LaceyRN12

Thank you guys for your input. I am feeling better about the whole thing. I've talked to other nurses and they all say the same thing has happened to them like 2-3 times atleast. The patient's results were negative and so were mine. Whew.

I was drawing blood with a butterfly needle and accidentally stuck myself. The patient said she doesn't have HIV or hepatitis. Her blood was tested and it confirmed she was negative for both of those. My blood results still haven't come back for some reason. But she's negative, so that's good. Therefore, I didn't have to take the prophylaxis meds. I'm just really damn bothered by the fact that it even happened. I'm beating myself up about it. My mom is also a nurse. I tell her everything about my life, but I can't tell her this because it will freak her out. She's a worrier and I don't want to worry her at all. I know I shouldn't even be worried, but I am. Why?? Can you make me feel better...?

Thank you all for not making me feel alone. I know I'm not; it's just that hearing it from other people makes me feel a little better. Venting, and hearing others vent, makes me feel a little better, too. If we were just given the proper resources to actually do our job well, being a nurse wouldn't be so bad...

All I have time for is handing out meds. I don't even have time to sit down and actually have a conversation with my patients. In fact, my co-workers were talking about the exact same thing. At least I don't feel alone about it. It's not compassion fatigue. I'm literally running around trying to do everything I have to do, and new orders keep constantly popping up. It's way too much to do. It feels impossible... like 12 hours is not nearly enough. By the time I come home (and on my off-days), I'm too physically and mentally exhausted to do anything. And then I have to do it all over again. It's overwhelming. It makes me feel depressed.

When you go for an interview, ask your interviewers this: What is the orientation process like?

Thanks for your input. Yeah, I'm trying so badly to get into the area I want to, but it's so hard. And I'd LIKE to do PRN, but I need health insurance.

It's been a year. And I'm already burned out. Is it wrong of me to think of switching to part-time??

It's nice that you do that. But you just need to understand how stressful it is to be taking care of a lot of patients just to get another one when you feel like you can barely make it with the load you have already. It's not just getting the admission itself... it's the continuation of care of that patient (plus the others) throughout the rest of the shift.

I feel like being a nurse is going to decrease my life expectancy. I am always so overwhelmed, stressed, mentally & physically exhausted, etc. I have no clue how nurses who have worked 20 years have done it... How do you make yourself go to work everyday? How do you not quit? HOW DO YOU KEEP GOING?!

What is exactly "on time"? 7pm?? No one I have ever come across has left at 7pm before. It's always 7:30-8:00.

What is CYA?? See ya? (lol)

I can't help it if I have to stay late because I'm waiting to give report to 2-3 nurses. They don't always come on time either and/or they're dilly dallying. I get annoyed, but I have to at least give report before I leave.

It depends on what hospital you're at and how much charting you're required to do. There's SO MUCH to do, plus you have to wait around for other nurses to come so you can finally give report to them. And sometimes the other nurses are chit chatting or dilly dallying or just taking forever to give report, so you have to wait around for them. And if you have to give report to 2 or 3 other nurses, that's not fun... and having so much to do, you have no time to chart everything you have to, so then you gotta chart your assessments, narrative notes, etc.

YES. Patients' families always lie and make me look bad. "I've been waiting an hour for my nausea medication!" No, it's literally been 10 minutes... It's truly upsetting because it looks like you haven't been doing anything at all when in fact, you've been doing the opposite. You don't get noticed for all the great things you do. And then you get in trouble.

Thanks for your words, everybody. I feel like if I stay in the room, the patient will have more things to say or more things for me to do. "Oh, since you're in here with me..." So I don't know about that. I just wish the nurse to patient ratio was a lot better... like 1:2 or 3. That way I'd have more time to actually care for my patients, you know??