Ntheboat2

You could probably get a lawyer to legally change your name. Just kidding. Send a private message to the administrator maybe? Or a moderator might come along and help.

I think the nurse did the right thing. It's not like she called a Code Blue. She probably wasn't sure what exactly to do in the situation and needed some support. Isn't that what a Rapid Response is for? You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Had she done nothing then she would've been criticized for that as well.

I'm on the "don't report" train. Even if it is used for addiction (which would be impossible to tell from a pharmacy record), I still don't think it could be reported if the nurse is a patient.

I work in a facility where we have a lot of patients who are addicts, recovering addicts, etc. Sometimes we have nurses, former nurses, etc. as patients. The question came up the other day.....if a patient comes into your facility and their medication list shows that they are on methadone, and that patient is also currently a working registered nurse....is that something you are supposed to report, or would it be a HIPAA violation to do so? My personal opinion is that you could not report them. However, I empathize with people who have issues with addiction a lot more than I've found that some of my fellow nurses do. I can see some of my co-workers having an issue with this and trying to report it. I believe it would be a HIPAA violation to report a nurse for being on a prescribed medication when the only reason their use was disclosed is because you had access to their record which is entirely different than reporting a co-worker who you suspect is impaired. What do you think?

I think it could be that you're being sensitive. Who knows really without knowing the entire story, background, tones, etc. I know that when I first started working (at 16) I worked in a fast food place which I stayed at for several years off and on. I became really good friends with some of the people I worked with. At one point, I practically lived with my friend/co-worker who was a single mom and I helped her look after her kids. I was fairly young, pregnant myself, and she was a great friend and support. I'm still grateful to this day for her. As time went on and as I gained more education, we drifted apart. Some of it was due to the fact that I was busy with school, had another job, and had my own family. Some of it was due to the fact that she started returning my calls less and acting strange when I visited. Finally, she said it...in a "joking" manner of course....that I was "too good" now. I'm the one that kept reaching out, but I think because of her own insecurities our friendship changed. Her mother passed away and I went to visit her and went to the services, but we really aren't friends like we were before. Most of my friends/acquaintances now do happen to be people who I went to college with or worked with post graduation. It wasn't on purpose, but I just got tired of feeling like I had to defend myself or avoid talking about certain subjects because it might make someone jealous. It happens at work sometimes too. I can be talking about how expensive my kid's sports equipment is and a tech will say something like, "I don't even want to hear it," or I mentioned that my kids got laptops for Christmas (which I didn't even buy, and they're pretty cheap now anyway) and get a comment like, "It must be nice." It gets exhausting having to worry about if what you're going to say is going to offend someone else or not. That's my theory on why people of similar "status" tend to associate with each other. I'm NOT saying that RN is greater status than LPN either, but there are obvious tensions between people with different education levels, incomes, etc., and I don't think that tension is always the fault of person with the higher education, income, etc.

I didn't realize so many nurses were perfect. I come across medicines all the time that I have to look up. Luckily, I have a computer at my side when administering meds and a button I can click to give me all the info. within seconds.

Thanks for the replies. I guess I just need to get over it and realize everybody isn't going to like me. It sucks to feel like nobody likes you though. Really, the nurses all seem to like me a lot, but the aides not so much. Particularly the older aides. It doesn't seem to matter how much I do to "help out" or how much I don't do either. I still get the same attitude/get ignored/etc.

I'm going to try to keep this short, but basically I look younger than what I actually am. I know...sad, right? JK. Honestly, I'm wondering if looking like I'm 21ish has anything to do with how I'm received by co-workers...specifically CNA's. I'm not flattering myself. I've had several co-workers, some who are younger than me, tell me they thought I was 20 or 21/22 when they've learned my actual age. I really, really try to avoid asking for help or asking them to do anything because of the amount of attitude I get whenever I do. Sometimes, it's not so much what they say, but just the body language or tone of voice when I ask them to do something. They don't do that when my RN co-workers who are older ask them to do something or even TELL them to do something. It seems to me that there's just this obvious respect for the older/more experienced nurses that they don't give to me. Do you think people in general have an issue with someone they believe is so young being "in charge"...?

When I had my children, I never knew who the nurses were unless I happened to catch a glimpse of their nametag. Where I work now, we have color coded scrubs. Trust me, the patients notice. They know exactly who the nurses are and who the aides are. They might not know right when they come in, but they catch on quickly.

One of my RN co-workers was talking about all the bills she had to pay/repairs she had to do at her house in front of a patient one day. It wasn't really that unprofessional in the setting we are in because that's mostly what we do in psych is talk to patients and sometimes they get tid-bits of what's going on in our lives. The guy was talking about his wife working and things they had done around the house which is what brought it up. Except...he had just lost his job. That's partly why he ended up in our psych facility was the depression that stemmed from losing his job. So, after she ranted for a few seconds about her bills, etc., he says, "Well, at least you have a job." It kind of puts things in perspective.

I work in psych and I love it. I got jabs from nursing school buddies about their jobs as a "real nurse" but I just blew those off. Why? Because most of them hate their jobs, are always looking for a way out, and I have no intention of leaving mine. I worked on a med/surg floor as an intern, and I can't imagine working there as an RN, and getting paid the same as I get paid now. The idea makes me cringe. Don't worry about how others view psych nursing or where it is on the hierarchy of specialties as long as you're happy where you are. I never dread going to work and my patients are always happy to see me come back on day 2 so that's all that really matters.

It's a sad reality that the higher education you receive, the more removed you are from hands on patient care. I was thinking of this the other day when I realized I had been at the desk for much longer than I would have liked to be. One of the aides (although she said nothing) was giving off attitude vibes as if she thought myself and the other nurses weren't "doing anything" because she was the one up and moving around and we were sitting down. At the same time, her work was caught up and I was way behind. I've been an aide and I spent way more time with the patients hands on than I do now. I also didn't have to have an education ( I did, but it wasn't required for that particular job) and I got paid a lot less. I was just thinking to myself....I hate that she assumes we aren't doing anything or don't want to do anything because I would love to have more direct patient contact. That's why I wanted to be a nurse. The reality is that I'm the one who has to document everything and it consumes the majority of my time. I said all that to say this... I try to remember that I haven't been a doctor and I can't possibly know what their job really entails or where their heart was when they got into the field. They spend way less time with the patients and get paid way more than nurses...just like nurses generally spend less time than aides but get paid much more. It's not just the medical field. In most professions, the person doing the hardest work gets the least recognition financially, verbally, etc. It's easy to point fingers, but I don't know that there's anyone to blame.

I love psych nursing. I worked as an intern on a med/surg unit throughout nursing school and it was great getting experience with starting IV's, inserting foleys, etc., but med/surg is definitely not something I would want to do again. Can I handle it? Yes. I did great and my manager was irate when I quit. Do I want to handle it? Heck no. It's just not for me. It's good to have some medical experience because many patients come to us because they went to the ER d/t a medical issue and then the ER staff noticed they were having hallucinations or something. I see a lot of high BP and there's a lot of patients detoxing which you know can be serious. Every now and then you'll find something or something will happen where they'll need medical attention, but they get sent back to the ER so it's nowhere near what you have to deal with in a med/surg or ER setting. At the same time, I feel like staff at the "regular hospital" tries to send patients to us before they're medically stable enough because they don't want to deal with the psych aspect. I know it can be hard working on med/surg trying to juggle all your patients when one of them is taking their clothes off or doing bizarre things. It's also frustrating for us when we have 10 patients who are supposed to be medically stable, but one of them has a blood pressure of 76/46 and we don't have IV fluids. We simply don't have the equipment/supplies to deal with medical issues. They aren't even in the supply closet. A lot of psych patients have positive symptoms because there's something medically wrong. So, you don't have to do all the hands on nursing skills in a psych setting, but you still need to have the knowledge. Just like when an elderly patient gets confused when they have a UTI, a psych patient who has been doing well may start having symptoms when they have renal issues or something. The hospital wants to send them to us because they think it's a psych problem, and we want to send them back because we think it's a medical problem. You have to be a real advocate to work in psych. You get to know a lot of the patients because you see the same ones over and over, or you've gotten familiar with symptoms of a particular diagnosis even if you don't know the pt well. You can tell when Suzy is REALLY having abdominal pain even though she's been known to say there's a litter of kittens living in her belly. You can keep up on your medical skills if you want to. Just like a professor once told me, "If a nurse wants to sit at the desk, they can always find a reason to, and if a nurse really wants to be with the patients then they will." Every patient who comes in the door has to be assessed. It's not a requirement to do a complete physical assessment, but if you want to do one then you can. There are TONS of labs drawn in psych so if you want to draw blood and keep up on that skill then you can, but if you want to sit at the desk and let the lab guy draw labs for you then you can. You won't know if you like it until you try it. I personally love it and never dread going to work.

I don't have any problems hearing, but I had a hard time finding a stethoscope that my ears could handle. My ears are really small and it would literally hurt to wear a stethoscope. I'm not a wimp, but it was so painful that I could barely stand to leave the stethoscope in long enough to hear the BP and also be able to concentrate bc of the pain. I can't even wear ear buds for phones or music because my canals are so small they won't fit or stay in. Luckily, I found some soft tips that work well and don't hurt. Anyhow, I first blamed the trouble hearing on the stethoscope and discomfort, but after I found a good stethoscope I realized that I couldn't hear the BP's unless I was inside the patient's room with the door shut, TV muted, etc. However, as I got more experience, it got easier to hear. Now, it's easier to hear when it's quiet, but if I focus then I can hear even in a room full of people talking, etc. So, I think it is just one of those "skills" that gets easier with time after you figure out a good technique and gain confidence.

I can relate to a night like that! Fortunately, those patients are not as common as one would think. Most of the time, I have time to sit and chat with some VERY interesting characters. The other night I sat and talked to this girl for at least an hour after all my work was caught up. I actually thought to myself, "I can't believe I get paid for this." This morning I heard a news story about a man who was found by police walking around in nothing but his tennis shoes. He told them some story about having to hide by the river when he accidentally fell in so he took his clothes off for them to dry, blah blah blah. I thought to myself, "I'll probably get to hear a first hand account of this story next time I go to work." LOL. I have no idea if he went to the hospital or not, but things like that are pretty typical to hear!!

Psych here also and love every minute of it. It's weird because I used to think people who said things like, "Find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day" etc. were just full of total crap. However, I really feel like I've found my spot. I never dread going to work and I'm actually curious to know who I'm going to see each day and what the day will bring. No job is 100% sunshine, but this is the closest thing to it that I've ever experienced.

I don't know how much experience you have, so this might not be helpful to you. However, someone else might benefit from my response. When asked this question as a new grad, I would say something like, "I think my main weakness is lack of experience. I have some experience as an aide and an intern, but I'm a new nurse, so there is a lot that I need to learn." I got some positive feedback with that response. I feel like it's a legitimate weakness in general because new nurses are an expense and can be (although hopefully not) a liability. At the same time, it's a "weakness" that you have no control over as everyone starts as a new nurse, so it's not like a personal flaw.

I agree with what has already been said. I would think if you are not acting as a nurse though then you shouldn't be 'advertised' as a nurse either. By that I mean that I wouldn't wear a nametag that says LPN or RN or whatever. I wouldn't have my name be posted as "Jane Doe, RN" but only as "Jane Doe." You're obviously always a nurse no matter what, but I think if some legal issue arose then it would probably make a difference. For example, I might help out with a health fair acting as an RN and that's what I'm "advertised" as so the coordinators verify my identity/license before I volunteer. However, if I volunteer at my child's school dance then I'm volunteering as "Jack's mom" and not "Jane Doe, RN." Don't let them use your title to make people think they are being advised by a nurse. I would think if seniors are participating in activities that they know are being overseen by a nurse (if you're representing yourself as Jane Doe the nurse rather than just Jane Doe) that kind of implies a nurse-client relationship whether you want it to or not. I'm not a lawyer. That's just my opinion, and I could be wrong. It just seems like a fine line. I don't know if I'd want to be on that kind of line when there is no real benefit involved other than the promise of a future job opportunity without being 100% sure what I was stepping into.

A HUGE part of the problem is that the tone was already set before I came. The "senior" CNA was friends with the other RN before I came. This RN knows she is lazy, and gets annoyed at times also, but she lets things slide....partly because they are friends and partly because "it's easier to just do it" herself. The thing is, this nurse has been a nurse forever so when she "just does it herself" it's not as overwhelming to her because she's been doing it for so long that she can do it easier/faster than I can. She might be irritated at having to do all the tasks by herself, but I get frustrated AND behind in my work because I'm not as good/fast as the senior RN. I NEED a CNA who will step up and help out. Besides, just because someone "can" handle doing everything alone doesn't mean they should have to. Even if I didn't rely on the help, she should be helping. That's what she's there for. The other night I was sent to work on a different unit and I had a bigger patient load than I typically have on my home unit. Even though I had more patients (more work) my night went by SO easy because the CNA on the unit I floated to did such a good job. While I was admitting a patient, she was faxing paperwork that has to be faxed, printing out documents, getting an armband ready, etc. It's all really easy stuff (nothing like having to clean up incontinent patients, answer call lights, etc) but it's just a lot of little things that take up time and even though they are "little things" they are VERY important things that HAVE to be done. It was sooo nice being able to focus on the patient without worrying about whether or not the doctor answered his page or if the admission papers got faxed. I knew the CNA was taking care of all those little things and I got to focus on the main task. The CNA job where I work is really more like a secretarial job than anything because there's so little physical labor. I really don't think most of the CNA's can appreciate how "easy" it really is because most of them (if any) have never worked in an acute medical setting where the work is REALLY hard. They'd either get fired or quit within a week, I have no doubt. Again, I'm talking about a CNA who literally sits down and reads on her kindle, plays games on it, and takes smoke breaks while I'm doing WORK. I'm not talking about a CNA who is charting at the computer and I'm mistaking her for "sitting on her butt" or a CNA who is never visible because she's inside the patient's rooms helping them. Remember, I was a CNA. I had nurses tell me a couple times that they "had no clue where I was for X amount of time" when in reality I had changed 5 incontinent patients by myself and gotten vital signs on the entire floor. GREAT news though! The main CNA (the "senior" CNA) who is the main problem is transferring to a different floor!! I am sooo happy! That sounds horrible, but it's true. The nurse I work with knows how I feel about the current CNA, and I think she regrets creating a monster, so I think whoever we get as a replacement will be a lot better because she won't allow the things she allowed before. Here's to hoping!

I've actually made the comment (not to them) that I'd rather them not be there at all. The one who I work with the most often does so very little to "help" that I would rather her not even be there. It irritates me that she sits there reading and playing games when I'm swamped. I never had time to even use the phone and call home (other than on break) to check on my kids, much less sit around reading. Ugh.

This seems to be the norm at my semi-new job as well. I could tell there was a "shift war" type environment when I started and there's a pretty crazy history between some of the employees. I've picked up on things by some of the attitudes of the on-coming shift. For example, a nurse interrupted during report one morning and said to my preceptor, "Did the EKG get done?" She stuttered a little and said No. I could tell that #1. The nurse who was asking knew that the EKG wasn't done and #2. The nurse was only "asking" in an attempt to voice their frustration that it wasn't done without coming out and saying, "The EKG on Mr. Smith wasn't done. Why not?" In an ideal world, my preceptor would have known the EKG needed to be done by our shift and made me aware of that expectation so that I could do my job well in the future. Unfortunately, I have to interpret snotty attitudes and snide remarks in order to make sure I'm not missing things that will make me the target of said attitudes and remarks. As a fairly new employee who has no part in the shift war history at this point, I make an effort to comment on things I have done that I've noticed has caused tension in the past. For example, after that "episode" I knew that the EKG's put in for a certain time (which is a few minutes after our shift technically ends) were expected to be done by us. So, during report I will say, "Mr. Smith had an EKG ordered and I've already done that and put the results in." I'm sure there are probably other things that I haven't picked up on and that I'm supposed to be doing and don't even realize. Unfortunately, this is the most passive aggressive environment I've ever worked in. I wish I could just come out and say, "I'm trying to do a good job. Please let me know if you notice anything that I'm missing or if there's something you need to talk to me about." Unfortunately, that approach doesn't typically work. I'd probably get, "Oh, no. It's fine." Granted, I haven't tried that approach yet, but I probably will after thinking about it. Maybe if my "co-workers" realize that anything that isn't being done to their standards (or at all) is by pure ignorance and not ill-will (which seems to always be the assumption) then I can avoid becoming the target of hate mail. One can only hope!

I'm sure there are a million threads on this topic, but I just need to vent a little in the process of getting opinions/advice. So, I "started at the bottom" by becoming a CNA prior to nursing school and working my way up so to speak. That being said, I know what a hard job it is. I was a CNA and then an intern on a very busy floor. There were constantly several call lights going off, someone always needing to be cleaned up after being incontinent, several people on Q2 turns, everyone (between 10-20 patients per one CNA depending if it was day or night shift) on Q4 vitals, people who needed help eating, ambulating, etc, etc. I literally couldn't take a 30 minute break unless I made a conscious effort and left the floor. I was told we were supposed to get two 15 minute breaks as well, but I think that's a myth. Fast forward....I'm a nurse in a very different environment. My job now is not nearly as stressful even during the day shift, but I'm currently on nights where it's even less hectic. Frankly, compared to my floor days, it's a piece of cake. Still, there are CNA's and especially one in particular who seemed frustrated by my mere presence as a new nurse and has made comments about "RNs who think they can't do" certain tasks. Keep in mind....there are no incontinent patients, no call lights, nobody who needs help eating or ambulating, etc. I've actually acted as a CNA even though I'm a nurse on a couple of days/nights due to short staff. I never felt overwhelmed or like I needed help from the other RNs. Not only did I do the basic job duties, but I took the trash out more than once (one time is expected, and enough really), wiped down every possible surface you can think of, and stocked every possible item that could possibly be stocked. I literally had to look for things to do to keep busy. So, you can imagine that I'm a little surprised when this CNA huffs and puffs because she has to stop playing her electronic game or put down the book she is reading to get a patient a drink or check a (as in one) blood pressure. I thought it was just this one person with a horrible attitude who just didn't want to work, period. THEN.... A different tech (who generally has a good attitude) was doing personal things on the computer which was no problem. So, we got a patient who needed to have an eye on them WHILE THEY SLEPT and when I told them, they make a comment about how the nurses aren't doing anything. WHAT?! I actually said, "Well, I'm doing A, B, and C so if you want to go do this then I can watch them for awhile." I know it can be hard sitting in one spot for a long time. I'VE DONE THAT! They declined. Just a side note...the co-worker could still work on the computer as they were doing as long as the patient was asleep and within view. I started to think....it must just be everyone instead of just the one CNA I mentioned before. Is there just a general concensus by all CNA's that they do everything and the nurses do nothing? I try to do things to "help out" even when there's really no need for help. For example, I'll bag up all the trash if I'm not busy, wipe down everything, or help out with vitals. It never gets acknowledged. I don't need a pat on the back, but if you're going to act like "the nurses" never do anything regardless of what we do, then what's the point in making an effort? That's how I'm starting to feel. I don't know if it's because I'm "the new nurse" and they don't respect me, or if this is what I can expect forever. I do feel like I don't get as much respect just because when someone needs to leave the floor or take a break, etc. they will go around to the other nurses to make sure it's "okay" but they don't ask me. I would never say no (well, unless it was totally inappropriate timing)...so it's not that. Am I crazy or does any of this ring a bell? I'm starting to think I need to learn to accept this as the way it is and let it roll off my back, but it really bothers me. I don't even know how to stop caring that someone views me (or us in general) as "lazy" or "better" than them. I won't even ask a CNA to do ANYTHING because of this attitude. Even if they're sitting down reading a book and I'm overwhelmed, I'll just do things (that they are capable of doing and are often expected to do by other nurses) on my own because I don't want to get the attitude. What to do?!

I didn't read any of the posts in this thread. I just had to point out that the number of errors in your post are very funny and ironic. Thanks!

I'm so glad there is someone like you (and hopefully a lot like you) working with children! I *could* do it, but I would be horrible at it. I'm terrible at playing, being "silly" or consoling kids that aren't mine. Kids deserve to have a nurse who loves pediatrics and I can tell you're one of them! I hope you never lose your passion! Also, never forget how important those stickers are! I've had nurses seem annoyed when my own children asked to have a sticker at the end of a doctor's appointment....those are the nurses who don't belong there! It's so funny how important one sticker is to a kid after getting a shot or a procedure...especially when the nurse gives it to them for doing a "good job" (even if they were horrible).

Translated to mean: "We had to start out in med/surg and be completely miserable and so should you!!! . Mission accomplished!! I debated whether or not I should start out in med/surg because I felt that pressure from other nurses, but I decided to go to work where I wanted to work instead. I LOVE my job and I feel lucky every time I read a post like yours. When nursing students ask you if they should start out in med/surg....tell them NO! :)