HelloWish

As a new nurse I went in early to research my patients, but I clocked in for it. I don't do my job without getting paid. Now as an experienced nurse, I don't need to do that. Also experienced nurses know what to hand off that you need to know so you only look up what you need to know. Generally it takes me 5 minutes to look up my 3 patients and the most important details. We really need to know our patient's though due to them being critically ill, but with time management and experience you are able to do it far more quickly.

Those billing and coding courses are a scam unfortunately. If you are interested in that type of work, something like utilization review may be a good job to look into. I don't know how much experience you had, but that kind of job does require experience.

I had a needle stick by a patient positive with Hepatitis C (it was a non-coring mediport needle). I was okay, never contracted it. I then had another needle stick by safety pin that had been removed from a patient gown with a patient with MDRO (multiple drug resistant organisms). I was fine again. It is very unlikely there would be an issue. Employee health contacts an infectious disease doc typically and they can give you info on any risks.

This is a common mistake with experienced nurses. I have just learned to go back and check later on to make sure everything has run as it should if possible. If I catch another nurses mistake who is already off shift, I just correct it.

I have a friend who was I think 60 when we went through nursing school together. She does pediatric private duty now. She is very physically active for her age. I think there is a lot to think about but think it is feasible.

Notify employee health. They will know and reassure you.

I am fortunate, our IMCU is 3:1. I interviewed at a couple of other hospitals near me which do 4:1 and they even took on sicker patients than we do at my current hospital.

I work at a good hospital and in a good unit too. They have a 94% employee retention rate at my hospital. You can ask the hospital about employee retention when you are looking for a position. They do exist!

Congrats! No it is not aggressive. I am not an aggressive person and every job I have gotten I emailed HR or the person I interviewed with to thank them for the interview and express my strong interest in the position. If I had not heard back a week later, I would email again. Each job I was interested in and did this landed me the job. It is proactive and shows interest.

This sounds like a nice job. However, maybe you would feel more satisfied by adding a PRN job at the hospital. Then later you can decide if you want to move out of your current job. Office nursing wasn't for me and I had my dream job in research. I hated it! I like the physical aspects of hospital nursing, not so much the incessant call light, getting water and snacks - there is a trade off. Also I am working on my masters so the schedule is great. I love 4 days off and the ability to schedule appointments during the week. I lucked out in finding a great hospital though. My hospital is physician owned. I don't know if that what makes a difference but they have a super high nurse retention rate.

A walk on a nature trail or floating in a swimming pool all by myself, although to shut my mind off I have to get lost in Netflix.

BPs often have to be taken in the forearm. If you have a patient with a mastectomy and cannot take the BP in that arm and the patient has a PICC line in the other arm, what do you do? Either the forearm or the calf area. I wouldn't put the BP cuff on the elbow though, move it down all the way to the forearm. I would still take the pulse in the same area as you do when you take a BP on the upper arm or try the radial pulse.

Most hospitals offer Employee Assistance Programs as part of their benefits package, which are a certain amount of therapy sessions per year covered by your employer. Furthermore, no one will know you are in therapy!

Removing stitches and pain management. I like finding the right way to give pain meds that reduces the patient's pain when other nurses haven't been able to!

I think it depends on the hospital, the culture, and your coworkers. I am working in a Intermediate Care Unit. The hospital is in a nice location, and while I do take care of the critically ill, the patient's aren't as sick as some hospitals. The ratio is 1 nurse to 3 patients. I really like my coworkers and the hospital culture and want to stay at my hospital. I feel like I fit with my unit and the people there. That makes all the difference. This is my 3rd job as a nurse, it took a few tries.