nurse_1098

8 different jobs (4 of them in one institution... total facilities I worked in would be 5) ... 20 years experience.

I tend to go right home from work when possible. I have on occasion gone else-where (IE: sons hockey game) with a uniform on, but I don't like to take my uniforms (and whatever organisms I have encountered) to public places. Of course, I can not answer for 'the public' ... but I have not had a negative response from public I have encountered. We are far more aware of what we may be transporting:barf01: than the public and given that, our conscience should be helping lead us to changing or going home as much as possible following a shift.

It sounds like you have no choice to get what you want you may as well quit, take on a casual position so you can be as flexible as you want with your working time and time off. Seniority is the way vacation time is attended to, that is universal and a fact you have to accept. You either stick it out and become senior staff over time or you take control and do casual where you can self-schedule. As for your Christmas schedule?! That is nuts - I'd be checking that with the Union.

Seniority should account for something, that is true - but still, there should be some option here - Can you do mutual exchanges and make the time off work? It is better to book your vacation time before actually booking your trip due to the need to wait out the requests of the senior staff. As I am relatively new to the place I work I won't be planning anything big for peak vacation time this year, but will fit in plans on 'off season' time, and get my summer vacation as able. Mutuals or banked Overtime are sometimes helpful to get time off (though... I would too expect the use of banked OT to be turned down during peak vacation time).

This does make me wonder what happens when there is not a parent checking as you did on how things are going and what meds the kid is actually taking. I do hope you are gatting some sleep now, and that your son is breathing free and easy as he sleeps.

Where I have seen eye protection in use is on the tv show "ER"... never here in the institution I work - and when I was in ER to be seen about the incident I did see someone prepping to start an IV, I asked if they'd wear goggles and they responded no. so.. .for the whole institution where I work it is a practice that is lacking. I tried the goggles we have today - kind of scratched, though they fit over my glasses they might be a hinderance to a good IV start as I lose some vision with them on.

I too see that as 'overkill' ... so, what led to this? Despite the incident in my workplace (the other day) there is no sudden change to enforce eye protection, though, I expect it will be a topic at the next ward meeting.

Yes, you should assume that everyone is contagious. I do wonder, however, just how many actually do make a point of wearing protective eyewear. In the institution that I work it is a rare occurance to see protective eyewear used, I may well be the 'poster-child' that get people using it here.

do you trust your eyeglasses to protect you? do you wear no eye protection around body fluids? i have been a wearer of prescription eyeglasses for many years now - actually from way back before i started my nursing career. i have come to depend on my glasses to be the barrier - knowing that protective goggles and splash sheilds existed, but not venturing to use them at work, in hospital. today i have a new outlook on that as i did get body fluid exposure when blood splashed upwards from (i'm not sure which - the iv catheter or the tourniquet) when an iv start was attempted that i was assisting with. the blood came up and did actually leave splash marks on my glasses and on the skin very near my eye, i felt too that moisture did go in my eye ... i hope i'm wrong. fortunately the patient is extremely low risk so i haven't much to fear, however, i am being cautious and have reported it and am going through the bloodwork and protected sex with hubby now. the paperwork is a big factor too with the incident so.... my advice from this day forward... wear eye protection where you may get sprayed with body fluid!

I lived off a student loan, many years ago. It took a few years after to pay it off, and it was a bit of a struggle. I had to spend sparinggly, and I lived in nurses res while training which was much less per month thank an appartement, by far. I stayed in, ate lots of sandwiches and K.D.... dining out was extremely rare and I'd get boxes of food when I went home to help me make it on my loan. I made it... it does take sacrafices, but it can be paid back once you are done and working. Enjoy the lean years, the years of education because you are learning more than just nursing now, you are learning to appreciate all that is to come, and truly, some day you can and will look back on the lean years with fondness as you let memories fade somewhat and romanticize about the times you spent with your peers :beer: . (LOL... I do sound old now - really I'm not 80 years old, merely in my 40's!)

Yup, he's right.

I have my own story on this... Years ago, when I was a student nurse I decided to try tanning. I am a very fair skinned Canadian, so I should have been very cautious. New to tanning I didn't know just what would happen, I tanned for a 'mere' 10 minutes. I was pink that night, pink and itchy and sore. The discomfort grew and escalated as I went to bed. I applied lotion, it was soothing and felt good when fresh on, but dried and the discomfort was there all the more, it seemed. I took a bath around midnight, my skin craved coolness, water was soothing. I was getting panicky as I had clinical in the morning and needed some rest. There was some Tylenol in my personal care supplies so I took some, bathed again, and applied lotion yet again. The lotion was drying and the effect not lasting so I applied it yet again and wrapped my limbs and chest and back in saran wrap (was getting desperate for sleep). It was around 2:30 am, still no sleep and ran out of ideas to gain comfort I walked on over to the Emerg (was living in Nurses Res at the hospital that I trained at). Fortunately they were not busy so I didn't have to feel too guilty for coming with overexposure from a tanning bed. The doc gave me some T3's and sent me off to sleep and told me to not tan anymore or reduce my time way down as my skin did not take well to it. I did sleep after taking the T-3's. :zzzzz

:smackingf We toss them in the nearest garbage. Fortunately, for us, this has not become an issue (what a pain for those of you that do have to peel the labels or mark them with some black cover marker or sticker!)

I bow to your greatness - bravery and insanity. I did it back when I was childless and not married - and it was challenging enough for me. It is a very rewarding career and if you have the determination and the abilities you can do it! I do hope your children are old enough to take on some time alone or you have childcare arranged.

Yes, I do agree that it should be older. At whatever age a person is a legal adult (18, here in Alberta) sounds more than reasonable. The 14 year old is yet not old enough to make legal decisions, their healthcare ought not be in their decision-making realm either, but with guidance from their legal guardian.