WildOne

I did apply online abd didn't have any kind if placement at the hospital I leave it to fate

Well of course this is an rn stating that however it's less common now. I definitely take care of unstable patients with "supervision" that's non existent A lot of RNs are just ****** off that a nurse with less than 2 years of education is working in the same place giving u report or taking patients from you

Let's see here I'm new too but in about 5 months I've picked up a few things 1. Do things as you go for example if you just took vitals put them in or you just gave a prn med put it in right away 2. Prioritize on a piece of paper! If I'm doing night shift and I see there's like 20 things I need to do at 6 am I make a list. Like empty this foley then start this med then clean this 3. When you go into a room try to do everything at once . I used to give a med then get supplies abd clean them then get them water then they wanted a sleeping pill. So now I ask first do you need water, sleeping pill etc or I check the mar if they have been getting a sleeping pill everyday most likely they will ask for it. Then u take the pill water supples everything in and your out in 15 minutes onto the next person 4. Redirect people. I would and still do get caught up in long conversations with patients abd family about just pain sleeping etc. instead talk while you do then say something nice like "well I'll let you enjoy your visit" 5. And one thing I find really helpful is the last hour of my shift I write all the things that need to be documented in another colour like green on my sheet that way u dont get confused in what you have or haven't charted. And once it's charted I put a little checkmate beside it or else I'm wasting time checking how much normal saline has infused I'm getting faster though abd so will you all with time!!!!

By the way I always try to remember that most doctors were the nerds who had no friends in school and now that they've reached "doctor status" after so many years they feel like they can get their revenge.

I'm so glad it worked out for you!!! I'm a new nurse too and doctors like this need a swift kick of the rear!! I always try to think what goes around comes around. As nurses I think this brings up the important issue that we need to make sure that anyone who disrespects us gets disciplined. Whether that be doctors family etc. I would like have been like "excuse me? I'll just hang up now and call your boss to let them know your not giving orders for this pts bp abd acting like a 4 year old"

The borrowing from other patients meds is normal but definitely not the watching your preceptor steal abd swallow someone else's pills!!! That needs to be reported

Wow thanks everyone for the replies!! Went back to work yesterday and found the patient tied to the bed and getting regular haldol but, he's not assigned to me anymore so theres not much I can do! All of your points were wonderful I have another confused patient tonight abd was having the debate between haldol and Ativan again abd I think I'll go with the haldol. It's all about learning thanks again!!

I just wanted to get some advice here I've been a nurse for about 5 months. I was on the floor a few days ago had a new admission from ER. I was doing night shift 7-7, the man was confused, a dnr from nursing home with cancer. He's in his late 80's and the confusion was a new onset from when I got him he was apparently not confused in the ER and daughter accompanied him. She stayed the night but said after that night no one would be staying with him bc the family is scattered everywhere. Anyways during my shift he tried to climb out of bed about 6 times. I caught him each of the 6 times because I checked on him q 30 min while his daughter got some much needed sleep in our seating area. Each time he gets up to "pee" he hates wearing a diaper even though he let me out one on him, forgets the trials beside him. By the way he cannot walk his gait is super unsteady and apparently was bed bound at nursing home for about a month before admission with his wife taking care of the soiled beds he would leave. So would keep reassuring him of where he was gave him prn Ativan twice that night. Then at 6am I got kind of fed up with him getting out if bed again as I was so busy and put him in a Geri chair beside the nurses station. I don't believe in heavily medicating seniors so even though he had haldol ordered as needed (apart of an admission order set) I decided not to use it as he was not aggressive but became more insistent and irritable as the night went on. So the daughter (who I woke up a few times that night to come over abd reassure him) gave permission to use soft restraints finally at like 630 am) So I'm giving report to the oncoming nurse and she ripped into be for not giving the guy haldol. I told her I didn't think he needed it and I've noticed in several elderly patients that when they do get haldol frequently they are more confused/lethargic and since he wasn't confused in the ER I was waiting it out. Note patient at this time was in the Geri chair calm almost sleeping /looking out the window. Do you think in this instance I should have used the haldol earlier in the night? It certainly would have made my night easier because I ran my feet off. I'd just like some advice I seem to always have confused patients and in sure ill come across this scenario again soon....

In the hospital I work for each floor has an admission question sheet that the nurse from the floor asks the emerg nurse for example on cardiac floors the questions are more tailored to heart health while on end of life floors it has more to do with pain control and family

I work for 25.59$/hr I am a new grad first job and my hospital is one of those that you listed A new rn that got hired with me gets paid about 29-30$/hour. Even though I'm doing the same job as her......

I'm sorry but that's ridiculous. If that's what the staff is doing while YOU'RE there then imagine what they are doing when your not? Yes your mom might be with it but she sounds like someone who wouldn't want to worry you by telling you if something wrong /hurtful happened. There's much better facilities out there I encourage you to get your mom out of that hell hole! It sounds like a nightmare

Strong smells like when u take someone to the bathroom or you KNOW they've had a bowel movement from standing beside them. Oh and when I empty catheter bags I try to stand far away because the stink that assaults your nostrils is really ....powerful I'm more of a blood girl I like taking it and can deal with it pouring out of anywhere

So I'm on shift right now and just thought I'd share my experience with my first very displeased patient. He speaks little English and is very irritable. Everything was fine then I went in to give meds and go a blood sugar. He actually co operated and when I went to give him water yelled at me to put the water in a "smaller" cup. So I did it no problem then IT started. He began grumbling about how I should have come an hour ago how I don't know how to give people medications. Anyway he is independent alert orX3 so he leans back into the bed and being nice I ask if he needs anything else because t this point he's been grumbling for a good 3 minutes. He goes "cover me!" so pulled the covers up he's like NO that wrong do it properly. 1 entire minute later I'm still fixing blankets. He began saying how I'm lazy how I just come into work expecting to relax. And I LOST IT I said " you know what it's inappropriate for you to speak to me like this so you need to stop" he began saying how he's sick (he's been chronically I'll for years nothing new) I told him that's fine but nurses are here to help those that can't help themselves and when he goes home there won't be a nurse there to tuck the covers around him He went off on me saying he's going to complain to the doctor so I said that's fine the doctor is not my boss and he works here just like me. So he goes well tell me whose ur boss I'm going to complain I'm like go right ahead. Then I turned off the light and left. There are 3 other patients in the room and they were like "you go girl!" as I was leaving. So I talked to my charge and she went in there and asked he patient if he has anything he would like to talk to her about and he said no abd rolled over abd went to sleep. I'm just so livid! How dare you try to speak to me like this? People think just because they don't see us for an hour were having a smoke break. I have 8 patients at night I'm running my shoes off not just "relaxing" Anyways so this is my first patient conflict I was almost ready to cry from it. then I pulled myself together and documented everything. I can't risk him actually remembering then looking for a manager. However I think chances are because he did not want to discus it right after with my charge he doesn't really care enough to say anything right?

I think everyone can relate to this story. As a new grad I just got off orientation. My last preceptor sometimes would correct me in front of pts which I found embarrssing and mortifying. Sometimes she would take off the BP cuff and reapply it or criticize me in front of patients The worst was when I admitted a patient from the pacu. I tried giving my preceptor report that when the pt came to pack she had a very low no in the range of 80's but now it was in the low 105's. She wouldn't listen abd was too overwhelmed with having 2 pts admitted at one time She accused me of taking report without her permission and "banned" me from taking report alone. ( I am registered). She then said to mr X2 in front of the patient while I kept trying to explain to her that on transfer the pts bp was not in the 80's. However she went off on me infrint if the pt and their family asking me why I though it was appropriate to admit the patient. This was only a month ago I still have not gotten over it. I work a lone now off orientation and eveytume I have to take report I think of that incident. DO NOT let certain people get you down. Remember what goes around comes around. The best thing I found would be to mentally remove myself from that person like I'm watching them from far away. I think you gain more insight like that and never take their bait. Just let them have their moment and remember it reflects badly on them not you Hang in there!

OH GOD I completely understand what your going through!!! Im a new nurse and had my first shift alone just last week and it's get similar to what you describe!!!! 1. 3 pts pulled out their ivs and ALL 3 were getting iv antibiotics on my shift 2. One really old man who was super sweet earlier got super confused stripped naked pulled out the iv and left blood everywhere in the hall the walls etc while attempting to escape to the elevator AND his family td me he couldn't WALK! Took almost 4 of us to restrain him and I had to call the family to get permission for that at 2am! 3. Got a pt from jail who was being guarded by police and was RELEASED at midnight so they leave without telling me and I'm walk in I'm this fugitive rummaging through a back back 4. Half hour before my shift is to finish one of my pts tells me he's coughing up blood I'm like fabulous!!!!!!! Seriously the things we go through are nuts and I've noticed only other nurses can understand this. My next night was the same I almost screamed luckily I had the next night off! Take your day off girl hardly anyone appreciates us anyway

I agree you can still live in the adult world and have a Facebook account. It just has to be managed appropriately

I don't think this is true I'm a new nurse top. I once had a preceptor tell me wearing certain colors was bad luck so she only ever wore purple and pink I was like no thanks I love my green scrubs

I've had that happen to me when a pt was being transferred from one hospital to ours. Her bed wasn't even clean yet so they dumped her in the bed across. We found out when the pt who THAT bed was intended for came up from the er and the porter transferring said there was someone already in the bed!

Hahahahahahaha!

Have you ever heard of this rule in china I believe that mandates that each student must pass the course and that usually it is the teachers fudging the numbers so they do so? I was watching an interesting tv episode about it. Students in china would be failing but somehow end up with a 80% and become engineers and such Colleges are getting sloppy everything is about making money money money it's quite disgusting

I'm a float nurse and I float to a bunch of medical units in the large hospital I work for This can mean I'm on neuro for 6 hours then go somewhere else or stay there or go to rehab or cardio etc there's about 28 floors I can potentially go to between2 hospital sites It IS difficult. When I go to a brand new floor my first few questions are: Where is the clean supply room med room etc What are the policies of the floor/routines for example some floors you must chart twice if you work a 12 hour shift one as "8" hrs and one as 4 hrs on another floor each nurse has to write a blurb about her pts at night for the resource nurse in the morning Who can I ask for help? Usually I target the nurse working in the same hallway or room area as me It's difficult to be a new nurse and a float nurse especially when you come to floors that aren't receptive to new people in general. Also it's common that the float nurse will get passed the heaviest abd most complex load no kidding! Therefore I agree with the poster who says you need to have a good attitude abd be up beat It might pass to be sour on your own regular floor for a shift but a float nurse doesn't have that option we meet so many people each day it can get ridiculous Hope this helps!!

I everyone I'm a new grad and a float nurse for a very large hospital. I float to a bunch of medical floors from cardiology to rehab. For the past 5 months I've been working with another nurse and I've only been to about 6 floors. I will be starting alone this week and basically im on a different floor for every shift which means I don't know where anything is and the staff is unfamiliar to me Does anyone have any tips for a position like this? I've already gotten advice such a just being upbeat and having a good attitude to being very careful/watchful all the time Thanks

I actually just started working nights I'm a new grad on a day night rotation. I found it difficult the first shift but now I'm on my 5th and I can make it through the night with enough energy to drive home in the morning The floor I'm on there are 3 nurses on during nights do starting midnight one goes off for 2 hours to sleep and they rotate until 6am. I haven't been able to participate in this because I think I'm too new to be able to fall asleep somewhere unfamiliar. Anyways some things that can prep you are to eat your last meal right before your shift if your doing 12 hours and have your last coffee before 4 am. And yeah I get home and you'll see you won't be able to sleep past 7 hours if that abd you will have time for family I've actually started to love nights because NO ONE is here you just relax do your rounds and everyone works as a team to change people or respond to bells

I love LTC because its homey. The downside is you get attached to patients and next thing you know 8 years later and they pass away