AlwaysLearning247

I’m sorry this is happening to you. If there is any possible way you can save up some money and get out, I probably would. To me, staying at a job that you’re miserable at is very difficult. Being a charge nurse as a brand new nurse is very unsafe and can be overwhelming. Usually jobs that force you to sign a contract you should steer clear from (the contract is usually because they have really bad staffing issues). In the meantime, I would definitely document everything and make HR away of these issues. I’m hoping you’re able to find a resolution ❤️

Sounds like you were an excellent advocate for your patient, good job!!

I would check out the VA in Pittsburgh as well as St. Claires. They both seem to pay higher than AHN and UPMC. Good luck!

Stuff happens sometimes, I see that you're feeling bad. It is good you wrote her an apology email, I would definitely leave out the part about taking a pill to stay awake. I just wouldn't let it happen again, learning is stressful, and it's even worse when things are tense. Hope you feel better soon and the rest of the semester goes by quickly.

I worked in intermediate care at a level 1 trauma center and it was a step in between med surg and ICU. We did all drips, except for pressors. We took vented patients if they had a tracheostomy. The patients on the floor were pretty sick. I hope this helps!

I moved from out of state with 5 years experience and the pay was significantly less. I received around $28/hour. Good luck!

We’ve had to call the police at one of the hospitals I worked at a few times. We’ve had nurses press charges too. I was even encouraged for verbal threats, management there was extremely supportive to their nurses and they would not tolerate bad behavior. There were signs all over the hospital stating they don’t tolerate abuse. It is very scary when something bad happens and we can’t defend ourselves. It’s even scarier when the person is completely alert and oriented.

When I was in nursing school I took care of someone who was in a band and a very famous movie. I actually had no clue until we were talking. Was very pleasant, told me I was choosing the right career and it’s something to be proud of. Very nice person. Other than that, I have taken care of our “VIP” docs/admin, who have also all been very kind.

Most hospitals in MA are getting hit really hard. One of the small community hospitals I worked at is overflowing with COVID. My old floor is COVID only, they had to make the PACU into an area for COVID as well. I will say, the population in MA hasn’t been taking the virus seriously. I have since moved to another state and it’s not bad here at all, everyone for the most part are social distancing and wearing masks. But I will say that back home, it is a mess! They made a few hospitals COVID only. I know a few people personally who have the virus.

It sounds like he’s expecting you to work out of your scope of practice, doesn’t sound safe at all. By the sounds of it, he wants to hire cheap help to do his work. I’m not sure I’d take it if I were in your position. Good luck!

Out of all the places I have worked, I noticed the critical care team always thinks this way. I used to care, but not anymore. There are definitely strong personalities in the ICU, let me tell ya. I think you should do what makes YOU happy. At the end of the day, you’re the one having to live your life. What’s good for one person (thinking their life is the best) doesn’t mean it’s the best for everyone.

Have nurses work together and not form cliques and bully people. I’ve seen it a lot and it makes for a tense environment. It also doesn’t promote teamwork... who would want to go ask a bully for help? I also believe that nurses are expected to do too much, the remote is broken, garbage needs to be changed, calling family members, clerical work, etc... the nurse is expected to take care of it. I’ve worked places that won’t staff properly and on top of it we won’t have a CNA or a secretary, phlebotomists, EKG techs, etc. I wish the burn out wasn’t a real thing, unfortunately it is though.

It depends on who says it. Sometimes it sounds degrading but other times it feels like you’re part of a team. For example, a boss says “my nurses are the best”, you feel like part of a team. If you have a random doctor that you hardly know say “let me get one of “my” nurses to help you”, that is uncomfortable. We aren’t someone’s property. I’ve never heard anyone say “my nurses” in a hospital setting.

I am sorry that happened to you. It sounds like you’re in an undeveloped part of the world and they do things differently there. If I were in your situation, I’d probably be running back home. Hope you feel better soon.

DNR doesn’t mean do not treat. He was in distress and needed immediate intervention to make him more comfortable. If his heart stopped or he stopped breathing on his one, a code blue would not have been called. I am glad he was able to pass comfortably, sorry for your loss. * If he had medications available to help with his breathing (morphine, Ativan, etc.) I would personally give those instead of calling a RR and see how he responded. If I couldn’t get in touch with the MD promptly and didn’t have meds ordered I would call a rapid to ensure he is comfortable.. I would make the team aware that he is comfort measures only but I can’t watch a patient struggle and not intervene.

I don’t dilute unless it’s 80mg or higher. I just push lasix cautiously to avoid hearing loss. I’ve pushed 20-80 mg but when I had a patient ordered for 120mg, that was diluted and given over 10-15 mins!

If my patient goes from having occasional PVCs to more frequent PVCs or a few runs of vtach, I will call to get labs ordered. Most times an EKG doesn’t show anything, unless they’re having runs of vtach as the EKG leads are attached. My concern is with how the patient looks, has it been happening, what do the labs look like, what were they doing while it happened, etc. PVCs really aren’t cause for alarm unless they’re super frequent or the patient is symptomatic. Some patients will have frequent PVCs and PACs with no abnormal lab results and be asymptomatic.

I always ask “can you feel the urge when you need to go to the bathroom?” Basically most patients will eloborate from there. It is awkward at first!

I definitely wouldn’t take it, they seem desperate for nurses and are willing to hire anyone. It doesn’t sound like a supportive environment for a new grad. I was in a similar situation when I was fresh out of school, thinking no one would hire me, and that job was a nightmare!

It’s not always about the money (although it is tempting). I would go where your heart desires. You can get great experience in the field you love and take that experience to another hospital and make more money in the future. Good luck!

I worked at a LTAC as well, but when the patients crashed we did what we could while calling 911. We also got sick patients, step-down level with vents, trachs, drips, many straight from ICU, etc. The floor I worked on was also called CCU. At the LTAC I worked at we had a doctor at all times, although they would be sleeping and someone would have to run to them during an emergency. The doctor would always send the patient out when they weren’t doing well. Of course you can’t send them out all the time before they pass, but I would think you’d have to call for more services if they were crashing.

If you want to try and stick it out, you need to take their criticism and ask what you can improve on. If you don’t feel like you’re in an environment you can thrive in, I would get out sooner rather than later. I would also ask HR about switching to another floor if this one isn’t a good fit. I’d personally rather leave before they had a chance to fire me.

You applied to the program for a reason. You’re already a nurse, this move will just help you become available to more opportunities. Good luck, you’ll do great!

That seems fishy, no doctors are around? Is this a rehab hospital or is this a hospital staffed with doctors and an emergency room? I would think by the sounds of it you’d call emergency services if someone was to code while doing CPR. Even if your floor isn’t staffed with a doctor 24/7, there should always be a hospitalist and code team within the hospital.

I’m in the same boat. The rotating shifts can be tough and the death in the ICU can be very sad. I try to look at it as the patient’s next stage of life and their quality of life if they were to survive. Sometimes it’s really depressing. Make sure to take care of yourself on your days off and do what makes you happy. I find having close nurse friends that I can vent to helps tremendously. Our non nursing friends and family don’t understand sometimes. If you feel like it’s really not a good fit and it makes you sad for a while you could always go for outpatient surgery, PACU, etc! Just know you’re not alone. Good luck!