nursecathi

I had a student nurse, a senior BSN student. The week before graduation, I still had to remind her that she had to chart the BP and pulse when giving a beta blocker and other such meds. And the intervention for pain. She has no initiative, no prioritizing skills, no interpersonal skills. Seemed to me she thought nursing was passing meds and charting. She's going to start her nursing career in ER. I worked in the same ER as a seasoned nurse. They will eat her alive!

The nursing shortage is because no one wants to actually take care of patients anymore. Everyone wants to be management. I've been a nurse for 35 years. Have an ADN. Been floor nurse in ICU and other critical care areas, management in LTC, staff nurse in inpatient hospice, now a staff nurse on a neuro unit. I enjoy taking care of patients. Management ain't all it's cracked up to be. I was much more abused as an ADON then I ever have been as a staff nurse. It takes commitment, a positive attitude, and a strong sense of customer service to take care of patients. Oh, and treating them like people, not an illness in room 204.

GIP=general inpatient

I have to vent. I work on s 5 bed inpatient unit inside a hospital. One RN, one LPN who work as a tech. Most of our admissions are transfers from other units within the hospital. It makes me so mad (and sad) when they transfer a patient to me who looks like they've been thrown in the bed, sheets snd blankets wadded up under them. Sometimes soaked in urine. Sometimes with stool. It's not like the staff had had to move the patient off one bed to another. We use the same beds (except ICU) and just "exchange" beds. It's like the actually "withdraw care" when they put them in comfort care. Sometimes we have the patient 10 minutes before they pass. I know the units are in a hurry to get the patient out of there so they don't have to "deal with" the paperwork. Why can't nurses treat patients respectfully instead of as a bother.

I worked critical care for 22 years--ICU, PACU, Stepdown, ER. Got tired of all the adrenaline drama. Now in inpatient hospice and love it. There are worse things than dying.

Did he have a problem with gluten or perhaps an allergy to the peanut butter or chocolate in the cookie? Will the lawyer say you should have checked the chart before giving said cookie? Is it possible he aspirated the milk? Did you do a swallow screen first? I'm sure it was all the nurses fault. The hospitals insurance will cover their malpractice while kissing your butt bye bye!

Must be new protocol at my hospital but all H&P's now include "pt not currently breast feeding" That's good to know when the patient is 70-80 years old!

Not sure I want the government with no healthcare experience dictating how many patients I can safely take care of.

Leonca, as a dog owner I knew what you were saying. As a nurse,I'm ashamed of those you are saying you don't belong on a nurses forum. But you have to remember, those are probably the ones who eat the young nurses too. Welcome.

More and more on H&P's, even on elderly ladies , we're talking 80's & 90's! Not currently breastfeeding. Not a blooper. Must actually be part of the docs new charting process!

Dang! I thought I coined that phrase. Was brain dead at the end of a wild shift and couldn't think of the words "anchored a foley" and "intubated his member" came out instead.

It is hard on the body! Been a nurse for 30+ years. Mostly days, some nights. Mostly bedside. Some management. Had to jump thru more hoops and be yes-woman in management. Not my style. Enjoy taking care of patients. Work inpatient hospice now. We're all old nurses! Love it. Not as hectic. And I do remember paper charting and paper MARS. Much prefer computer both! Computer charting is why some of my cohorts left. Felt they were too old to learn that. If you're too old to learn, you're too old.

And everyone is allergic to codeine because it makes them nauseous.

You'd have to check your hospital policy. I work inpatient hospice and there have been times when we've had an elderly pt and the kids drop mom or dad with Alzheimer's or non-ambulatory in a w/c off to stay with their spouse. We are not allowed to do hands on with the visitor. Not our patient.

I had a patients family member ask me the other day "how do you do what you do and still just go eat lunch?" I, for once in my life, didn't know what to say. How do we? How do you? I mean, I know we're helping people die with dignity and in peace. I know we support that families and educate them on EOL. That doesn't stop the grieving. That doesn't make it easier on the loved ones. Do we compartmentalize the grieve? Put it in a box on a shelf and move on to the next? Surely we can't take it home with us. We'd go crazy. Does it sound cold to say we love our jobs? How can we. We see death everyday. We hug crying family members. We listen to their memories. How do we do what we do?