Nurse326

Adrenal fatigue definitely sounds like what I'm going through most days. I'll definitely look into the Ketogenic diet, thanks!

Hi All, Not seeking any medical advice, am just curious to know how many of you might also be dealing with HTN. I have noticed in the last few years (from the start of nursing school) my blood pressure has been regularly high (140s systolics, 90-100 diastolics). I already have an idea as to why my BP could be that high and I know I could bring it down with some lifestyle changes. I work in a high stress environment, I don't exercise as often as I should, and I occasionally fancy myself to some good ol' processed foods and alcohol. Aside from the obvious interventions (in my case, lifestyle changes), how many of you with HTN are on BP meds? Did you feel your job was a contributing factor to your high BP? At what point did your doctor decide to put you on BP meds? What other types of meds or interventions have you used to decrease your BP? I am a 29 yo F, 5'2, 115 lb...there shouldn't be any reason why my BP should be that high! I am going to schedule an appointment with my PCP, but I'd be curious to know how you've dealt with HTN.

A bit of a silly question, but where do you keep your trauma shears? The pockets in my scrub tops are typically so full that I can't put anything else in there. Most of the scrub pants I own only have one leg pocket (which is where I put my nurses' cell phone), and the shears don't fit my waist pockets. I really don't want to resort to a fanny pack. I guess I should have thought about where to put my shears when I bought all my scrub pants, but these are the only kind I own. I'm considering getting a holster but a lot of the ones I saw require you to wear a belt. So where do you keep your shears? I'm looking for creative ideas

Yes, and thank you. For the interest of not flooding this thread with the same idea I've been trying to reiterate, I won't be responding to posts with those same assumptions anymore. Although yes, the new nurse is sometimes to blame for the lack of respect he/she is getting, the problem we are talking about here is being disrespected despite doing all the "right" things. I think many of you have brought up very good points on countering those challenges. I am simply not okay with being openly disrespected, ducking my head, and taking it; or defending myself (when appropriate) and being called a brat for doing so.

I had a classmate who's mom (55 yo) decided to go back to school to become a nurse once all her kids graduated from college. A nurse at the hospital I precepted at said she precepted a nursing student who was 60 years old. It is never too late! :)

Okay, maybe I went a little overboard with that remark, and if I've offended anyone I apologize. And no, that is not how I typically respond to colleagues or anyone for that matter. Perhaps the poster telling me to "shut my mouth" about something I never said set me off to respond irrationally. I respond to disagreement by asking "what ifs" and applying their rationale to different scenarios, as I have done in a previous post on this thread.

Which other posts? I'm going through them and am seriously trying to understand what you're talking about. I have made all of 18 posts since joining AllNurses and none of them pertain to snark/disagreement. I am generally pleasant. One snippy post does not make me a "nasty" person. Just like how one accusatory post from you does not make you a libeller. A little dramatic, no?

I'm not sure what about it was nasty. Perhaps me venting my frustration with someone who completely misinterpreted my post came off as nasty to you.

I don't have a problem with getting supplies. I have a problem with tone. There is a difference between "Could you get the supplies?" VS "Get me the supplies!". As I've said repeatedly, I am not the whiny new grad seeking validity and admiration. I'm asking for the BASIC respect you'd give to a stranger-- which is NOT to be RUDE. Is that hard? Excellent advice for someone who is actually playing that card. I don't know how it came off to you that I am actually using any sort of power play. I'm under the impression you think it is permissible to be treated dismissively because you were treated the same way. I truly hope you are not an offender yourself, and if so, do everyone a favor and retire immediately.

Your hospital sounds similar to mine. My new grad RN program allows for 12 weeks of orientation in the ER. One day of classroom time and two 12-hr shifts every week.

To reiterate the type of 'respect' I am talking about-- I'm not talking about seeking admiration, approval, or even validity as a nurse (I mean come on, I know I'm brand new-- I'd be kidding myself). I'm talking about BASIC human respect. The kind you'd (hopefully) give to a stranger. You don't even need to be friendly with me. If your baseline behavior towards new employees is disrespecting/insulting them, you might be the problem. Can you imagine being punished everyday simply for not being as experienced as your peers? It is unfathomable to me that anyone should have to EARN the right to not be disrespected. Would it be acceptable for the cashier at the grocery store to shake their head and roll their eyes at you because you couldn't pull out your wallet fast enough? I mean, you haven't earned their respect or anything, so of course they can treat you that way, right? And how dare you for being shocked and bewildered when you experience such rudeness! I mean, God, you must be such a sensitive person-- grow a thicker skin already! See how ridiculous that sounds?

Like another poster said, I do believe everyone deserves a baseline amount of respect. Thick skin or not, I don't think it ever helps anyone when someone shakes their head and roll their eyes at you because you don't know something. I'm not asking to be coddled, I just ask that nobody be rude to me. Prior to nursing, I've worked on an ambulance for several years where hazing and bullying was quite common (unfortunately) so I feel like my skin has thickened over the years. I've just never been in a situation where someone who worked (for lack of a better word) "under" me be rude to me simply because I am new. I totally respect when someone is simply being no-nonsense and wants to get things done. I am not okay with someone treating me like I am beneath them.

The preceptor issue is definitely something I am working on with management. There's someone I want to work with who is amazing; we just have to work out scheduling conflicts. As the rest of you have said, I agree that having one preceptor is what will make this orientation process so much better. As for my use of the word "microaggression", "passive aggressive" is probably a better word. It slipped my mind initially.

I'm not saying it's not possible, but finding a nursing job in SF while also factoring in the cost of living will be difficult. Like another poster said, a 1-br in SF runs around $4k/month. A 1-br apartment in Oakland (20 min away from SF) runs around ~$2k/month. I know several people who live in SF but commute to hospitals outside of SF for work because they couldn't find a job in SF.

@beenthere,donethat , I agree. Which is why I don't plan on talking it out just yet. I haven't received any formal feedback from my preceptors because management haven't found me a permanent preceptor yet (which is another issue I won't talk about now). As for management, they are well aware of nurse bullying on the unit and have been very understanding and supportive about those issues. Management, as well as the nicer nurses on the unit, have told me to ignore the negative attitudes and to just do my best, which I think is what I'll do.