kittymom

I can completely relate to what you're going through. I also work on an extremely busy unit, and rarely get a lunch break. I punch out "No Lunch" and don't feel guilty at all; in fact, I encourage my coworkers to do the same. I make sure not to abuse the privilege, but I feel like that extra half-hour of pay is well earned. In the back of my head, I feel like if enough people clock out "No Lunch", then someone HAS to stand up and take notice. I agree with the earlier post about the ethical and legal ramifications of what your facility is asking you to do -- sounds like working off the clock to me. You hang in there and stand your ground. It's hard enough being a nurse for 12-hours a day . . . we at least deserve a lunch!

Obviously I hit some severely frazzled nerves with this post -- definitely not my intention. Mianders, if you'll review my original post, you'll see that I did NOT suggest a 2-hour time frame at each shift change to keep patients away from the floors. I've worked ER and Critical Care, and I am completely aware that patients come first. Having them wait in the ER for 2 hours is ridiculous, and no true nurse would ever condone that kind of patient care. To all of you that offered some positive suggestions based on what you have experienced, THANK YOU! I'm going to to a lot more research and maybe make a change for the positive. Have a great new year!

Crocs, hands down. I've tried every kind of "nursing shoe" out there, and only Crocs get me through a 12+-hour shift without my feet aching. No blisters, no sweating . . . they wash up like a dream, and the colors are great. I'm a true Crocs believer!

Gee -- now that's a heck of a way to promote retention of good staff! As nurses, we're all ingrained with taking care of everyone else except ourselves. Sometimes you just have to be sick; human bodies do that! Don't beat yourself up over calling in. You know that you're sick, and if you call in that rarely then your coworkers know you're sick, too. Now, go to bed and get some rest. Sounds like you need it!

Hi to everyone. I need help. After my last three shifts, I have left work so-o-o-o frustrated due to admissions being sent to my floor during the last hour of my shift. I work on a critical care unit, and the paperwork alone needs at least twice that to complete! Last night there were 2 nurses and 1 tech, and 2 admissions came up within 10 minutes of each other between 6:00 pm and 6:15 pm. Report is supposed to start at 6:45. One was vomiting coffee-ground emesis, and the other was pale as a sheet and shaking from hyperglycemia. Neither got the care they deserved, but we did the very best we could, then handed off to the next shift. There are plenty of reasons NOT to accept a patient during the last hour, but when the Nursing Supervisor and your Charge Nurse say do it, then we have no choice. However, what do other hospital do? Does anyone out there limit admissions at shift changes? I've heard of hospitals that send only emergency admits between 0600 and 0730, then again from 1800 to 2030 . . . but my ER nurses tell me, "That's impossible!" Why is it impossible? Am I missing something? If a patient has been in the ER for 8 hours, why can't they be handled there for another hour or so? Is it just me? Am I barking up the wrong tree? By the way, I was an ER nurse for 2 years, so I know the Docs are the biggest problem with admission times, not the nurses. Can't they be educated? Help -- I'm thinking of putting together a research study to help with these times, but I need to know what other places are doing. Thanks for letting me vent!!!!!