jbecerra

I have been an LPN' at a majoyr hospital system for 11 years. They hired me before I had even passed my state boards...that's how serious the nursing shortage was then! Now I am in my 12th year, went from MedSurg to LTC to Skilled care. I am working on my associate degree so I will have an RN license, with the freedom to move around within my hospital my salary started at around $18 when I started; now I'm up to around $25.

"I need to go and squeeze the weasel."

I wear a Tag Heuer watch that my husband bought for me. Because I like it.

This is a difficult situation to address. You cannot force a person to bathe or shower, and this person may also have mental illness issue that contributes to this. If he develops a trusting relationship with a caregiver, maybe he could be persuaded to shower. Social work, psych, and management should all become involved and work out an agreement about his hygiene that benefits everyone. Good luck.

You're working in Psych. You can wear what you want. It would probably work against you if you dressed in scrub pants. The Psych nurses at my hospital dress in regular street clothes.

Accu checks in red pen. Any antibiotics in red pen( with the dosage time, like Cipro 0600. Dressing change instructions followed by a red line to be checked when completed. Labs in red on the back of my report sheet. Anything special or anything to be watching for, put it in red or underline it in red. I also follow a sort of a grid on my report sheet; the history always goes in the right margin, antibiotics and accu checks in the lower left corner. Cross them off with black pen (and the time) when they're done. Also keep record of calls to MD, what time,orders received. Hope this helps!! We all adopt a system that works for us

Watch the ones that never seem to lose their cool. I find that I come at people too aggressively because I want to be sure to be heard and understood, and that is seen as "she's mad" or " what's her problem?" I have been trying to remember to keep myself cool and not get caught up in everything. Leaving the floor is a good idea as well. Good luck!!! I feel your pain.

Some people are heavy wetters at night. You might need a thicker or more absorbent Depends...or else change the pt in the middle of the night. Place chux under them to keep the bed as dry as possible.

I think that with your qualifications you would be placed in a supervisory role...which is not too bad on nights. Have you considered teaching part time?? With your knowledge and experience, you could be a valuable asset as an instructor, like teaching Nurses Aides. Or even as a part time Clinical Coordinator, providing education and in services. Good luck!

FOS= Full of stool, if pt had not pooped for a while.

2 nights on, 3 if absolutely necessary. Buy some room darkening shades for your bedroom. Turn off the phone. Get a "white noise" machine or use a fan to drown out sounds. Most importantly, friends/family need to realize that their 2 in the afternoon is your 2 in the morning. A few phone calls to them at 2 am might be needed in order to make your point. Try to take a nap before going in your first night on...it makes it feel more normal to wake up, have some coffee, and go to work. I have been on nights for 10 years (except for one dreadful year spent on 3-11) and i love working nights.

Well, the corrective action was a one day suspension without pay. When i returned to work, my supervisor told me that if a narcotic delivery arrives and I didn't have time to put it away immediately, I should lock it in my cart until it could be put in the proper place. It's going to be a VERY LONG TIME before I sign for any narcotics again. I am hoping that this doesn't adversely affect my license. I did not offer a urine test or tox screen; the meds came up missing over a month ago. Not that I think it would matter one way or the other. I learned a valuable lesson.....double and triple check from now on. Thanks to everyone for the helpful comments and input...

The count was fine. The mistake was found when the company that supplies our drugs conducted an audit. Their invoices showed that we should have ( for example) received 4 vicodin that day. When the pyxis was counted by them a month later,they discovered that I had only put 3 vicodin in the pyxis that day. I honestly can't remember anything odd happening...if there were 3 in the bag, I put 3 in the machine. At my facility, totes with meds, including narcotics, are left sitting on the counter,open. If you sign for a tote, you are supposed to put it away...but that doesn't happen. I have put away meds ( including narcotics) that have been sitting open for hours, sometimes more than 24 hrs. At any time, meds could be removed and unaccounted for. Yes, it is my fault for not triple checking the invoice vs the count printed on the bag vs the number of meds actually present.

Today is May 10. On April 8, while working a night shift, I signed for a delivery of narcotics and put them in the pyxis, like I do all the time. Except this time. There should have been 4 vicodin in the little ziploc bag. I found 3 and put them in, didn't check the number in the bag against the invoice. Today I get a call. From my Unit Manager; she's worried about where is the fourth vicodin?? Can I remember? Well, no..of course I can't. Just do whatever needs to be done. Come in to work tonite, ushered into the office. I am on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of their investigation. Has anyone experienced this? I don't know what I should do...

I did bring it to management's attention. I was told "Don't worry about it." So.....I don't worry about it. Shame on management and shame on the nurse if something happens. I can't worry about what every one else does. I need to worry about me, and am I doing my job as well as I should.

Why am I upset about this?? A number of reasons.....management is "cracking down" on overtime, but there is always something else that gets added to our workload. I also feel strongly that everyone should be compensated for their time. When I am at work, I give it 100%, but I am not staying there after I have punched out to work for free. It also. Bugs me that management is aware of this, yet it continues. Will I make a big deal about it??? NO. I need to do my job and not worry about what someone else does.

Just an informal survey. What would you do if you knew one of your co workers was punching out, then coming back and doing her charting, all to avoid "getting in trouble" for too much overtime ? I know she is doing this. I know that my boss knows she is doing this. I work in a rehab unit night shift. 30 beds,2 nurses,12 hr shifts. I brought this up to my unit manager-she told me "don't worry about it." What would you do?