bedwards6

I was working in the ER it was my very first night on trauma. I had previously told my charge nurse I would do anything but eyeballs because they gross me out. My very first trauma was a delusional schizophrenic from the state hospital. I kid you not, he had dug out his own eyeballs with his fingers. One was hanging on his cheek by the optic nerve and the other was bulging out of the socket. He had to have them both removed because he had traumatized and stretched the optic nerve to the point he was blind. That was over twenty years ago and I still can't get that picture out of my mind.

I left the hospital after 33 years, going to work in an aircraft plant in occupational health. When that position was contracted out, I became a production line supervisor as I wanted to stay with the company. In 1 year, I am making $5 more per hour than at the hospital. No holidays, most weekends off. I kept my license active but doubt I will ever go back to bedside nursing. It breaks my heart but I refuse to give substandard care because of poor nurse/patient ratios. Priorities in this country are so messed up! Fire, EMS, police, teachers, social workers, and nurses........all professions that everyone needs. Professional athletes and celebrities......professions no one needs. $ vs. $$$$$$$$. SMH

I've been an RN for nearly 35 years. I've worked NICU, ER, pre/post op, and as a flight nurse. I now work in a factory as an Occupational Health nurse. A factory worker with a high school education makes more an hour than I do. One such worker actually called me "easy money" because he thought I just sit and look at a computer all day. What he doesn't know is that I can intubate, put chest tubes in, scrub in an angioplasty, literally bring someone back to life....and have many times. I have been cussed at, swung at (with a few connections), spit on and caught Hep C from an HIV positive patient because he was pissed he couldn't get meds fast enough while I was staring his IV and jerked his arm back causing me a needle stick. I have 2 degrees and still make less than a factory worker. I'm not here for money or praise. I do it because once in awhile, I go to sleep thinking I may have made a difference in someone's life. Ask a teacher, a cop, a paramedic, a social worker, or a fire fighter and I'll bet you get a similar answer.

I've been an RN for 32 years now. Though I've never worked the floor, I've done NICU, Cath Lab, ER/trauma, Air/Ground transport, Flight nursing, and PACU/POCU. The push for patient satisfaction is prevalent in the specialty units as well. There is nothing worse than a "poor" marked on the "How did we do?" card when you've had 4 trauma's in an hour, a hot MI and a back pain (for the past 2 months) and the back pain is ****** because he didn't get a script for Percocet like he wanted. I've been verbally and physically assaulted. A few times I went home with a bruise or two. I also had the misfortune of being stuck with an IV needle coming out of an HIV/Hep C patient because he wouldn't be still while I was starting it. I had the further misfortune of contracting Hep C after that and a year long treatment for it. The hospital I worked for rewarded me by trying to terminate me because I had exhausted my 12 weeks of FMLA even though it was a work comp. issue. (The only one I filed in the 20 years I had been there at the time). Nursing is a thankless job. The only reason I still do it is because I know that I do make a difference in people's lives whether they appreciate it or not. The responsibility we carry is unprecedented. Unfortunately, the compensation is worse than a unionized aircraft worker. I now work in occupational health in an aircraft plant. The unskilled, unionized workers are paid more, have regular breaks, lunches, vacations. I have 2 degrees. What the hell was I thinking???

I worked NICU for 18 years.....Some of my most memorable were....Tenacious, lady parts (pronounced va-jeana), Jazz January, and Demerolia....to name a few.....

Congrats! I was a NICU nurse for 18 years and loved it. Now I'm a flight nurse....love it too!

He says he's a "service dog". I say he's an undercover administrator!

Diet Coke, trauma shears, tape, at least 3 pens.....did I mention Diet Coke??