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?

Fix the copier. I've worked on it more often than Canon!

Spent most of my own childhood in Riley Hospital in Indianapolis. Had awesome nurses. Thought back then I wanted to be a pediatric cardiologist. Became a CNA at 19 then an LPN and now an RN (ADN). Nursing is all I ever wanted to do. 30+ years later, most in critical care, it's all I know. Had times when I hated it but probably wasn't nursing so much as it was the position. Now in Hospice and have found why I became a nurse.

I disagree with the naysayers. I had 22 years of critical care experience in a hospital when I was hired as an ADON in a LTC facility. Within 8 months, I was acting DON when the Director was off on FMLA. I rocked it. Worked there for 4 years and was the go to person. Depends on how bad you want it and realize LTC is totally different from the hospital. I say go for it!

Bless you. While I love working in hospice (in patient adult unit) I could never do peds. Maybe having 10 grandchildren has something to do with that. You have experience in pediatrics so that's a plus. I'm sure you'll be fine. The kids and there parents need someone there for them.

Have rarely met a nurse who wasn't on some sort of antidepressant/mood stabilizer. Never thought it would be me. After a horrible year of personal and professional sry backs, I joined the crowd. Don't think I could make it without them now! It's ok.

Some people interview well and are good at pulling the wool over eyes.

My "dislike and burnout" from nursing turned out to be depression. On happy pills now, feel better and LOVE my career again!

Used to work with an RN who would walk out of a patients room looking disgusted and tell me (I was the charge nurse) to "find an aide to pick up the patients meal tray or get the patient a glass of water" then he would go get a cup of coffee for himself and walk right past the tray cart. As a manager in LTC I worked many nights as a CNA, helped transfer and toilet patients on day shift, cleaned code Browns on my own because I knew the CNAs were overwhelmed. I always called it "doing my job". I had the respect of my staff because of this. And always told my aides I could not do my job without them.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, I find humor in almost everything. I do have a very dark, dry sense of humor. Even some if my coworkers don't understand it. I've worked critical care, long term care and now I'm in what I call short term care--hospice. My son shares this gene. He's a paramedic. My daughter also shared this gene. She not in healthcare. She just grew up with a mother who learned to cope with the tragedies of life. And death. I would never say anything in front of a patient or family. Think it, yes.

I worked critical care for 22 years before going to LTC for 5. Now I'm in hospice (newbie of 4 months) and LOVE it. Going from critical care to LTC was totally different. Hospice wasn't that big of a stretch but still different. Very rewarding to take care of people at the end of life and keep them and their families comfort. I work in an in-patient unit.