RN-Doula

Love the share, appreciate it. The book "The Afterlife of Billy Fingers" gave me so much more insight about how a soul feels during their passing.

Our presence assures you the doctors won't be making any mistakes.

We keep the doctors on their toes.

We are just a precaution.

Short staffed today, my boss said get in any way possible.

As an OB nurse, helping a mom to breastfeed who had an inverted nipple, after reversing the nipple so it was erect, got lint out of it.

Aide gave a bed bath and folds full of cheesy-fungus. Yak. Yes had my student nurses c/o to me during their rotations some patients had Belly Lint in various body parts.

As a cna I was slow answering a call light on older dementia woman, entering her room, I ducked quickly as she threw her BM at me and was cursing. In the Peace Corps, Honduras, an 8 yo boy was nauseous, while waiting at an OPD clinic for the doctor to see him. He vomited a few 8 to 10 inch round worms. The local nurse promptly went into a speech why everyone had to boil their water, cook food thoroughly and keep flies off it.

But no one mentioned the burn out factor? How tired one is after the 12 hours of running around.

Lots of women don't know. As an occupational nurse I answered all types of questions, made myself receptive to the folks who worked at the factory. A group of married ladies with children asked me one time, how did women go from 2 holes to 3 after they got married? Nothing surprises me anymore.

Back in my day new grads got top pay of $5 hr, added bonus $5 a week for BSN, but this was 1977, my first RN job in Boston. I was just coming off min wage of $1.60/hour as a cna, so I was thrilled. Currently in LA area $40 + for my years experience, but union places are up to $50+ an hour for those with senior experience. As other comments said it depends on your area.

I have heard talk about some hospitals going back to 8 hour shifts because the 12 hours is too long and leaves nurse physically exhausted and emotionally drained at times. As a new grad in the 70's 8 hour shifts were the norm with constant rotation. Two weeks of days were followed by two weeks of 3 to 11 pm or 11 to 7 am. But there were a few hospitals which mixed the shifts up within the same week. Sometimes a nurse chose to work permanently eves or nights. Is anyone seeing this trend and how is it working? Does anyone work 8 hour shifts in an acute hospital?

I'm 60+, former L & D, now teach nursing school OB, but still call myself a L & D nurse. Many of my co-workers, 50 to 60 are still there but in charge positions so not the physical stuff. Lots of younger nurses filling in the ranks. I have the knowledge but many of the new staff want to learn it on their own and not question me. I delivered a breech lady partslly once. Woman came in active labor, 2 legs out her lady parts. In the 70's all breeches were lady partsl, I watched and learned along with the OB interns. Had a healthy baby in a few minutes, none of the nurses thought it was possible. The stress on the joints, running down the hall pushing a bed to the OR for crash C-birth, yes so much easier just teaching the students how to swaddle a baby so they can teach new parents.

I say at times "I work in a hospital" and leave it at that to strangers I encounter, chatting in a store, at church etc. I find when I tell some people I'm a nurse, they jack up prices for me. A few hairdressers I went to, I found out charged me more, the bike repair shop, a local jeweler to fix a necklace, etc.

PEDIATRICIANS who examine the newborns before 24 hours of age, as is required, but leave the baby unwrapped in the crib, no clothes and no blanket on them, just after we told the new parents babies get cold quickly, they don't have thermoregulation usually functioning fully in the first 24 hours, but the peds don't seem to care.