mestrela

I'm posting this while laying in an uncomfortable sleeper chair for the 3rd night in a row at my husband's bedside. I think it's a good thing to have an overnight visitor as long as the visitor allows you to care for the patient and you don't need to do things for the visitor. As a family member, I would hate to leave my loved one to fend for themselves. As a former patient, I have been scared when I'm in pain and not sure if I'm ever going to be okay. As a nurse, I just think visitors need to be respectful and allow privacy when it's required. I had a patient once who was embarrassed because she had soiled the bed, it happens. I sent her son out of the room because I figure if you are not going to help or you don't see their naked bottom on a regular basis, you don't get to see their naked bottom in the hospital. The son had the audacity to poke his head around the curtain and watch us, complaining about how we were humiliating her. It made me so angry that he couldn't respect his mother's modesty for just a moment by stepping out.

Wow. I have two that I can think of in the one year I've been working as an RN. The first was I had a patient who was going through withdraw. The patient had been taking such high doses of heroin that one thing led to another and their bowels perforated and they ended up with a colostomy, the significant other ended up giving them a dose of heroine while in the hospital. Very nice. The second patient I had was on strict diets with uncontrolled diabetes type 2 (BS from 400s to 80s), a colostomy, multiple amputations from diabetes, etc, the family always brought this patient things like pizza and potato chips which they wouldn't clean up and then when her colostomy bag would come off from all the grease they would holler and blame the nurse. I had that patient once, walked in, said nope and told them that they had to clean up all the trash they had in there because I can't do my job with the stench of rotting trash. They did clean up but they complained about me.

I was told by a hard stick patient as I was trying to find a vein that she hoped I never had children because I wasn't gentle (this was said on my first shift back after I had a baby that was stillborn) I was told that I deserve to be eaten alive by maggots when I told a patient that no he couldn't have another sandwich (after bringing him 5). I've been told that the patient was going to kill me and feed me to the other nurses because I had to place a catheter in him.

Personally, I like it because it unites all nurses and connects us to those who practiced the profession before us. It's a great tradition that is old fashioned but is up there with "who gives this woman away in matrimony?" Old fashioned, outdated, but a great tradition.

Wait a quick minute. Some of you get paid extra to work weekends? I need to work at a place like that. I love working my evert other weekend. There's less traffic :) To the OP- I'm a new grad. It took me almost two years to find a job and I wasn't picky. Now, after working for just under a year at a hospital where I'm night shift, every other weekend, and almost every holiday, I have found that it's the best. I still have family time. I still get to do the things we enjoy. Instead of my husband and I spending every other weekend doing housework like my sister and her husband who both do 8-5 jobs, he does the housework on the weekends I'm working and I do it mid week when he is working. We also celebrate holidays after the fact. Turkeys and ham are always discounted after anyways.

I had a patient that the family had taken off life support a week prior. He had a morphine drip and was on q2h ativan pushes. I had to keep from singing "let it go" when I was pushing the ativan.

The hardest part for me is when a patient is actively dying and on comfort measure only or hospice care and the family still can't accept it. Instead they want to fight me tooth and nail to stop giving the patient pain medication or ativan and to allow their dying and somnolence loved one to drink water.

I know how you feel! I've been out of school for a year and a half, applied nation-wide, only have had 3 interviews, attempted to get into the Air Force where I was told that I didn't have enough experience for the new grad position, and I was finally "hired" into a new grad position only to find out that there is no financial approval. Currently, I'm working in a temp position as an Epic Superuser for Providence to try and help them with the go live process. It's a huge headache. I carry so much in loans and there is no way that I can pay them with a temp job. Sometimes I feel like the world is caving in on me and there's no way out.

How long did it take you to get started? I was given a verbal offer of employment the week of Thanksgiving for their January start date but have not received any written offer. I found out from HR that there is no financial approval yet (??) Do you nurses know anything about what is going on or if this is similar to what happened to you?

I didn't get selected. I though my GPA (3.78 ) would give me a boost even if I had no experience. Guess not. It's been a year since I've had my license and I'm still unemployed. Good luck to everyone and congrats to those who got a spot!

My recruiter is going to get back to me tomorrow. I texted him after he left his office. I've already had 3 panic attacks. I need to know the answer! I'll be relieved to know if I am military or not :)

I'm soooo anxious and nervous! Only according to a few of the people on here, the recruiters are saying that the information will be released next week (my recruiter said it should be on 8/21). Still anxious and nervous! I want this more than anything in the world.

Maybe that's why I never got a choice. I told my recruiter that I would go whenever and wherever and that I'm ready to leave now. Seriously. I have everything packed up and in storage and we are renting a small room at my parents. My lease was up and I didn't want to renew it on the off chance that I would be accepted.

I never got to choose a date... Is that option only for FQ nurses or for NTP as well? My recruiter also originally estimated the 15th but the board met a little later than anticipated I guess.

I talked to my recruiter today. Everyone *should* know the board's decision by the 23rd. Good luck everyone!

How is everyone doing with the wait part in the Air Force's unofficial motto of "hurry up and wait"? I know I'm so anxious to find out the results. We should all know one way or the other in about 2-3 weeks! Gah! Time moves so slowly when you're waiting on news. I feel like my whole future is hanging in the balance. Military nursing is something I want to do more than anything else!

My recruiter told me that this year you need to be selected, then you go off to meps. My recruiter is already contacting the board for me because I'm ANXIOUS. I graduated last year with a 3.78 GPA and after a year of missing a slot in a hospital by just a couple (more new grads with better experience) I decided to go this route now. I originally wanted to work for a year to go in as a FQ nurse. I'm surprised its so quiet on this thread too.

I have another question about meps. My recruiter told me that I have to be selected before going to meps but I see that some have already gone. I'm just concerned that I will miss out on being selected because we all know that recruiters are not always on the ball. I'm just wondering if anyone has gone to meps BEFORE commissioning into the USAF?

Stephaneph-what attracted me most was the career and education opportunities. Then I did some research and I really liked how family oriented the Air Force is. I also really like to help others and the AF allows me to do that. What about you?

I'm an inexperienced nurse as well and was just wondering if anyone knows how many slots are available for new nurses with these boards. I submitted my packet for the August selection and all my recruiter tells me is "it's impossible to know" and "wait". I'm good at the waiting part but I'm also anxious to know about how much competition I have. Any ideas? I heard the number 30 but that seems really low for a once a year selection.

I applied for OB because I want to work in high-risk L&D someday. Also, my recruiter told me that my chances of getting in are higher if I go the OB route. 300 is a huge amount if they are only bringing on 30. How is everyone doing on training for their PT (if they get in!)? I'm really struggling with the push-ups. I'm a weakling and can only do 8 right now (but that's up from a week ago when I could only do 5). I'm more of a runner and pilates/yoga type of exerciser. I keep making plans like I will get accepted because I'm deathly optimistic. Only 36-ish more days until we should all know!

What a bummer, SN2013! You were so close! I've been out of school for a little under a year and I would have applied last year but I was pregnant and the recruiters told me that I wouldn't be accepted in since I wouldn't be able to complete COT if I was pregnant and I would have to wait until after my baby was a little older as well. I wish I knew how many apply and how many get in. It would give me a sense of calm to know that but no one knows unfortunately.

How are you all doing with the waiting? I can't help but think of it all the time. I honestly don't know what I am going to do if I don't get in. My recruiter told me though that most people get accepted (not sure how true that is!) so I can't help but be hopeful.

Quick question. I have a similar question. I have a 6-inch scar on my lower abdomen from complications to an appendectomy that required another surgery. I can't exactly say that I've never had surgery because it is quite obviously a surgical scar. I already gave my recruiter my medical records for the incident. If I said "yes" to prior surgery, would it still d/q me?