kdtink

Never feel you are above doing a task. We all have to toilet a patient, change a bed, get a drink for patients, and ensure the bedside commode is emptied sometimes and your techs will greatly appreciate your help.

It's okay to cry. Sometimes it is necessary.

Maybe now you will stop asking "So how are we doing today?"

This is brilliant!

This is exactly what I needed!

Code Shakespeare may be my new favorite thing ever!

I cannot sing the praises of a sleep mask and/or blackout shades enough. Personally, I go for the sleep mask, a sound machine that plays relaxing sounds (nothing fancy, just a little cheap-o one that I got from WalMart for less than $20), and the restructuring of caffeine intake. My sister, who also works overnight, is an advocate of blackout shades/curtains and a cool room. Basically, find what works for you and makes you comfortable. Stay away from daytime TV, it will keep you up without you even realizing how much time is being sucked away and then you'll be tired at work. I also had to rethink when I drink caffeine for the first few weeks until I got used to the schedule. It's not impossible, but it does take some getting used to. Congratulations on the job! I hope you enjoy it.

Did you end up doing the Critical Care Residency? If so, what was it like? I am a current PCA at Christ and will graduate from TCCNHS early next year. I am trying to decide if I want to stick around in Cincy and apply for the residency program or if I want to just try to find a job elsewhere. I finish my role transition in March and am really undecided about what to do between finishing and graduation in May. My goal is to get boards over with and then....well...then I don't know. I am also torn about which degree to seek post grad since I have a BA in a nonmedical field but will only have an ADN when I leave school. Do I go for an MSN or a BSN? I am filled with questions and worries at this point. Any help would be appreciated.

I have been working toward my RN for an eternity. After changing careers and doing one class at a time for a long, looooooong time, I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I will have an ADN by May and I already have a BA in an totally unrelated field (which I worked in and loved until the recession cut funding). I have spoken to my advisors over the years and they recommended I take my BA and my ADN and I go right for the MSN since it's the end degree that you usually default to. i.e. You would say "Captain Awesome, RN, MSN" rather than "Captain Awesome, BA, RN, BSN, MSN, LMNOPQ...." This made sense to me and I have been looking in to RN-MSN programs that offer the "bridge" courses that will fill in the gaps between my current BA and a BSN. I am still researching this idea though and I thank you all for your help with the information on this thread.

I currently wear my Saucony tennis shoes with some arch supports I bought at Walgreens. The shoes, coupled with some compression socks, have made a huge difference. But I am not happy about the fact they are mesh, so I have been looking into some Dansko clogs lately. I'm just not sure I want to make that jump yet. Either way, the compression socks make a big difference for me. I find they keep my feet from hurting as bad when I wear them to work. (I get terrible foot cramps at night if I don't wear them)

I am still in school and I have those days where I wonder just what in the world I am doing. I started working toward my RN in 2007 while still in a career I loathed. I often wonder if I am cut out for this career, but I think it may be last minute panic prior to graduating in May. It certainly doesn't help when I talk to nurses who tell me how much they hate their jobs on a regular basis. I wonder if everyone feels the same way. I have been a tech in the hospital for 10 months and the money I make for the abuse I take is laughable. I was honestly feeling as though I had made a huge mistake until Saturday. I had the kind of night that reminded me of why I wanted to change careers in the first place. I got a blood draw from a patient that nobody else on the floor was able to get and I had a patient thank me for being her friend while she was in the hospital. It was just what I needed at just the right time. But I understand the feeling of regret and questioning. I hope it works out for the best.