NHNurseMan

I have to agree with all of these posters. You need to take care of your situation first and foremost. In my experience I have found that most nurses, particularly new nurses try to be as helpful as possible, only to get burned out or simply burned. This nurse (me....;-}}) had to learn to set firm boundaries after 2 years of being a yes man. I changed shifts, schedules, days off, you name it. After a while the expectation was that I would do anything asked of me, and quite honestly I would. The final straw was being asked to work a w/e that I had asked for off for a w/e with my wife. I was astounded at the way I was treated by the associate director when I said no. I actually felt so bad that I called my wife and asked about working......I think you all know her answer (and I'm glad she put her foot down, because I couldn't). After that episode and reaction I went to the director and told her that I would sign up for any changes or extra shifts as I could, but the days of me saying yes needed to cease as it was affecting my home life, suprisingly she said she understood and would keep that in mind in the future. Most of us went into nursing because we love to help people. I found out that helping without boundaries is bad for everybody.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: This hapened to me about two weeks ago. I had worked three straight 12 hour overnight shifts getting 4 or 5 hours each day (I have a 4 and 5 year old that enjoy seeing dcaddy occasionally), then on the fourth day I got called in (I can't seem to say no). I felt fine for most of the shift but while I eas taping report I started dozing off. I caught myself the first two times, but one of the reports I had a female pt voiding adequate amouts of clr yellow urine into a urinal, oh yeah I also was taping report to room 204 on August 27 (I work on the fourth floor and all rooms start with a 4, an it was April 27). Thankfully the nurse taking the report was a friend of mine and one of the "nicer" day nurses and only asked if I could teach her how to get female patients to use a urinal. :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: To the original poster, I have called out due to lack of sleep, but always explained what my reason was, i.e. family illness, emergency dental work (needed a root canal). I've never had a problem with doing this as I am the first person to volunteer to help out whenever needed.

So very true, patients and family members are often off the charts regarding their care. I recently was "ordered" to get a patient a "real" meal as the box lunch was not acceptable. I've also been asked to get patients Dunkin Donuts coffee, gum from a vending machine, not to mention the fact that Baby Boomers expect the pain from joint replacement to be non-exsistant, and when told that the cpm they have on is needed "Take this #$%@$%^ me now, I had this done to get rid of pain not increase it!!!!" I've gotten to the point of calling my hospital not Portsmouth Regional Hospital (PRH) but the Portsmouth Regional Hotel, and the surgical unit the spa unit. All that being said I really do love most of my pts, 90% are wonderful and greatful, it's the 10% of a-holes (my own clinical opinion and diagnosis) that drive me crazy.

So very true...... But if you actually read every post to get to this one you've spent more than 5 minutes. I in fact got to Larry's quote and realized how ridiculous this thread really is. When I read the heading I thought for sure it would be about a Director's "Pet Nurse", now there we have a topic for discussion, particularly for those who erroneously have been called such.... Good luck to all, The Leprakan

Me thinks I want to work with you, I love doing all those things at the same time......though never at work.........and the reading while doing a crossword puzzle is tuff:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: But in all seriousness I see no problem with taking a nap during ones break (paid or unpaid, morning noon or night). As long as you're on the floor doing your job when you are supposed to be what is the problem? I have napped on all three shifts, and have always told the charge exactly where I would be. I do agree that anyone sleeping during their work timeis unacceptable, and should be dealt with strongly.

You said be honest so here goes.......$11/hr for the work i do as a fairly inexperienced RN? You have a better chance of seeing the Messiah than seeing me swipe my badge at the timeclock than seeing that. I made more than that as an aid. Further I'd have to work 5 hrs a week to pay for gas, another 4 hrs a week to pay for my student loans, 8 hrs a week to pay for health insurance.....and the list goes on. As you can see $11/hr doesn't go anywhere near as far as it used to. I started out at about twice that, and with my differentials I make almost 3 times that. I truly hope that the arbitrary wage you came up with is that....arbitrary. As one poster opined, it's accepting wages like that that creates an atmosphere of low wages, low morale, and worst of all the low level of respect nurses get. I read recently that we are part of the most trusted professions, but is there anyone else out there that would give up a little trust for a bit more respect, because the two are mutually exclusive. Until we all stand up and assert our needs and wants, management is going to continue to step all over us. I have been an advocate not only for my patients but for myself and my peers, questioning staffing matrices, education benefits, and licensing requirements (or lack thereof). I am lucky enough to have the talent of stirring being assertive without being an as.....you know what I mean. It is up to us, the hardworking Nurses to not only ask, but demand that we are treated with respect and as equal professionals in healthcare.

Like this poster I am a graduate of NHCTC-Stratham May 2006, regarding the NCLEX pass rate, our class had a 100% pass rate. We had 42 take the NCLEX and had 42 pass. I can't speak for the rest of my class, but I feel that the instructors prepared us not only for the NCLEX but prepared us to be caring practitioners of the nursing arts. I would recommend the program to anyone looking for a quality program in NH. I would recommend taking the pre-reqs prior to entering the nursing program, and be prepared to have little or no free time for the following two years of your life.

This is by no means a shot to all "younger" (>25) job seeker, but there does seem to be a sense of entitlement exhibited by some of this new generation. I keep slapping myself saying I can't believe I'm saying this; or god I'm getting old, but I think that there is an all around lack of respect given not only to the recruiters, but to the experienced floor personnel; these experienced people include aides, nurses, and to my horror MD's. Believe me I cowtow to noone, but I have and exhibit a level of respect for all those in those in the healthcare field, and I hope that these experiences of unprofessionalism are few and far between.

Thank you so much for using the very line I used when talking about this subject with my wife. The fact that seems to elude many posters on this thread is there are far more people that come into your ER with actual pain than people who come in seeking medication for recreational use. How many of these posters have actual experience in pain management? I read one post speaking of having elevated VS and not laughing with whomever you are with. In reality elevated VS are a classic symptom of someone in withdrawal. A person who has chronic pain will not exhibit elevated VS even with an exacerbation. Regarding laughter or smiling, different people and cultures handle and express their pain in different ways. In the hospital I work at, we can bring up a patients records in a keystroke and be able to tell when the patients last visit was and what it was for. Unfortunately in my hospital there are many who don't use this information. I recently witnessed a NP cut a scrip for Tylox, and when the patient stated that it made her sick and asked for Vicodin told the patient that the drugs were virtually the same and that she could either fill the scrip to Tylox or wait to see her dentist (this young lady was well dressed and had a nastily abcessed tooth). I was astounded at the way this girl was treated and as a new nurse I said nothing at the time. I still can't understand why we are so afraid of treating the "5th" vital sign as we do the others. If someone is in pain aren't we supposed to treat it? I've seen in my time as both a student and as a nurse so many instances where a nurse will roll their eyes, or comment on a specific patient when that patient asks for pain medication. The bottom line that people that ask for pain medication are all med seeking, it's that the vast majority are seeking meds to alleviate their pain not get high.

I just graduated in May, and now am working on a surgical unit where I have questions that are too embarassing come up on a daily basis. If I can give you some advice before you get out of school. There is no such thing as a question that is too embarassing or too stupid. Over the course of two or four years of nursing school you are given so much information and there is no way you are going to remember every single thing, in fact your really not expected to, if you don't ask questions you won't learn. Ask those questions, ask you instructors or the nurses you are working with on the floor; do yourself a favor though, don't ask a fellow student (at least don't ask with they being the final word) as they like you are students and are may not always have the right answer. Remember one last thing, Asking a stupid (uncomfortable,obvious, et al) question never hurt or killed anybody but not asking has. Good Luck The Leprakan

Yes we do live in a society that seems hell bent for litigation, but quite honestly, I believe that the majority of our patients care about one thing, being cared for in a professional manner. I am man hear me roar!!!!! I hope that that isn't construed as me being a threatening man. For goodness sake didn't we all go into this profession to care for and help other regardless of their sex, color, orientation, religion, and whatever other divisive thing we can come up with. Yes I am a new nurse, 2 days new to be exact. These two days have been the most amazing, tiring, thought provoking days in my life. This morning I had to give my first suppository without someone over my shoulder making sure the finger went in the right place (by the way it was a male I was administering the suppository to) the interesting thing was not what he said but what I was thinking, how would I feel if someone was sticking their finger up my...then I realized that I would be thinking I hope this guy/gal knows what the hell they are doing. You know what? I did know what I was doing and placed the suppository with the most respect and care that I could for the patient. The patient didn't care that I was a man, he cared that I was a caring skilled nurse. That's all;) ;) Later in the day I had to give a very constipated woman an enema. Again I thought to myself how would I feel if some guy/gal was going to stick something up my....Then i realized this little old lady, who's belly is killing her just wants some relief; I being her nurse all day was that someone, she didn't care that I was a man, just that I was a caring nurse, I explained what I was going to do and did it. Crazy thing was she thanked me at the end of the day for being so caring and trying to make her comfortable. You know what??? In neither of these situations did I feel it necessary to have a "chaperone" present. I'm sure that many of you will shake your head and say how naive I am, but the bottom line is the litigators and those looking for a situation ripe for litigation are going to find their buffet somewhere. Chaperone or not. For those men out there asking if a female would rather have someone of a different sex, why do you do that? I do understand the little old lady that says she wants a different nurse because she's a little shy. Why ask someone? Nothing peeved me more than the nurse that would ask a patient during clinicals "Would you mind if a MALE student observed this procedure" or the worst "you don't want a male student to assist you do you?". This profession is everything that I could have ever wanted, a chance to practice altruism while utilizing my brain. Don't get me wrong I know it sucks sometimes, in fact to hear some of my coworkers most of the time :lol2: But I'm gonna ride this wave of joy I'm on for as long as I can. Funny ending to this rant. My wife asked me how the woman felt about having a guy give her the enema, I answered her I'm not a guy I'm a nurse. Thank You all for coming before me and to those who follow enjoy the ride.

perhaps i'm wrong, but one's education in nursing doesn't end with graduation from nursing school, it begins. be it asn, bsn, or imho the highest level of non-graduate nursing degree the underutilized hospital/diploma nursing degree, the true education begins the day you step on the floor as a gn. i just finished today with my asn, and you know what, the surgeon i deal with on monday is going to treat me with little or no respect until i earn it. as for you argument that my as is looked upon as shoddy by anyone in the professional community, please explain why my clinical preceptors preferred the minimal requirment to get in and out asn students to the (and i do quote) "u of ? student that knows the theory, but can't quite get hands on to the art of wiping an ***" now perhaps that is a bit crass, but i just finished the hardest thing i have ever done and you have the audacity to say that my level of education and my nursing knowledge are less than that of a bsn student. as you have the in and outs of both, perhaps you can further discuss what exactly is the difference in the "nursing" education one gets from an asn as opposed to that which one receives through a bsn. further, the way in which you deningrate asn programs makes my blood boil.:angryfire :angryfire i am one of the few non-bachelors degree holding students in my graduating class, in fact there are two masters level grads. the level of student in my class is significantly higher than most bachelors progams. it amazes me that someone as obviously educated and experienced as you would make such sweeping remarks when speaking of asn programs. the majority of people entering nursing are those looking for a second career and already have degrees, and it only makes sense for these potential nurses to attend an asn program. please realize that i have the utmost respect for any nursing school grad, no matter the program. but respect for a profession has nothing to do with the education and everything to do with the practitioners. sorry to ramble but finals week got me here. [color=lime]the leprakan finals are done, paper work is all turned in, no more clinical workups, what the heck am i supposed to do now? graduation may 20, 2007 (proudly with my asn):balloons: :balloons: :w00t: :w00t: :w00t: :w00t:

Don't know about the pre-req thing, but I know at NHCTC-Stratham, where I will be graduating on May 20... :yeah: :w00t: :w00t: they give extra points to students that have completed A&P I II. As far as feeling like being weeded out, quite honestly that is why they are there. Don't get me wrong, instructors should be supportive and there for any and all students that request help, but nursing is hard. REALLY HARD :uhoh3: It is the instructors job to make sure that you can handle the pressure as well as pass the tests. Quite honestly, though I wouldn't have said it during my hardest times, I appreciate how hard my instructors could be. In fact I thanked one of my instructors for it, were it not for her I wouldn't have learned half as much, or felt as confident as I do today (we just had our final and I passed.....I passed......I passed.....sorry just feels so darn good to say that). I learned more from my mistakes, and the sometimes painful review and rationale of that mistake. I wish you all the best in your education. Did I mention that I passed.........YES....... Kevin May 20=Graduation day

Though I like the pressure around my calf, I have a hard time with transfering obese patients. I will say though it never fails to earn me a tip a two.:monkeydance: :monkeydance:

well being the good nursing student that i am i did the conversion. boy was i surprised......1.97cm=0.775 inches tall and 135 kg=297lbs...... wow your height to weight ration puts your bmi at an extremely unhealthy 347622.9 (anything >30 is considerered obese) , i am right now picturing you in your scrubs, mighty short inseam i am sure :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:. taking these measurments into consideration one could understand your disdain for the american units of measure.:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: all that being said i appreciate your insight on crocs, i think i may have to try a pair out.:thankya: :thankya: :thankya: