cnolan

It had nothing to do with the actual job - I was termination for unprofessionalism with coworkers. Unfortunatly, like you - I didn' tmuch get along with the weak management - and although I wasn't the only one involved in the conversation, I was the only one terminated. (With no other warnings/writeups etc.) Which is unfortunate...because I had a GREAT record at that job.

So I was terminated from my position in May...I had two jobs, so while it was awful - I haven't had any problems with pay or anything (thank goodness!). What I'm curious about - I found a great opportunity for a school nurse (I'm a peds RN)...but what are the odds of getting hired after a termination? (I've never been terminated before and am just so so afraid that I won't ever get another job.) I have good work history (minus the termination :uhoh21:) - 3 years at my current job, 2 years at the one before that. I have excellent references and letters of recommendation from my supervisors at my current hospital.

Thanks...anyone else? This is really stressing me out...

Anyone?

So here's the story. I've been a RN for almost four years - I have some great friends at work, and on Sunday we got on the conversation of how I had recently gotten my nipple pierced. They wanted to know how it was, so I told them. One of the people talking to us was a 17 y/o patient. I wasn't even THINKING and showed them...I feel so foolish and stupid and just WASN'T USING MY HEAD. This morning my position was terminated for exposing my breast to a patient. My manager and DON told me that they are madated reporters and will be contacting the MO State BON. I feel SO stupid - this isn't anything like me. I just wasn't thinking - I've never made errors or had any disciplinary action taken against me. When I discussed what happened with a employee at the board, they said to go ahead and apply for another job. Do you think this is something that I'll have my license revoked for? I know it's serious - but I wasn't being malicious...just freaking STUPID.

Thanks for the reply. Actually, this camp is not run very well at ALL! When I requested a lock box and a safe area for the controlled meds, all I was answered with was, "Well, the nurse is in here and when she isn't, the door is closed.". Um, no. GR. As far as the GN goes, I am not his supervisor, so he is on his own. Today I tried to find my splinter removal tweezers (which are suddently missing), and opened up the first aid kits he stocked and found just ziplocs of pills without instructions, doses, ex. dates, lot #s, etc, and ALL OF OUR EPIPENS. So, I wrote him a polite email telling him that those need to stay in our cupboard unless the kit is out of the office in case of an emergency. (What I wanted to say was that I don't have time to be rooting through first aid kits if a kid comes in in anaphylactic shock!!!) I forgot to write earlier that when I told him of my possible conjunctivitis kid, he said, "Well, if it's draining, I don't have to worry, right?" Um....NO. That is when it is contagious!!! I just feel awful because I do like it here, but I don't have time to do my work when I'm here, let alone all the work he leaves for me, and the work that needs redone after he leaves. I think I am going to put in my two weeks next Monday - that will give them three weeks to find a substitute before next session.

So, I'm having a great time at camp, I love the campers, the staff, the whole experience. I do NOT, however, love the nurse that is here on my days off (Saturday, Sunday, Monday). I came in last week after being off to find crates full of medications, no MARs made, and a complete wreck of an office. (I came in before camp started to clean the office, take inventory, clear out expired meds, etc.) So, needless to say, I sighed and dealt with it last week. During my four days/nights here, I sent a camper for stitches, sent a staff home with pneumonia, and had other random scrapes, cuts, etc. There was one girl that I was concerned about r/t possible conjunctivitis, so I'd been using our MD's standing orders for it and keeping her in the sick bay. It didn't look that bad, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. So, at the end of my work week here, I left a letter for the other nurse, finished my bedtime meds, and left somewhere in the vicinity of 2200. When I came back to camp on Tuesday morning (after working a 12 hour night shift at the hospital!), I once again walked into an absolute mess. I had a letter on the table that explained how I'd "forgotten to send meds to Pennsylvania with the camping kids" (which I didn't, actually, they had been sent the day before with the staff), and "don't worry, I covered for you and shipped them". Now, had he called me or emailed me, I would've told him that the box in the cupboard was extra meds for the next out trip planned. GR. But the worst part was the hand written note that said, "This kid came in tonight with a hurt thumb. I suspect he needs medical attention, but it's 9:20 p.m. and I have to go. I don't have time to go find him. Please see him in the morning." (*@#&$(*($*$!!! :argue: So, of COURSE, I called him right away and asked 1) who the kid was, 2) where was the documentation, and 3)what on EARTH!??!! So his answers were 1)I don't know his name, 2) I didn't document because I didn't have time, and 3) I think it's dislocated. Anyway, after much searching, I found the kid with the injured hand, called the MD and his mom and sent him for xrays. It turned out just to be a bad contusion, but I'd really angry - I don't want to be the one who's license is on the line if a parent got it in their head to sue the camp. This other nurse just graduated this month, is a GN, and really has no clue what to do. (His letter actually told me "I had a great time relaxing and fishing this weekend!) Now, I have nothing against GNs because I was one three years ago, but I do have a problem when you're leaving all the work for me to do, leaving a potentially dangerous problem because you "don't have time to take care of it", and when I searched through the med crates, found a controlled substance not locked up!!! :angryfire I spoke with admin, but if it doesn't get better, I won't be here for next session. I love the kids and the job, but I also love my license too much to lose it over summer camp.

Hello! My name is Charity, I've been a peds nurse for 3 years and am going to camp this summer for the first time. (Very excited!) I do have one concern - apparently our camp physician (whom I have not yet met, but will do so on the 30th) has decided it is more of a liability to have EpiPens on site than to NOT have them. So this year, we will be without EpiPens, unless the kids bring their own. My question is this: We are 8 minutes out from EMS, and if a kiddo were to have a reaction, there's not much I can do, and 8 minutes is an eternity if someone is having a true anaphylactic reaction. Do you think it's unreasonable that I question the doctor about his new thinking? People come into contact with things every day that they had no idea that they were allergic to. Apparently just last year they had a new reaction to peanuts with a girl and administered it to her. Thoughts? PS: If you're an RN, did you feel is necessary to also take a first aid class? (I currently work ortho and pulmonary, so I am adept at soft tissue and bone injuries, as well as asthmatics and nebs!)

I gave a little post-op girl Zofran last week for nausea. She'd never had it before, and shortly after getting it, developed hives. As I was turning to call the doc, he walked in and started screaming at me (in front of the girl's parents) about what I gave. I calmly told him, and asked for an order for Benedryl. He started screaming and asked me what, exactly, was IN Zofran. I told him (as politely as possible) that I knew the drug category and it's intended use, but wasn't clear on the chemical makeup...so he started screaming, "Well, what are yous tanding there for? Go get the Benedryl and why in the hell are you giving patients meds when you don't know what they are?" (Still all in front of the family!!!) So...I went in the med room, gathered my senses about me and brushed it off. I'm not a pharmacist - I'm responsible for knowing the drug category, intended use, side effects and things it could potentially interact with. Thankfully, the family was OK with it and I explained to them the need to tell the next facility she's in that she's now allergic to Zofran. Go figure. He's out Chief of Staff too - NOT cool. :angryfire

Thanks. I appreciate that - I've been looking into other options outside of the hospital. I worked in one hospital for a year (float, where I got all the experience I have except the Peds), and now I've been at my current hospital (Peds hospital) since the beginning of last August, working with ortho kids. I do like the pediatrics, I do NOT like floor nursing. I love healthcare - I don't like nursing. I think the bachelor's degree I'll be pursuing will be more like...Healthcare Administration or HR to work in recruitment. Thanks again...in a thread of derogatory posts, the kind ones shine.

THANK YOU!!!!! I am NOT a new nurse - I think people are forgetting that. I graduated and began working in April 2005 - It's been two years that I've been a floor nurse. I've lived alone and worked since the age of 16. I dont' believe ANYONE should be telling me "oh, you're not burnt out", ESPECIALLY the ones who haven't worked the floor yet. I deal with stress quite nicely - I've had more bumps and bruises in my life and have learned to deal quite well. This is a forum where people shouldn't be afraid to voice their opinions, and now I'm not sure I'd even start a new thread again. I was hoping for support, not to be belittled for feeling burnt out.

Thanks for those of you who gave me support. I can't BELIEVE that 95% of the people responding to this say "There's no way you can be burned out..." or "work part time"... or "New grad, new grad..." Read the original post, people. I've been a nurse (an RN) for two years this month. I was a float nurse and oriented to all the different units. I've had two jobs since I graduated. To those who responded negatively - it's nurses and people like you who disregard other's feeligns that make me want to leave the profession.

I've been a floor nurse for two years. I've done pediatrics, ortho, med-surgh, rehab, and ICU. I just am NOT happy and don't even want to think about floor nursing. *sigh* I'd LOVE to work ER - in fact, peds ER would be ideal. But unfortunatly, no one wants unexperienced ER nurses working in their ER, and those who don't mind that don't want me because I only have my ASN. (Pursuing a bachelor's shortly, but due to family circumstances, ASN was all that I could do then.) I can't imagine being a nurse until I finish my bachelor's degree.

That I absolutely hate nursing. I'm 21 years old and burnt out. I can't stand the thought of dealing with patients anymore. *sigh*

I inadvertantly gave 0.5 of a Lortab regular strength to a patient. The order was 0.5 of a extra strength. I followed my error with an incident report, and now my standing in med administration is in jeopardy. (We have strict rules on errors.) I was made to complete a 7 page error booklet and sent to another division to take vitals. The med was the same, just less than what was ordered. What do you think?

I read these posts a million times and hadn't ever really had anything concrete happen to me until last night. I'm a float nurse in a little hospital, and lately have been spending my evenings on our Geri-Psych Unit. It was once a long term care unit, as well as a pediatric unit. (Little kid ghosts scare the bejeezies outta me!) At any rate. I had a patient that was feeling wheezy down the hall, so I had the guy I was working with run down to the nurse's station and grab a stethescope for me. I sat in the patient's room and chatted with her until he came back. After I listened to her, i threw the steth around my neck and he and I headed down the hall. WELL. We were about five feet from the room, and I felt him smack my shoulder and knock my stethescope off my shoulders. (He and I are good friends, we joke around alot and had just been talking about how we think it's funny to be a pest like that, hey we're both young *grin*) Anyways...so I turned around and said, "WHY would you do that?" and laughed...only to realize that he hadn't come out of the room!!!!!! There was NO ONE there...just me. And the smack was hard enough that I felt it - I mean, I've had my steth fall off my shoulder before because it wasn't around there good, but I FELT something hit me....scary. When he got back from break, he came into the nurse's station and said, "What's the chair in the middle of the hall for?" I DIDN'T PUT IT THERE! AHHH! It was sitting right in front of the locked door to get into the unit, and none of the patients had been up. (After working here for so long, you can hear the pitter-patter of Geriatric feet from a mile away...) So, that's MY two cents of a ghost story. :chair: Thank goodness Thursday is my last night here!

*hug* How scary for you...

Recently (as in, two days ago) our hospital set into practice a new system for the ER giving the floor report. Apparently, the ER is going to just fax up a report sheet and send the patient up, which leaves the floor nurses completely oblivious to the new admit. (This happened the me - I was so shocked when a little girl came up to the floor to be admitted...I was like, "What on earth? Where was the report?") Well, in the ruckus of change of shifts, there it sat in the fax machine, along with UA's and CBC's until someone could stop for a minute and pick them up. I understand that the floor nurses are busy, I defiantly understand ER nurses are busy and most times need beds, but do you REALLY think that this is safe? Patients coming up to the floor without warning - hopefully no one is unstable is all I've got to say.

Last night at work we had 2 RNs and 2 LPNs for 28 patients. It's not bad at night, but I can't imagine having such a poor ratio on 3-11.

Our hospital handles it this way: Our report is taped for the next shift to listen to. That in turn leaves an entire shift of nurses on the floor to care for patients, tie loose ends, etc. When an admission comes at change of shift, the leaving shift settles the patient in and does as much of the 3 assessments (Nursing, Integumentary, Fall Risk) as possible as well as charting a note. If we get through the two short ones (I and F.A), the Nursing Assessment is taken care of by the next shift, and whoever is getting the patient will recieve a verbal from the departing nurse.

I'm a huge GA fan - haven't missed an epi. That said, I have absolutely no problem with the Nurse's Blog - who cares? It's something stupid and made up to help people who missed and episode catch up. There's also the "Joe the Bartender" blog - the bartender from across the street that talks about the same things, only from the male perspective. It's a witty addition to the webpage, and I enjoy reading it. I love being a nurse, and I think that some people take things to heart entirely too much. Relax. We're one of the top three respected professions in the USA - people aren't believing everything they read. Have some faith in the US's citizens. We're not ALL dimwits who follow like clueless sheep - just some of us :rotfl:!

Code 99: Resp/Cardiac Arrest Code Black: Bomb Code Red: Fire Code Pink: Child Abduction Code Green: Violent Weather

I'm 20 years old - I went to nursing school right out of high school. It's a lot of responsibility, but let me tell you - as an RN, I can say I'm glad I went that route. Yes, it might be a shorter path to an LPN diploma, but just think of it this way - if you go to school now, become an RN, then you can spend that time you'd be going back to school for the LPN-RN program getting your Master's in Nursing and being a teacher or a practitioner, etc, the opportunities are endless. Go for it! :) Accept that ADN program offer!

An outside employee. Upon speaking to the Assistant NM this morning, I found SHE had filed it...this unit doesn't have a Unit Secretary d/t it being a 10-bed unit. Thankfully, my application is in in another facility. This is just a small blip on the radar of awful things at my hospital.

HR? Even though it was sent TO a NM, rather than from? I understand legal and the CEO, but why HR? (Sorry, I'm a bit non-versed in legal-ese)