val421

I knew which ad OP was speaking of before I even finished reading the description - and I think that this is what enraged me. It's a blatant, heinous, dangerous lie. Nurses, as far as I know, have N E V E R been able to decide staffing on their units, and up until a few years ago (when, surprise surprise, legislation had to be introduced) it was commonplace for ICU nurses to be 1:3. Who would willingly make that choice?! There is zero logic in that argument. In short, I agree, haha.

If there's such a thing as being "meant" to do something, I'm "meant" to be an archaeologist. I can't imagine anything making me happier, and I still plan on pursuing it at some point. I enjoy nursing and all of the versatility that the field brings, but it was definitely pushed by my family as a steady employment/income/grown-up job.

"I'm feeling really fatigued all the time. Could it be all the triptofan?"

I understand that in caring for others, we must see to our own health first - but in the real world things are not always as cut and dry. I don't ask this question to incite competition or to glorify doing continuous harm to oneself, but I wonder, in a profession that demands the level of martyrdom (and I don't use such a word lightly) that nursing does, have you ever had to continue working, despite desperately needing time to recover? This could be due to any reason - needing the money, your absence being a blow to staffing, not realizing that you were as injured as you were due to constant stress on your body being normalized, etc. I'm just curious how often it occurs that someone is physically a deficit upon arriving to their unit and charging ahead anyway. As for myself - running around a floor for eight hours with what I now believe may have been mild gout in my left ankle (I never got it checked out) was horrible. I'd experienced ankle pain for a while and thought that it was simply the same issue exacerbated by working too many days in a row. I've also come to work with a not-entirely-healed herniated disc - stupid, terribly stupid, I know - but was able to take it somewhat easy with the help of other staff and it resolved itself in a few days with lots of ice packs, careful movement, and staying in bed once home. Calling out would have left a floor that is already regularly forced to run on a skeleton crew even more short.

Slightly off topic - I can't imagine standing there and watching a loved one actively crashing. I definitely acknowledge that grief and denial were factoring into their anger, and you allowing them to vent was probably the best thing to do at that moment. But their reaction reminds me that the general public seems to believe inability to save someone's life = FAILURE on the part of doctors and nurses. Healthcare, and especially the nitty-gritty of critical care, is super sanitized on TV/in movies and the codes are successful >50% of the time, leading people to think that hearts are like car batteries that you can just jump-start and get going again in perpetuity. The concept that one's body might just be done seems to escape people, increasing their grief when the end finally arrives, because it feels to them like it shouldn't have happened. I've honestly heard stories that made me wonder whether or not people felt that RNs/MDs were capable of granting immortality. Were we literally supposed to make sure your 98 year old Grandma never died...? In your situation, once again, not engaging was probably best. Anything you said to the contrary would have, I'm sure, been read as argumentative instead of informative, as they were irrational in their pain and decided to lash out. Approaching once the initial shock subsides and gently affirming that the healthcare team did everything possible might be comforting - knowing "it was just his time to go" lessens the blow, I feel - but do so with caution.

In some situations - SOME - quoting peoples' behavior back at them is helpful in at least getting them to see that they are unreasonable. They probably won't like being made to look stupid, but if the relationship is being terminated anyway, then bombs away, haha. "So you want medication for your mother, which you've decided I'm withholding because I took the correct and legal steps to get it ordered by her doctor? And because ten minutes was too long to wait, you're going to increase the amount of time she has to wait by making us find another nurse, who then has to take report, and then come by to give her the pills? MAKES SENSE." *turns heel and walks out the door*

^^ Believe me, I desperately wished that he could have been given something, but I believe it was contraindicated while I was there. He got into fights with security and had to be put in restraints multiple times and was medicated before, but I think they were concerned about respiratory suppression or something. It's foggy. I mostly remember just wishing I weren't there. (Come to think of it, I wonder if I was dissociating a little?) The RN assigned to him wasn't very helpful, anyway. She was the one that nonchalantly told me to ignore it.

It certainly can be. I would occasionally sit in the ER when I was a CNA and I once had to sit through eight hours of the worst verbal abuse I've ever experienced in my life. I'm Black and chubby, and this immediately became fodder for the malcontent whose safety I was supposed to ensure. I was called a ni**er more times that night than the whole rest of my life combined (he was even singing it at me at one point!), made vicious and disgusting comments about my weight, insisting that "baby weight" couldn't have been an excuse because no one would want to have a child with me (and even suggesting that I should lose fifty pounds and could do so quickly by "cutting [my] tits off"). He also made disparaging remarks about my (presumed) pay, and whether or not Obama got me my job (as if I know him? Ha!) followed by him confidently stating that "When Trump wins, you'll be outta here!" And I had to take it. I just had to sit there and pretend that it didn't bother me, because engaging him at all would only escalate him. I went home after the shift and cried, and realized that there are days when no amount of money makes this job worth it. He wound up in our ICU a couple of months later after an (intentional) attempted overdose. Petty as I may be sometimes, I didn't revel in learning that he was suicidal. But I didn't feel sorry for him, either. I learned that people really do attempt to force their own misery on others, but at NO point is your own anguish an excuse to harm someone else. And TheCommuter is right - in ANY OTHER venue, this behavior would be unacceptable. But nurses/ancillary staff have to absorb it, and I believe that it comes from a supreme level of disrespect for what we do. But we need to tend to our own health first, lest our ability to care for others be impacted. To OP - since then, one tactic that has helped me when people insist that I am somehow lacking is to step back and think about the situation objectively. The bird's eye view can be very helpful. Did I do anything wrong? Is their criticism valid? If so, what can I do to fix it? If not, I try to get to what is actually upsetting them, and if the answer seems to be nothing that I can do anything about, I shrug and let them continue to be miserable. It's like a game of emotional "Hot Potato" - I'm not holding onto your anger/helplessness/guilt/entitlement just because you threw it at me. Drop that potato and walk away.

Sports franchises make millions off of the backs of those athletes. If their performance is such that they positively impact ticket sales/merch sales/etc, why shouldn't they be compensated? They do deserve to have a fair slice of the pie that they help bake. (I feel the same way about nurses and healthcare facilities.) Also, many are sacrificing their bodies and brains (as we've learned recently, TBIs are much more common than previously thought) - you couldn't make me give up my brain for less than eight figures. EVEN THEN it would be a hard sell.

I'd whip out my phone, open the sound recorder app, hold it up to him and say "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I really can't believe what I just heard, and I might want to remind myself later on that it was real. Perhaps with someone else listening to confirm." If he hesitates, say "What's wrong? Why wouldn't you want someone else to hear this?" It a) tells him that you're not afraid of taking him on and reporting his behavior, and b) turns the spotlight back on him by forcing him to acknowledge that what he said was problematic. I would do this literally EVERY TIME he said anything of the sort so that he'd get the message right away that I won't tolerate it. The ONE caaveat I would add is to wait until you're out of patient care areas to prevent any HIPAA issues.

UGH, there are some DOOZIES when it comes to clients that sexually harass staff. We can probably thank Media/the old school idea that nurses were 'available' to patients in every way. I even had an old manager that asked one of the aides whether or not an agitated patient's sexual needs were being met. EXCUSE ME??? Part of me wonders whether or not sexualizing the (largely female) staff is how some men cope with feeling weak and vulnerable because of their illness/injury. Perhaps it's an attempt to display a measure of control over the situation? Maybe the physical closeness required of some care is (intentionally) misread? Who knows. None of it is an excuse. Getting back on track with the thread, though - it's almost as though once people are in an environment that they don't consider 'normal' for their day-to-day lives (hospitals, restaurants, hotels, travelling to other countries) they suddenly decide that they can behave however they'd like. Any inch given becomes a marathon for waiters, hotel staff, etc because the patrons' lack of respect for others is unintentionally buttressed by that institution. The difference between those places and a hospital being, of course, that healthcare does not belong in the service industry.

Keep these in your holster for next time (all said with a smile, of course): 1) "No, that's what puppies and kittens are for. But puppies and kittens can't do CPR." 2) "I'd hate to see what a depressed mess you'll be after you're discharged, then." 3) "Actually, I specifically have a 'DON'T make Mr./Ms. [pt's name] happy' clause in my contract." 4) "My name isn't fluoxetine. If you're really unhappy, maybe a psychiatrist should introduce the two of you." (Kinda harsh, I know) 5) "And apparently your job is to be an entitled douche." (This one has ONLY been broken out when confronted with extreme a**hole behavior). I'm not mean, I swear. That was my alter-ego, Snarknado. Don't feel guilty for a second. This person is obviously misinformed of the role that nurses play in their healthcare - not necessarily their fault, considering the resort experience most facilities want to market to potential clients - but you have to correct that line of thinking right away or else patients will continue to make absurd demands that can actually impede upon their (and other patients') care.

I've actually shushed people involuntarily before! I'm not as direct as I'd like to be, but I was so irritated once by someone entering the room and laughing while trying to ask me a question that I turned and hissed "Shhh!" before I could stop myself. I quickly explained that I didn't want to wake the (previously very agitated) patient and was just changing an IV bag and that I'd talk to her outside.

Thank you, Dave! I appreciate the response. I'll do my best to cluster care tasks together to avoid constant interruption, I've moved patients because of noisy roommates or proximity to beeping telly screens - it's when we can do absolutely nothing about the noise that I start to feel badly. I always acknowledge and remind them, as you do, that this is a hospital and there's never going to be a point where there's NO activity, but it still grinds my gears when the decibel level is totally unnecessary. I also have had issues with noisy neighbors - thankfully it isn't a weekly problem as it was with you, but I live across the street from a church that hosts a sort of unofficial block party/concert the first week of August to raise money for back-to-school supplies for poverty-stricken youth. They start around 10AM, usually after I've worked a night shift, and go until the early evening. I don't have the heart to rain on that parade, so guess who's sleeping over at a friend's house that day? During Carnaval season, however, there is a house party every year that is extremely loud and that I have MUCH less sympathy for. I try to let folks have their revelry but I've called the police before due to the UNBELIEVABLE noise level and the DJ's sexual comments to female partygoers carrying for BLOCKS. I'm not a wet blanket, I swear.

Hello all! I just wanted to know from people that enjoy working night shift, or at least, work them often - what do you find to be a normal/appropriate noise level? I typically work evenings and have found that I enjoy it much more than days or nights - but occasionally I'll double and end up on a night shift, and I find myself frequently getting upset at co-workers that make a TON of noise: slamming doors/cabinetry, having excessively loud conversations (FULL VOLUME speech right outside patient's doorways, or shouting down the hall at each other, for example). I've been less concerned when floating to the ED because, well, it's an ED. On the floor, however, I feel that if we're taking the time to do things like turning off hallway lights in an effort not to mess with sleep patterns, why is taking being quiet into consideration not really a concern for some? This is the case at both hospitals where I work, and I'm frustrated for patients that later complain to me that it's impossible to get any sleep. Of course ALL interruptions cannot be avoided - you have to wake the patient to do your job (and so does the phlebotomist, and the respiratory therapist, etc.) - but I don't think that should mean totally disregarding the hour. I feel that rest is an important part of the healing process and some folks get incredibly stressed out by the general inability to get sleep when inpatient. I am absolutely someone that loves to sleep, however, and have often thought that if I had to face the number of disruptions during my conjugals with the Sandman that our patients do, I'd probably sign out AMA. Am I projecting? I do make every effort to sneak around like a ninja when people are sleeping, but is it a crapshoot? I'd love to hear from you guys.

This is what makes the reindeer fly.

"I'm sorry, but if Rudolph was foaming at the mouth when he bit you, this is what we have to use."

I was hired at a small, unionized hospital after my first semester of nursing school at $13/hour, not including differentials ($2/hr weekends, $5/hr nights). The cost of living here in Boston is through the roof, though.

Sorry, Dr. Claus is asleep. We can get a PO order for this in the morning, but for right now...

Hello, everyone! This is my first post on AN, after years of lurking. As you can tell by the title, I'm wondering about whether or not anyone has attempted to organize any online 'study parties' or the like - basically, getting together with others over Skype, Tinychat, or other sites in order to learn together. The reason that I find this appealing is because, admittedly, there are moments when motivation escapes me - I feel like being part of a group will propel me forward when I'd rather be watching YouTube or browsing Tumblr, haha. The ideal situation would be to find people studying the same topics, so that an actual exchange of information/teaching each other can happen, but I feel that simply checking in with others would be good for me (and others who, like myself, are easily distracted). Would anyone else be into this type of thing? I've already got ideas swirling around about how to put it together, but I don't know that it would be worth fleshing out if no one else cares. Please let me know if you're interested! :)