ERnurz

I have read through this post and want to give a reason I have also heard and believe that "A" students don't make good nurses. Now, before I give you the examples, not ALL "A" students make bad nurses, only the ones I have dealt with... I went to school with some pretty smart nursing students, some were straight A, Type A students who were top notch at taking tests. I went to school with some pretty smart people who sucked at taking tests and still graduated, but could not pass the NCLEX. I also went to school with people like me, Type A, straight A, but had to work my butt off to pass tests. I passed the NCLEX first try! The people who I believe were bad nurses took to the books like fish to water, several of which continued on to get their BSN and MSN. I watched them in action during clinicals and a few after at the hospital we work. Here are my observations: Their people skills were horrible. They tried but could not TALK to people, you know converse to get more info. One of my former classmates felt so above the rest of us since she had gone on to get her BSN that she used the CNAs as though they were her personal slaves and didn't change incontinent pads or answer bells. She didn't last long on my floor! Actually, I don't think she even is working in nursing now. Another classmate wants to "rule the world" and went on to get her MSN so that she can work in management, and I quote "run this hospital like it should be run." Again, her people skills were lacking a tad! The third on my list started out as an LPN and was in my RN class. She corrected our instructors constantly, told our clinical group how we were supposed to do everything, and got straight As on tests because she had a lot of clinical experience with meds and such during her 10 year career as an LPN. I worked with her occasionally in the hospital setting after graduation. She bounced from floor to floor, then to several other facilities because she sucked at being a nurse! I say that with pure honesty, I witnessed her nearly kill a patient because she knew better than the MD and "held" a med. I ran into her recently, guess who no longer works in nursing?! Yes, straight A students can be good nurses, but it also takes: common sense, the ability to listen, the ability to comprehend, a sense of self (know your limits), the ability to work as a team, and above all else...the desire to care for others!! If you don't truly want to be a caregiver, if you just want to make a paycheck, if it is a job that you see as a stepping stone to something greater.....please don't become a nurse. Be a nurse because it is your passion, I know it's mine!!!

I have an issue with a coworker that I would like to share with the rest of you and hope that my venting with make me feel better. I work with a very well educated and experienced nurse. She has her own demons that she has not ever dealt with and so I am giving her the excuse that she is emotionally immature. During a shift, this particular nurse literally got in my face, screaming at me, poking her finger in my face, and then stomped away. I tried to calmly talk to her, explain my position in the problem she was upset about. She screamed at me twice more without so much as me getting a word in edgewise. When I finally got to explain my side, she huffed off. I stood there with my jaw open, thinking I had been transported back to high school and just had a run in with the class bully. I took the problem to the management of my department, as this was not the first problem I have had with this nurse, just the final straw. She assured me that the problem was not the first she had been told of in regard to this nurse and it would be dealt with. Not a week later, the same nurse again attacked me verbally, but this time there were at least 6 people watching and waiting. It did not get violent, just loud and animated. Once again, I went to management and was told it would be dealt with, but this time she told me that calling corporate compliance was always an option! I am literally sick to my stomach when I have to work with this nurse. I have considered changing departments, but why should I when I love what I do. As I said, she has her own demons and I believe that they are why she is so emotionally immature, but the outbursts are frightening and definitely not professional. At this point, I am in a holding pattern. I hope that this gets resolved soon, I just want to do my job without having to take Maalox before starting my shift!!

I am actually quite surprised that your ER would take new grads. I know of none in our area that will let any nurse work in the ER without 1 year of clinical experience under their belt. Even if a new grad gets floated to the ER, they are assigned tasks to do to help out that DO NOT include patient care; some of such are med recs for admissions, set up and take down of suture rooms, taking pt's to radiology, etc. Since you are going to be working there, the best advice I can give is to keep your eyes open and get into every room you can to see what is being done for the patients. ER nursing is nothing like floor nursing; it is fast paced and can mean life or death for patients, as you are probably well aware. Don't let the more experienced nurses make you feel like you have nothing to offer, and take their advice and criticisms with the attitude that they are trying to make you a better nurse. Some of the best nurses can have a really hard time teaching new nurses and come off as mean or highly critical. The hardest part of learning in an ER is to not take everything personally because emotions can run high which puts everyone on the defense. Good luck and remember that everyone you work with was once a new grad and they lived to tell the tale :)

I've been in an ED for two years and I'm not ready to travel to any other hospital's ED to work! I cannot image someone thinking 5 months will cover "all you need to know about an ER" and I hope that I never have to work with someone who thinks they have all the experience they need in 5 months. I have to work with someone who spent one year in an ICU and "learned all they could" so they came to the ED to learn some more. Guess what? They aren't that good at what they learned.

The facility I work in has everyone doing 12s; every other weekend and two days during the week. There are several schools located nearby pumping out new RNs every May, so there aren't too many units short of nurses. When a call in happens, we have a list of occasionals that will pick up a shift here and there. I love only working three days a week. I can't imagine why your facility would have you all working 4-5 days a week, they must be horribly understaffed!!

Good Luck to you!! It is a wild ride working with peds in an ER. I've only been doing it two years, but my one recommendation is to trust your instincts. Young parents bring their infants to the ER because they have no idea how to take care of them, let alone what to do when they are sick. You can tell the difference between critical ones and the ones that just need a dose of Tylenol and antibiotics for their ear infection. Listen to your gut; if the parent states he is happy and full of energy usually but you see a listless, pale, glossy eyed baby...something is wrong! If he is smiling, cooing, and pink cheeked, it is probably not life threatening. Time is your enemy with peds, trust your training, and listen to the parents. You can do this :)

As you can see, I have just today joined this site. I am looking for a place to keep up with what is going on in the nursing world outside my own, but I see the bubble has encompassed the country and the grass isn't any greener where you are. I left the world of office work to get an education and join the medical world three and a half years ago. I still feel like I'm a newbie some days, and like an old, worn-out, cynical, been-around-the-block too many times ER nurse. I did floor nursing for my first two years and enjoyed it, but needed more of a challenge so to the ED I went and a challenge doesn't begin to define my day. Unfortunately, the budget crunch and overworked/underpaid is the motto in health care these days. The one thing that I brought with me from my 20 some years in the world of clerical was "the job needs done, no one else is gonna do it, and at least I'm getting paid something for this" attitude. :) What I'm rambling about and trying to say is that no matter where you work, what job you do, or how much you get paid, someone else is in the same boat with you, you just may not be able to see them right now AND it could be worse. (BTW, don't say that at work, cause it really can get worse!!) If you're feeling like you need a change, try a new department or a new facility, but I guarantee you are going to hit this wall again. Try to find the things you like about what you do and focus on that for now. If you find you cannot even find enough to keep you there, then in a certain time frame (say 6 weeks) start looking for something new. Good Luck!