RURN2O11

I am an atheist & I find this comment very offensive. I am not easily offended but I resent the implication that just b/c I do not believe in God, or at least the traditional ideas of God, that I am not caring or competent or whatever else a nurs...

I've only been a nurse for 1.5 years & have only worked in acute care hospitals. However, I know for a fact I do NOT want to stay in this environment forever. While I am young & energetic I enjoy this type of work (telemetry/PCU), but it is...

Psychotic patient (who happens to be a practicing MD) has been drinking water & juice all night long. At 0615, pt states "I can't take my morning pills. I have dry mouth syndrome so I can't talk right now or take any pills."

I agree that if you are an atheist/agnostic it is probably best to be somewhat ambiguous about your beliefs w/ your coworkers & patients alike. That is what I do & it has always worked out very well for me. And although I do inpatient telem...

You don't need to be religious to be a great nurse, not at all! I grew up in a very religious family but I have left that behind since going to nursing school. I have dealt w/ lots of life & death issues as a nurse & not being religious has...

You must have been reading my mind!!! I've only been a nurse for 1.5 years but I couldn't agree more w/ everything you've said here. These are all things I have been learning in my relatively new career as a nurse. I too have found that the more I ...

Nursing judgment is a wonderful thing but it does not include writing orders. Do I like to get yelled at by doctors? Of course not. But it is my job to call them for orders when they're needed & that's what I'm going to do regardless of how th...

I am not a mom but I don't have any trouble flipping b/t day & night schedules on my days off. I usually go into my first night shift having been up all day (usually with a short afternoon nap). That night is pretty hard but once I get home tha...

Real life isn't Grey's Anatomy, thank God. Patients do not care what you look like as long as you're clean & presentable. Sure, there are probably some pts who enjoy having a "hot nurse" but it's no one's main concern. What pts, families, &...

BrandonLPN, I think you have a very good point. I never really considered team nursing in that way, I guess b/c I am too young to have ever experienced what you're talking about. I think you have made several very good points though. I know I woul...

Though your description was brief, it sounds like this pt was well on his way out of this world anyway. I doubt there was anything much that could have been done differently to change that outcome. One way to look at it is that anything "extra" you...

I don't think there's anything wrong w/ seeing bedside nursing as a stepping stone to something else. I have always viewed it that way myself. During nursing school I sometimes worried that I wouldn't actually like bedside nursing & that all my...

I just accepted a new RN job in another state. They are asking that I complete a urine drug screen within 24 hours of receiving the paperwork for such. I have to drive 45 minutes to go to a facility that does these screenings. I have no problem do...

I never questioned the policy b/c I understood the purpose of it. I just found it very hard to do w/o calling in to my original job. It all worked out b/c I got another nurse to switch shifts w/ me so I wouldn't have to miss a day or miss the drug ...

P.S. Look for a BSN program w/ a good scientific background. I don't know if you're in the US or what part of the US if you are, but I would highly recommend Radford University in VA. That is where I went to school & we were required to know a ...

I've only been a nurse for a little over a year but I really feel like I know what the OP means. I too love the intellectual part of nursing. In fact my passion for the pathophysiology part of the medical field coupled w/ my desire to help others &...

I've noticed a lot of male nurses in ER & ICU's but overall I just wish there were more male nurses everywhere. I think nursing could be improved in many ways if the workforce were more equal instead of remaining vast majority female. I really ...

Create a good "report sheet" w/ places for labs, test results, diet/activity orders, blood sugars, past medical history, etc, etc. This make giving & giving report very easy. It will also make it much easier to stay organized throughout the day...

I once cared for this pt who was in his late 50's or 60's and had a new diagnosis of CHF. He was quite large & with his beard he really looked like Santa Claus. At the very end of my shift he was telling me how frustrated he was that "we couldn...

I've only been a nurse for a little over a year but it definitely can be stressful. I've never really been diagnosed w/ clinical anxiety or depression but I know I have struggled w/ both at various times of my life, especially anxiety. Not to the p...

Yep, I see this all the time! Men & women both.

I have often been told I look like Mary Louise Parker (star of Weeds & Fried Green Tomatoes). While I find this flattering I always feel a little awkward b/c if you Google image search her name, half of the pictures are nude, lol!

On many occasions I have cared for a particular older man who is mostly sweet but sometimes a little grumpy. He happens to have a wife who drives him & everyone around her insane w/ her endless questions, useless advice, & general annoying h...

I couldn't agree more w/ the things you've posted here. I've observed so many of the same things w/ hospice/palliative care pts in the hospital. My most memorable experiences as a nurse have been w/ these pts & I have learned so much from them....

In some areas ADNs can get hired very easily although I think almost all institutions now say "BSN preferred" so if I were you I'd go ahead and do the BSN program now. Once you start working as an RN you'll probably hate the thought of going back to...