RN positions in the hospitals you are interested in. That might open doors for transferring to the mental health unit if yo...

I started in Med-Surg and still work there PRN. I will admit I did settle for med-surg, lol, because I could not get hired anywhere else. I hated med-surg in school. However, I have a greater appreciation for med-surg and liked it better than I thoug...

I posted a similar post about this a few months back when I had a weird experience when I first started psychiatric nursing. One morning I had a woman come up to me at the medication window, somewhat in a frenzy, and said "Who's Chloe!?" (Name has b...

I've only been a psych nurse for 5 months, but here are some pointers: -The vital sign machine and nursing assessment are my new best friends. I have had some patients who are med seeking, ER seeking, or "anything" else seeking. I had a patient who w...

Yeah, I'm jealous. Jealous of people who can start IVs like it aint no thang, lol! Otherwise no, I am not jealous. I have found a job in the field of nursing that I wanted to pursue. I had to start off on a medical-surgical floor before I was able to...

I am new to the field and also feel unsure of myself at times. But honestly, I would not have given the shot for sleep either if the patient wasn't agitated. I had an aide say the other day, "If it was me, I'd have given her a shot a long time ago." ...

For the most part, many of my patients take their medications. However, I have one woman who has refused her Seroquel a couple of times because it was not the same shape/color as it was last time. It is hard to explain to her that they come in differ...

I just started a psych job recently and it is different from what I expected. I think I am more annoyed by my job duties and the facility than I am the patients, though. It is completely paper charting, which I sort of hate. I am spending my whole sh...

I recently started a new job at a psychiatric hospital and had a very strange experience with a patient. (I am going to change the name/s in telling what happened for privacy matters.) I was passing out meds when a patient said to me, "Who is Zoe?" ...

You will find a wide range of medications given on a med-surg floor, but here are some I come across a lot: PRNs Ambien Zofran Phenergan Xanax Toradol Hydrocodone Benadryl Others: Solu-medrol Metoprolol Lisinopril Clonidine Lasix Protonix Levothyro...

I never was interested in a home birth to begin with, but my recent experience cinched my disinterest. I had a terrible delivery. Everything seemed to be going alright except for the last few minutes of pushing. The baby's heart rate dropped to 0, fo...

This situation came up the other day at my new place of employment. At my old job, if I saw TID PRN I would use my own nursing judgment as to when to give it. I would also discuss this order with the patient to let them know that they could only have...

There was a recent post about med errors on this site and there were many people who shared their med error stories. Point being, the majority of us will make a mistake at one point in their career. The noble nurse will own up to their mistake, as em...

The first couple of years can be rough - especially with 6 patients. You will get comfortable with time, though. Getting out at 8:30 is not so bad. There were days in the beginning that I was there until 10 AM or later! There are some days now when I...

I thought night shift was going to be so chill. WRONG! For instance, I was on my feet for 11 hours last shift. I only had 1 hour of charting time. -We don't have aides - days does. -We draw all our labs between 10 PM - 5 AM -We have just as many admi...

I relocated to New Mexico for a job. Prior to being hired for the job, I received two other calls from facilities in the state. I had no medical experience. I am now in West Texas and got a job pretty easily (probably due to my experience as well.) B...

Wow, I think 103.something to 104. That scared the hell out of me, lol!

OP, I have a question for you. How much time do you get to pass your medications? I am going to be starting a new psych job soon and I forgot to ask this question. Doh! I can have up to 30 patients on this floor. I am a med-surg nurse and the most p...

OP, are you as a nurse right now or are you a student? If you are a nurse, have you found that your SA has lessened with nursing experience? I have never been diagnosed with SA but I am pretty certain I have had it all my life. I think many people wo...

You did the right thing and don't let some miserable nurse get you down! I have much respect for LTC nurses because they do not have the same resources a hospital does. You know your patient and his baseline. If I were this patient's daughter, I woul...

I wouldn't worry about it. People are going to hold certain views, but the mature ones will overlook age when they have a great candidate. Are you interested in peds at all? When I was in my pediatric rotation during school they had a lot of young nu...

I just wanted to add onto something about relocation. I do not know your living or financial situation. And relocation is a whole lot easier if you are single and do not have children. But, there are places that will give you sign-on bonuses. Look in...

I moved across the country for my first nursing job. I think I'd still be applying to jobs if I didn't leave! I agree with all of the advice given. Apply to everything and give it your all. Even if you don't get a job, you will start to get a feel ...